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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
The case for Dolphins legend Mark Clayton to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Miami Dolphins' all-time leader in touchdowns and receptions, Mark Clayton, redefined what it meant to be a dominant, go-to wide receiver in the 1980s. Breaking records and bringing a style unseen in the NFL before, his 1984 season marked the beginning of a decade of dominance. That year, Clayton's 18 touchdown receptions set a new NFL record, breaking a mark that had stood for more than four decades. Despite his accomplishments, Clayton has been left out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He clearly has a case for Canton, and Seth Levit, co-host of the popular The Fish Tank podcast, recently made a compelling case on YouTube. Clayton finished his career with 84 touchdowns on 582 receptions, an elite ratio of one touchdown for every 6.9 catches. As Levit noted, the only Hall of Famers to have 75 or more touchdowns with a better ratio are Paul Warfield, Randy Moss, and Lance Alworth. In the 1980s, "only two players caught more touchdown passes than Mark Clayton; and they were Steve Largent and the GOAT: Jerry Rice,' Levit added. Clayton, who stood just 5'9, defied the long-standing belief that a wide receiver needed to be at least six feet tall to excel in the NFL. "One could argue that Hall of Fame selectors still share similar beliefs, given that Tommy McDonald, who played his last game 57 years ago, is the only one out of 35 Gold Jacket wideouts who was shorter than 5'11,' Levit noted. "The other 34 bronze-busted receivers are 5'11 or taller, and actually, only five of them are 5'11 -- four if you remove Devin Hester from the receiver category.' Clayton's success at less-than-prototypical size helped open the door for receivers such as DeSean Jackson, Steve Smith Sr., Wes Welker, Santana Moss, Antonio Brown, and current Dolphins stars Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. So why isn't Clayton already in the Hall of Fame? It seems that voters discount his production as merely a product of Dan Marino's prolific success. Yet, other skill-position players haven't been punished for posting big numbers with all-time greats at quarterback. Marino is the only Hall of Fame quarterback without a skill-position teammate enshrined alongside him. '[Joe] Montana had Jerry Rice," Levit said. "[Steve] Young had Rice and Terrell Owens. [Peyton] Manning had Marvin Harrison, not to mention Edgerrin James in the backfield. [John] Elway had Shannon Sharpe and Terrell Davis. [Brett] Favre had Sterling Sharpe. [Johnny] Unitas had Raymond Berry. Jim Kelly had [Andre] Reed and Thurman Thomas. [Bob] Griese had Warfield. [Kurt] Warner had [Isaac] Bruce and [Marshall] Faulk. [Troy] Aikman had [Michael] Irvin and Emmitt [Smith]. [Terry] Bradshaw had [Lynn] Swann and [John] Stallworth.' Now eligible in the senior category, there is every reason to believe Clayton deserves a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Fox News
17-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Dion Jordan, former highly touted NFL prospect, owns up to failed success at pro level
Dion Jordan was a highly touted NFL prospect coming out of college in 2013 and was treated as such. The Miami Dolphins selected Jordan with the No. 3 pick of the draft that year, but his career did not go exactly the way anyone planned. The former defensive end had three sacks in 26 games for the Dolphins and was then suspended in 2015 for violations of the NFL's substance abuse policy. He reappeared in the league in 2017 with the Seattle Seahawks, securing four sacks in five games, but it was not enough to revive his career as a starter. He played for the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers before leaving the league following the 2020 season. Jordan, 34, came to grips with the failure of meeting those high expectations. "I didn't have my life in order. My life outside of ball wasn't in balance," he said in a recent interview on "The Fish Tank" podcast. "You know, it wasn't what it needed to be to match all of that stuff and I struggled, dude. I struggled coming in. I struggled understanding the plays and the playbook. "When I left the facility, it didn't help because I'm out partying. I'm enjoying the money I have, and I'm just putting myself behind the eight-ball. I'm hurt, you know. Sometimes I'm missing my rehabs, so that's not helping." Jordan made clear that it was no one else's fault but his own for the way his NFL career panned out. He is now an assistant at Eureka College in Illinois to help teach the next generation. In 63 career games, he had 13.5 sacks and 108 total tackles. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dion Jordan accepts full responsibility for his wasted playing career
As more than 250 former college football players creep toward draft day and even more prepare to sign as undrafted free agents, it's important for all of them to remember that it won't be the end. It'll be the beginning. Dion Jordan, the third pick in the 2013 draft by the Dolphins, learned that lesson the hard way. Twelve years later, he accepts full responsibility for the failure of his NFL career. 'I didn't have my life in order,' Jordan told O.J. McDuffie and Seth Levit on The Fish Tank podcast, via Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post. Jordan said his existence away from the game "wasn't in balance," and that he struggled to understand the Dolphins' NFL plays and playbook. 'When I left the facility, it didn't help because I'm out partying,' Jordan said. 'I'm enjoying the money that I have and I'm just putting myself behind the eight-ball. I'm hurt, you know. Sometimes I'm missing my rehabs, so that's not helping." Jordan was suspended multiple times by the NFL. He missed six games in 2014 and all of 2015. He also didn't play at all in 2016. He ultimately played in 63 regular-season games through 2020, with five career starts. He finished with 13.5 sacks. Jordan is now the assistant head coach at Eureka College in Illinois, on the staff of former NFL defensive tackle Randy Starks. Jordan tutors his players by letting them know about his own mistakes. 'Ain't nobody else's fault,' Jordan said. 'And look, I watch these kids now and I realize what I was messing up.' Players everywhere can learn from Jordan's experience. No matter how hard or easy it was at the college level, it will be much harder in the NFL. And it will take the kind of discipline, commitment, and effort that the player has never before devoted to the game.
NBC Sports
15-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Dion Jordan accepts full responsibility for his wasted playing career
As more than 250 former college football players creep toward draft day and even more prepare to sign as undrafted free agents, it's important for all of them to remember that it won't be the end. It'll be the beginning. Dion Jordan, the third pick in the 2013 draft by the Dolphins, learned that lesson the hard way. Twelve years later, he accepts full responsibility for the failure of his NFL career. 'I didn't have my life in order,' Jordan told O.J. McDuffie and Seth Levit on The Fish Tank podcast, via Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post. Jordan said his existence away from the game 'wasn't in balance,' and that he struggled to understand the Dolphins' NFL plays and playbook. 'When I left the facility, it didn't help because I'm out partying,' Jordan said. 'I'm enjoying the money that I have and I'm just putting myself behind the eight-ball. I'm hurt, you know. Sometimes I'm missing my rehabs, so that's not helping.' Jordan was suspended multiple times by the NFL. He missed six games in 2014 and all of 2015. He also didn't play at all in 2016. He ultimately played in 63 regular-season games through 2020, with five career starts. He finished with 13.5 sacks. Jordan is now the assistant head coach at Eureka College in Illinois, on the staff of former NFL defensive tackle Randy Starks. Jordan tutors his players by letting them know about his own mistakes. 'Ain't nobody else's fault,' Jordan said. 'And look, I watch these kids now and I realize what I was messing up.' Players everywhere can learn from Jordan's experience. No matter how hard or easy it was at the college level, it will be much harder in the NFL. And it will take the kind of discipline, commitment, and effort that the player has never before devoted to the game.
