Former Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro puts football movie on blast for diminishing his Hall of Fame case

Three times has former Cincinnati Bengals right tackle Willie Anderson been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and three times has he been denied a gold jacket .

Anderson was one of the best offensive lineman of his time, and his accolades for a career right tackle stand taller than most all-time greats at the position. He's the only right tackle in the last 40 years to be named an All-Pro in three straight years .

So why hasn't he been enshrined in Canton yet? Anderson can point his finger towards Hollywood for that.

"The Blind Side" has created blindness

The catalogue of the greatest tackles in NFL history is filled with left tackles, those who protected the backside, or "blind side" of right-handed quarterbacks. Teams prioritized the position for the purpose of protecting their QBs, and the vast majority of great tackles ended up at that position.

Bias towards left tackles over right tackles has existed for decades, primarily since Lawrence Taylor wrecked havoc in the 1980s at right defensive end and ended Joe Theisman's career with a "blind side" sack.

That phrase became the title of the 2009 movie "The Blind Side," which tells the story of Michael Oher overcoming an impoverished upbringing to eventually make the NFL as, you guessed it, a left tackle.

Anderson, who retired the same year as the movie's release, told Kay Adams on Up & Adams that the movie helped perpetrate this bias even further, and has negatively impacted the legacies of right tackles like himself are viewed.

Enough to prevent him from being inducted into the Hall of Fame?

"Absolutely," Anderson told Adams. "I think the media had a bias, because they just didn't understand the importance of the guys we blocked over there were some of the best rushes of all time.

"And the whole blindside thing got taken out because of the movie, and the right side guys got pushed away."

Anderson has the best case out of any right tackle looking to make the Hall in the near future, but he's speaking for everyone at the position. The narrative behind left tackles being so far and away more important in comparison has gone on long enough, especially nowadays when some of the best pass rushers rush from both sides, or against right tackles more often than not.

And it's not just the past that's been skewed. According to Anderson, who now trains young offensive lineman in Georgia, the bias' persistence has impact on what the kids want with their careers.

"Now you got some kids who are 18, 19 years old that would tell you, 'I only want to play left tackle,'" Anderson said. "And I say, Well, go look at what Penei Sewell's contract was for the Detroit Lions this year. You know, $100 million contract. So the kids and their parents, because of the media's push of the "Blind Side" left tackle is a huge deal."

While this bias may still exist, at least the NFL itself is doing its part towards righting the wrong. Sewell's recent $112 million extension will pay him $28 million a year, which is now the largest for any tackle in terms of Average Annual Value.

The Bengals of all teams should value Anderson's point of view. Having him for over a decade is a luxury they've missed since his departure. The position has been a weakness for most of Joe Burrow's young career, and has attributed to many of the sacks he's taken. It's why they took a big swing with first-round pick Amarius Mims .

But it's ultimately up to voters to get with the program. Until then, Anderson will remain a victim of the perception.

Related: Corey Dillon's Bengals Ring of Honor induction is definitive proof that time heals all