Former All-Pro blames ‘The Blind Side’ movie for Hall of Fame snub

On paper, former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Willie Anderson certainly appears to have a Hall of Fame resume.

A four-time All-Pro selection (three First-Team, one Second-Team) and Pro Bowler, Anderson recently stated during a recent appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Up & Adams” that he thinks he knows why he has yet to get the call that he’ll be inducted into the HOF despite being a three-time finalist.

It has to do with a certain popular motion picture.

“I think the media had a bias,” Anderson said . “They just didn't understand ... the guys we blocked over there were some of the best rushers of all time. The whole ‘Blind Side’ thing ... the right side guys got pushed away.”

Anderson may have a valid point.

A right tackle hasn’t been inducted into the Hall of Fame in 18 years, and the position certainly doesn’t have the same kind of prestige it once did back in the 80s and 90s.

Anderson was the first right tackle since the 1970s to earn three straight First-Team All-Pro selections and the first since 1990 to be named to four straight Pro Bowls. No RT has accomplished either milestone since, yet he has difficulty getting proper recognition from HOF voters.

There’s no question that left tackles have a higher value in today’s NFL than ever before, and they’re viewed as more important than any other position on the offensive line. Still, Anderson believes that kind of thinking is jaded.

“You got guys who are 18, 19 years old that will tell you, ‘I only want to play left tackle,’” Anderson continued. “And I say go look at what Penei Sewell's contract was for the Detroit Lions this year — over a $100 million contract. The kids, their parents and the media pushing left tackle is a huge deal. But they don't realize guards are getting paid crazy money right now.”

It’s tough to say whether or not the glorification of LT in “The Blind Side” had anything to do with how RTs are perceived or why Anderson hasn’t received his (rightly earned) gold jacket.