Dent still waiting and wondering
Former Bears DE thinks he deserves Hall spot, unsure why he's not in
Not anymore.
The former Bears defensive end and Super Bowl XX MVP said he doesn't even know who else is in the running this year.
''No disrespect to the others, but I just don't look at the list now,'' Dent said Monday. ''It's not that it doesn't matter to me. I'm just not interested in looking at it.
''I think I'm certainly Hall of Fame quality -- at least that's how people have made me feel over the years.''
The 40-person board of selectors will take a long look at the list of 17 on Saturday in Miami. Some of the other familiar names include Thurman Thomas, Michael Irvin, Russ Grimm and the late Derrick Thomas. The voters will congregate for about five hours and decide which handful of former players are worthy of induction.
The Bears have an NFL-high 26 players in the Hall of Fame, including three of Dent's former teammates: Walter Payton, Mike Singletary and Dan Hampton. Dent, the Bears' all-time sacks leader with 124½, certainly believes he deserves the nod.
''I don't think anyone has really doubted my ability,'' said Dent, who finished his career with 137½ sacks, tied for fifth in NFL history. ''I mean, I was near the top in more categories than most linebackers and defensive backs.
''I couldn't tell you why I'm not [in]. You have to ask the voters.''
Voter Paul Zimmerman of Sports Illustrated had this to say about Dent: ''Yes, I think Richard Dent deserves to go in. I think Chris Doleman deserves it. Fred Dean? Well, a case could be made. Ditto [for] Derrick Thomas and Andre Tippett. What do they have in common? They were all demon pass rushers. And now you know why it's so hard for Dent to get in.
''Great pass rushers throughout history are a dime a dozen. Picking the right one is a chore.''
For the record, 13 modern-era defensive ends have been elected into the Hall of Fame, including Hampton, Reggie White, Deacon Jones and Howie Long.
Dent believes there is another reason he has been passed over: exposure, or lack thereof. He doesn't feel the Bears organization really pushed him as a star and future Hall of Famer.
''For whatever reason, I wasn't their guy,'' he said. ''When I was playing, everything I gained was through hard work, sweating it out. When you sign a contract with them, they pay for your services. From there, it's their business. They have the right to promote.
''Why not me? You'd have to ask them that.''
Regardless of what kind of support he has received in the past, the timing appears right for Dent to earn the honor now. The Bears are in the Super Bowl again for the first time since Dent and his '85 squad crushed the New England Patriots 46-10. Dent recorded 1½ sacks and forced two fumbles in the game.
Asked to compare the two Bears teams, Dent offered a biased opinion.
''Fortunately, they have an opportunity to play for a championship, but we captured not only the city -- we captured the world,'' Dent said. ''The hype for our Super Bowl was three-, four-fold. We had records, movies, videos.
''It was all about attitude. People didn't question if we would win the game. It was about how much we would win by. Through hell or high water, you knew we would be bringing the championship back home.''
But Dent believes this season's Bears should relish the opportunity to accomplish something the '85 team couldn't do: give a black coach a Super Bowl title.
''That is a great honor, too,'' Dent said. ''If I were playing for [Lovie Smith], I'd want to make sure that my coach would go down in history. Being African-American, I'd want to go down in history right with him.''