The end of the world must be near: King voting for Monk for the Hall

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(My jaw just hit the keyboard.)
must have quite the jaw to hit the 4and k

Just to supplement, Look at this line from PK's article:

As I made my rounds of training camps this year, I asked veteran coaches about Monk and the one word that kept coming up was 'unselfish.' ''

Again, this is one of the reasons that Dr. Z's and PK's opinions get more credibility and carry more weight. As national correspondents, they can speak to more people on a specific topic then the locals can. Do you think the Minnesota reporter spent time this year going around to various training camps to talk to "veteran coaches" about Monk? I don't think so. No, he (or she) is going to rely on PK, Z and other nationals to do that and then let them debate it. Because of the way PK approached this, the locals are going to go his way. Also, by publishing his position, PK now doesn't have to be THE advocate for Monk in the room, he has already done so in a much more public forum.

Let's see what Z's response to this is later in the week. I am betting he has to say something on the issue (Hey Redskin's Nation - flood him with tons of polite e-mails simply asking him what he thought of PK's article and whether a) he has polled coaches, fans or players and b) PK's opinion and research might cause him to reevaluate his own position).

My bet is that he would like to ignore PK's bit but won't be able to and that he will, once again, pout about Monk's unsuitability. He may go as far as saying that everyone is entitled to their opinion but that, based on his recollections, he is sticking with his original position. By doing so, he gets to remain anti-monk (and true to his "principles") but gets out of the way for those who want to vote for Monk.

Sorry for these long (probably pointless) soliliques on the matter, but I am just so f***ing psyched right now.

What a crock...the HOF voting process is such a sham. How can King claim to have not known what Art Monk meant to the Redskins in the 80's? Was he in a coma or just to far up the Giants collective arse to recognize the merits of a rival player. He is basically saying that he shuned Monk all these years because he was uninformed...great to know.

I am glad Monk may finally get in but that whole Hall of Fame is a f-ing circus...

I think that King had to agree to change his position on Monk in order to get the votes for Carson last year. And I think he was whipping votes for Carson because he knew it was the will of his Lord and Master Bill Parcells. None of the substantive points he makes are truer now than they were last year. It seems to me that he struck a deal with someone or perhaps several someones.

What a shame that simple-minded reporters like King are given such power. If he's going to coaches to get their opinions, why don't we just let the coaches vote?

At any rate, it's great that Monk will finally be honored. Now it will be interesting to see what happens with Darell Green and Russ Grimm. Is it going to take 6 or 7 years to get them in?

I think that King had to agree to change his position on Monk in order to get the votes for Carson last year. And I think he was whipping votes for Carson because he knew it was the will of his Lord and Master Bill Parcells. None of the substantive points he makes are truer now than they were last year. It seems to me that he struck a deal with someone or perhaps several someones.

What a shame that simple-minded reporters like King are given such power. If he's going to coaches to get their opinions, why don't we just let the coaches vote?

At any rate, it's great that Monk will finally be honored. Now it will be interesting to see what happens with Darell Green and Russ Grimm. Is it going to take 6 or 7 years to get them in?

Which coaches? Past, present, both?

I have said it before and I'll say it again, the writers voting for HOF is not perfect but it the best way to do it.

All along King has said that he would keep an open mind about Monk, let's at least give him credit for that. He's come through on his word.

Carson getting in was clearly the catalyst for this change of heart.


Either that or Len Shapiro has some serious dirt on him that he doesn't want to get out....

I think that King had to agree to change his position on Monk in order to get the votes for Carson last year. And I think he was whipping votes for Carson because he knew it was the will of his Lord and Master Bill Parcells. None of the substantive points he makes are truer now than they were last year. It seems to me that he struck a deal with someone or perhaps several someones.

King is a lot of things. Essentially, however, he is a Giants homer and a Parcell's sycophant who fails to recognize or acknowlege that he is both. IMO - These basic flaws cause him to be less then fair minded or objective in his analysis but, because of his position as a national writer, he is given much more credibility as an objective reporter by other talking heads. Again, it was his basic Giant/Parcells prejudices that caused him to devalue and overlook the very factors he is now considering in Monk. Although true last year and the year before, they are not obvious except to those who followed the team or played with/against Monk. PK sought those people out and, as all of us expected, got overwhelming support for Monk.

At the same time, I don't think he is intentionally dishonest in either his reporting or his commentary. Other than his significant failure to recognize his own biases and prejudices, I think he strives for integrity in his writing. For that reason, I don't think "had to change his mind on Monk". I take him at face value that it was Shapiro's call that got him to reevaluate - that has consistently been his story and I see no reason to doubt it.

Quite frankly, it seems that Shapiro used King's attempt at internal intregit to Monk's advantage - "How can you advocate a very good LB like Carson based on his intangibles and the statements of his coach and not use those same considerations for Monk." PK finally acknowledged his personal bias and sought out other opionions. Although it pisses me off that it took him so long to recognize his failure and his inconsistency, I respect that he was true to his word, overcame his biases and all but assured Monk a place in the Hall.

I actually teared up reading King's article.

Either that or Len Shapiro has some serious dirt on him that he doesn't want to get out....

He had pictures of King and Pastabelly bankrupting four "all you can eat" delis in one afternoon.

if carson can get in, monk definitely deserves to be in. good for him, it's about time.