Cris Carter had a foolish entry into the NFL. You could even say that he tripped into the league. Before concluding his outstanding college career at Ohio St. he signed with an agent. It was the first of several shaky decisions. I didn't know much about a lot of that but I did know that Cris Carter was a brilliant receiver. One of the best that I had ever seen. I had hopes since his freshman year of college that he'd one day be in Minnesota. When he entered the Supplemental Draft, I hoped that the Vikings would draft him. They didn't. The Philadelphia Eagles did. While Carter had some modest on field success in those early years his off the field issues threatened to destroy him. After three seasons, Eagles coach Buddy Ryan had enough. He still may have saved his career with the now immortal words: "All he does is catch touchdowns." When the Eagles released him, I hoped that the Vikings would sign him. They did. For the waiver fee of $100 the Vikings had an incredible compliment to Anthony Carter. The Carters. For four seasons the Carters presented serious problems for NFL defenses. Most importantly, Cris Carter turned his life around. As with many before him and since, he found his new peace with religion.
In his 12-year Minnesota Vikings career, Cris Carter was everything that I'd imagined he'd be. The best pass catcher that I've ever seen. Vikings coach Dennis Green was the perfect coach for a football player and man trying to find his place. Green could see all that Carter could do. That confidence had to help Carter. With the Vikings, Carter took off. I was able to attend a couple of Vikings games during the '90s. One in particular turned into what seemed like a personal duel with Jerry Rice on a Monday night. It was beautiful. One unfortunate aspect of his Vikings career was the constant turnover at quarterback. Sean Salisbury threw passes to him fercryinoutloud. A developing Rich Gannon was in the mix. Fading quarterbacks like Wade Wilson and Jim McMahon were there too. Carter's best three years were 1994-96 when a still terrific Warren Moon was throwing him simply beautiful passes. Carter had an incredible 122 receptions in each of the 1994 and 95 seasons. The 122 reception season was an NFL record at the time. The Moon-to-Carter combination really was beautiful to witness. It also made me wonder what Carter might have done with a decent quarterback for more of his career. Throughout his Vikings career team success was marginal. The Vikings made near annual playoff appearances during the '90s. Unfortunately, they made early exits. It was one-and-done nearly every season. The Vikings looked to change that in 1998. Cris Carter had become one of the greatest receivers to ever play. The 1998 NFL Draft brought the most physically gifted receiver to ever play. Randy Moss. The Vikings actually had a nice receiving duo in Carter and Jake Reed. When Moss was added to the mix, the Vikings offense exploded. They had a terrific running game with Robert Smith and Leroy Hoard. Now, they had an unstoppable passing game. Quarterback Brad Johnson was supposed to lead it but he was injured early in the season. Randall Cunningham dusted himself off, stepped on the field and ignited the highest scoring offense in NFL history. Carter took the incredibly talented Moss under his wing and showed him the way of the NFL. He showed him how to work in the offseason and during the season. Carter was not only a great player now. He was a leader and a mentor. That 1998 season might have been the greatest season the Minnesota Vikings have ever known. It was also the most frustrating. It ended in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game. A missed field goal near the end of regulation opened the door for the Falcons to tie. They did. And won in overtime. This was a game in which the Vikings always seemed a whisper away from taking the Falcons apart. Just like they had done to just about everyone during a fantastic 15-1 season. This was Cris Carter's last and best chance at being part of a championship. It didn't happen.
Cris Carter was an incredible football player. The best pass catcher ever. He worked the sidelines and endlines better than any receiver before or since. In February 2008, I watched the Hall of Fame announcements expecting Carter to be part of that Hall of Fame class. He wasn't. Every February since I expected him to be part of that Hall of Fame class. Every time I was disappointed. This past Saturday, I wasn't disappointed. Cris Carter finally made the Hall of Fame. I was surprised to find that the previous disappointments did, in fact, fade away.
Thank you Cris Carter for your incredible 12-year Minnesota Vikings career. It was a tremendous thrill and honor to watch you catch passes like no one ever has. Congratulations on your much deserved induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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