The news earlier this week that Ken Stabler has come out of the senior committee as a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist should bode well for Bengals all-time passing leader Ken Anderson.
Stabler and Anderson were arch-rivals in the heat of the 1970s, indicating that the committee is now sifting through quarterbacks that played in in Anderson's era. And Anderson is one of five retired quarterbacks who have won at least four NFL passing titles and the other four are already in the Hall of Fame.
David Kubicki, the Cincinnati developer whose massive 2011 campaign revived Anderson's candidacy, applauded Stabler's selection, which makes him a virtual lock at the final vote the day before the Super Bowl.
"I loved Kenny Stabler growing up. I had a poster of him on my wall. He should be in," Kubicki said. "It also sheds more light on the Hall-of-Fame argument for Kenny Anderson. Anderson's numbers themselves certainly make the case."
Kubicki has pointed out that in Stabler's MVP season of 1974, Anderson had a better passer rating (95.7-94.9), a better completion percentage (64.9-57.4), more yards per attempt (8.1-8.0) and more rushing yards (314-minus 2).
Plus, Stabler's Raiders had 10 Hall-of-Famers while the Bengals had only one in wide receiver Charlie Joiner.
For his career, Anderson had more TD passes than Stabler (197-194), a better passer rating (81.9-75.3), and their yards per attempt were virtually the same with Stabler at 7.4 and Anderson at 7.3.
"I'm glad Stabler got in," Kubicki said. "I think it's a good omen for Kenny."
It certainly won't hurt Anderson's good standing on the senior committee, thanks, in large part, to Kubicki's campaign. The week of this year's finals vote in Arizona, senior committeeman Ron Borges of The Boston Herald all but predicted Anderson's selection in the committee that would put him in the finals.
"I may be on the other side of the lawn by then," Borges said. "But (Anderson's) resume is not an issue. If he gets nominated, he'd be a hard guy to keep out. I'd say within the next five to 10 years."
