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Tomorrow afternoon, Michael Irvin will get his official recognition as one of the game’s greatest players when he’s enshrined into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

His induction is one that’s being greatly debated by many, for a number of reasons.

A lot of people argue that other receivers with much better numbers should be in the Hall ahead of him. And, if you look at the numbers, he had only a few seasons where he was really, really good.

A lot of people argue that he wasn’t the best or near the best during the era in which he played, so he doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall. Randy Cross, I’m talking about you.

Then, naturally, there are those who say that his off-field troubles should have delayed his selection at least a little while longer.

Those are all good arguments, but he’s still getting his bust in Canton. And, he deserves it, too.

In Irvin’s first three seasons, he caught only 79 passes for 1,445 yards and twelve touchdowns. That was when the Cowboys were only 11-37, and were the worst team in the league in both ‘88 and ‘89.

But, things turned in 1991. He had 93 catches, for 1,523 yards, and scored eight touchdowns, and the Cowboys made the playoffs for the first time since 1985. That was the real beginning of the triplets - Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Irvin, three young guys who were all just about to really hit their stride. Those three guys were Dallas’ #1 picks from ‘88-90, and would be the keys to what was about to be a dynasty.

In the next four years, when the Cowboys would win three Super Bowls and make another appearance in the NFC Championship Game, Irvin was the go-to guy at receiver, and one of the NFL”s best. He averaged 89 catches and nearly 1,400 yards a season, and scored 29 touchdowns. He had one of the best seasons for a receiver in NFL history in 1995, as he caught 111 balls for 1,603 yards and ten touchdowns. That season, he had 11 100+ yard receiving games, which is not only a Cowboy record, but an NFL record. He also tied an NFL record with seven straight games with 100+ receiving yards.

All in all, from 1991 to 1998, he had seven 1000+ yard receiving seasons, and was especially dominant in that five-year span from 1991 to 1995.

It may well be true that he wasn’t the best receiver of his time, but then again, it’d be hard to find a receiver that holds a candle to Jerry Rice. And, during his time, he had to compete with the likes of Andre Reed, Cris Carter, Tim Brown, and Isaac Bruce to be among the NFL’s best as well.

Also, it must be remembered that having Emmitt on the team meant that his numbers weren’t as great as they could have been. Even in his best season, he had only ten touchdowns, and that was the season in which Emmitt had a then-record 25 touchdowns. Also, Emmitt had seasons of 18 (1992) and 21 touchdowns (1994).

And, look at Troy Aikman’s numbers during that time. There was only one season where he had over 20 touchdowns, and in the season where Irvin had his most TDs (1995), Aikman threw for only 16. His numbers might be considered be considered average by some, but that didn’t prevent him from getting into the Hall quickly. He was the leader under center of those dominant years, and Irvin was his go-to guy and the unquestion heart of the team. And, if Aikman is in, and he is deservedly, then Irvin deserves to be as well, without a doubt.

And, he also played less seasons than many in the top 20 in the all-time receiving statistics, having played only twelve seasons. When you’ve got guys who’ve played 14, 16, 17, 18, and even 20 seasons, your numbers might not stack up as well.

It’s unfortunate that guys like Art Monk and Irving Fryar aren’t in the Hall. But, there aren’t many guys who’ve had as great of an impact as Irvin did, especially from ‘91 to ‘95. And, you have to gauge his worthiness not on his career numbers, which weren’t shabby in the least, but on just how valuable of a player he was. And, he was invaluable and incomparable in his prime.

And sure, he has had his share of troubles, and many people might not like what he says on TV these days, but there are players who’ve had more decorated pasts than him, and that hasn’t stopped their inclusion. He hasn’t killed anyone, he hasn’t bet on his team or his sport, and he has also done well to try to keep his nose clean since his troubles. It’s likely Brett Favre will get in during his first time on the ballot, and no one will bring up his issues with painkillers in the mid 90s. I’m not trying to call Brett’s character into question, because he is one of my favorite football players (and a Mississippi guy like me), but I’m just stating a comparison.

So, while there might be some who will boo Irvin, and they may be justified in doing so, he’s earned his bust, and it won’t be much longer until the last of the triplets joins he and Troy in Canton.

Whether you’re a player, a coach, a journalist, or a fan, you have at least one thing that you can connect to Bill Walsh.

There are a lot of people who’ve coached for longer, compiled more impressive records, or were louder in their impact, but it’s hard to find a person in football history that’s influenced the game as much as he has, on all levels.

Winning 102 games and three Super Bowl titles in only ten seasons with the 49ers is impressive by itself, as is the fact that he helped build the roster that would win five championships in 14 seasons. He transformed the 49ers into one of league’s most memorable dynasties, and for Cowboy fans, was one of those responsible for one of the biggest heartbreaks in Dallas history, in the memorable 1981 NFC Championship game.

But, the numbers are just the tip of the iceberg.

Walsh was the innovator of the West Coast offense, which is used on every level from the NFL on down. When you think of the 49ers’ success of the 80s and 90s, you think of the West Coast offense, with Montana and Young, Roger Craig, Rice and Taylor. And when you think of those guys, it all goes back to Bill Walsh.

There’s all of the coaches that have made a name through him. Many, many of his former assistants have become successful head coaches in the NFL, including George Seifert, his successor with the 49ers, Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan, and Dennis Green. And many of those coaches have built their own coaching trees as well. Forget the six degrees of Kevin Bacon. It’s the sixteen degrees of Bill Walsh.

Just as important as the fact that he helped so many coaches get their starts, he played a huge role in increasing the minority presence in the coaching world, both through the Minority Coaching Fellowship and directly through working with him. He had a hand in helping Green, Ray Rhodes, Tyrone Willingham, and others, including Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis, move up in prominence. And, more than anything, he got the NFL to really get in gear with minority hirings. It’s still very much a work in progress, and there are still steps to be made, but a lot more minority coaches are getting opportunities now than they may have in the past.

He also had Dallas’ number in his tenure as a head coach. In six games against the Cowboys, he was 5-1, with the lone loss coming in the first game, a 59-14 loss in 1980. Four of the five wins were by 15 points or more, and in their wins, the 49ers never scored less than 28 points. The one close game in the series is one of the most memorable in NFL history, as Dwight Clark’s leaping, back of the end zone catch in the final minute of a see-saw affair propelled San Francisco to a 28-27 win and their first Super Bowl and championship.

To give full due to all of his accomplishments, his influence, and his place in football and sports history would take more space than I might ever have in this blog. I was a toddler when Walsh abruptly left the 49ers after the third and final Super Bowl win, but I’m well aware of just how important of a person he was.

And it’s a mistake to speak of him in the past tense, because even though the man is now sadly gone, his presence and influence will remain in football for as long as the game is played.

He was known for his quiet, soft-spoken demeanor, but to say his impact was anything but quiet would be the understatement of the decade.

I’m not going to make a long rant about the Michael Vick situation, since there’ve been a million and one opinions about him in the past few days since his indictment on his role in illegal dogfighting.

But, I will say this much - the Falcons best be taking a look at the quarterback prospects for 2008 right now.

Even if the hammer doesn’t come down on Vick in this case, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Atlanta to bring in a new, more low-key quarterback to take over the reins, or at least a guy they could quickly be able to turn to, in case Vick runs out of chances, or gets hurt.

They had a guy that fit the bill in Matt Schaub but traded him away to Houston before all this mess began. Schaub wasn’t assured of anything in Atlanta, and he’s going to be the starter in Houston, so it worked out well for his immediate future. But, given how quickly things have turned in the last few months, the Falcons might be second-guessing their decision to let him go now

If Vick misses the season, which is starting to appear more and more probable, Joey Harrington looks like the most likeliest guy to start. He did a decent job in Miami last season after taking over for Daunte Culpepper, and he could be a reliable guy for them to turn to if needed.

But, either way, however things turn out, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Falcons to think heavily about drafting a quarterback with their first-round pick, or at least within the top two rounds. The upcoming draft is going to have several talented quarterbacks, and even if Atlanta doesn’t take one with their first pick, they could still get a pretty darn good one in the second round. And, frankly, Vick won’t have any reason to get upset about it either, if he’s still around or still the #1 guy when draft day comes.

Daunte Culpepper is out there, but whether or not the Falcons would consider going that route might depend on how much money or what guarantees Culpepper might be looking for. But, right now, I’m sure they’re considering any and every option possible. From flipping fans off, to ’special’ water bottles, and now to dogfighting, Vick has gone from being the darling of Atlanta and being the ‘good’ Vick to putting himself dangerously close to joining the ranks of Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, and Chris Henry (or for that matter, about a dozen other Cincinnati Bengals).

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Atlanta tries to get Brian Brohm, Bobby Petrino’s prize recruit at Louisville, and a guy that Petrino helped mold into arguably the top college quarterback in the nation. Brohm will likely be a top-five pick and the first quarterback chosen, and has a shot at being the #1 pick, so there’s no telling how things may or may not play out in the Falcons’ favor. But, it’d give Petrino both a guy that he’s familiar with and knows he can rely on early, and a chance for the Falcons to start fresh with a guy that they won’t have to clean up after or worry about. Brohm is already an NFL-ready talent, and if I were the Falcons, he’d be at the top of the draft board, no matter what happens, because even if his role is found to be minimal, Vick’s nine lives in Atlanta have almost run out, and even with all the money they have invested in him, and his talent and potential as a quarterback, his fall from grace is becoming reminiscent of Milli Vanilli’s, or if you’re talking sports figures, Pete Rose, or dare I say, O.J. Simpson (though a federal dogfighting indictment doesn’t exactly compare to a double-murder trial). And, if you have a chance to get a guy that could potentially lead you to heights that only the mighty Chris Chandler has taken them to, you’d be dumb to pass on him.

So, Rich McKay, if you happen to be scouring the internet for ‘08 draft tips, it might be a bad idea to give that one some thought.