No questions here: Irvin deserves it.

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.