More on Monk

Here is an excerpt of my sports column, The Bounce, for this week at Richmond.com:

“...Since [Art] Monk has been on the list of 15 finalists every year since 2001, what’s his problem? What is it that has made the 39 voters on the panel of mostly sportswriters say ‘yes’ to four more wide receivers -- Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, James Lofton and Michael Irving -- but ‘no’ to Monk each time?

“Monk was a blue collar, possession receiver and a great blocker, rather than a flashy game-breaker. He caught a lot of footballs in traffic on third down to keep drives alive. He consistently played the game in a way that his teammates and his opponents, alike, respected. By his nature, Monk was as dutiful and stoic as Michael Irving was squirrelly and loquacious.”

Click here to read The Bounce.