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Former Bills wide receiver Andre Reed - one of the most prolific receivers in NFL and franchise history - has made a list of 17 finalists for this year's Hall of Fame inductions. Reed, along with former Bills wideout and special teams ace Steve Tasker, were eligible for the list; Tasker did not make the cut onto the final list, however.
Reed finished his prolific career with 951 receptions, 13,198 yards and 83 scores. He finished his career as a Redskin (where he made 10 receptions in his final season), but the 15 years that Reed spent in Buffalo saw him develop from a fourth-round pick from tiny Kutztown University (PA) into one of the most explosive offensive threats of his era. Reed, along with QB Jim Kelly and RB Thurman Thomas (both Hall of Fame members themselves) were the biggest stars on the Bills teams that made four straight Super Bowl appearances. To cap his achievements, Reed was named an NFL All-Pro four times and was voted into seven Pro Bowls.
While it's certainly an honor for Reed to make it this far, he has some stiff competition at wideout amongst the finalists. Two former star wideouts - Viking Cris Carter and Redskin Art Monk - were statistically just as impressive as Reed was, and will likely garner more votes considering Carter did what he did without a Hall of Fame quarterback, while Monk has been held out of the Hall for many years. The chances are therefore low that Reed actually gets inducted into Canton in '08; this is a prime opportunity, however, to raise our glasses once again to one of the best Bills players in franchise history. Good luck, Andre; Buffalo is pulling for you.