Clay Matthews, Collins and Schafrath belong in HOF

By STEVE KING
Despite being a finalist for the first time, former Browns outside linebacker Clay Matthews did not get elected into the class of 2021 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And who knows if he ever will get. Let’s hope this is not the case because I think Matthews is a Hall of Famer, but he may be forever stuck in, as retired HOF Executive Director of Communications ad Exhibits Joe Horrigan used to call it, the Hall of Very Good.
A number of other ex-Browns greats are in a similar situation, on the outside looking in. Of that group, who is most dedserving to be enshrined in Canton?
The two players I will always go back to are wide receiver Gary Collins and left tackle Dick Schafrath. They check all the requisite boxes:
*They had outstanding careers. Schafrath, from Wooster High School and Ohio State, made it to six Pro Bowls and was a four-time first-team All-NFL selection in his 13 seasons (1959-71). He blocked for three HOF running backs in Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly, and protected the blind side of Fran Ryan, arguably the game’s most productive quarterback from 1963-67. Collins, who played 10 years (1962-71), is far and away the club’s all-time leader with 70 touchdown catches at a time when defenders could practically mug pass-catchers on their routes. He was also a talented punter, leading the NFL in average yards per attempt in 1965,
*They were on great teams. During their time in Cleveland, the Browns never had a losing season, made the playoffs six times and got to the NFL Championship Game on four occasions, winning one title.
*They were at their best in the biggest games. In that 27-0 drubbing of the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts — the team with the best defense in the league — to win the 1964 NFL crown, Collins set a championship game record by catching three touchdown passes, and Schafrath helped neutralize the pass rush, giving Ryan the time to throw for those three scores while opening holes for Brown to run for 114 yards.