Warren Moon racked up nearly 50,000 in 17 NFL seasons, the majority of those spent in Houston, where Bruce Matthews kept defenders off of him.
Dear Bruce,
I'd just like to congratulate you on being inducted into the 2007 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We welcome you into the family, just as I was welcomed last year. This is one of the most special hall of fame groups in all of team sports. You are definitely deserving of being there because of the high caliber with which you played the game of football and the class that you played with throughout your career. I'm just grateful that I had a chance to play with you for ten years in Houston, and for the job that you did for me as a quarterback.
You don't find many linemen like yourself-those who can play all three positions and play them at an all-pro level. But you were one of the guys that did that and did it for 20 years, making the Pro Bowl for 14 consecutive seasons. It just goes to show how gifted you are and how you were able to played the game without taking a lot of punishment on your body. Some linemen are all power and some linemen are all finesse. But you had a combination of both and knew how to do each one when you needed to.
You were always a calming influence on me. I always knew you were going to make sure all the calls were right and make sure we got into the right blocking schemes. As a quarterback, it was another thing that I didn't have to worry about, making sure that the offensive line in front of me was going to get us into the right calls and protect me. It was a comfort for me as a quarterback, knowing-the amount of times that I was going to throw the ball in a particular ballgame-that I was going to be protected, having a guy like you playing in front of me.
I know for myself, being inducted into the Hall of fame was such a great moment. All the hours, all the days of practice, all the hard hits, all the disappointments, all the joyous times of winning championships-you roll all of that into one and it kind of makes your career worth it. Being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was the highest honor that I could ever achieve, from a game that I've loved since I was a little kid. It was a great honor for me-one that I'm proud to now share with you, Bruce.
While I don't think this day comes as a total surprise to you, I'm sure you are honored, as a fan and historian of the game, to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So enjoy this moment in your career, Bruce. You are most certainly deserving of it.
Your friend and teammate,
Warren Moon
