The List of Candidates and Why I Would Say Yeah or Nay.
Larry Allen - Yes. The man was voted to the NFL All-Decade team in the 1990's and 2000's. He played all positions along the Offensive Line besides Center. He played for 14 years and does have a Super Bowl ring. The after football antics and troubles make me pause, but for on the field accomplishments, I say yes.
Jerome Bettis - No. I love Jerome Bettis and I would take any argument that someone had about him being a Top 5 running back of all time. But in my mind, even though he ranks 6th in rushing yardage, he was never that guy. The one that you said was the best in the league and very rarely did you say he was in the Top 5. He had a long and great career, but there are others on this list that deserve to get there before Jerome.
Tim Brown - No. Tim Brown has over 1,000 receptions. The man was real good. However, he wasn't one of the few receivers that everybody wanted and the Raiders were infatuated with passing which inflated the stats a little. Was never seen as a guy that could will his team to victory.
Cris Carter - Yes. Let's get over the fact that he was a prick to the press and anybody that dared disagree with him when he was playing. The man is fourth in receptions and touchdowns all-time. You cannot tell me that he doesn't deserve to be in. If Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are sure fire Hall-Of-Famers, then Cris Carter is past due to get in.
Curley Culp - Yes. If the Veteran's committee says that he deserves consideration, then he should be a yes unless somebody can prove otherwise. Let me put it this way. For all the football players throughout the history of the NFL, the veteran's committee puts up these distinguished gentlemen. That says that these are two of the great players of the league. Culp was the first modern day Nose Tackle. He played for the '69 Kansas City Chiefs that won the Super Bowl and was a destructive force for Bum Philips in Houston.
Eddie DeBartolo Jr. - No. It is hard to argue that he shouldn't be in the Hall Of Fame when it comes to successful owners. However, the same thing that helps his candidacy, hurts it. His legal troubles which caused him to leave as the Owner of the 49ers and caused the franchise to decline must be taken into account. And that is just too much for me to say yes.
Kevin Greene - No. In his prime, was a feared Pass Rusher. Probably one of the best that played the game. But football is more than pass rushing. There is the running game to stop and it seems to me that Greene didn't play that so well. It is also a negative to his candidacy that it seemed like he moved from team to team every couple of years and that his departure didn't seem to hurt his former teams that much.
Charles Haley - Yes. Over 100 career sacks. The only player roaming around the face of the Earth that has 5 Super Bowl rings. The clincher is that Jimmy Johnson thought enough of the guy, that he said that Haley was the missing piece for the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl. Never argue with Jimmy Johnson about football players and their importance.
Art Modell - No. Longtime owner. Held positions on the major league committees and was the Owner for 2 NFL Championship teams. However, the 1995 Cleveland fiasco is hard to shake from the memory and that is the reason that Art gets a no.
Johnathan Ogden - Yes. When he was playing, he was the Gold Standard at the position. Everybody tried to get their Tackle to be like Ogden. When you are the standard for everybody else in the league, then you deserve to be in the Hall Of Fame.
Bill Parcells - No. The man was a great coach. For that he should be in the Hall of Fame. As a Team head honcho, he had some success. However, he gets caught in the numbers game this year. I have three First Ballot people on my list and that is a major part of the reason that Parcells gets a no this year.
Andre Reed - No. A fine receiver. He was one of the big trio on offense for the Bills that made 4 straight Super Bowls. That being said, it seemed like he was the one that could have been replaced more easily than the others. Kelly, Smith, Talley, Thomas. Those were the leaders of those Bills teams, Not Reed.
Dave Robinson - Yes. If the Veteran's committee says that he deserves consideration,
then he should be a yes unless somebody can prove otherwise. Let me put
it this way. For all the football players throughout the history of
the NFL, the veteran's committee puts up these distinguished gentlemen.
That says that these are two of the great players of the league. Outside Linebacker for the Packer Super Teams of the 60's. Probably most known for causing the Don Meredith game-ending interception in the 1966 NFL Championship game.
Warren Sapp - I could be called a homer for this one, but I am still PO'ed at Sapp for going to the Raiders. Form 1997 to 2002, Sapp was arguably the most important Defensive Lineman and the best Defensive Lineman playing. He has a Super Bowl ring and also a Defensive Player of the Year award. He has 96.5 sacks for his career. For a Defensive Tackle, that is a boatload. Imagine if he was playing in a major media market, he would have more exposure and therefore more fans. Probably more than Michael Strahan.
Will Shields - No. I ran out of slots here. He is the 6th man for the current era players. Only 5 can get in. The man was the anchor of the KC Offensive Line that year after year had one of the best running games in the League.
Michael Strahan - No. In comparing Strahan to Sapp, I decided that Sapp was the player that I would have wanted on my team. That takes nothing away from Strahan, but his career seemed to ebb and flow. He is popular just because of his personality and exposure on network television. However, that doesn't count in this vote. The single season sack record does help Strahan, but if he didn't have that, I don't even think he is on this list. A SPer Bowl winner and a Defensive Player of the Year winner.
Aeneas Williams - The man was a great corner. Probably underrated because he was out in the desert. I can see him getting the Bronze bust, but not for a few years and more public notoriety.
Summary:
YES: Larry Allen, Cris Carter, Curley Culp, Charles Haley, Johnathan Ogden, Dave Robinson, Warren Sapp
3 comments:
Good job outlining those picks and I don't think I can really disagree with any of them, with the possible exception of Robinson because I don't think I've heard of the guy. Hard to be a HOFer using that criteria.
I'd give Tim Brown a YES vote. He put up the bulk of his numbers while getting balls thrown to him by the likes of Jay Schroeder and an over the hill Jeff Hostetler while in his twenties. Imagine what numbers he would have put up if he had a good quarterback in his prime years?
I hope Charles Haley gets in. He didn't get six rings for being a good luck charm. He got them because he was one of the best in his time.
Tim isn't getting into the Hall anytime soon. It looks like Will Shields and Art Modell are in that same boat.
At least Cris Carter and Bill Parcells got in. That takes two of the major arguments out of the HOF balloting.
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