In less than a month, the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class will be announced. The candidates have already been narrowed down to 15 finalists. As expected, this class is very deep. Each one of the finalists is most likely going to get in eventually, however only five of them can get in this year, along with two possible senior candidates and one contributor candidate.
Modern Era Finalists include; Tony Boselli, Isaac Bruce, Brian Dawkins, Alan Faneca, Steve Hutchinson, Joe Jacoby, Edgerrin James, Ty Law, Ray Lewis, John Lynch, Kevin Mawae, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Brian Urlacher and Everson Walls.
Contributor Finalists: Bobby Beathard
Senior Candidates: Robert Brazille and Jerry Kramer
With that being said, here is my ballot if I had one, and three players who just missed the cut, but would almost certainly be on my ballot next year.
JUST MISSED THE CUT
STEVE HUTCHINSON (2001-2012)
It is really tough to judge whether or not an offensive-lineman is a Hall of Famer because there are not really any definite statistics for offensive lineman, but you don't need any stinkin' statistics to tell that Steve Hutchinson is a Hall of Famer just by watching him. Hutchinson was a mainstay alongside Hall of Famer Walter Jones. Hutchinson paved the way for Shaun Alexander's record breaking 2005 season. Hutchinson also paved the way for Adrian Peterson during his early years in Minnesota. He was a seven time Pro Bowler and a Five-time All-Pro. Hutchinson certainly belongs in the hall, just maybe not this year.
ISAAC BRUCE (1994-2009)
No wide receiver gets lost in the mix more than Isaac Bruce. People forget just how darn good he was. Bruce was a part of the "Greatest Show on Turf" which might be what has hurt his candidacy, but it shouldn't given that Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and Orlando Pace all have their respective spots in Canton. During his career, Bruce had eight seasons of 1,000 yards or more. He is fifth in all-time receiving yards, ahead of Hall of Famers Tim Brown, Cris Carter and Andre Reed. He is 12th in receiving touchdowns, and all eligible players except two that have more scores than he did are in the hall. Bruce should get in, but a log-jam at the wideout position means he will have to wait.
BRIAN URLACHER (2000-2012)
Bears fans are going to be mad at me for this one. I wanted to put Urlacher in so badly, but I felt as if he was the sixth most deserving player in the modern day era and I could only pick five. I'm certain that Urlacher will get in this year and he will for sure get in next year if he does not this year. Urlacher was the staple of the dominant Bears' defenses of the early 2000's, he was the 2005 NFL Defensive Player of The Year, he was also a Four-time All-Pro and an eight time Pro Bowler. Urlacher amassed 41.5 sacks and 22-interceptions during his career. Perhaps, the most impressive Urlacher stat is that he only missed two games during his career.
MY BALLOT
SENIOR CANDIDATE
JERRY KRAMER (1958-1968)
It's about damn time Jerry Kramer gets to Canton. Just about everyone else from those 1960s Packers teams are in, so its a travesty that perhaps the best guard of all-time has yet to get his day in Canton. Kramer was the muscle behind Vince Lombardi's "Packer Sweep". Kramer helped protect Bart Starr to five NFL Championships in the 1960's he was a member of the 1960's All-Decade Team and was a five time First-team All-Pro. Kramer belongs in Canton and his wait should end.
CONTRIBUTOR CANDIDATE
BOBBY BEATHARD
The grandfather of former University of Iowa quarterback C.J Beathard built the Redskins into a dynasty during the 1980's. Beathard was the General-Manager of the Redskins for their Super Bowl titles in 1982 and 1987. He left the Redskins in 1989, but he was responsible for many pieces from the 1991 team that also won the Super Bowl. Beathard also led the Chargers to a Super Bowl appearance in 1994. He also drafted Ryan Leaf, but we won't hold that against him.
MODERN ERA CANDIDATES
KEVIN MAWAE (1994-2009)
Kevin Mawae being on my ballot is why Steve Hutchinson is not. I could not put them both on there. I had a difficult time deciding which one was more worthy and was still on the fence. The two men's career were almost identical and they were both the best at what they did. I went with Mawae because he's been waiting longer. Mawae was a guard when he came into the NFL, but he was eventually moved to center and was the best center in the NFL for over a decade with the Seahawks, Jets and Titans. Mawae was an eight time Pro Bowl and a seven time First-team All-Pro. Mawae deserves to be in.
JOHN LYNCH (1993-2007)
John Lynch is one of my favorite players of all time, but that's not why he's on this list. Lynch deserves to be in the hall, but there is a logjam of defensive back candidates including himself, Darren Woodson, Brian Dawkins, Everson Walls and Ronde Barber. Lynch has been eligible for six years now, but has never gotten the call. Lynch was a hard-hitting safety. He acted as the quarterback of those dominant Buccaneers defenses of the early 2000s. Lynch racked up over 1,000 tackles and 26 interceptions for his career. He was also a nine time Pro Bowler and three time First-team All-Pro.
RAY LEWIS (1996-2012)
There are some people that believe that Ray Lewis should not be in the hall due to his connection to a 2000 Atlanta homicide. However, OJ Simpson is still in the hall, so not letting Lewis in would be dumb. Plus, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is about how good of a football player you were, not how good of a person you are. Lewis the best defensive player in football for most, if not all of his seventeen year career. Lewis was the heart of the historically dominant 2000 Ravens defense and was MVP of Super Bowl 35. Lewis was a 13-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice (2000, 2003). Only Lewis, JJ Watt, Mike Singletary, Reggie White, Lawrence Taylor and Bruce Smith have won the award more than twice. Only Watt and Lewis aren't in the hall yet. I think it's safe to say that Lewis is a lock.
RANDY MOSS (1998-2012)
Say what you want about Randy Moss. He was not the best teammate, he did not have the best work ethic, but the dude was an absolute freak. Moss might be the most athletic person to ever play the wide receiver position. Moss took the NFL by storm as part of the explosive 1998 Vikings offense. Moss hauled in 17 touchdowns that season, a league record by a rookie. In 2007, he joined the Patriots, teamed up with Tom Brady and caught an NFL record 23-touchdowns. Moss is the only receiver in league history to have 17 touchdown catches in three different seasons. He finished his career with 982 catches (15th), for 15, 292 yards (4th) and 156 touchdowns (2nd). Moss should also be a lock for Canton.
TERRELL OWENS (1996-2010)
Terrell Owens is the most polarizing candidate on the ballot. Owens has fallen short of getting the nod in his first two tries. Many people contribute that to Owens' antics during his career and his reputation of being a lousy teammate. I could not care less about that. The dude was one of the greatest to ever play the position. Owens played 15-seasons for five different teams (49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bills and Bengals). Owens led the NFL in receiving touchdowns on three separate occasions. During his career Owens caught 1,078 passes (8th) for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns (3rd). Owens also put on a performance for the ages in Super Bowl 39 hauling in nine passes for 122-yards after breaking his leg just weeks earlier. Terrell Davis got in based of one great season and a good Super Bowl performance, so if Owens does not get in, that would be dumb.
No comments:
Post a Comment