I've always wanted to break down my thoughts on the vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which takes place the day before the Super Bowl. However, this vote coincides with the time of year when I'm really starting to get busy at work, so I don't have much time for writing such a piece.
This year, I made time. For you.
You're welcome.
There are 15 finalists. Ultimately, 5 will be chosen to be inducted this coming summer in Canton, Ohio. In this series of posts, I will rank these candidates from 15 to 1 according to my book. In this post, I will cut the first four. In my next post, I will cut another four. In the final post, I will give you my top seven, along with the five who I feel should be chosen. And then we'll have the fun of finding out on February 5th how closely my thoughts align with those of the Hall voters.
Let's begin.
15. Ed Sabol. The only non-player on the list, the founder of NFL Films looks like a strong sentimental choice this year. I don't think players and non-players should be on the same ballot. I think they should choose 5 former players, and 1 former non-player. No more Ralph Wilson edging out Shannon Sharpe, which happened last year. Sorry, Ed.
14. Tim Brown. The former WR spent most of his 17 seasons with the Raiders. He put up some good numbers by hanging around so long, and was selected to 9 Pro Bowls. He was consistent, catching at least 75 passes every year from 1993 through 2002, but he was never selected AP 1st Team All-Pro. And as the voters love to remind people, it's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good.
13. Curtis Martin. The argument against this former Jet and Patriot RB is the same as the one given above. He was consistent - enjoyed 10 straight seasons of 1,000 yards rushing. But he was never great. Only one AP 1st Team All-Pro. No Super Bowl rings. Plus he fails the name recognition test. It just doesn't seem like Curtis Martin belongs in company with Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, and Eric Dickerson. He'll eventually get in, because somehow he wound up as the fourth All-time leading rusher in history. And he spent most of his career in New York.
12. Andre Reed. The former Buffalo Bills WR is a fifth-time finalist this year. He probably deserves to get in at some point, with 951 career receptions. But again, although he was selected to seven Pro Bowls, he was never selected AP 1st Team All-Pro. He did play in four Super Bowls, but the Bills lost them all. Sorry, Andre, but I have to let you go.
In case you haven't noticed, I really like AP 1st Team All-Pro selections as a measuring stick.
The number of Pro Bowls is often cited, but it is kind of a distorted statistic. Because no one actually wants to play in the Pro Bowl, this is how it usually goes. They name the Pro Bowlers, then after half the team elects not to go, they name a bunch of alternates. And there are separate teams for the AFC and the NFC. So the actual Pro Bowl selection list becomes a bit bloated. In one year I looked at, there were 8 Pro Bowl quarterbacks. That's 25 percent of the league's starting quarterbacks! It's hardly a measurement of the truly elite.
With the AP 1st Team All-Pro designation, you know that the player was either THE BEST at his position or ONE OF THE TWO BEST at his position. And it includes the entire NFL - no separation of NFC and AFC.
So check back soon as I make the cut from 11 to 7.
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