![]() And while I doubt it will happen, he could do so this year, adding Comeback Player of the Year (he's +300-don't do it!) to his portfolio. ![]() Derrick Henry could have leapt into the Hall of Fame conversation quickly with a second 2,000-yard season in 2021. There has always been a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for running backs with incredibly high peaks and relatively short careers: Gale Sayers, Earl Campbell, Terrell Davis. And a few that don't were only appeased over the last five years or so.Īfter Adrian Peterson gets in, what will be the stats and awards profile of the next running back to be inducted? Is he the last running back to get in or will the expectations change? ( Check out Isiah Robertson though.) But many towns have their linebacker, or a gritty defensive tackle or safety. Kam Chancellor will end up filling in as an honorary homer favorite. Seattle Seahawks: Bobby Wagner is too qualified a candidate. Demario Davis if they ever let him retire in peace. New Orleans Saints: Sam Mills until this year. Green Bay Packers: Clay Matthews III in a few yearsĪtlanta Falcons: Tommy Nobis (A great example of a guy only local fans think is a Hall of Famer, usually because their dads said so.)Ĭarolina Panthers: Sam Mills until this year. Philadelphia Eagles: Bill Bergey, Seth JoynerĬhicago Bears: All of their linebackers get in. New York Giants: Carl Banks, Jesse Armstead Just kidding! The Hall of Fame has been extremely kind to the Chiefs.ĭallas Cowboys: Ken Norton, Lee Roy Jordan Los Angeles Chargers: None, though I am guessing there are Woodrow Lowe stans out there. Las Vegas Raiders: Rod Martin, Phil Villapiano Tennessee Titans: It was Robert Brazile (for the Oilers) before the Seniors Committee inducted him in 2018. The Bengals have a favorite snub at every position except linebacker. New York Jets: None, but Joe Klecko fills this spot in their nostalgia ecosystem.Ĭincinnati Bengals: Bill Bergey? Nah. For every team, give the linebacker whose home fans claim is being snubbed by the hall of fame.īuffalo Bills: London Fletcher, Cornelius Bennett Prove your "every town has its linebacker" adage. That should create a clearinghouse for all of the usual suspects on the all-time snub lists. The good news for Gradishar (at least) is that the Hall has changed the rules: three Senior Committee selections can be inducted per year over the next three years. It's important to remember that enshrinement committee membership changes over the decades: 20 to 25 years ago, it was still populated by some very provincial, somewhat catty fedoras-and-typewriters columnists from olden times (as well as some brilliant national voices). There really was an implicit anti-Broncos bias in the voting 20-plus years ago, born from both the Raiders rivalry and that lingering stigma about losing Super Bowls. ![]() Mecklenburg's candidacy was not as strong as Gradishar's, Teammate Steve Atwater was the higher-priority player on the Broncos voters' non-Elway agenda, and it took Atwater a trillion years to get in. The enshrinement committees of the 1990s had rings on the brain, and just about the worst thing a player could do was play for a team that lost the Super Bowl (see: various Minnesota Vikings of the 1970s who were forced to wait for many, many years). Gradishar was the Zach Thomas of his era: some ultra-ultra-traditionalist coaches didn't like the Broncos' 3-4 defense of the 1970s much and thought it allowed Gradishar to rack up tackles/stats/accolades. Such negative reviews are unlikely to sabotage Thomas' candidacy, but they were enough to get him shunted behind candidates such as John Lynch, Tony Boselli, and others who had been waiting longer LBs Randy Gradishar and Karl Mecklenburg were both elite players in their era. Thomas also has less-than-glowing reviews from some old-school "blood-'n'-guts" coaches who considered him a product of his system who rarely had to take on interior offensive linemen. Some folks on Twitter mentioned that Thomas has a glowing Peyton Manning endorsement, which is indeed true and I know has been discussed in committee. Thomas has no such ticking clock, so he was asked to wait his turn. I assumed Thomas would get in with the 2022 class, but from what I have gathered, the Sam Mills Brigade fought with their backs to the wall, knowing (and reminding the other voters) that Mills would be remanded to the Seniors Committee if he didn't make it this year. That's hardly a homer selection! Thomas is a three-time finalist! He will likely queue in next year. Homer Suggestion (for the Pro Football Hall of Fame): Zach Thomas I solicited questions on Twitter for a Pro Football Hall of Fame argument mailbag, and folks rounded up the usual suspects! That tells me that folks really do want to hear more about some of the players who have been stuck in the finalist waiting room or have topped the all-time "snub list" for years.
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