It's the day before the Super Bowl, which also means it's Pro Football Hall of Fame election day. And it also means that we're inevitably not going to agree with the five, six or seven people the committee votes into Canton. Part of the problem is that they're limited by that number. Other than the 10 votes per person rule, there's no limit in place for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. There are only nine starters per team in a baseball game. Yet football has this ridiculously low limit despite the fact that there are 22 starters per team in the NFL. That's 704 starters each week.
Five to seven Hall of Famers a year isn't enough. What harm would there be in increasing the number to, say, between eight and 10? If the limit was raised, you wouldn't have these ridiculously loaded elections with more worthwhile candidates than available spots. And you also wouldn't have guys like Cris Carter coming up short year after year because they don't meet some sort of magic arbitrary criteria that the committee has developed.
Take this year's list. Of the 15 Modern Era finalists, I can easily say that there are 12 I'd vote for if I was able, and a 13th--Tim Brown--I wouldn't vote for only because Cris Carter has been waiting longer. That's one of the problems I'm talking about. All three wide receivers deserve it (Andre Reed is the third), but they all keep getting passed over for some reason. The voters also have this weird obsession with offensive linemen. Larry Allen, Jonathan Ogden and Will Shields were all great. They all deserve to be Hall of Famers. But I also don't think there's any reason to vote more than one offensive lineman into the Hall of Fame.
Same thing with the owners, but with both of this year's Super Bowl teams represented (Eddie DeBartolo and Art Modell), I have a feeling one of them will take a spot away from a player. The voters always seem to like it when the Super Bowl teams have Hall of Fame finalists, which also bodes well for Ogden and Charles Haley. Ditto with the Senior Nominees, who have an unfair advantage in that they're automatically on the final list of seven with five of the Modern Era guys.
With all that being said, here are the six finalists that I'd throw my support behind if I were one of those 44 people sitting in that room discussing these extremely worthy candidates...
Larry Allen, Guard (1994-2005 Cowboys, 2006-07 49ers)-I'll always remember something John Madden said about Larry Allen during a Cowboys Thanksgiving game a number of years ago: "It's rare that you see the greatest player ever to play his position, but Larry Allen might be." I don't disagree. Larry Allen was perhaps the greatest guard in NFL history. He was All-Pro too many times to count and was the primary blocker for Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher. Allen was on the NFL's All-Decade Team for both the 90s and 2000s, and went to 11 Pro Bowls. Offensive linemen are always hard to judge since they don't have any actual stats. But you know a great one when you see one. And Larry Allen was the best of the best. Nothing against Ogden, but if I'm forced to vote for only one offensive lineman, it's Larry Allen. I'll be shocked if he's not voted in on the first ballot this year.
Cris Carter, Wide Receiver (1987-89 Eagles, 1990-2001 Vikings, 2002 Dolphins)-How many times does Cris Carter have to be a finalist before the voters finally put him in? It boggles my mind why the second-greatest receiver in NFL history has been on the Hall of Fame ballot for six years! Why do they hold the fact that the NFL has become a passing league against the wide receivers? What about Cris Carter's numbers don't scream first-ballot Hall of Famer? Second all-time in catches and touchdowns. Eight straight 1,000-yard seasons. Eight Pro Bowls. It's time to stop making all three receivers wait and finally give Carter his due. Hopefully the voters agree. Yet, with the amount of time they made Lynn Swann and Art Monk wait, I have a feeling Carter misses out again. Which would be a shame.
Michael Strahan, Defensive End (1993-2007 Giants)-In his final NFL game, Michael Strahan won the Super Bowl, just like Ray Lewis hopes to. Then, five years later, he became the new Regis. He's also one of the talking heads on FOX's pregame show. Those two things alone make him the most recognizable name on the list, and that might be enough to get him in. But if Strahan is elected, it will be on merit. He was a dominant pass rusher and a five-time All-Pro. Strahan set the single-season sack record in 2001, unanimously winning Defensive Player of the Year that season, and finished his career with 141.5 sacks. It was a toss-up between him and Charles Haley, but I'd go with Strahan if I had to choose between the two. Likewise, I'd take them both over Warren Sapp. Although, since it's his first year on the ballot, I'm not sure Strahan gets in.
Jerome Bettis, Running Back (1993-95 Rams, 1996-2005 Steelers)-Like Strahan, Bettis won the Super Bowl in his final NFL game. He and Curtis Martin were both finalists last year. I couldn't find much to differentiate between the two, yet Martin got in and Bettis didn't. This year I think that changes. He's fifth all-time in rushing yards and had eight 1,000-yard seasons. Bettis also led his team in rushing 11 times in his 13 NFL seasons. The two greatest running backs in Steelers history are Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis. That's not bad company. Especially since we're talking about the only franchise to win six Super Bowls (until Sunday). While I never thought of Bettis as a dominant back, his numbers indicate sustained greatness for a long period of time. That's what makes somebody a Hall of Famer. However, if Bettis doesn't get in, I won't be overly upset about it. He will get in eventually, though.
Bill Parcells, Coach (1983-90 Giants, 1993-96 Patriots, 1997-99 Jets, 2003-06 Cowboys)-If everything I've seen/read/heard in the past couple days is true, it looks like Bill Parcells is finally going to get his bust in Canton. And I don't think there's anyone who doubts he belongs. The Tuna won two Super Bowls with the Giants, took the Patriots to another, and brought the Jets to the AFC Championship Game. Throw in a playoff appearance with the Cowboys, and he's the only coach in NFL history to take four different teams to the postseason. It's also worth noting how many of his assistants went on to become successful NFL head coaches, including Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin, who've won five Super Bowls between them.
Dave Robinson, Linebacker (1963-72 Packers, 1973-74 Redskins)-We're going to get another one of Lombardi's Packers into the Hall of Fame, and, frankly, this one seems overdue. A big play linebacker on that punishing Green Bay defense that won three straight NFL titles and the first two Super Bowls. He was on the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1960s and earned All-Pro honors three times. If you're having trouble recalling which one was Dave Robinson, he's the one with Vince Lombardi in the locker room at the end of the NFL Films Super Bowl II highlights. I've got no problem honoring Vince Lombardi's legacy and that Packers dynasty one more time.
But like I said, of this year's 17 finalists, I'd vote for a number of them if I could. My next five, in order, are Jonathan Ogden, Charles Haley, Aeneas Williams, Tim Brown and Art Modell. Then Warren Sapp, Will Shields, Curley Culp, Andre Reed, Eddie DeBartolo and Kevin Greene. As for who the actual voters are going to put in, I think Allen, Robinson and Parcells are safe bets. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ogden. And it's really a toss-up between Modell, Carter, Bettis and Strahan for the remaining one or two selections. But this is the Pro Football Hall of Fame election. Trying to predict it is nearly an impossible task.
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