Ray Lewis is a lock to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He'll be the head of the class, and will likely be the last one introduced during the NFL Honors. As for the remaining four Modern Era honorees, that's anybody's guess. Voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame is so exclusive and so secretive that, unless you have a sure-fire candidate like Lewis, it's anybody's guess who the selectors are thinking.
ESPN's people picked their class, but I think it's safe to say that there's no way their five will actually be the ones selected. For starters, both wide receivers aren't getting in. It's just not going to happen. It's more likely that neither one gets in than both of them do. Likewise, ESPN didn't have any offensive linemen. With the number of offensive linemen among the finalists and the voters' obsession with the position, you know we're getting at least one (not including Jerry Kramer), and maybe even two.
Likewise, they need to start putting the safeties in before they create a serious backlog. If they don't put Brian Dawkins and John Lynch in before Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu are eligible, you could make a legitimate argument for a Hall of Fame class consisting entirely of safeties at that point (Charles Woodson played some safety during his career, too). I think they realize that and start rectifying the situation with one of the safeties being elected to Canton.
It's gotten to the point where I'm surprised by at least one of the selections every year. So I'm not going to say who I think will be elected. I'm not even going to try. Instead, here's who I would vote for out of the 15 Modern Era finalists. As usual, I expect the three Senior/Contributor finalists to be overwhelmingly elected (which, for Jerry Kramer, should've happened a long time ago).
Ray Lewis, Linebacker (1996-2012 Ravens): The obvious first-ballot inductee. And he should be. A two-time Defensive Player of the Year, two-time Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP. The heart and soul of that ridiculous Baltimore defense and, without a doubt, the premier middle linebacker of the 2000s. The greatest player in Ravens history, he went out a champion, retiring immediately after Baltimore won Super Bowl XLVII.
Brian Dawkins, Safety (1996-2008 Eagles, 2009-11 Broncos): With the Eagles back in the Super Bowl, it would be fitting to see the defensive star of their last Super Bowl team honored with a Hall of Fame selection. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time All-Pro. And, he was one of the best of all-time at a position that's criminally underrepresented in Canton. Dawkins was better than the also-deserving Lynch, so he should be inducted first.
Randy Moss, Wide Receiver (1998-2004 Vikings, 2005-06 Raiders, 2007-10 Patriots, 2010 Titans, 2010 Vikings, 2012 49ers): Sorry, TO fans, but you're gonna have to wait at least another year for your boy to get elected. And his attitude/personality will again be the reason why. Anyway, my wide receiver vote goes to Moss, who's nowhere near the first-ballot guarantee that Lewis is (especially since they're hesitant to elect wide receivers not named Jerry Rice on the first go-round). But I do think Moss is one of the five best players on the ballot, so he gets the nod from me. A four-time All-Pro and a member of the All-Decade Team for the 2000s, he made an instant impact as a rookie on that ridiculous 1998 Vikings team, and he set an NFL record with 23 TD catches in his first year with the Patriots (the 18-1 season).
Kevin Mawae, Center (1994-97 Seahawks, 1998-2005 Jets, 2006-09 Titans): Personally, I'd love to see Joe Jacoby get elected in his final year before moving to the Senior ballot. But my offensive lineman vote goes to Kevin Mawae. This guy was so good for so long that you just took it for granted he'd be playing in the Pro Bowl. He was in the lineup every freakin' week, too, playing 241 games in 16 seasons. And 13 times in those 16 years, his team had a 1,000-yard rusher. Mawae won't get any bonus points for this, but he was a longtime leader in the players' union, too.
Brian Urlacher, Linebacker (2000-12 Bears): I know, I know. I've been doing all this talking about having a diverse class, then I go and vote for two middle linebackers in their first year on the ballot. But who doesn't think Brian Urlacher is a Hall of Famer? You knew it when he was playing, and you still know it now. He followed in that long line of great Bears middle linebackers, and he should join Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary in Canton. He was a Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year who led Chicago to two division titles and a Super Bowl appearance. When you're the all-time leading tackler for a franchise as prestigious as the Chicago Bears, you know you've had a pretty good career.
And now for the Senior and Contributor candidates, two I think are extremely worthy of enshrinement. I don't know much about the third, but once you get to this point as a Senior nominee, you're getting in.
Jerry Kramer, Guard (1958-68 Packers): He should've been delivering a speech in Canton about 30 years ago. Instead, he'll deliver one in August. Forrest Gregg's been a Hall of Famer forever, and Kramer was just as good, if not better. He was the anchor of Vince Lombardi's offensive line. Who was it that made the block on the winning touchdown in the Ice Bowl? Jerry Kramer. Who was named to numerous NFL all-time teams? Jerry Kramer. Who has been overlooked by the Hall of Fame for far too long? Jerry Kramer. The Lombardi-era Packers will add another one to their list of Hall of Famers. It's about time, too.
Robert Brazile, Linebacker (1975-84 Oilers): Along with Hall of Famer Elvin Bethea, Brazile was a part of the defense that changed the Houston Oilers' fortunes in the late 70s. He went to seven straight Pro Bowls, was named All-Pro five straight times, and was on the All-Decade Team of the 70s. Brazile played in 147 straight games for the Oilers, including a bunch in the playoffs. Alas, Houston never made it to the Super Bowl, always running into the Steelers (or the Raiders or the Dolphins).
Bobby Beathard, Contributor (1966-67 Chiefs, 1968-71 Falcons, 1972-77 Dolphins, 1978-88 Redskins, 1990-99 Chargers): When they created the Contributor category a couple years ago, it was with guys like Bobby Beathard in mind. He worked for five teams, four of which went to the Super Bowl while he was there. Overall, Beathard's teams went to seven Super Bowls and won four. He was the Redskins' GM for the first two of their Super Bowl titles under Joe Gibbs, and he put together the team that won another one shortly after he left for San Diego...where he took the Chargers to their only Super Bowl in 1994.
So, there you have it. That's my class. Lewis, Dawkins, Moss, Mawae and Urlacher, along with Kramer, Brazile and Beathard. As for who'll join Lewis in the actual class, I have no idea.
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