Canton Calling Class of 2023

Last year, they moved NFL Honors from the night before the Super Bowl to the Thursday of Super Bowl week.  I'm not entirely sure why they made the change (my guess is it's ratings-related), but they're doing it again this year, so it seems to be permament.  Which is fine, I guess.  It actually makes my blogging schedule a little easier since I can spread out my Super Bowl Week posts now.

We've got the awards on tap as part of the NFL Honors, of course, but we've also got the announcement of the new Hall of Fame class.  This year's finalists include three first-year eligible candidates, and I think two of them are locks.  It wouldn't even be a surprise to see all three get in.  As for the other two or three spots, I've got no idea!

I think this year we might see some clean up done.  By "clean up," I mean doing what they did last year with Tony Boselli, taking a perpetual finalist and finally giving him the nod.  They knew they had to get Boselli in before Thomas became eligible since Thomas was the superior tackle.  So, we may see some of that "clean up," too.  There's a lot of similar guys who played the same position, so they may clear out some of that backlog.

If there wasn't a limit of five, I could easily see 11 or 12 of the 15 finalists making the cut this year.  But that, of course, can't happen.  There can only be five.  So, with that in mind, here are the five I'd select...

Joe Thomas, Tackle (2007-17 Browns): The fact that Joe Thomas was a First Team All-Pro multiple times playing for some really bad Browns teams says all you need to know.  He was widely accepted as the best offensive tackle in football throughout his career, made 10 straight Pro Bowls, was an All-Pro eight years in a row, and was named to the All-Decade Team of the 2010s.  They like to put in at least one offensive lineman a year, and he's clearly the best offensive lineman of the group.

Darrelle Revis, Cornerback (2007-12, 2015-16 Jets, 2013 Buccaneers, 2014 Patriots, 2017 Chiefs): Revis Island was a place you did NOT want to visit if you were a wide receiver!  His numbers actually aren't that high...because nobody threw the ball anywhere near him!  He shut down No. 1 receivers 1-on-1, so opponents just gave up and went to their No. 2 and 3 options instead.  He was a First Team All-Pro four straight years with the Jets, and they went to consecutive AFC Championship Games during that span.  Then he went to the Patriots and won a ring.

Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver (2001-14 Colts): Simply put, Reggie Wayne is the greatest No. 2 wide receiver in NFL history.  Which is by no means a knock on him.  It just tells you how good those Colts teams were when Peyton had both Marvin Harrison AND Reggie Wayne to throw to!  This is his fourth year of eligibility and fourth year as a finalist.  And, I hope, the year he finally gets in.  He's 10th all-time in receptions with 1,070.  Everybody ahead of him who's eligible is already in.

Ronde Barber, Cornerback/Safety (1997-2012 Buccaneers): Will they actually put in two cornerbacks?  If they do, that's great news for Ronde Barber, the only member of that outstanding Bucs defense of the early 2000s who isn't in the Hall of Fame yet.  And, if they do the clean up I'm expecting, he'll get his long overdue call.  Ronde started 224 consecutive games (including the postseason) and was just as good late in his career as the beginning.  He holds more Tampa Bay franchise defensive records than I can count and is the only player in NFL history with 45 interceptions and 25 sacks.

Devin Hester, Kick Returner (2006-13 Bears, 2014-15 Falcons, 2016 Ravens): This last selection was really hard.  I went back and forth between DeMarcus Ware, Patrick Willis and Devin Hester before ultimately settling on Hester, who will become the first player who was primarily a kick returner to receive a bust in Canton.  Although, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the Ray Guy treatment and is a finalist year after year before ultimately getting voted in as a Senior candidate.  I don't think it'll come to that, though.  In fact, I thought he might even get the nod last year.  However, since it's only his second year on the ballot, I can see him having to wait and one of the defensive guys getting the nod instead.

Whoever gets elected out of the Modern Era candidates will be enshrined with the four Coach/Contributor and Senior nominees.  They technically need to meet the same 80 percent threshold as the Modern Era candidates, but that's really more of a formality once they reach this point.  So, it would be shocking if the Hall of Fame class didn't also include:

Don Coryell, Coach (1973-77 Cardinals, 1978-86 Chargers): After being a finalist so many times, this is the year when Don Coryell will finally get in.  His "Air Coryell" offense was revolutionary, but set the stage for the modern, pass-happy NFL.  And, man, those Chargers played an exciting brand of football!  They never made it to the Super Bowl, but so what?  Don Coryell changed the way NFL football was played with his dynamic offense led by Hall of Famers Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow and Charlie Joiner.

Chuck Howley, Linebacker (1958-59 Bears, 1961-73 Cowboys): Still the only Super Bowl MVP from the losing team, the 86-year-old Chuck Howley seems poised to receive a bust in Canton at long last!  He played 15 years and finished with 25 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries in 180 regular season games.  Howley joined the Cowboys in their second season and anchored their defense for more than a decade, as Dallas went from expansion team to powerhouse.

Joe Klecko, Defensive End/Defensive Tackle (1977-87 Jets, 1988 Colts): Two eras of great New York Jets defense will be represented on stage in Canton in August.  Revis, of course, represents the Rex Ryan teams from the early 2010s.  Joe Klecko represents the New York Sack Exchange from the early 1980s.  In 1981, he had 20.5 sacks, which was the single-season record for quite a while.  Klecko finished with 78 in his 12-year career, all but the last of which were spent along the Jets' defensive front.

Ken Riley, Cornerback (1969-83 Bengals): Perhaps the most surprising name on the list of finalists from either the Modern Era or Senior committees, Ken Riley wasn't that well-known.  He was only voted First Team All-Pro once--in the final season of his career--and was never named to a Pro Bowl.  Maybe it was because he played in Cincinnati on Bengals teams that usually weren't very good (although, he did play in Super Bowl XVI).  Although, Riley does hold the distinction of recording at least one interception every season during his 15-year career, and he finished with 65, still the fifth-most in history.