The Pro Football Hall of Fame has released its list of preliminary nominees for 2008, and the list includes seven players who are eligible for the first time.I expect two of those players to make it in their first year of eligibility: Vikings and Eagles (and, briefly, Dolphins) wide receiver Cris Carter, and Redskins cornerback Darrell Green. I will be absolutely floored if they don't both make it, and I would enthusiastically vote for them myself.
There are 124 candidates on this preliminary list, and next month we'll get a list of 25 finalists. Those 25 will then be voted on to get 15 finalists, and on the day before the Super Bowl, the selection committee will meet to vote on those 15 finalists, plus two previously announced senior nominees, Chicago Cardinals back Marshall Goldberg and Chiefs cornerback Emmitt Thomas.
Of those 17, between four and seven will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I reserve the right to change my mind on a couple choices, but if it were up to me the class of 2008 would consist of Green, Carter, Goldberg, Thomas, Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas, Redskins offensive lineman Russ Grimm and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
ADVERTISEMENT
_thumbnail.jpg "NASCAR Cowboy Hats")
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. You picked Russ Grimm just so I wouldn't get super indignant about no Art Monk.
Posted at 8:53AM on Oct 31st 2007 by Skin Patrol
2. lets face it the Hall of Fame is a joke without Art Monk
Posted at 9:59AM on Oct 31st 2007 by jandb1215
3. Of the first-time eligibles, only Darrell Green and Cris Carter strike me as worthy candidates. I'd guess Green's a lock and Carter will likely make it within a few years if not this time around. Of the remaining returnees, I can get behind any of Ken Anderson, Cliff Branch, Drew Pearson, Harold Carmichael, Henry Ellard, Art Monk, Andre Reed, Dermontti Dawson, Randall McDaniel, Russ Grimm, Steve Wisniewski, Gary Zimmerman, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy, Robert Brazile, Randy Gradishar, Derrick Thomas, Steve Atwater, Joey Browner, LeRoy Butler, Kenny Easley, Lester Hayes, Ray Guy, or Nick Lowery. If memory serves, Gradishar, Pearson, and Ken Riley are in their last year of eligibility. Who actually makes it in will depend on who survives into the finalist's round.
Given that Pete Rozelle was a finalist 8 times before getting in, I see no problem with Paul Tagliabue waiting a good while before being elected, if he in fact belongs in. I see no argument that says he was a better commish than Rozelle, and there are too many good players getting backed up in a logjam to justify moving Tags to the head of the line.
I don't think either of the Seniors candidates merit induction -- both were awful choices to put forth. Goldberg was in fact already turned down once as a Senior almost 20 years ago. The bylaws say that a maximum of 7 and a minimum of 4 can be elected, but the limit is 5 from the non-Seniors pool.
Posted at 6:36PM on Oct 31st 2007 by bachslunch
4. The NFL HOF is a joke.....too many people get in. Baseball's HOF is more strict and harder to get in and thus more deserving. Joe Namath is in the HOF by virtue of one game. John Mackey was a better tight end than Mike Ditka, but Ditka got in because he was so popular, not a better player. It took Mackey 20 more years to get in when he was the record holder for most receptions by a TE.
Posted at 9:58PM on Oct 31st 2007 by Steve
5. Steve wrote:
"The NFL HOF is a joke.....too many people get in. Baseball's HOF is more strict and harder to get in and thus more deserving."
Depending on how one sees it, one can actually make the opposite case. There are several players in the Baseball HoF, most shoved in through the Veterans Committee -- especially courtesy of Frankie Frisch -- who one can argue simply don't belong there. Frisch alone pushed in several likely undeserving cronies, including George Kelly, Jim Bottomley, Chick Hafey, Jesse Haines, Travis Jackson, Freddie Lindstrom, and Ross Youngs. And that also doesn't count folks like Harry Hooper, Chief Bender, Roger Bresnahan, Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, Rabbit Maranville, Jack Chesbro, Earle Combs, Rick Ferrell, Bill Mazeroski, Candy Cummings, George Kell, Phil Rizzuto, Rube Marquard, Tommy McCarthy, Ray Schalk, and Lloyd Waner, all of whom are at best weak selections and most of which are arguably just not deserving.
The only names I've ever seen brought up by any objective observers as not especially deserving of the Pro Football HoF are Wayne Millner, Paul Hornung, and Joe Namath.
Posted at 10:25PM on Oct 31st 2007 by bachslunch
6. DERRICK THOMAS HANDS DOWN SHOULD HAVE BEEN A 1ST BALLOT SELECTION..ART MONK WON THREE SUPERBOWLS PUT THE GUT IN..CHAD JOHNSON NEVER SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ENJOY YOUR OWN GOLD JACKET JACKASS...
Posted at 10:30PM on Oct 31st 2007 by BOB DOROHOVICH
7. Steve also wrote:
"John Mackey was a better tight end than Mike Ditka, but Ditka got in because he was so popular, not a better player. It took Mackey 20 more years to get in when he was the record holder for most receptions by a TE."
A couple things:
1. if what I've read is accurate, Mackey was made to wait so long before being elected into the HoF because some electors thought he dropped too many passes. I don't know how accurate that observation is.
2. saying Mackey is a better TE than Ditka doesn't necessarily hold according to the stats:
Raw stats
Ditka -- yr:12, g:158, rec:427, yd:5812, td:43
Mackey -- yr:10, g:139, rec:331, yd:5236, td:38
Ditka leads in all categories
Per year
Ditka -- g:13.17, rec:35.38, yd:484.33, td:3.58
Mackey -- g:13.90, rec:33.10, yd:523.60, td:3.80
Mackey leads in games and tds, big-time in yds, Ditka leads in catches. All except yds is fairly close.
Per game
Ditka -- rec:2.70, yd:36.78, td:0.27
Mackey -- rec:2.38, yd:37.67, td:0.27
Mackey leads in yds, Ditka in catches, same in tds, but all stats are close.
Per catch
Ditka -- yd:13.61, td:0.10
Mackey -- yd:15.82, td:0.11
Mackey leads in both categories, but stats are pretty close.
If you look at raw counting stats, Ditka definitely beats Mackey. If you look at the rest, it's pretty close except for yards/year, and arguably yards/catch, which favors Mackey. But even if Mackey was a better blocker (and from what I've read he was good) it doesn't blow Ditka out of the water. To me, they both look like good HoF choices.
Posted at 7:43PM on Nov 1st 2007 by bachslunch
8. Bob, Derrick Thomas's all pro/pro bowl profile is 2/9, which isn't too far off from Harry Carson's 0/9, and it took Carson 6 tries to get in. And Thomas was also perceived as being weak against the run. I suspect he'll get in soon enough, but it's no crime that he was not a first-ballot choice. He's got plenty of chances left, as does Art Monk, and they'll likely both make it sooner or later.
Posted at 3:29PM on Nov 4th 2007 by bachslunch