A couple of weeks ago we discussed the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s election of some old favorites, including Pirate great Dave Parker, who are getting consideration on the latest incarnation of the Veterans Committee ballot. Those honorees will be announced next Sunday, Dec. 8.
So today let’s take a look at the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s recently released 25 finalists for induction, a group that is highlighted by the dash-and-crash panache of former Steeler Troy Polamalu.
Polamalu is, in fact, joined on the list of 25 by four other safeties: John Lynch, Darren Woodson, LeRoy Butler and Steve Atwater. All five aren’t going to make it, folks. In fact, just five of the 25 players will be inducted at next year’s ceremonies in Canton. There will be another cut to the final 15, then a cut to 10, then to the final five. The NFL likes to keep its Hall neat and elite.
So, let’s take a stab at who will be pulling on the Mean Mr. Mustard jacket in August.
Polamalu is a lock. Easily one of the most exciting players of his era and on the short list of greatest safeties in NFL history, the USC product was the key defensive player on two Super Bowl championship teams and carried himself with class throughout his career. Ed Reed went in last year and Troy should follow in 2020. Both were Head and Shoulders — see what I did there? — over the field in their era.
Which brings us to the other four safeties: Lynch was a nine-time Pro Bowler and lynch pin on that historic 2002 Tampa Bay defense that won the Super Bowl; Butler was a four-time first-team All-Pro and mainstay for the Packers, beating New England in the ’97 Super Bowl; Woodson was a five-time Pro Bowler and helped Dallas win three Super Bowls in four years; and Atwater was one of the most punishing, physical safeties I’ve seen, helping the Broncos win two Super Bowls and playing in eight Pro Bowls.
You can make a worthy case for all of these players to be inducted, as you can with all 25 of the finalists. But we’re trying to pick the final five, and I’ve already got Polamalu going in. Put the other four safeties on the shelf for now.
Sticking with defense, let’s eliminate some of the other players who may be better suited for a Ring of Honor, or team Hall of Fame. San Francisco DT Bryant Young was a 1990’s all-decade selection, but he doesn’t ring the bell for me. Same with Simeon Rice, DE for the Bucs, and Carl Banks, OLB for the Giants in the 80’s. Banks was on the same linebacking corps as Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson, so he’ll have to get the “Andy Russell” treatment from me. And Russell was way better.
Clay Matthews, Browns LB, played about 43 years and was almost able to suit up with his grandson a couple of seasons ago (not really, so don’t look it up) but very good and really durable doesn’t make a HoF’er. Bucs CB Ronde Barber was a great player but paled in comparison to contemporaries Deion Sanders, Darrell Green, Rod Woodson, Champ Bailey, Ty Law, etc.
Some better candidates are on this list. Patrick Willis, 49ers LB, played just eight years but was a first-team All-Pro in five and was second-team once. He was a tackling machine and all-around bad dude on the football field. I expect him to make it to the next round when the 48-man selection committee peels away 10 of these candidates.
Others who may make the next cut are Miami LB Zach Thomas, who had a similar career to Willis, and LB Sam Mills, Saints and Jags, who was a great story as an undrafted player who kept finding his way to tackles and winning seasons. I also like DE Richard Seymour, who was clearly the fulcrum of the Patriots’ defense early in their Belichick dynasty.
If a running back gets in this year, it will probably be the Colts’ Edgerrin James, who led the league in rushing his first two years and finished with over 12,000 career yards, placing 13th on the all-time rushing list. He’s got the edge on Ricky Watters (49ers, Seahawks, Eagles) and Jacksonville’s Fred Taylor (just one Pro Bowl?!?).
There are four receivers up for consideration, two from the famed Greatest Show on Turf, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Bruce gets all the love for some reason, but I prefer Holt. Both were excellent. Reggie Wayne was a clutch receiver and ranks seventh all-time in receptions and 10th all-time in yards. He’s an excellent candidate and may join Polamalu as a first-ballot inductee.
Which brings us to the prickly candidacy of Steelers WR Hines Ward. Steeler fans fortunate enough to follow his career are certain that Ward belongs, and I’m inclined to agree. Ward checks all the statistical standards: 1,000 receptions, 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns (all Steeler records), and was a stalwart on two Super Bowl teams, being voted MVP of SB XL. But his legacy is, and always will be, his downfield blocking. No receiver in NFL history blocked like Hines Ward, and he is the standard by which all others will be judged.
To me, that’s a HoF’er. But I doubt if it’s good enough for the 48-man committee. Ward seems like a guy whose career will gain more respect as the years go on, and may need some love from the Veterans Committee to get in. I hope I’m wrong.
I’d be surprised if an offensive lineman doesn’t make it this year. There are three great candidates up this year, and former Steelers OG Alan Faneca is on the list again. Faneca was a six-time All-Pro, nine-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl champ and was on the 2000s NFL All-Decade team and Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time team. Whew. He was great.
But so were OG Steve Hutchinson (Seahawks and Vikings) and OT Tony Boselli (Jaguars). Boselli only played six years because of injuries, but he was the best tackle in football at the time and is considered the best Jacksonville player ever. Hutchinson was the other guard on the NFL 2000s All-Decade team, and his career is remarkably similar to Faneca’s. I expect one of the three to make to the end, and it will probably come down to the best presentation before the selection committee. Ed Bouchette of The Athletic in Pittsburgh represents the Steeler candidates, and he ain’t exactly Mr. Personality. If I were Ed, I’d go through the motions on Polamalu — he’s in anyway — and push hard on either Ward or Faneca. We’ll see how this plays out.
The last candidate of the 25 finalists is Buffalo’s Steve Tasker, and — spoiler alert — he is a favorite of mine. Tasker is considered by many as the greatest special teams player of all-time: He was a five-time All-Pro selection and seven-time Pro Bowler — for gawd’s sakes he won the MVP in a Pro Bowl!! If they gave an award for the best special teamer each year in the NFL — and by the way why don’t they? — they would name the award after Steve Tasker.
Coaches, players, writers and fans constantly hype up the importance of special teams. Shouldn’t the best ever be in the Hall of Fame?
Hopefully, Tasker will make the next cut to 15, then the next one to 10 before the selection committee finally decides on the five finalists. At that point all 48 voters say yay or nay on the five, and the candidates must get at least 80 percent (38 votes). All five usually get in at that point.
My prediction for the five: Troy Polamalu, Patrick Willis, Steve Hutchinson, Reggie Wayne, Steve Tasker. But no Harold Baines.
