Hall of Fame finalists announced - Who gets in?

frostie500

So the finalists were all named today...who deserves to get in this year? All of them are fitting candidates but if Boards.ie was holding the vote who'd actually get into the Hall?

This year we have Brett Favre, Terell Owens and Alan Faneca as first time finalists alongside a bevy of players who have waiting in the wings. The NFL Hall of Fame is a tough door to open for anyone with a maximum of eight people enshrined each year.

Everyone is a deserving candidate but who do we think deserves to be in most?

HigginsJ

Terrell Davis

I think Favre is a 1st ballot HOFer no doubt. Think Harrison gets in this year & maybe TO.

Can't see Kurt Warner or Edgerrin James getting in, outside of that I'm not terribly familiar with a lot of the rest of the candidates.

Jolly Red Giant

Atwater deserves it

And it is an absolute disgrace once again that Karl Mecklenburg is not among the finalists

Ken Stabler and Andersen and Lynch should be there.

And the homer for me is Terrell Davis

Itssoeasy

Tony Dungy

Jolly Red Giant wrote: »

Atwater deserves it

And it is an absolute disgrace once again that Karl Mecklenburg is not among the finalists

Ken Stabler and Andersen and Lynch should be there.

And the homer for me is Terrell Davis

The snake isn't part of the modern day inductees. He's on the list for the seniors lists and most of the time they get in to make a class of seven.

Itssoeasy

Tony Dungy

The class of 2016 is being announced tomorrow night. Favre is as big of a lock in HOF history ever.

LuckyLloyd

John Lynch should be in imo

eagle eye

Favre, Dungy, Harrison, Pace, James and Lynch would be my top picks.

poldebruin

I would like to see Morten Anderson get in. If ever there was a time to signal that exceptional special team players have a place in the HOF, this is it. Played at such a high level until he retired at 47 in 2007. I realise it's unlikely to happen with a backlog starting to build up with the Hall though.

adrian522

Terrell Davis

Really hope Eddie DeBatolo gets in, I think he deserves it for the way he impacted how players are treated in the league etc.

I think if he doesn't get in this year he probably never will.

On the other hand if TO doesn't get in it will just be a case of having to wait a year or two, though purely by the numbers he should be a first ballot guy.

Steve Young had this to say on Eddie

I'm obviously as big a proponent, but maybe not for the reasons you might think. I think it was Ira Miller who pounded into my head that you make the Hall of Fame because if you write the book of the NFL, and it can't be written without you, that was his thing. And no matter how you feel about Eddie, the thing that he did, and I witnessed it personally, and I actually witnessed it in contrast to Tampa Bay, I witnessed it in the 1987 strike. And I think it was Wellington Mara, I don't know if it was him, but I wanna saw it was somebody from the Giants, I'm not sure. But during the strike they said, sooner or later these players gotta realize that we're the owners and they're the chattel.

I thought at the time, that's the problem. The problem with the NFL, and it holds us back. Eddie completely ripped up that narrative. And people may be jealous of that, might be frustrated by that, might not like it, might feel like it was not right, but he tore it up. He and his players were family, to this day. Dan Brown wrote a great article the other day, with some snippets. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Still, if you need something from Eddie, anybody who ever played for the team could call him. Call him personally, and he would figure out a way to help them.

And so, that relationship, that fundamental change in how owners looked at players, and how they related to each other, I think changed the dynamic for how the CBA was negotiated 15 years later. How players are now true partners, they're truly partners with the owners. Might not be perfect, but there's a partnership that has exploded the success of the league. The only non-partner who still needs to be a partner is the referees. But that partnership, I think was forged by Eddie breaking down the barrier between player and owner. Robert Kraft, name any owner that is thriving. He may not see he was influenced, but it broke the ice to allow for owners to have that kind of relationship with the players.

In my mind, that's a long-winded story, but it's a case I want to make, because you can say, oh but this, oh but that. That's fine, don't vote for him, if you think that's the problem. But if that's not the problem, there's no question in my mind that you cannot write the history of the NFL without talking about what he did for the game. That's away from even Super Bowls, and all that other stuff. It's about what he did for the NFL. And I see the team's that are thriving, I see owners walking the sidelines, that are interjecting themselves with the players. They are part of the fabric, that was unheard of before Eddie DeBartolo.

AMGer

Fingers (& toes) crossed that TD makes it in

dub_skav

Would love to see TD get in, such a special playoff performer.

He's done a good job of raising his media profile recently, hopefully that pushes him over the edge

namloc1980

dub_skav wrote: »

Would love to see TD get in, such a special playoff performer.

He's done a good job of raising his media profile recently, hopefully that pushes him over the edge

While he has great playoff numbers surely his lack of regular season play with only 78 career games is a huge factor against him.

Itssoeasy

Tony Dungy

According to nfl network the QB's are being discussed at the moment.

AMGer

namloc1980 wrote: »

While he has great playoff numbers surely his lack of regular season play with only 78 career games is a huge factor against him.

Injury cut his career short, can't be punished for that. And while he did have a short career look what he did - League MVP, SB MVP, All Pro, 2000 yard season. If Gale Sayers is there then TD should also, similar numbers and short careers........and that last bit comes from Marcus Allen!

adrian522

Terrell Davis

https://twitter.com/RickGosselinDMN/status/696115739619557376

Richard Hillman

poldebruin wrote: »

I would like to see Morten Anderson get in. If ever there was a time to signal that exceptional special team players have a place in the HOF, this is it. Played at such a high level until he retired at 47 in 2007. I realise it's unlikely to happen with a backlog starting to build up with the Hall though.

I think Morton Anderson has to make the HOF before Adam Vinatieri is eligible or his chances are gone.

adrian522

Terrell Davis

Happy with this, not before time!

https://twitter.com/mattbarrows/status/696133458297380864

Itssoeasy

Tony Dungy

adrian522 wrote: »

Happy with this, not before time!

https://twitter.com/mattbarrows/status/696133458297380864

Fair enough he made a bad judgement call in the late nineties but as an owner he has a huge impact on the 49ers and the NFL as a whole. I'm delighted as a NFL fan.

adrian522

Terrell Davis

And TO has to wait at least a year...
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/696136973191352320

adrian522

adrian522 wrote: »

And TO has to wait at least a year...
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/696136973191352320

guess it was going to be tough for him because of his attitude as a player i think he's a walk in i think he will get in on his second ballot. the panel seem to be slow to leave guys with questions around there career or character in on the first ballot

adrian522

Terrell Davis

It's kind of nonsense making him wait a year to be honest, there's no reason for it, even Andy Reid and Mooch both said he should go in.

This kind of say it all for me...

adrian522

adrian522 wrote: »

It's kind of nonsense making him wait a year to be honest, there's no reason for it, even Andy Reid and Mooch both said he should go in.

This kind of say it all for me...

i agree 100%

adrian522

Terrell Davis

So the full class is:

Brett Favre, QB; Kevin Greene, LB; Marvin Harrison, WR; Orlando Pace, OL; Tony Dungy, coach; Ken Stabler, QB; Dick Stanfel, OL; Eddie DeBartolo, owner

Kurt Warner passed over again too.

Itssoeasy

Tony Dungy

Anyone know why marvin Harrison wasn't there ?

adrian522

adrian522 wrote: »

So the full class is:

Brett Favre, QB; Kevin Greene, LB; Marvin Harrison, WR; Orlando Pace, OL; Tony Dungy, coach; Ken Stabler, QB; Dick Stanfel, OL; Eddie DeBartolo, owner

Kurt Warner passed over again too.

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Anyone know why marvin Harrison wasn't there ?

.

Itssoeasy

Tony Dungy

Sorry nerd I meant at the NFL honours announcement.

frostie500

Tony Dungy

adrian522 wrote: »

So the full class is:

Brett Favre, QB; Kevin Greene, LB; Marvin Harrison, WR; Orlando Pace, OL; Tony Dungy, coach; Ken Stabler, QB; Dick Stanfel, OL; Eddie DeBartolo, owner

Kurt Warner passed over again too.

I'd have liked to have seen Warner or TO get in ahead of Harrison. Marvin was a great route runner but TO was almost unplayable for a DB for most of his career. Warner should be in the HOF some day but the lull in NY has to be accounted for and that's why it's taking time. Being the man to make St Louis and Arizona relevant in the NFL again tho should be more than enough to get him in soon.

I still think that it's a disgrace that Terell Davis has been overlooked again. His was a short career for sure but his star burnt brighter than most and he was the reason that Denver won their Superbowls.

Great to see the Snake get in because it's about time for him and Eddie D!

Augme

frostie500 wrote: »

I'd have liked to have seen Warner or TO get in ahead of Harrison. Marvin was a great route runner but TO was almost unplayable for a DB for most of his career. Warner should be in the HOF some day but the lull in NY has to be accounted for and that's why it's taking time. Being the man to make St Louis and Arizona relevant in the NFL again tho should be more than enough to get him in soon.

I still think that it's a disgrace that Terell Davis has been overlooked again. His was a short career for sure but his star burnt brighter than most and he was the reason that Denver won their Superbowls.

Great to see the Snake get in because it's about time for him and Eddie D!

Warner has too many dodgy years to be inducted this early. I just don't see how you can justify Warner going in ahead of Harrison who was excellent his whole career. In all the major stats Harrison is top 10. Warner is 36th in passing and 34th in TD's. Very pedestrian numbers.

adrian522

Terrell Davis

2 league MVP awards, 1 Superbowl MVP, that St. Louis offense and that run with the Cardinals should have him in to be honest.

Itssoeasy

Tony Dungy

Still don't get why TD was passed over again. I mean lads come on. I mean the argument was made that kurt Warner isn't in because he had a few slack years but terrell Davis didn't. I know his career was short but look what he achieved in that career.

heyjude

Terell Owens

frostie500 wrote: »

I still think that it's a disgrace that Terell Davis has been overlooked again. His was a short career for sure but his star burnt brighter than most and he was the reason that Denver won their Superbowls.

Great to see the Snake get in because it's about time for him and Eddie D!

I'm also delighted to see Ken Stabler finally make it, though it is a shame that they had to wait until after his death, for it to happen.

As for Terrell Davis, I think he is going to struggle to get in, as other players with far longer careers and therefore far more impressive final career stats will continue to be voted in ahead of him. Would Brett Favre have got in if his NFL career spanned just 86 NFL games(as Davis's did) ? I doubt it. And while Davis was a superstar his first 4 seasons, he played in just 17 games in his last 3 years. As a Raider fan, I regularly see it debated whether Bo Jackson was one of the greatest running backs in NFL history or whether he was or would have been better than Emmitt Smith (not that I'm comparing him to TD in terms of what Davis achieved with the Broncos), but like Davis, Bo Jackson had a short but amazing NFL career, but its short duration means that he's always going to struggle when compared to those with much longer and therefore more productive careers. Also as the superstar backs of today reach retirement, they are going to push Davis further down the list.

I also think Tom Flores will have a wry smile at Tony Dungy being the first black coach to be voted into the Hall of Fame, having won just one Superbowl, when Flores shares with Mike Ditka, the distinction of having won the superbowl as a player, as an assistant coach, and twice as a head coach. He was the first starting Hispanic QB in the league and the first minority(hispanic) head coach to win the Superbowl(Ron Rivera will be the second hispanic head coach to win the Superbowl if the Panthers win tonight), while Jim Plunkett is the only Hall of Fame eligible two time Superbowl winning QB not to be in the Hall, as well as being the first hispanic QB to win the Superbowl. The knock on both Flores and Plunkett belonging in the Hall of Fame, being, that while they enjoyed some great successes, the period of greatness was too short and that same argument could be made of Terrell Davis(as his Hall of Fame worthy career lasted just 4 of his 7 years in the NFL).