2009 NFL Hall of Fame Nominees

[DanXIII 8]

(Mods: I wasn't sure if this belonged here or on the Geek bored. Feel free to move it if you deem it appropriate...not that you asked me or anything!)

 

Hard to believe some of these guys have been out of the league for 5 years already...

 

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http://www.nfl.com/halloffame/story?id=090...mp;confirm=true

 

Preliminary list of nominees for class of 2009

First-year eligible nominees:

 

RUNNING BACKS -- Larry Centers, Brian Mitchell (also KR/PR).

TIGHT ENDS -- Shannon Sharpe, Frank Wycheck.

 

OFFENSIVE TACKLE -- Lincoln Kennedy.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN -- John Randle (DE/DT), Bruce Smith (DE), Dana Stubblefield (DT).

 

LINEBACKER -- Jessie Armstead.

 

DEFENSIVE BACKS -- Darren Woodson (S), Rod Woodson (CB/S).

 

Additional nominees:

 

QUARTERBACKS -- Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason, Jim Plunkett, Phil Simms, Ken Stabler, Joe Theismann, Doug Williams.

 

RUNNING BACKS -- Ottis Anderson, Roger Craig, Terrell Davis, Greg Pruitt (also KR/PR), Herschel Walker, Ricky Watters.

 

WIDE RECEIVERS -- Cliff Branch, Harold Carmichael, *Cris Carter, Wes Chandler, Gary Clark, Isaac Curtis, Henry Ellard, Irving Fryar, Roy Green, Harold Jackson, Herman Moore, Stanley Morgan, *Andre Reed, Sterling Sharpe.

 

TIGHT ENDS -- Mark Bavaro, Todd Christensen, Ben Coates, Russ Francis, Brent Jones, Steve Jordan.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN -- Tony Boselli (T), Lomas Brown (T), Jim Covert (T), Randy Cross (G/C), Dave Dalby ©, Dermontti Dawson ©, Ray Donaldson ©, *Russ Grimm (G), Jay Hilgenberg ©, Kent Hill (G/T), Chris Hinton (G/T), Kent Hull ©, Joe Jacoby (T), Mike Kenn (T), *Bob Kuechenberg (G), Jim Lachey (T), Henry Lawrence (G/T), Mark May (G/T/C), *Randall McDaniel (G), Max Montoya (G), Marvin Powell (T), Steve Wisniewski (G).

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN -- Ray Childress (DT/DE), *Richard Dent (DE), Chris Doleman (DE/LB), Carl "Big Daddy" Hairston (DE/DT), Charles Haley (DE/LB), Ed "Too Tall" Jones (DE), Cortez Kennedy (DT), Joe Klecko (DE/DT/NT), Steve McMichael (DT/NT), Leslie O'Neal (DE), Fred Smerlas (NT), Art Still (DE).

 

LINEBACKERS -- Cornelius Bennett, Robert Brazile, Kevin Greene (LB/DE), Ken Harvey, Rickey Jackson, Tom Jackson, Clay Matthews, Karl Mecklenburg, Sam Mills, Hardy Nickerson, Chris Spielman, Pat Swilling, Darryl Talley, *Derrick Thomas.

 

DEFENSIVE BACKS -- Eric Allen (CB), Steve Atwater (S), Joey Browner (S), LeRoy Butler (S), Deron Cherry (S), Raymond Clayborn (CB), Kenny Easley (S), Lester Hayes (CB), Albert Lewis (CB), Ken Riley (CB), Eugene Robinson (S), Donnie Shell (S), Louis Wright (CB).

 

PUNTERS/KICKERS -- Rich Camarillo (P), *Ray Guy (P), Nick Lowery (K), Reggie Roby (P).

SPECIAL TEAMS/WIDE RECEIVER -- Steve Tasker.

 

COACHES -- Don Coryell, Tom Flores, Jimmy Johnson, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Clark Shaughnessy.

 

CONTRIBUTORS -- Bud Adams, Gil Brandt, C.O. Brocato, Leo Carlin, Ed DeBartolo, Jr., Ben Dreith, Bob Harlan, Jerry Jones, Art Modell, Art Rooney, Jr., Ed Sabol, Steve Sabol, *Paul Tagliabue, Ralph Wilson, Jr., Ron Wolf, George Young.

 

*On 2008 17 finalists list

[DanXIII 8]

My list:

 

Shannon Sharpe

Bruce Smith

Rod Woodson

Derrick Thomas (can't believe he isn't in already)

Ken Stabler

Joe Theismann

Roger Craig

Kent Hull

Mark May

Charles Haley

Cornelius Bennett

Karl Mecklenburg

Ed Jones

Steve Atwater

Reggie Roby

Steve Tasker

Paul Tagliabue

[mo' scores moe 0]

Slam dunks:

Bruce Smith

Rod Woodson

Derrick Thomas

Cris Carter

Ed Sabol

Steve Sabol

Ralph Wilson Jr.

Ray Guy

 

Deserving:

Ken Stabler

Ken Anderson

Cliff Branch

Paul Tagliabue

Bob Kuechenberg

Ed Jones

Richard Dent (a complete D lineman)

Terell Davis (over the hump because of the stellar playoff stats- I think he'll be waiting this year)

Shannon Sharpe (despite his flapping yap.)

 

Derrick Thomas has got to get in which doesn't bode well for speed rushers Charles Haley (and his 5 rings), Kevin Greene,

Rickey Jackson, Chris Doleman, Leslie O'Neal and Pat Swilling but they will eventually get in, in this order, I think.

 

Tons of borderliners who probably get in: Allen, Atwater, Carmichael, Ellard, Jacoby, Grimm, Klecko, Randle, Mills, Chandler and Mecklenburg.

 

It's difficult to seperate the blood & guts run-dominated 70's with the pass happy 80's, 90's and the current state of the game.

Anderson, Branch, Stabler and Carmichael would be monsters in today's game.

 

The voters are not going to elect any special teamers but it would be interesting if they had to choose

between Mitchell and Tasker. Does Tasker even get on the list without the Leon Lett play? No disrespect, he is not the 1st

kamikazee on returns that had longevity. Bill Brown from the Vikings, Bill Bates are a couple that come to mind. Mitchell

has all yds and TDs. Eric Metcalf is close though and no hall of famer. At Hester's current pace, wait until he retires and elect him. There is no hurry there.

 

With the rest of the contributors, slip Young, Brandt, and Wolf in at some point. Adams and Modell moved their teams,

whether they had to do it or not and even though they go back to the early 60's, that still sucked for Houston and Cleveland.

[16 and 33 0]

I'm not going to do a list of 17, but I am shocked Buddy Parker is not in Canton.

 

Played on the Lions 1935 NFL champion team, and coached them to 3 World Championships in 6 years in the 1950s. Popularized the two-minute drill with his QB, Bobby Layne - that alone changed the game irrevocably.

 

It's a tough Hall to crack, far more so than the other major team sports.

[Wildman 0]

See below

 

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http://www.nfl.com/halloffame/story?id=090...mp;confirm=true

 

Preliminary list of nominees for class of 2009

First-year eligible nominees:

 

RUNNING BACKS -- Larry Centers, Brian Mitchell (also KR/PR). Mitchell deserves consideration beyond the preliminary list because of his longevity and productivity as a returner. Centers was an excellent receiver, but never a great runner.

TIGHT ENDS -- Shannon Sharpe, Frank Wycheck. Wycheck was underrated, but he's not a HOFer. Sharpe is definitely a HOFer and automatic finalist this year.

 

OFFENSIVE TACKLE -- Lincoln Kennedy.

No way. At his best, he was good but not a HOFer.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN -- John Randle (DE/DT), Bruce Smith (DE), Dana Stubblefield (DT). Randle is an automatic finalist. Great pass rusher. Smith is a surefire HOFer and automatic finalist this year.

 

LINEBACKER -- Jessie Armstead.Terrific college player. Better than average NFL LB with some longevity, but not a HOFer.

 

DEFENSIVE BACKS -- Darren Woodson (S), Rod Woodson (CB/S). Darren Woodson is like Jessie Armstead as a safety. Rod Woodson is in the class of Shannon Sharpe and Bruce Smith.

 

Additional nominees:

 

QUARTERBACKS -- Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason, Jim Plunkett, Phil Simms, Ken Stabler, Joe Theismann, Doug Williams. Ken Anderson was very underrated, but his results didn't reflect his skills. Esiason is a QB I'd love to have on my team, but he's no HOFer. Plunkett? HOF moment as SB-winning QB reviving his career, but not a HOF career. Phil Simms? Enough great moments in the post-season for finalist consideration. Stabler? Same as Simms. Theismann? Ran some very good offenses, maybe finalist consideration. Doug Williams? Great SB performance does not equal HOF enshrinment.

 

RUNNING BACKS -- Ottis Anderson, Roger Craig, Terrell Davis, Greg Pruitt (also KR/PR), Herschel Walker, Ricky Watters. Anderson was wicked good early and above average late in his career, but not a HOFer. Tough runner and fun to watch though. Great guy to have on a team. Roger Craig is a finalist. His 1000/1000 seasons were a big deal and he was a big cog in a great offense. Terrell Davis is a finalist for his 2000-yard season and great production in a short time + 2 SBs. Greg Pruitt had HOF skills, but injuries derailed his potential. He was a less evolved combo of Barry Sanders and Marshall Faulk in terms of skills. Not a finalist. Herschel Walker? Throw in the USFL career and he's a finalist and possibly a HOFer, otherwise no - a very good, but not quite great NFL career. Ricky Watters? Excellent RB, but at this point he's a finalist at best, if at all.

 

WIDE RECEIVERS -- Cliff Branch, Harold Carmichael, *Cris Carter, Wes Chandler, Gary Clark, Isaac Curtis, Henry Ellard, Irving Fryar, Roy Green, Harold Jackson, Herman Moore, Stanley Morgan, *Andre Reed, Sterling Sharpe. Branch was great in the Raiders offense and is why Al Davis has become a broken record in personnel/offensive philosophy, but a finalist at best. Carmichael was good, but not great. Carter is an automatic finalist. Chandler was as talented as any WR, but his production wasn't consistent enough. Maybe a finalist. Clark, good, but see Carmichael. Curtis, like Ken Anderson was underrated, but not a finalist. Ellard...wow, good player but up and down career. Maybe a finalist, but not in this group. Fryar had the skills, but not the career to go with it. Roy the Jet Stream Green was a two-way player before Deion and after Ironmen were no longer a common part of the game. Great deep threat, but not productive enough to be a finalist. Harold Jackson, Herman Moore, and Stanley Morgan were very good, but if Ellard doesn't get a finalist consideration, neither do they. Andre Reed earns it as does Sterling Sharpe who was like a mutant at the position at that time period. He changed the game with his physicality and speed.

 

TIGHT ENDS -- Mark Bavaro, Todd Christensen, Ben Coates, Russ Francis, Brent Jones, Steve Jordan. Bavaro has HOF moments, but not the stats. Chirstensen has the stats for a brief time, but not long enough. Francis was a great player with injury issues and mismatched in offensive systems. Brent Jones was like Frank Wycheck, but in a better offense. Steve Jordan was a good football player, but not a HOFer

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN -- Tony Boselli (T), Lomas Brown (T), Jim Covert (T), Randy Cross (G/C), Dave Dalby ©, Dermontti Dawson ©, Ray Donaldson ©, *Russ Grimm (G), Jay Hilgenberg ©, Kent Hill (G/T), Chris Hinton (G/T), Kent Hull ©, Joe Jacoby (T), Mike Kenn (T), *Bob Kuechenberg (G), Jim Lachey (T), Henry Lawrence (G/T), Mark May (G/T/C), *Randall McDaniel (G), Max Montoya (G), Marvin Powell (T), Steve Wisniewski (G).

Boselli is a finalist despite short career. Brown was very good, but longevity is what earned him the consideration. Covert, Cross, Dalby, Donaldson, Hiilgenberg, Hill, Hinton, Hull, Lawrence, May, Montoya, and Powell were very good, but not sure they qualify as finalists right now. Many of them will earn a senior committee nod sometime down the line. McDaniel, Grimm, Dawson, Jacoby, Kenn, Kuechenberg, and Wisniewski really deserve finalist consideration and will get into the HOF one day, if not as a sr. pick.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN -- Ray Childress (DT/DE), *Richard Dent (DE), Chris Doleman (DE/LB), Carl "Big Daddy" Hairston (DE/DT), Charles Haley (DE/LB), Ed "Too Tall" Jones (DE), Cortez Kennedy (DT), Joe Klecko (DE/DT/NT), Steve McMichael (DT/NT), Leslie O'Neal (DE), Fred Smerlas (NT), Art Still (DE).

Dent, Doleman, Haley, and Jones deserve the most conisderation. McMichael maybe.

LINEBACKERS -- Cornelius Bennett, Robert Brazile, Kevin Greene (LB/DE), Ken Harvey, Rickey Jackson, Tom Jackson, Clay Matthews, Karl Mecklenburg, Sam Mills, Hardy Nickerson, Chris Spielman, Pat Swilling, Darryl Talley, *Derrick Thomas.Bennett? very good, not great. Brazile, same thing. Greene - great moments, but more hype than all around greatness. Rickey and Thom Jackson deserve more love than given. Clay Matthews is a finalist as is Mecklenburg and Sam Mills. Nickerson? Nah. Speilman, great college player and very good pro- maybe. Swilling - excellent moments but not a HOfer. TAlley maybe. Thomas...deserves way more love - helped change the game along with LT.

 

DEFENSIVE BACKS -- Eric Allen (CB), Steve Atwater (S), Joey Browner (S), LeRoy Butler (S), Deron Cherry (S), Raymond Clayborn (CB), Kenny Easley (S), Lester Hayes (CB), Albert Lewis (CB), Ken Riley (CB), Eugene Robinson (S), Donnie Shell (S), Louis Wright (CB).Allen and Lewis were the best of this lot although Butler, Easley, Hayes, Shell, and Wright could easily be finalists

 

PUNTERS/KICKERS -- Rich Camarillo (P), *Ray Guy (P), Nick Lowery (K), Reggie Roby (P).Ray Guy deserves it. Roby was good for a long time.

SPECIAL TEAMS/WIDE RECEIVER -- Steve Tasker.Should be a finalist and HOFer but won't get it unless the Sr. committee does it years from now.

 

COACHES -- Don Coryell, Tom Flores, Jimmy Johnson, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Clark Shaughnessy.Coryell, Jimmy Johnson, and Reeves deserve finalisty consideration.

 

CONTRIBUTORS -- Bud Adams, Gil Brandt, C.O. Brocato, Leo Carlin, Ed DeBartolo, Jr., Ben Dreith, Bob Harlan, Jerry Jones, Art Modell, Art Rooney, Jr., Ed Sabol, Steve Sabol, *Paul Tagliabue, Ralph Wilson, Jr., Ron Wolf, George Young. A ton of them deserve it but I go with Rooney or Wilson and I'llstick with Wilson because if it weren't for him or Lamar Hunt, the NFL wouldn't have been successful it its lean years.

 

*On 2008 17 finalists list

 

My top 17 in no order

 

Derrick Thomas

Shannon Sharpe

Bruce Smith

Rod Woodson

Roger Craig

Terrell Davis

Cris Carter

Andre Reed

Sterling Sharpe

Tony Boselli

Russ Grimm

Joe Jacoby

Charles Haley

Richard Dent

Clay Matthews

Ray Guy

Jimmy Johnson

 

The five I'd pick if I could pick five:

 

Bruce Smith

Rod Woodson

Derrick Thomas

Sterling Sharpe

Tony Boselli

[CookieG 4]

Great rundown WM.. I think Andre Reed should really get serious consideration.. and I think Carmichael dominated his position for a long time with what was generally a lousy team. I dunno about Chris Carter.. great hands, nice piece on two playoff teams.. but to me, he's just not a HOF WR.

 

Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson, D. Thomas, & Sharpe should be in easily IMO. I also don't think Ellard had an "up-and-down" career. Without looking right at his stats, i'm still pretty certain think he had an extremely good, steady career. If compilers on not great teams like Largent & Charley Joiner are in.. it's cause they held the receptions record.. Ellard was that kind've producer for nearly ten straight years.

[moviedude25 0]

I really find it offensive that the NFL treats 1/3 of its game as if it doesn't deserve recognition. Ray Guy and Steve Tasker are two of the most deserving players not in the hall and likely never will be. Since the NFL and its writers think so little of special teams I think they should either get rid of it altogether or better yet let these players in the hall. Its so bad it reminds me of the way the Hall treated Art Monk. At least they changed that this year. I hope they learned thier lesson and Guy and Tasker get in this year but I'm not holding out any hope

[BMoney 0]

out of those who arent obvious choices, id have loved to see eugene robinson and kenny easley as finalists...easley played like lott...did eugene kill his chance with the pre-super bowl incident? there are guys in the hall who have done things also...

 

id give a vote to ron wolf also...

[Gepetto 990]

Sterling Sharpe is my favorite WR ever. I really wish he could get in. He was spectacular and dominated the game and he always had a smile on his face.