This morning, the 44 folks who hold the keys to admission into the Hall of Fame will meet in Fort Lauderdale to determine the next class of inductees.
The results will be announced at 5:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network. (We’ll be there live, posting updates from the press conference.)
The two nominees of the Seniors Committee — Dick LeBeau and Floyd Little — separately will be subject to an up-or-down vote. Either man will win enshrinement with an affirmative vote of 80 percent or more.
The process for the 15 Modern Era Finalists is a little more cumbersome. The list first will be cut to 10, and then it will be reduced to five. Once five finalists have been identified, a “yes” or a “no” will be cast for each man, and every one of the five whose names generate a “yes” on 80 percent or more of the ballots will be added to the Hall of Fame.
This year, two of the five finalists surely will be receiver Jerry Rice and running back Emmitt Smith, and it would be shocking if either man gets fewer than 80 percent of the final vote.
LeBeau also is expected to conjure enough votes. Though consideration technically should be confined to his playing career, the “John Madden exception” likely will cause more than enough voters to give LeBeau the nod, given his long-time contributions as a coach and innovator of the 3-4/zone blitz scheme. (Madden, who was considered for induction based on his coaching career, benefited from his years of stellar work as a broadcaster and for his role in developing the ultimate tool for perpetually converting America’s youth into pro football fans — the Madden video game franchise.)
Beyond Smith, Rice, and LeBeau, the process this year will be a crapshoot. For each man, a case can be made for, and against, enshrinement.
The other Modern Era Finalists are: receiver Tim Brown, receiver Cris Carter, coach Don Coryell, running back Roger Craig, center Dermontti Dawson, defensive end Richard Dent, offensive lineman Russ Grimm, linebacker Charles Haley, linebacker Rickey Jackson, defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, defensive tackle John Randle, receiver Andre Reed, and tight end Shannon Sharpe.
There’s a sense that Dent could have the edge as to the rest of the field, and that Carter would be the first of the receivers other than Rice. Others who have a strong chance include Sharpe, Haley, Jackson, and Coryell. Given that no “Hogs” are in the Hall of Fame, Grimm could have a good shot, too.
Ricky Jackson is as deserving as anyone on that list. It is a sham that it has taken this long to get him to the final 15.
It’s a crime that Dermontti Dawson is not already in.
Charles Haley. Now that could be an intereresting acceptance speech. Maybe he should consult with Jimmie Johnson if it’s going to be a “long” one.
Emmit is a pretty good RB but is def the most overrated RB ever.His numbers are because of his GREAT OL’s he had in Dallas.Whoever was the RB during the OL era would of had a shit ton of yards.But i guess ya cant fault Emmit for being in the right place at the right time! That being said ,they need more voters for the HoF because its a shame process!….Dent and Carter just edge’s Haley.Who,(Haley) deserves to be in HoF…Brown,Randle,Grimm make it in next yr
Not sharpe please I could not stand to listen to that lisp
Really? Sharpe, Haley, and Randle are a crapshoot?
PFT = Crapshoot
im fine with rice and lebeau, smith doesn’t even get mentioned when people talk about the greatest running back of all time (none cowboy fans) and some are surprised to hear he is the all-time leading rusher. (those that aren’t football junkies). but that one stat alone (and no other strong RB candidate) will get him in, he is viewed as a product of the system. and what a system it was though. he deserves to be in, don’t no about 1st time ballot without all-time.
love to see Dent and Grimm get the other nods, then randle and carter. but beyond top 3 any buddies guess
100 % IN:
Rice
Smith
In my mind, the next two should be Cris Carter and Shannon Sharpe. Carter was as productive as any receiver in his time year after year; he didnt blow up for three seasons and then disappear. How can you not put in a player (other than Ray Guy) who is easily the best player at his position EVER? Sharpe is that guy at TE. Gonzo and Gates will wind up making that a debate later but for now, he’s the best and he won multiple Super Bowls.
The fifth spot, if there is going to be one, should probably go to LeBeau or Dawson or both. Again, this is not the Hall of Fame for really good players; this is the best of the best and not many DC’s were as good as LeBeau and Dawson easily is a top 5 center of all time.
Dawson is regarded as the best center ever to play the game – he is a lock. As the first center to be athletic enough to pull and lead on sweeps, he revolutionized the position. Players that changed the game is what the Hall of Fame is all about.
The only case against Shannon Sharpe, unfortunately, is that he played in the wrong place.
Letting sports writers pick HoFers is like letting a Printer’s Union hand out the Pulitizers.
Its a travesty, and, as a result, the Hall is a sham.
Carter is a no-brainer if you look at his stats and consistency, otherwise flip a coin. Randle was the most entertaining to watch out of that group, especially if you were a Lions fan, but entertainment doesn’t necessarily equal votes.
Yes: Randle, Coryell, Dawson.
NO: Brown, Carter, Kennedy.
Someday: Craig, Sharpe.
Who cares?: Dent, Haley, Jackson.
You can’t use team criteria to get Grimm into the Hall. “The Hogs” are not up for enshrinement, and Grimm doesn’t stand for all of them.
Best WR of the bunch was Reed.
I rooting for Johnny Randle. He was an absolute joy to watch when he played for the Vikings. He never, to my knowledge or observation, took a play off in any game. The definition of ‘non-stop motor’.
I don’t think LeBeauu needs his time as a coach to earn a spot in the HOF. He deserves it for his time as a player. But, he deserves it more for his time as a coach. Do they enshrine people twice?
Emmitt deserves to get in. In about 7 years. The only reason he has any records is because Sanders decided to stop playing.
Emmitt = most overrated RB ever
I’ve never understood why they do the hall of fame announcement on Super Bowl weekend. Why don’t they keep the Pro Bowl on the Sunday prior to Super Bowl and at half-time of that game announce who has been selected. Seems to me if you are celebrating the best in football for the current year it is also a good time to celebrate the best in football from prior years.
Cris Carter was a beast on the field for over a decade (15yrs) and should have been first ballot, and its a total crock that he wasn’t.
Only Jerry Rice was better then CC, when you have Joe Montana and Steve Young compared to Warren Moon and Brad Johnson thats saying a lot.
You can’t keep a guy out the hall of fame that caught over 1100 catches 13,899 yds and 130tds because he never got a ring.
Johnny Randle should be in there in the next 5-10 yrs because, well, he was a freakin’ psychopath on the field, 137 career sacks.
Big dog in the house!
John Randle should definitely get in. 137.5 sacks, most by a D Tackle. He changed the position that was dominated by huge fireplug types to smaller, quicker ones. Not to mention he was undrafted out of college!
Why on earth is Coryell not in already!!! Think of the modern NFL game and you see it in his hand writing.
Carter, Craig, Brown and Sharpe are also deserving this year as well. I would still vote for Aneas Williams, best CB of his era and the only one who could cover Rice, Carter, Sharpe, and Bruce in their primes. (and oh yeah he could tackle too)
“Emmit is a pretty good RB but is def the most overrated RB ever.His numbers are because of his GREAT OL’s he had in Dallas.”
Good Lord, can you people do anything but regurgitate crap you heard somewhere else? As if Emmitt’s the only guy ever to play with a great OL. It’s funny that none of them were considered “great” until Emmitt got there. Then all of a sudden everybody’s an All Pro. Nate Newton – UNDRAFTED guy that had been there since 1986, Mark Tuinei – UNDRAFTED converted defensive end that had been there since 1983, Kevin Gogan – 8th round draft pick, Mark Stepnoski – 265 pound third round draft pick, Erik Williams – third round draft pick, Larry Allen – second round pick got there in 1994 AFTER the Cowboys had already won back-to-back Super Bowls, John Gesek – Raiders castoff, only lasted four years with the Cowboys and left after the 1993 season. Derek Kennard – got there in 1994 and lasted three years.
None of these guys with the possible exception of Larry Allen will ever be considered for the Hall of Fame and he got there after two Super Bowl wins, a Super Bowl MVP award, Offensive Rookie of the Year award, NFL MVP award, three All Pro selections, four Pro Bowl selections, and three season rushing titles.
You want to know who played behind a GREAT OL? Jim Brown. Lou Groza, Gene Hickerson, and Mike McCormack are all in the Hall of Fame.
does anyone know:
has the voting for the HOF changed over the years….do they vote in the same number of people now as they did at the time of the merger?
24 teams then as opposed to 32 now…
I actually thought Don Coryell was already in…only Bill Walsh has had the impact he did in the modern passing game
it will be a shame if that isnt recognized
“smith doesn’t even get mentioned when people talk about the greatest running back of all time”
Oh no, of course not.
“some are surprised to hear he is the all-time leading rusher.”
They must be idiots like you.
“he deserves to be in, don’t no about 1st time ballot without all-time.”
Without all-time what?
“Emmitt deserves to get in. In about 7 years. The only reason he has any records is because Sanders decided to stop playing.”
Why give Sanders a pass because he QUIT on his team? Now I’m not going to call Barry Sanders overrated, but in his last season, the Lions went 5-11. Immediately after he retired, they went 8-8
You know this is a biased answer….. The hogs need some sort of representation in the hall. 1991 was a season where Mark Rypien jersey got dirty like 9 times or something like that…… Definitely need Grimm in there if not the whole damn line. A QB getting sacked only 9 times in that year is an accomplishment that we may never see again. Again for you cowgurl fans who are going to hate, this is a BIASED opinion and one you don’t have to agree with.
Clay Matthews Sr. should be on the short list every year until he gets in. Also Ricky Jackson is an easy call.
Im still waiting for Roger Craig….
As far as Emmitt goes; He isn’t O.J, Jim Brown, or Payton, but he gets a bum wrap. Remember, when he held out in ’93 the Cowboys did not win a game. Troy Aikman also had a piss poor record without him in the starting lineup. He was a great back who is very deserving. I know everyone says Barry Sanders was better, but he had more runs for negative yardage than anyone. He is a human highlight reel, but he also went down to injury in ’93 and Detroit had a winning record without him, look it up. Also Ken Glover and Lomas Brown were all pros. He wasn’t running behind chump change. Emmitt also made some great runs as well. Im not a Cowboy fan @ all, Im actually an Eagles fan, but facts are facts. And a great back can also make a line look better than what they actually are as well. Blair Thomas, Derrick Lassic, and others did not come close to doing as well behind the same line
I say Randle undrafted player. Carter was a crybaby and a show off.
How can you make a case against Tim Brown getting in. Maybe not if it’s his first try to get in, but you can’t keep him out for long. He has stellar stats for a guy that play with soooo many useless quarterbacks. It also would be hard to keep Roger Craig out of the Hall.
“Emmitt deserves to get in. In about 7 years. The only reason he has any records is because Sanders decided to stop playing.”
Why give Sanders a pass because he QUIT on his team? Now I’m not going to call Barry Sanders overrated, but in his last season, the Lions went 5-11. Immediately after he retired, they went 8-8
People bashing Emmitt Smith here are beyond clueless idiots – they are complete and utter morons. I mean really – get a life. Barry Sanders could’ve just as easily blown out his knee and been done as break the record. Either way, who cares? Smith belongs in the Hall on the first ballot and any reasonable person agrees.
As to the great offensive lines he played for that pretty much was not the case from 1997 on. Trust me, I watch every game of theirs and their lines sucked. You might want to ask Troy Aikman how he made out from a concussion stand point in the second half of his career.
That said, all of these Finalists deserve to get in soon as they are all clearly deserving. For this years group I think Smith, Rice and Lebeau are a lock. After that Don Coryell (*why* isn’t this guy already in – same for Lebeau???), Carter, Reed and Sharpe all belong in this year or next. I don’t see much difference between Dent, Haley, Randle and Jackson – they are all deserving and any one of them getting in this year would not be a suprise.
I think bringing up the rear of this group is Craig, Dawson, Brown and Grimm. They deserve to get in, but see them waiting a couple years more.
thanks, for clarifying things FLORIO,… reading this makes me glad you’re not a HOF voter
LeBeau is going to “conjure” votes? What, he’s freakin’ Harry Potter? Step away from the thesaurus.
Carter is a no brainer given his career stats. The Vikes fan in me wants to think John Randle belongs but although he was a great player he might be the type of guy that just misses getting into the hall. Not a lock or a long shot. I doubt he’d get in first ballot though.
Why should LeBeau be considered just on his playing days. The HOF has always put coaches into the Hall.
As for the next WR after Rice to get in, it should be Reed. People go by names they know over what a player really did on the field. They came no better than Reed at the WR position and the dude invented the term “run after the catch”.
The real joke of the whole thing is that they have Don Coryell up. The dude never won a Super Bowl and was thumped time and again by TOM FLORES and his Raiders.
Coryell should get in as he was a great coach but before the 2 time Super Bowl winning coach TOM FLORES? , YOU ARE JOKING RIGHT?
Take the vote away from the media and let the members of the Hall of Fame bring in their own before the media destroys the whole thing.
For all you Emmitt bashers here, isn’t it instructive that his is the only candidacy under his first name and your favorite horses aren’t? No “Jerrys”, no “Dicks”. Sucks to be mediocre, doesn’t it?
(Well, there are quite a few “Dicks” posting here anyway, so I could see where it could get confusing.)
You Emmitt Smith bashers must be blinded by your Cowboys hatred. Overrated? Yeah, unless you think results are important. Emmitt Smith is the most accomplished RB ever, in team and individual accomplishments: Most career rushing yards, most career rushing TDs, most career 100+ yard rushing games, 3-time Super Bowl winner, league MVP, Super Bowl MVP, member of 1990s all-decade team. Winning big, and being a key player to your team winning big, is what it’s all about. He didn’t just happen to be on a great team; he was one of the main reasons they were a great team.
As a Broncos fan normally I’d love to have Little and Sharpe join Elway.
But I’ve long ago given up on the HOF. It’s a joke. I won’t waiste my money traveling there.
Zombie: The writers don’t cover the Pro Bowl. The reason the voting is done at the SB is because the writers are all there.
Here’s hoping Dick LeBeau gets the call.
Papers here say he was to have a plane waiting in Pittsburgh to take him down there today if he gets in. Problem there is we got 20 inches of snow…and the airport’s closed.
Let’s hope he gets in….even if he can’t get in there!
Thanks for the link to the Hall of Fame selection committee; I’ve been wondering who made up the committee and am surprised Wilbon’s not on the list.
Players should be selected to the hall based on their contribution by position rather than their notoriety. With that in mind, it’s hard to imagine how Dermontti Dawson could be excluded. He’s considered by many to be the best ever at his position, was a seven-time Pro Bowler, and six-time first team All Pro. He was named to the team of the 1990s. It’s ridiculous that he didn’t go in on his first year of eligibility.
Sharpe goes in before rice and smith because he should have been in
last year. Ralph Wilson jr… Really!?! What a joke. What made him eligible last year… Because he turned 200 or because he’s owned one of the worst teams for 150? Non-players should have their own category. If Rice and smith are locks because they own all the records at their position then so should sharpe because he owned all the records at te when he retired.
Andre Reed should make it. He’s from my alma Mater. Kutztown…John Randle is another, Cris Carter deserves it, Tim Brown is well deserving. Then Emmitt and Rice. I think that would be a good class. I would like Dent to get in as well but he’s a toss up.
Florio…are you crazy?
“LeBeau also is expected to conjure enough votes. Though consideration technically should be confined to his playing career, the “John Madden exception” likely will cause more than enough voters to give LeBeau the nod, given his long-time contributions as a coach and innovator of the 3-4/zone blitz scheme.”
What? How about his consideration is about his playing career. He is tied for 7th ALL TIME in career interceptions with 62!
What LeBeau accomplished in his playing career is incredible. Dick LeBeau is one of the greatest ball hawks of all time.
Truth be told though, he should make the HOF as a player and a coach. However, right now, he should be looked at strictly as a player.
Dawson needs to be in there immediately.
Haley, sure…he was a good player on 5 SB teams, even if he was insane.
snnyjcbs says:
February 6, 2010 12:41 PM
….” The real joke of the whole thing is that they have Don Coryell up.”..
…………………………………..
the real joke is that he isnt in already….he & Bill Walsh developed the modern day NFL passing game
@God’s Own Silver and Blue …
That’s just idiotic. We can talk about Emmitt by first name alone because it’s an unusual name–like Beyonce–not because he’s more deserving than Rice or LeBeau. I’m not a big Rice fan, but your argument is silly.
I didn’t mention Emmitt, Rice, or LeBeau in my earlier post because I think it’s a given that they’ll go in. If you’re looking at football proficiency alone and not considering broadcast notoriety, Dawson absolutely should go in. As to the fifth spot, there are a lot of deserving people on the list. It’s anyone’s guess.
Ah, the annual Hall of Shame selection process:
Jerry Rice – Hall of Famer, absolute no brainer, deserving on all levels;
Emmitt Smith – Hall of Famer, producer and able to maintain a level of dignity amongst the filth;
Don Coryell – Hall of Famer, innovative master if you love the passing game;
Dermontti Dawson – Hall of Famer; if he’s not deserving the league should just go to 5-on-5, two-hand touch with an all-time QB;
Russ Grimm – Hall of Famer, ditto Dawson for Grimm, no Hogs in the Hall? Typical;
Don LeBeau – Hall of Famer, on the field and on the sidelines;
Floyd Little and Roger Craig – great RBs and I love the old guys but it’s the Hall of Fame;
Charles Haley – 5 rings, offense-wrecker, one of two most-deserving players in this group not to make it, next year;
Shannon Sharpe – the other most-deserving player in this group not to make it, maybe next year;
Richard Dent, Cortez Kennedy, John Randle – again, it’s the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of the Very Good;
Rickey Jackson – too many players like Wilber Marshall for Jackson to be singled out for induction;
And, finally, what has proven to be the most embarrassing position for voters (outside of denigrating non-glamorous positions like OL or, say, Ray Guy) -
Tim Brown, Andre Reed, Cris Carter – same player, basically, with zero rings and lots of yards courtesy of the pass-happy rules, great WRs – not Hall of Famers yet, six words against induction now: Otis Taylor, Cliff Branch, Henry Ellard.
Also, can the voters invite Michael Irvin back this summer to give an updated “I am still a bad father and husband” speech. Please?
the devision between tim brown and Cris Carter is a crapshoot if you ask me. they have almost identical yardage, Carter has about 25 more TDs but brown had the punt return thing going for him. brown also played on many terrible teams in Oakland and managed to put up 1000 yard seasons consistantly for years. he will be passed on for the lack of a SB ring and his inability to make headlines on a bad team. too bad!
“Tim Brown, Andre Reed, Cris Carter – same player, basically, with zero rings and lots of yards courtesy of the pass-happy rules”
the rules that have been implemented in the 2000s must be the “pass happy” rules you arre referring to. check the tenure on the 3 you mentioned. they were proficient before the
for the record, andre reed would not only have a ring, but a superbowl mvp had norwood been able to kick straight.
arguing the best of all time at any position is completely subjective. with that being said, emmit is a first ballot hof, like him or not. if he isnt, then no running back ever should be.
for the record…i hate him…but thats because he wasnt on my team
interesting list of voters…I’m sure none of them can be bought…
or blackmailed…or have agendas…
anyway IMO that list contains some of the worst writers/reporters I can imagine..
& what if Peter’s room service experience somewhere becomes a factor in his vote?or Nancy Gay is on her period?
the way they run the whole thing the NFL HOF seems about as meaningless as the Rock & Roll HOF…nothing more than a tourist attraction
but this thread was pretty interesting for some of your perspectives
@spliffbunker …
Based on your asinine comment, maybe a man would blow his vote due to a bad room service experience, but women are multi-taskers by nature. Most of us have to manage dozens of things at once while we’re on our periods, so I’m pretty sure a qualified woman could think up a rational Hall of Fame selection and insert a tampon at the same time.
I deserve that…one of those times I wished there was an edit button here…oh well…
@spliffbunker …
If it makes you feel better, I was surprised that came from you. Some of these guys, nothing would surprise me. LOL
I’ve wished for that edit button myself many times.
Harvey Martin ought to be in the HOF.
I am not saying he is the 4th best DE to ever play the game but only Reggie White, Deacon Jones and Bruce Smith were clearly better.