Actually, the difference is a little broader than that. Yes, it certainly helped to have Lombardi lobbying for Hornung for years. But Hornung was also a much more significant figure in the history of the game than Karras. And Karras was belligerent when they were caught. That certainly didn’t help his case.

I’m not sure how I feel about them getting into the hall because they didn’t bet on their own games. But I’m very sure no one has the right to remove deserving players like Simpson from the hall for things they did long after they retired. What players do after they stop playing has nothing to do with their football achievements.

“Alex Karras admitted placing bets on NFL games while playing in the league. That’s why he’s not in the Hall of Fame.”

With all due respect, so did Paul Hornung. And he IS in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Want to know the difference? Look at what teams Karras and Hornung played for. There’s your difference.

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I am very much aware who Ira Miller (the curmudgeon) and Nancy Gay are.
There are far better candidates in the Bay Area to represent HOF voters than those two.

On the positive side – at least Lowell Cohn is not a voter.

O.J. Simpson was one of the greatest and most influential running backs ever to play the game. Even if he’d been convicted of those murders, there’s no reason for him to be removed from the Hall of Fame. His performance on the football field wasn’t altered by crimes he committed 15 years after he retired from the sport. Do you intend to remove Lawrence Taylor as well following his recent conviction, which also occurred long after his retirement? They earned their achievements on the field. That has nothing to do with what happened years later.

Alex Karras admitted placing bets on NFL games while playing in the league. That’s why he’s not in the Hall of Fame.

Joe Namath and Lynn Swann … lesser lights? That’s absurd. The game has never had a brighter light than Joe Namath. The Hall of Fame is not about comparing the statistics of someone who played in the 20s or the 60s or the 70s to someone on your fantasy team in 2011. It’s about the IMPACT a player had on the game during the time he played. Player eligibility should only be about what that individual meant to the game in his time. If you don’t understand what Joe Namath and Lynn Swann meant to the game in their time … please put down the game controller and try studying NFL history.

It’s obscene that these decisions are made solely by a handful of pompous reporters who can exclude some of the greatest in the game because they didn’t kiss up to the media. And if voters can’t fit the deserving people into the class … expand the class. You’ve got some great ideas. It’s time the NFL started listening to the FANS.

Steelfan says. “Cris Carter got cut from Philly. Hall of Famers do not get cut. Sorry, no excuses. You are in the Hall of Very Good”…….

I have a giant hole for your theory. Johnny Unitas, cut by the Steelers in 1955. You knew that though, right big Steelers fan? Got any excuses for me now smart guy? Peyton Manning is more than likely going to be cut next month………are you going to tell me that he’s not a HOFer? I’m done wasting my time on you.

That said, more transparency is needed. It would do the football hall a lot of good if more voters explained their votes. I also think that the voting process is cumbersome and would be better replaced with the straight “one vote, 75% vote of yes gets in” of baseball.

Ideally, sportwriters shouldn’t be the only judges. There are bias and conflict of interest issues. But the same would be said of any other process. The system could be better, but it’s not that bad this way.

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Sure, I’ll explain it. Namath brought credibility to the American Football League in the mid-1960s like no one else could have. If Namath signs with the Cardinals instead of the Jets in 1965, I submit that there may have been no merger between the NFL and AFL, no Super Bowl, and fewer professional football teams in this nation. Namath attracted fans to AFL stadiums, he was talked about constantly, and he had “it.” In other words, he was the Tim Tebow of his day (though a better passer coming out of college).

Remember, it’s called the Hall of FAME, not the Hall of Statistics.

Cris Carter got cut from Philly. Hall of Famers do not get cut. Sorry, no excuses. You are in the Hall of Very Good.

Swann was on team of fabulous running and they did not need to throw much with great defenses. Swann was rookie of year, great return man, super clutch and athletic with 4 rings. Super hands, fast and he and Stallworth were unstoppable.

If Swann played on a team thowing constantly in a dome, he would have big numbers too. Put Carter on Steelers, he might be a tight end.

Did you.. or are you old enough to have actually seen Lynn play? Lynn made big plays.. but John Stallworth was the better receiver.. tougher.. better hands.. consistent performer.. made thebig third down catches that win games.. That was CC excelled at.. he was cut because they wanted to wake him up from his Coke problem. Dallas did same with Hollywood but he didn’t get it.
Bellicheck hasn’t won a superbowl without Brady.. that is as stupid as your.. Parcells never won a superbowl without LT comment. Noll never won a SB without Bradshaw.. however if you knew anything you’d know that Bradshaw was instrumental in the last three super bowls.. the first notsomuch..

“Cris Carter got cut from Philly. Hall of Famers do not get cut.”

First of all, Carter got cut for his prodigious use of recreational drugs, not because he couldn’t play. Second, Johnny Unitas got cut (by your beloved Steelers, no less), then went on to a HOF career with the Colts. Maybe Cris carter will make it, maybe not. But let’s get our facts straight before we hit “submit.”

He is in primarily for his contributions to the game of football, sort of like Sabol, in a way. Namath was the first 4k yard passer ever, he did it in a totally different era, helped revolutionize the game with his style on and off the field, and as the face of the New York Jets franchise and basically the AFL itself, he led the Jets to a victory in one of the most important, if not the most important Super Bowl of all time. He did all this, mind you, after getting a timetable of around 6 years to play from the Jets medical staff after being drafted, because of how awful his knees were. When you say “Why is Joe Namath in the Hall of Fame, look at his stats!” you immediately identify yourself as someone who has no appreciation and/or knowledge of the game that you love today.

It’s a shame that Andre Reed can’t get a TV job.

Definiton of a “hypocrite.”

Jerry’s Hands > EVERYONE else

You can’t have “good” hands and have all of his records… that’s why he’s the G.O.A.T.

Where is the love for DeBartolo??? He was a revolutionary owner that in cooperation with Bill Walsh served as the model for how franchises should operate. He won 5 superbowls and was always a class act!!!

Anyone who brings up the Louisiana gambling incident should do some research and then think about Michael Irvin and his cocaine history and then realize anything outside of football should not be considered!

Not a winner, and a lot of garbage time yardage.

Complainer, me-only player, and doesn’t represent the best of his time in the league.

Rice is similar in character, but has the rings. You can argue if the SF QBs made him or he made them, but the results stand.

Child, please not Chris Carter.

The fact the a couple jerkoffs from Cleveland are keeping art modell out of the hall of fame but al “sue the NFL multiple times” Davis is in there and was praised like christ after he died. Art did more for the league then half the guys in the hall. He’s the reason the NFL has tv contracts with major networks which last time I checked was the NFL’s main source of revenue is it not?

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It may be reasonable to debate whether Crazy Al belongs in the HOF, but Modell clearly does not.

He ran one of the league’s most well-supported teams to the verge of bankruptcy, moved it to get a Hail Mary financial bailout, and then had to sell it anyway. In the multi-billion dollar world of the NFL, you’ve got to be a special kind of stupid to go broke.

Financial solvency should be a minimum criteria for considerarion of an owner for the HOF.