HOF Finalists Trimmed to 50

[Seahawks Guy]

If I played in the NFL I wouldn't give a **** if I made it in the Hall of Fame.

 

[TheLegendOfBoom]

Yep...there have been some great free safeties (Reed, Dawkins, Lott) but none had his ability to cover over the top as good as Earl. Earl may have been smaller and not quite as explosive a tackler as those guys, but he could still lay the wood and was great in the box.

Mad respect for his playing abilities.

How about Polamalu? Polamalu was classified as “strong safety” but Polamalu was also a beast at coverage.

Polamalu was a complete package as well.

 

[rjdriver]

Too many dropped picks, too short a career, too much nonsense afterward. I'm not disputing his importance to the defense, but I don't think ANY of them will get in.

And let’s not pretend his off the fields antics don’t negatively impact his chances. Image plays an important role, especially to Rog.

 

[kidhawk]

And let’s not pretend his off the fields antics don’t negatively impact his chances. Image plays an important role, especially to Rog.

Tell that to Lawrence Taylor

 

[LeveeBreak]

You may be right? The NFL HOF historically has been a little different than say baseball where longevity matters more. If you were a crucial piece of what many consider the best defense of all time that tends to get people in or at least has at times in similar situations. I think Earl and Sherman should for sure as they were the two best at their positions for years on the greatest defense ever. I think Wilson is a lock too (lets not derail this thread lol) and that leaves Lynch, Kam. I think both should get in for their impact to the game but not super confident they get in.

Time is an interesting factor here.

- 5 years ago I would have thought Russ was a lock...now I'm not sure.
- At the end of his career in Seattle, I thought Lynch should get in but doubted it due to the makeup of voters (press) and how he was such antagonist for them. Time has been kind to Lynch and his popularity has grown 2-3x since he stopped playing. He might now get an actual fair vote with a more supportive voting base.
- Kam's name has grown as well since he left the game. Being tied to the LOB (and really the leader IMO) might be enough to tip the scale.

I think Earl and Sherm will get in. I hope SA does, but his softer years at the end of his career may go against him.

I hope all the hawks get in...but that is the homer in me.

 

[Aircrew]

I think Lynch is in. Would love to see all LOB members at some point.

Man I hope you're right, I really want Marshawn to be first ballot. A generational talent.

 

[LeveeBreak]

How about Polamalu? Polamalu was classified as “strong safety” but Polamalu was also a beast at coverage.

Polamalu was a complete package as well.

I agree and he was the 1st that came to mind...but I was comparing free safeties. Polamalu is probably the closest to the same skillset that Earl had and wasn't the proto strong safety. He ball-hawked a lot.

 

[RiverDog]

Still got a few Seahawks on there.

The 50 Modern-Era Players who remain eligible for election with the Class of 2025 are:
(-indicates Finalist for the Class of 2024. Bold indicates first year of eligibility.)*

• QUARTERBACKS (2): Eli Manning, Steve McNair
• RUNNING BACKS (6): Shaun Alexander, Tiki Barber, Eddie George, Marshawn Lynch, Fred Taylor*, Ricky Watters
• WIDE RECEIVERS (6): Anquan Boldin, Torry Holt*, Jimmy Smith, Steve Smith Sr., Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne*
• TIGHT ENDS (2):Ben Coates, Antonio Gates*
• OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (12):Willie Anderson* (T), Lomas Brown (T), Ruben Brown (G), Jahri Evans* (G), Olin Kreutz (C), Logan Mankins (G), Jeff Saturday (C),Joe Staley (T), Richmond Webb (T), Erik Williams (T), Steve Wisniewski (G),Marshal Yanda (G)DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (8):John Abraham (DE also LB), Jared Allen (DE), Robert Mathis (DE), Haloti Ngata (DT), Simeon Rice (DE), Neil Smith (DE), Vince Wilfork (DT/NT), Kevin Williams (DT)
• LINEBACKERS (5):Cornelius Bennett, London Fletcher, James Harrison,Luke Kuechly,Terrell Suggs DEFENSIVE BACKS (6):Eric Allen (CB), Kam Chancellor (S), Rodney Harrison* (S),Earl Thomas (S), Troy Vincent (CB), Darren Woodson* (S)
• SPECIAL TEAMS (3):Gary Anderson (K), Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB),Adam Vinatieri (K)

I don't think Beast gets in. His resume is just too skinny: 29th on the all-time rushing list, 1 All Pro selection, 5 Pro Bowls, led the league in rushing just twice.

IMO Earl should be in. 3X All Pro, 7 Pro Bowls, named to the All-Decade team. Not a slam dunk resume and his domestic issues might hurt him, but I think he makes it.

Kam has a tougher road to hoe. 2 All Pros and 4 Pro Bowls. I don't think he gets in.

Shaun Alexander has a good shot at it, simply because he's one of 4 non quarterbacks in the 21st century to earn an MVP, the others being Marshal Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Adrian Peterson, 2 HOF'ers and the other a slam dunk when he becomes eligible. Alexander was also named to the All-Decade team. But his all-time rushing numbers are very bland, ranking just 37th (hey, same ranking as his jersey number!), lower than Beast, led the league in rushing just once, and had just 3 Pro Bowls and one first team All Pro. It's a toss-up IMO.

Later when they become eligible, Sherman should get in. His resume is much like Earl's. Unless Russell takes the Steelers to the SB, I don't think he gets in. Not even a single vote for MVP. Pete probably doesn't, either. Bobby is a slam dunk.

 

[Glasgow Seahawk]

I still don't think Eli had a HOF career overall. He has two rings and the manning name so will get in but he was pretty bad at points.

 

[Rat]

Seahawks fans seem to care WAY more about Earl's "off-field antics" than anyone else. I doubt the voters are going to see them as anywhere near big enough of a deal to keep him out over it. These guys aren't applying to get into Augusta National. Lynch's are more serious, not that I think the voters care in either case.

People like to talk about how Kam "set a new prototype", but how many giant safeties do you see anymore? GMs sent their franchises back years attempting to replicate the LOB, and finding out they needed a talent like Earl to shoulder enough of the responsibility to allow those other guys to be effective, and guys who can do what Earl did are extremely difficult to find. There really aren't any good reasons to keep him out.

I think Marshawn would stand a decent chance to get in this year if he wasn't first-ballot, as it's a pretty weak class. Voters care about the first-ballot thing a lot, and he doesn't really have the resume for it. That's a shame too, because he's going to have AP and Gore to compete with in the next few years. Not that I think Compiler Frank should make it, but he's probably more likely to than Lynch.

 

[jeremiah]

The Earl and Kam era was on ONE of the best D's in memory. They were not the best though. They were shredded at times. In their primes, Atlanta drove the field to keep them out of the Super Bowl. The Pats made them look pedestrian in the Super Bowl THE DEFENSE LOST. While they were good, and entertaining. The Bears were better in two different modern iterations, as were the Ravens and Pittsburgh. Sorry, your memory is fogged by love of the Hawks.

 

[knownone]

I am once again willing to die on the hill that Alexander is a Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, he's missing the Super Bowl, so he doesn't have the MVP/TD/SB trifecta that all but guarantees admittance.

 

[calinator]

I still don't think Eli had a HOF career overall. He has two rings and the manning name so will get in but he was pretty bad at points.

I had this debate with some co-workers. I just can't for the life of me go with putting him in based off of 2 games. Without those 2 games he won, he is 110% not a HOF'er. He had a few nice years and a ton of average-bad years but he was never even close to considered elite Every time I saw The Giants on the schedule I was not scared at all because they had Eli at QB. I believe he will for sure get in though.

 

[RiverDog]

Seahawks fans seem to care WAY more about Earl's "off-field antics" than anyone else. I doubt the voters are going to see them as anywhere near big enough of a deal to keep him out over it. These guys aren't applying to get into Augusta National. Lynch's are more serious, not that I think the voters care in either case.

It depends on who's voting. They kept an otherwise slam dunk HOF nominee Terrell Owens out for years due to his locker room antics, and he never broke a law or was involved in an ugly domestic situation like Earl has been. Earl's resume is a lot weaker than TO's, so all it could take would be just one or two voters to be influenced to keep him out because of it.

I think Marshawn would stand a decent chance to get in this year if he wasn't first-ballot, as it's a pretty weak class. Voters care about the first-ballot thing a lot, and he doesn't really have the resume for it. That's a shame too, because he's going to have AP and Gore to compete with in the next few years. Not that I think Compiler Frank should make it, but he's probably more likely to than Lynch.

He'll also have Shady McCoy to compete with. All Decade team, the most rushing yards in the decade, more All Pros, more Pro Bowls, and more career rushing yards than Beast.

 

[themunn]

It depends on who's voting. They kept an otherwise slam dunk HOF nominee Terrell Owens out for years due to his locker room antics, and he never broke a law or was involved in an ugly domestic situation like Earl has been. Earl's resume is a lot weaker than TO's, so all it could take would be just one or two voters to be influenced to keep him out because of it.

TO got voted in on his 3rd year of eligibility.

Should he have been in earlier? Probably, but he wasn't exactly holding on for a long time

 

[Rat]

It depends on who's voting. They kept an otherwise slam dunk HOF nominee Terrell Owens out for years due to his locker room antics, and he never broke a law or was involved in an ugly domestic situation like Earl has been. Earl's resume is a lot weaker than TO's, so all it could take would be just one or two voters to be influenced to keep him out because of it.

T.O. was a pretty extreme example and was widely regarded as a diva from basically the beginning, and even he still went third ballot while openly disparaging the committee. I don't think most people even knew what Earl's voice sounded like until his career was 80% finished.

 

[CalgaryFan05]

Still got a few Seahawks on there.

The 50 Modern-Era Players who remain eligible for election with the Class of 2025 are:
(-indicates Finalist for the Class of 2024. Bold indicates first year of eligibility.)*

• QUARTERBACKS (2): Eli Manning, Steve McNair
• RUNNING BACKS (6): Shaun Alexander, Tiki Barber, Eddie George, Marshawn Lynch, Fred Taylor*, Ricky Watters
• WIDE RECEIVERS (6): Anquan Boldin, Torry Holt*, Jimmy Smith, Steve Smith Sr., Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne*
• TIGHT ENDS (2):Ben Coates, Antonio Gates*
• OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (12):Willie Anderson* (T), Lomas Brown (T), Ruben Brown (G), Jahri Evans* (G), Olin Kreutz (C), Logan Mankins (G), Jeff Saturday (C),Joe Staley (T), Richmond Webb (T), Erik Williams (T), Steve Wisniewski (G),Marshal Yanda (G)DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (8):John Abraham (DE also LB), Jared Allen (DE), Robert Mathis (DE), Haloti Ngata (DT), Simeon Rice (DE), Neil Smith (DE), Vince Wilfork (DT/NT), Kevin Williams (DT)
• LINEBACKERS (5):Cornelius Bennett, London Fletcher, James Harrison,Luke Kuechly,Terrell Suggs DEFENSIVE BACKS (6):Eric Allen (CB), Kam Chancellor (S), Rodney Harrison* (S),Earl Thomas (S), Troy Vincent (CB), Darren Woodson* (S)
• SPECIAL TEAMS (3):Gary Anderson (K), Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB),Adam Vinatieri (K)

Only one on this list I would actually care about getting in?

Kam.

Maybe Lynch - but I don't see him getting the vote - for various reasons.

Not that it really matters that much. And I honestly couldn't care less about anyone who isn't a hawk on this list. Although I do agree with another poster that Manning shouldn't be on it.

Just me.

 

[Kamcussionator]

As much as I didn't like the Rams and Torry Holt, it is a crime that he isn't in the HOF. Put him in.

Torry Holt was open his entire career. Hated playing against him. Remember the Rams coming back from 28 down in the 4th? Just chuck it towards Torry Holt...

Holt is who I was reminded of when we got Lockett. He's another one who might not have huge numbers, but everybody says his name when it's crunch time.

 

[LeveeBreak]

Torry Holt was open his entire career. Hated playing against him. Remember the Rams coming back from 28 down in the 4th? Just chuck it towards Torry Holt...

Holt is who I was reminded of when we got Lockett. He's another one who might not have huge numbers, but everybody says his name when it's crunch time.

I agree that Holt needs to be in. But I think Wayne should be in before him.

 

[Seahawkfan80]

I thought Antonio Gates was in. He made me some money back in the day on Fantasy football.