What hall of fame players do we have on our roster now?

[Marvin49]

Wilson may never put up the numbers because of the offense he plays in, so the only way I see him getting in is if he has a Bradshaw/Aikman type career...IE, multiple SB wins but not huge numbers.

I looked him up. I didn't realize how mediocre Aikman's numbers really were. 32,000 yards and 165 touchdowns (regular season). But leading his team to three Super Bowls with an era-defining team did it for him. I can see the opportunity for this comparison.

That team was all about Emmitt Smith and the run game.

Aikman gets mentioned as one of the best ever, but his numbers are downright mediocre compared to other HoF players.

He was a good player, don't get me wrong, but he is in the Hall on the strength of his 3 SB rings. Bradshaw is there because of his 4 rings.

 

[VivaEfrenHerrera]

...Lynch is questionable (and for the record as much as I love the guy I don't think Frank Gore is making the Hall either)....

Every time this topic comes up, I think people should take the time to click over and see who's actually in the hall. Check out the names. It's pretty damn hard to get in! There's some seriously lofty company.

Then ask yourself: "Does Frank Gore belong on this list?" And the answer is obviously no. No way in hell. Same for Lynch. Same for Shaun Alexander.

Hell, if you look at the coaches list, Holmy's only getting in by the tips of his fingernails if at all. And he's probably the game's greatest coach between Walsh and Belichick. (Yet another reason why the NFL's decision to award XL to the Stealers for getting off the bus at the stadium was so unforgivable.)

Getting to Canton's just difficult.

 

[Marvin49]

...Lynch is questionable (and for the record as much as I love the guy I don't think Frank Gore is making the Hall either)....

Every time this topic comes up, I think people should take the time to click over and see who's actually in the hall. Check out the names. It's pretty damn hard to get in! There's some seriously lofty company.

Then ask yourself: "Does Frank Gore belong on this list?" And the answer is obviously no. No way in hell. Same for Lynch. Same for Shaun Alexander.

Hell, if you look at the coaches list, Holmy's only getting in by the tips of his fingernails if at all. And he's probably the game's greatest coach between Walsh and Belichick. (Yet another reason why the NFL's decision to award XL to the Stealers for getting off the bus at the stadium was so unforgivable.)

Getting to Canton's just difficult.

I'd love to see Frank get in, but I agree with you. Its just too damn hard to get in.

 

[themunn]

Lynch won't get in on the strength of what he's done so far, however, if he kept up his running for another 3-4 years, added a couple of rings and set some more postseason rushing records, he'd certainly be in with a shout.

Currently, Lynch has what, 4 100 yard rushing games in the playoffs? Only 6 backs have 5 or more, and all 6 are in the HoF, which tells you about as much as you need to know about what calibre of player he is - postseason play is weighted far more heavily than regular season play.

 

[Marvin49]

Lynch won't get in on the strength of what he's done so far, however, if he kept up his running for another 3-4 years, added a couple of rings and set some more postseason rushing records, he'd certainly be in with a shout.

Currently, Lynch has what, 4 100 yard rushing games in the playoffs? Only 6 backs have 5 or more, and all 6 are in the HoF, which tells you about as much as you need to know about what calibre of player he is - postseason play is weighted far more heavily than regular season play.

Only Steve Young has more rushing yards by a QB in the playoffs than Kap and he's only up by 87 yards.

Kaps in the Hall then?

J/K. Don't answer that.

If Lynch goes on a run here to get him well over 10K in the regular season AND dominates in the playoffs then he's got a shot. It's really, really hard to make the Hall tho as a RB.

 

[jblaze]

Thomas has the best chance. Sherman next.

Wilson won't get in unless he wins 2-3 SB's at least. His stats will probably never be gaudy enough on their own.

Lynch has no chance. He's been good the last couple of years, that's it.

 

[Marvin49]

Thomas has the best chance. Sherman next.

Wilson won't get in unless he wins 2-3 SB's at least. His stats will probably never be gaudy enough on their own.

Lynch has no chance. He's been good the last couple of years, that's it.

...and that's the key more than anything else...particularly in this era of 5000 yard seasons by the likes of Matt Stafford.

 

[LickMyNuts]

Based on the eye test:

Lynch
Sherman
ET III
Kam Bam
Wilson

By numbers alone:
Sherman
ET III

If ET III and Sherman stay healthy they will be perennial Pro Bowlers/All-Pro's. If you look at the other rushers in Lynch's generation he looks like a Hall of Famer. If you put him with the groups from the 80's and 90's not so much. But he has the epic runs and memorable running style that voters will remember. At times he is dominant and he really doesn't dissapear.

If we do well in the post season over the next few years then all bets are off. But that is very iffy.

 

[loafoftatupu]

Lynch has been consistent for the last 3 years. If the Hawks win the Super Bowl and he has a big game, then follows it up with a couple more strong seasons, he will get in regardless of the numbers. He is actually still young and has a couple of years left. If he were to be the MVP in a Hawks super bowl win it would help.

 

[AlphaOmega]

If they remain healthy for the next 6 - 8 years then Earl Thomas III and Sherman will probably make into the Hall.

I don't know for a free safety but for a corner back, if Sherman can put over 50 interceptions, 5-6 All Pros and even more Probowls, I think he'll definitely make it. He's off to a fantastic start with 20 interceptions thus far.

For a quarterback, in a pass happy league, Russell Wilson will have to have at least 300 touchdowns, possibly much higher, to make it without SB rings to make it. But with, say 2 SB rings, 250 touchdowns and 40k passing yards will probably be enough.

Here are Wilson's numbers thus far:

6400 passing yards
1000 rushing yards
52 touchdowns (19 interceptions)
24-8 W-L regular season record (.750)
3-1 post season record (hopefully 4-1 soon).
63.6% completion
100.6 passer rating

If he can maintain this rate for another 10 years, which will take him to 35 years of age, then his projected numbers would be:
38,400 passing yards
312 touchdowns
At least 120 wins (assuming he wins at least 10 games a season)
Passer rating in the 90s
~64% completion

With those numbers, if he were to be compared to other QBs of his generation, I don't think he can make into the Hall based on how pass happy the league is at the moment and the foreseeable future. The numbers going for him are wins, completions and ratings. I think those are more important but you can't ignore touchdowns and passing yards. But if he has, say, 2 Super Bowl rings on top of that, he'll definitely wear that gold jacket on his 2nd or 3rd year of eligibility.

Now for Marshawn Lynch, I love him a lot but he doesn't have the numbers and his age isn't in his favor unless he can be productive into his 30s. Lynch's current numbers:

Rushing yards - 7,389
Rushing average - 4.2
Rushing TDs - 58

Compare that to Jerome Bettis:
Rushing yards - 13,662
Rushing average - 3.9
Receptions - 200
Receiving yards - 1,449
Touchdowns - 94
1 SB ring ( ukeface: )

This is Bettis' third year of eligibility and he may not make it but I think he eventually will. So in order for Lynch to make it, he has to: at least 1000 years/season for the next 5 years @ 10 rushing touchdowns/year. That'll give him ~13,000 yards rushing and ~100 touchdowns. Given Lynch's age (birthdate April 22, 1986) and his punishing style of rushing, he has to be injury free and productive until at the end of the 2018 season.

As much as I like him, I don't think he'll make it, sadly. The odds are overwhelmingly against him.

 

[themunn]

This is Bettis' third year of eligibility and he may not make it but I think he eventually will. So in order for Lynch to make it, he has to: at least 1000 years/season for the next 5 years @ 10 rushing touchdowns/year. That'll give him ~13,000 yards rushing and ~100 touchdowns. Given Lynch's age (birthdate April 22, 1986) and his punishing style of rushing, he has to be injury free and productive until at the end of the 2018 season.

As much as I like him, I don't think he'll make it, sadly. The odds are overwhelmingly against him.

Personally, I think his running style - particularly his lower body strength - will make him LESS susceptible to the type of injuries that befall running backs (ankle/knee). And I think I heard at least 3 separate people compliment him on the way he looks after his body yesterday, I mean, here you are talking about Bettis who played until he was nearly 34, now granted, he was a LOT bigger than Lynch (by about 40lbs), but Lynch is practically right on his tale for number of yards gained in as many seasons (he's a little behind because of his final year and a bit in Buffalo where he didn't carry the ball as much).
I don't know if he can quite reach 13,000 yards and 100 TDs, but I think he'll be able to make a damn good attempt at it - and if we can draft well in O-Line and find a line that can actually get him to the hole without being contacted, who knows WHAT he's capable of...

 

[AlphaOmega]

Personally, I think his running style - particularly his lower body strength - will make him LESS susceptible to the type of injuries that befall running backs (ankle/knee). And I think I heard at least 3 separate people compliment him on the way he looks after his body yesterday, I mean, here you are talking about Bettis who played until he was nearly 34, now granted, he was a LOT bigger than Lynch (by about 40lbs), but Lynch is practically right on his tale for number of yards gained in as many seasons (he's a little behind because of his final year and a bit in Buffalo where he didn't carry the ball as much).
I don't know if he can quite reach 13,000 yards and 100 TDs, but I think he'll be able to make a damn good attempt at it - and if we can draft well in O-Line and find a line that can actually get him to the hole without being contacted, who knows WHAT he's capable of...

I hope you're right as I want to see Lynch for several more years in Hawks uniform. Bettis was quite durable for a running back, same as Lynch (knock on wood). I definitely on the O-Line. A good O-Line makes the job easier on everyone else especially QB and RB.

Yeah, I don't know about 13k rushing yards and 100 TDs either. I'm hoping for Lynch to reach the 10k milestone myself. I hoped the same thing for Alexander but he narrowly missed it.