In that case I'll go with Holt, Gates, Wayne, Harrison and Jared Allen. I'd be fine with Kuechly, Yanda, Suggs or Earl Thomas going in but not sure any should as a first-time nominee. If Willis had to wait a few years because of having a shorter career then so should Kuechly.I added the 2024 modern-era finalists who didn't make the cut.
Agreed, except I take Kuechly over Alexander.My votes, in rough order of deservedness:
Tier 1:
Antonio Gates
Adam Vinatieri
—
Tier 2:
Jared Allen
Terrell Suggs
Hall is gonna be mostly edge rushers and WR’s eventually.
Also… Lorenzo Alexander??
Agreed, except I take Kuechly over Alexander.
Probably none of these guys. ...
... You are right about Kuechly though. Can’t imagine there are any guys who are 5x 1st-Team All Pro that aren’t in the HOF.
I didn't say ever, just not this year. Your original list was a joke. Thomas, Long, Davis, Alexander etc....lol.
I guess I was unclear — I’m more surprised that Alexander was included in the ballot in the first place. Stalwart special teamer, sure, but not an HOF caliber player. Like most of those guys he belongs in his primary team’s HOF/Ring of Honor, but not Canton.
You are right about Kuechly though. Can’t imagine there are any guys who are 5x 1st-Team All Pro that aren’t in the HOF.
That’s interesting, kind of surprising but if you look at the inductees between his retirement and 2023 induction, there were some really strong classes in there. Not sure if there’s anyone there that I would say definitely shouldn’t have gotten in before Thomas.It's criminal that Torry Holt still hasn't been inducted.
FWIW Zach Thomas had to wait a decade and 4 years of being a finalist.
That’s interesting, kind of surprising but if you look at the inductees between his retirement and 2023 induction, there were some really strong classes in there. Not sure if there’s anyone there that I would say definitely shouldn’t have gotten in before Thomas.
He certainly has a case over Bryant Young and Sam Mills, but it seems like the PFHOF prioritizes seniority more than the HHOF , and so it’s not unusual for those who aren’t clear cut 1st ballot guys to have to “wait their turn.”
Honestly, as a Rams fan, Steven Jackson should be over a lot of those running backs mentioned (including Lynch; disrespectfully, S-Jax was the original Beast Mode before Lynch, and people seem to forget that.). The only reason S-Jax doesn't have the touchdowns (still had sixty-nine rushing and nine receiving touchdowns) was because the Rams entire offense was mostly shit aside from him and an aging Holt.
He still put up eight consecutive seasons of over 1,000 yards, amassed over 11,000 in total rushing yards (and that's not even mentioning his receiving yards, which are over 3,600), and is the Rams all-time leader rusher over guys like Marshall Faulk, Eric Dickerson, Todd Gurley, etc. That's more than a lot of other running backs who are in the Hall and played in an era where running the ball was a lot more popular than passing.
I love Torry, but he was done by 2008, and S-Jax was the only one carrying our team at certain points, running behind an offensive line that let defenders hit him in the backfield immediately, with receivers where Danny Amendola - Danny f***ing Amendola - was our best one during that time. We were literally pulling offensive linemen off the street, with receivers that nobody feared.
Jackson was the only good player on that offensive offense. He carried that team on his back and won them games they had no business winning. Without him, we'd make the winless Lions and Browns teams look like Super Bowl contenders.
I will go to my f***ing grave saying that S-Jax deserves to be in the Hall just as much as anyone else.
Not his fault that he didn't play a playoff game; his team was one of the worst teams in sports, and they were borderline unwatchable and unwinnable aside from him.I agree that hes underrated but the problem is he had his best years when guys like LD, Shaun Alexander and AP were running roughshod on the league and he never played a playoff game.
By the time he got to one, they went into the tank too.jackson would be first ballot if he played on a competent team. guy was putting up 1k yard seasons behind hilariously bad o-lines
yeah he had some pretty awful luckBy the time he got to one, they went into the tank too.