2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

You did get that reference, right? 'Cause if no one does, I am REALLY old.

 

I don't know, sounds like Tiki just benefitted from the system.

 

If your eye test tells you Atwater was as good as Ronnie Lott, may I suggest you get your eyes checked?

Lott was an All-Pro cornerback first, then made the move to safety, where he gave the 49ers a tremendous advantage because he was a big hitter and ball hawk who was also outstanding in coverage.

 

Atwater is nowhere close to being as good as Lott, but I think he's clearly a Hall of Famer.

 

I don't see that as clear at all, but you certainly got the first part of that right. The last bit, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

He's clearly not or he'd be in.

 

Interesting that the biggest debates are on two names not in the final 15.

 

The voters have clearly shown the pecking order at RB in recent years. They had Faulk ahead of Martin, Martin ahead of Bettis, Bettis ahead of Davis and now Davis ahead of Craig. Craig was the best candidate in their view before these guys got on the ballot. He had the final 15 in 2010, hasn't been there since with all of those four getting through. The wait's going to be longer if Bettis doesn't get in this year because Tomlinson's up next as a first-ballot guy so Craig would fall to fourth in the RB rankings.

Safety is to Canton as third base is to Cooperstown. It's underrepresented, worst than center. Not even double-digits and to do that you have to count guys who split time at corner or old-timey two-way guys. Lott was inducted in 2000. Paul Krause went in in 1998. Donnie Shell was a finalist in 2002, Cliff Harris in 2004. To took until Lynch last year for another safety to get to the final 15. (I don't count. Aeneas Williams or Rod Woodson as safeties). So now you have three guys -- Lynch, Atwater and Dareen Woodson -- get to the final 25 but only one gets through, and it's the same guy as last year.

The last 10 years of defensive finalists, not counting seniors, by time:
D-line: 30
Linebacker: 17
Corner: 7
Safety: 2

 

There are quite a few guys who are clearly Hall of Famers who aren't in yet. Atwater isn't in Tim Brown territory yet.

 

We can disagree about Brown. He's Monk 2.0 without the extensive playoff success.

As for Craig, I don't remember him being thought of as HOF worthy at the time, more of a novelty. Back then people expected their RBs to be more Dickerson-like. The receiving yardage was viewed as a bit of a gimmick like Sproles or early Barber. I think Craig and more-so Faulk afterward changed the perception.

 

Yeah, I don't know if Brown will ever get in. Anybody who it takes this long, you begin to question. I won't have a problem with it either way.

Craig's career ended with a whimper. After the fumble against the Giants in the NFC Championship Game, I don't remember him doing much after that. I'm not going to be mad if he gets in, but I probably would not vote for him.

 

This is Brown's sixth year. Also Haley's. Bettis is at five.

All of these guys went in the past nine elections:
Reed went last year on try No. 8. Monk took 8.
It took Carter six tries the year before that.
Richard Dent and Harry Carson took 7 times; Derrick Thomas and Gary Zimmerman took five times.