Initial 2013 Football Hall of Fame nominees

There's no way they go all offense and use a spot on a posthumous selection.

They will pick at least one defensive lineman, the question will be if Haley finally gets in or do they pick either Sapp or Strahan.

 

have to go with Sapp over Strahan. Strahan has the flash with the sacks but Sapp was a more consistent dominant force. on running plays Strahan didn't command double teams or get into the backfied like Sapp. Strahan also is remembered for his pissing contest with Tiki and the offense. yeah Tiki was pretty much all about Tiki but being a leader and good teammate usually doesn't involve weekly back and forth through the media over which unit is responsible for the team's struggles.

 

RE: Webb. The knock was he looked like an all-time great his first year in the league and he then sort of declined. Still a great player and legit Pro Bowler every year, but the feeling was he somehow either got lazy, never improved, lived off his ability and never mastered a trade. Honestly, I was to young to watch him, but I always knew he went to the Pro Bowl every year.

Sapp vs. Strahan. Very interesting. Sapp had a reputation as a big mouth, a showboat and somewhat dirty (remember his late hit on Chad Clifton of the Packers). However, he was genuinely respected as a team leader in the Tampa locker room because he played very tough and hard. I've heard from a couple of scouts that he actually wasn't as talented physically as many people thought, but he played very hard and learned great technique. Basically, scouts said if he stay quiet and were white, he would have been loved as a "try hard" guy.

 

I would like to see more centers in the Hall of Fame. There's only about a dozen of them. Dermontti Dawson was the first enshrinee since 1998. I realize superlative talent is thin at the position, but Kent Hull has a case to be made. He helped motor that offense.

 

I will be very surprised if Sapp gets in on the first ballot. I'll be curious who is presenting for him, because I know a few of the Tampa writers hated him.

Honestly, I don't know that he or Strahan is on the level to be a first ballot guy.

 

In regard to Kent Hull, you're not alone. I read years ago either Bill Polian or the late John Butler vouching for Hull's inclusion.

I knew Hull. Heck of a guy. A straight shooter. A man's man. However, personal bias aside, he's a member of the Hall of Very Good.

 

Good to see Bud Carson on the ballot. The guy turned the Steel Curtain into the dominant force of four Super Bowl teams and invented the Cover 2. I'd say that's Hall-worthy.

 

Liut, he was definitely a man's man.

 

I remember that play ... just stunning.

 

Hull's death hit me like one of his shots between the pecs. After a couple of beers, Kent got real informal. One of the best dudes I've ever met. He was a perfect fit for blue-collar Buffalo.

 

I'd be interested to know what he candidly discussed.

People assumed a heart attack killed him, but it was massive bleeding in the abdomen.

 

Schefter covered the Broncos at the Denver Post for years and has an obvious soft spot for Bowlen and Denver.
As a Broncos fan, I would like to see one of them get in since they only have two currently in the HOF.