# NFL Hall of Fame nominees announced

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [September 29, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013 "2011-09-29T14:58:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 12\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/1 "2011-09-29T14:58:44Z")

</div>

[http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/09/28/pro-football-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced](http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/09/28/pro-football-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced)

Once again Jerry Kramer gets screwed. But Keyshawn Johnson is on the list???

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/2 "2011-09-29T15:04:52Z")

</div>

From that list, I’d vote for Chris Carter (WR), Ed “Too Tall” Jones (DE), Sam Mills (LB), and Bill Parcells (Coach).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/3 "2011-09-29T15:12:58Z")

</div>

Lots of good choices there.

My picks (by position):

QB- None

RB- Bettis, Martin

WR- Brown, Carter

OL- Dawson, Roaf

DL- Doleman, Haley

LB- Matthews

DB- Shell, Atwater

P/K- Anderson

Coaches: Cowher, Parcells, Coryell, Schottenheimer

Contributors: Tagliabue, Sabol

That’s 18. To cut it to 15 I’d probably leave off Sabol, Schottenheimer and Matthews. Also, Ray Guy should be on this list, Art Modell doesn’t deserve the sweat off my balls, and Herschel Walker should make it as a Contributor for what he did for the Cowboys in the early 1990s.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/4 "2011-09-29T16:07:05Z")

</div>

> [@Laggard](#):
>
> [http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/09/28/pro-football-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced](http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/09/28/pro-football-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced)
> 
> Once again Jerry Kramer gets screwed. But Keyshawn Johnson is on the list???

I thought Kramer got elected eons ago. \<checking\> HANH???

NFL HoF:Jerry Kramer::Rock & Roll HoF:Rush. This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen or read in the last 24 hours (which includes, I might add, the final scene of the choke-job by the Boston Red Sox). Wouldn’t he be a definite Inner Circle among offensive lineman if you asked say 50 old-time sportswriters? It would be like the baseball HoF not electing Yogi Berra. As is the case with most of these examples, I suspect politics is involved; he may be old enough to get in via the old-timer’s list tho, which might be why he isn’t on this particular ballot.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/5 "2011-09-29T16:07:57Z")

</div>

I’m not gonna go through the list player by player, but I noticed that it’s uncommonly thin at the skill positions. There isn’t a QB worthy and I’m not really gung-ho on any of the RBs, Bettis, Walker, Craig, George and Martin all seem like very, very good guys who were ultimately replaceable. The WRs are basically the same list as last year and while Brown or Carter probably get in, I’m not one of those that thinks leaving them out is some travesty. They were really good but ultimately not truly special. On the other side of the ball, I feel much the same way about the crop of LBs and CBs. Lots of really good guys who I have fond memories of from my childhood, especially those Bills and Broncos guys, but none who seem hall worthy.

I think this year’s class should probably be stacked with Lineman and Coaches. Those lists are far more impressive, especially the coaches. Incidentally, I don’t think this is the year for it but Steve Sabol deserves to be in there along with his dad.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/6 "2011-09-29T16:09:05Z")

</div>

Tiki Barber has no business being in the HoF. Ever.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/7 "2011-09-29T16:40:20Z")

</div>

> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#):
>
> Tiki Barber has no business being in the HoF. Ever.

100% right on.

I agree that skills position is a bit thin also. As a Packer fan I’d like to see Sharpe in though I understand that due to his shortened career it may be impossible. I would also vote in Christensen.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/8 "2011-09-29T19:20:44Z")

</div>

> [@Laggard](#):
>
> As a Packer fan I’d like to see Sharpe in though I understand that due to his shortened career it may be impossible.

Absolutely agreed. Sharpe had five very strong seasons. Unfortunately, in addition to that (and it’s the same thing that will – and probably should – keep Terrell Davis out), WR is a position where the changes to the game have led to the HoF voters being unable to come to a consensus on what makes for a HoFer. If they can’t agree on whether Cris Carter or Andre Reed belong, Sharpe stands no chance.

My picks by position:

QB: none  
RB: Bettis  
WR: Carter, Reed  
TE: none  
OL: Dawson, Roaf  
DL: Doleman, Haley, Kennedy  
LB: Greene, Mecklenburg  
DB: Williams, Browner  
ST: Tasker (he doesn’t stand a chance, but I loved the guy)  
K/P: none  
Coach: Coryell, Cowher, Parcells  
Contributor: McNally, Wolf

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/9 "2011-09-29T20:14:48Z")

</div>

> [@Laggard](#):
>
> Once again Jerry Kramer gets screwed. But Keyshawn Johnson is on the list???

Just give me the damn ballot.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/10 "2011-09-29T20:29:17Z")

</div>

USUALLY, there are one or two newly eligible candidates who are absolute no-brainers. This year, that’s NOT the case. Bill Parcells, Bill Cowher and Mary Shottenheimer were all superb coaches who probably WILL get elected eventually, but none of them is a lock to be elected THIS year, and neither are any of the newly eligible players.

That means, in my opinion, this will be a year in which the voters get around to enshrining guys who’ve been pushed back and asked to “wait their turn” the past few years. Meaning that, in all likelihood:

Cris Carter will finally get in this year.

Sam Mills, the best linebacker I’ve ever seen who was NOT named Lawrence Taylor\*, will get in.

After that… your guess is as good as mine. A lot of very, very good candidates, but once we get past Carter and Mills, I don’t see anyone that ALL voters will agree on without a lot of debate and a lot of hores trading (“I voted for your choice last year, and now you have to vote for my guy this year”).

If it were up to me, I’d vote for:

Cris Carter  
Sam Mills  
Andre Reed  
Todd Christensen  
Charles Haley (5 Super Bowl rings are hard to argue with)  
Dermontti Dawson

- Mills did a lot of things better than Taylor, but Taylor was WAAAAY ahead of Mills in the one thing he specialized in: rushing the quarterback.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/11 "2011-09-29T20:35:46Z")

</div>

The fact that Don Coryell is not in already is a farce. His passing schemes, still being used today, changed the game.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-hall-of-fame-nominees-announced/598013/12 "2011-09-29T20:47:57Z")

</div>

> [@astorian](#):
>
> - Mills did a lot of things better than Taylor, but Taylor was WAAAAY ahead of Mills in the one thing he specialized in: rushing the quarterback.

True, but at least with the Saints, Mills was an inside linebacker, and didn’t get many sack opportunites. Jackson and Swilling on the outside got most of the sacks. Still, I’d love for Sam Mills to be the second Saint in the HoF. Eventually, I’d like the entire Dome Patrol to make it in.
