Which current NFL players are shoo-ins for the Hall of Fame?

Cafe Society
1

Obviously, we have some of the best players who have ever played in the league right now. Records are being broken practically weekly and many current players rank right up along side the great names in football. But which of these players really are the best of the best? Which ones are ong to be in the Hall of Fame, and not only be in the Hall, but be the marquee player in their induction year like Elway is this year? Some of the players that immediately spring to mind may not be quite as much of a shoo-in as we think.

Okay, first, there are a couple of obvious picks. Brett Favre. The Great One. Check. They might as well put his bust in Canton now. Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Larry Allen, see above, re: bust.

But what about somebody like Peyton Manning? What if, and I realize, with the way the Colts are playing this year, this is a big what if, he never wins a big game? He’s got Marvin Harrison, he’s got Edgerrin James, and still never wins in the playoffs. I’ll assume that he will be in the Hall of Fame, but I doubt that he would be the big name on the banner in his first year of eligibility.

Continuing with the quarterback theme, we have someone like Kurt Warner. Personally, I always thought Kurt Warner was overrated. He had what was probably the best receiving corps in the league and undoubtedly the best tailback in the league. I could have been a good quarterback for the Rams. Anyway, my personal feelings aside, Warner has the highest career passer rating of anyone who has thrown over 1500 attempts, so he’s got to go in the Hall, right? I mean, even if he stinks up Dallas (or whereever) next year, he was an important enough player in the late nineties to warrant a spot, I suppose. However, something tells me the typeset on the headlines for him won’t be as big as the one for Favre, even though Favre hasn’t won as many Super Bowls.

Speaking of Marshall Faulk, here we have another guy whose career seems to be over way early. Well, to be fair, I think the fact that Faulk doesn’t seem to be putting up huge numbers anymore is mostly due to Mike Martz’s “Who needs a running game?” approach to coaching when Warner’s on the field (this is the same plan that made Warner lose his job). But if Faulk’s career (gods forbid) were to end today, would he go up next to someone like Smith or Barry Sanders?

2

  1. There are too many quarterbacks compared to other positions in the Hall already.

  2. There are also too many announcers in the Hall whose careers weren’t really all that great.

  3. PLEASE let us all hope that neither Boomer E. nor Phil Simms is ever elected!!!

  4. I think that a player should arguably be the best at his position for at least a five year period to be in the football Hall. “The best” can be lots of things, but my simple version is that that one person would be the one most people would pick first in filling that position on an ultimate team.

  5. The Hall needs a lot more linemen in it, although Dan Dierdorf is probably not one of the ones who should be in.

3

Warner- no. No matter how good he was for two years, if he doesn’t get back to playing a full season, and playing effectively, he’s got no chance, I would think. He might not even get to 20,000 yards passing if he doesn’t hurry up. Of course, if he ends up playing somewhere for five years and keeps up his stats, he could end up at 40,000, too. Hard to tell the future, but as of right now, I don’t think he’s done enough.

Manning, I think, has a really good chance to get in, provided his career continues on the path it’s on. That’s probably true regardless of whether or not he ever wins. Marvin Harrison is a guaranteed first ballot, incidentally.

Faulk gets in, too, and might be one of the big ticket guys you’re talking about. He had a pretty good stretch of seasons with 1300+ yards and around 80 catches, plus he’s the single season TD record holder. I think he’s got a solid chance to end up in the top 5 for career TD’s, too, if he gets back to getting enough touches. Priest Holmes got a bit of a late start, but he could get up there too, I guess.

There’s a few defensive guys who could be really big deals, too. Bruce Smith will be a unanimous first ballot inductee. Aeneas Williams, maybe? Michael Strahan, Derrick Brooks. Rod Woodson is another lock. Really hard to say who’s going to be the headliner, especially when so many guys could end up playing six more years, and you never know who will retire at the same time. I would say, besides the guys in the OP, Bruce Smith and Harrison are the two guys who will be the most obviously historic inductions.

4

How about Morten Andersen? 330 games in 22 years, almost 500 field goals, over 700 extra points.

Junior Seau? Warren Sapp?

5

Definitely:

Brett Favre
Emmitt Smith (he should have left as a Cowboy)
Bruce Smith
Tim Brown
Jerry Rice
Morten Andersen
Rod Woodson
Aeneas Williams (too many good years on horrible teams)
Larry Allen

Maybe:
Marvin Harrison (he’s not a lock, but he should go)
Junior Seau
Darren Woodson (always one of the hardest hitters in the league)
Ray Lewis

No way:
Kurt Warner (he was really lucky to be Trent Green’s backup that year. Notice that he’s lost his job, at least twice, to Marc Bulger. Just not that great.)

6

Antonio Freeman? Terrell Owens? Ray Buchanan?

7

John Lynch.

8

Three easy ones:
Jerry Rice
Marvin Harrison
Brett Favre

If he continues his incredible pace, Steve McNair should be a shoo-in. As should Ray Lewis.

Agree with Bucky that more linemen need to be in Hall, tho’ I disagree with opinion of Phil Simms.

9

Favre, Rice, Emmit Smith, and Tim Brown are obvious shoo-ins.

Chris Carter is not a current player but will be inducted as soon as he is eligible.

Marshall Faulk, Ray Lewis, Morton Anderson and Aneais Williams are probables. Peyton Manning also has a shot if he stays healthy.

What about Mike Alstott? One of the all time great fullbacks.

Also, if he stays healthy, Randy Moss will be there. He’s probably the most talented wide receiver to ever play the position.

Kurt Warner has no shot. Two good years does not make a hall of fame career. I also think that passer rating is a misleading gauge of a quarterback. What is Favre’s career passer rating? Is it anything close to Warner’s? Who would you rather have on your team?

10

I’ll stay away from commenting on Manning because he’s my favorite player so you know where I am on this one…

Keyshawn Johnson always puts up pretty good numbers. He’ll have well over 10000 yards (my guess). He may even make top ten. I think he’ll get voted in.

Tony Gonzalez is pretty much a guarantee, he’s been the most productive Tight End for a while now.

11

I agree with The Peyote Coyote about Steve McNair and Ray Lewis. Steve McNair is one of the toughest quarterback and he is clutch in a tight situation. If only Eddie George would give them a running game again…But I digress.

I would agree with everyone on Kurt Warner too. He was good for two or three seasons but most QBs would be in that team. And Bulger is showing he can do it just as well.

I think I would hold of on Peyton Manning. I want to see him acheive something in the post season (but I think he will).

I don’t think Owens is in at the moment. He would be if the only requirement was to talk a good game. Moss is almost there, IMHO. I think he is one of the best players at his position (if not the best).

I, too, would like to see more linemen, both offensive and defensive in the hall, but I have no suggestions at the moment.

12

Well drm, I was going to totally blast you for mentioning Keyshawn Johnson (One word: Overrated), but you redeemed yourself by including my favorite Chief Tony Gonzalez (although I think he’s still got a long way to go to get into the Hall).

A couple that I haven’t seen mentioned that probably have a good chance:

Still playing:
Shannon Sharpe
Bruce Smith
Michael Strahan

Recently retired:
Darrell Green
Dan Marino
Bruce Matthews
Deion Sanders
Barry Sanders???

And, I have a question: Larry Allen??? Who?? Not the Larry Allen that was MVP of the Superbowl a few years ago…? I must be missing something there.

Last comment: The OP states that Warner hasn’t won as many Super Bowls as Favre? They have both won exactly the same number of Super Bowls: One. In addition, both have played in the same number of SuperBowl games: Two

13

I gotta agree with the following:

Steve McNair
Peyton Manning
Shannon Sharpe
Cris Carter
Marshall Faulk
Jerry Rice
Randy Moss
Dan Marino
Brett Favre
Tim Brown

Outside chance:

Mike Alstott
Kurt Warner

I’m not sure about Deion Sanders.

I would add:

Gary Anderson
Jason Elam (if only for the long one)
Warren Moon (is he? if not, he should be)
Dermontti Dawson (a lineman, and do you think I would not mention a Steeler?)
Jerome Bettis

Gusy to look at for the future:

Priest Holmes
Jeremy Shockey (if he doesn’t self-destruct)
Ahman Green
Brian Urlacher
If these guys get in I will shoot someone:

Kordell Stewart
Neil O’Donnell
Bubby Brister

A slight hijack: IMHO, the funniest name in the league is the Ravens punter, Zastodil. His name sounds like either a dinosaur or a flower. “The zastodils are gathered together at the river, grazing contentedly on the zastodils that grow there.”

14

Key does put up some solid numbers, but he gets remarkably few TD’s considering the number of yards he puts up. There isn’t any denying that he puts up a lot of yards though - he averages a little over 1000 yards per season and has won a superbowl.

I should probably note that I’m not really a fan of his, I was mostly searching for players not already mentioned.

As for Tony, the Chiefs really manhandled the bills last week and they have some very impressive wins under their belts. He may very well get a ring this year which certainly won’t hurt his chances.

15

Shannon Sharpe is a first ballot guarantee. Caught more passes for more touchdowns than any tight end in history, ever. Changed the position.

Gary Anderson- best single season field goal percentage in history… a perfect regular season will obviously never be beaten.

Mike Vanderjagt has the highest FG percentage of any kicker, ever.

Marshall Faulk will get in, unless Priest breaks his single season touchdown record, in which cause Faulk really isn’t that special anymore.

Peyton Manning’s yardage and touchdown totals are HUGE considering his youth; even if he never wins the big game, he’ll make it, because by the time he’s done he’ll be in the top 3 as far as career passing yards go. (4 straight 4k seasons!)

Bill Parcells could get in three times over; same goes for Vermeil. Chucky’s a little young yet.

If any O-lineman in the game today makes it, it will be Orlando Pace (or possibly Johnathan Ogden).

For D-linemen, Sapp will be in if he doesn’t get himself banned from football first. Jevon Kearse will be a first ballot guy, assuming he stays relatively healthy for the next seven years. John Randle deserves to get in if anyone does.

Keyshawn will never make it. You can look at his career to this point, and think, “this guy might end up with more yards than anyone”… but he hasn’t been the same guy for the Bucs that he was for the Jets.

Derrick Brooks and Junior Seau are locks.

Steve McNair isn’t. If I was building a franchise right now, I’d want him as my quarterback- but until this year he’s never put up spectacular numbers. He was always more of a scrambler until now.

Seriously, though, out of all the guys playing right now, the three most likely to get in are Jerry Rice, Emmitt, and Shannon Sharpe, in that order. Favre is a relatively distant fourth.

One last thing- Mike Alstott is NOT a great fullback. Mike Alstott is a horrible fullback; he’s the worst blocker on the Buccaneers’ roster. I kid you not- ask the players. Mike Alstott is a brilliant tailback, who just happens to look and run like a fullback. But a fullback he isn’t.

Lorenzo Neal and Sam Gash are truly great fullbacks; enjoy them while they’re here because you may never see one again.

16

Manning is close to (one or two seasons away from) being a mortal lock for the hall. Dan Marino never got the big one either.

Drew Bledsoe…If he does well with the Bills, he might make it.

Kevin Mawae…Victim of non-glamorous position, but he should go. Not sure how many centers actually make it.

Larry Centers…Will go way before Mike Alstott

Lawyer Milloy…Has been good enough so far…give him a few more good seasons and he’s in.

Ricky Williams…Keep on keepin’ on.

Jason Taylor…Should be a lock.

My brain is hurting trying to rifle through all the rosters, so I’ll end this post here, with just my picks from the AFC East.

17

Peyton Manning has a fantastic opportunity – this good, so young.

But McNair is even better. Amazingly versatile. He’s the most entertaining quarterback to watch.

Why no Eddie George in the HOF? Sure he’s slowing down some, but doesn’t he have the stats overall?

18

I’m sorry, I must have a wax buildup in my ears. Did someone actually suggest Drew Bledsoe? Egad. Bledsoe is so unpredictable at QB that, while I’d say any team with a bad-to-decent quarterback would jump at the chance to get him, no one with even a halfway good QB would want him. If he came beggin’ at, well, let’s say Tampa Bay’a door, I don’t think they’d take him.

The Larry Allen I was talking about was the guard for the Dallas Cowboys. Probably the best guard there’s ever been.

I like the McNair suggestion. For some reason, though, McNair has to beast it through every season, leading the Titans to playoff after playoff, without ever getting the recognition he deserves. He’s sort of like the middle child of football. When you think about great quarterbacks, unless you live in Tennessee, McNair isn’t the first one that comes to mind, even though he’s definitely in the top three quarterbacks in the league.

Eddie George is, well, sort of a suggestion like Kurt Warner. He was involved in some great teams, but he wasn’t, like, the integral player in any offense. And, geez, after only seven seasons, he’s so hurt that he’s only averaging 2.9 yards per carry?

Sharpe and Gonzalez are both good suggestions, especially considering how pivotal the tight end has become to offenses.

I still want to know what happened to Priest Holmes. He was a pretty run-of-the-mill back in Baltimore, kind of biding his time, and then BLAM! he gets to KC and explodes out of the gate with more than fifteen hundred yards per season. He is, right now, probably the biggest threat in football in terms of rushing and catching, and, as long as he keeps up this pace, he’d definitely be a good pick for the Hall

It amazes me to see people here naming players who I consider to be all hype. More than one poster has mentioned Warren Sapp, but I haven’t yet seen someone name Simeon Rice, who is a much better all-around DL than Sapp.

19

Bledsoe made it to a Superbowl (but lost), and his lifetime average is 3840 yards per season, whereas Favre averages 3809.

I’ll amend the recommendation to say that if he makes two or three good runs deep into the playoffs with the Bills, then he deserved a nod.

20

I don’t know where you’re getting these numbers, Ellis Dee, but I was shocked at the implication that Bledsoe throws more than Favre and did a little research at nfl.com and here’s what I came up with. Bledsoe, counting every year that he’s played, averages 3401.6 yards per year. If you subtract the 2001 season, in which he only played two games and threw for four hundred yards, he still averages only 3735.11 yards per season. Favre’s career with the Packers (granted, I didn’t factor in the year he was with the Falcons and threw for 0 yards) has averaged 3844.09 yards per season. Bledsoe, lifetime, has completed 57.2% of his passes while Favre’s completion percentage is 61.2. Considering that both of these guys have been starting quarterbacks for over ten years, that’s a small but important difference. However, I really think the tale is told by TD to INT ratio. Bledsoe, in his career, has thrown 196 touchdowns while Favre has thrown 327. That’s a difference of 131. Favre has only thrown 197 interceptions whereas Bledsoe has thrown 161. That’s a difference of 36 picks and that, at least to me, is what separates the great from the mediocre in the National Football League.