HOF finalists announced

[ice grillin you]

thing that jumps out at me here is that warren moon played this decade...i didnt realize he was that recent

how sure are you that aikman gets in on a 1-10 scale?  8

does art monk finally make it?  no

whos your list?  reggie....aikman....madden


Troy Aikman - Quarterback - 1989-2000 Dallas Cowboys

Harry Carson - Linebacker - 1976-1988 New York Giants

L.C. Greenwood - Defensive End - 1969-1981 Pittsburgh Steelers

Russ Grimm - Guard - 1981-1991 Washington taterskins

Claude Humphrey - Defensive End - 1968-1978 Atlanta Falcons,
1979-1981 Philadelphia Eagles (injured reserve - 1975)

Michael Irvin - Wide Receiver - 1988-1999 Dallas Cowboys

Bob Kuechenberg - Guard - 1970-1984 Miami Dolphins

John Madden - Coach - 1969-1978 Oakland Raiders

Art Monk - Wide Receiver - 1980-1993 Washington taterskins,
1994 New York Jets, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles

Warren Moon - Quarterback - 1984-1993 Houston Oilers,
1994-1996 Minnesota Vikings, 1997-1998 Seattle Seahawks,
1999-2000 K.C. Chiefs

Derrick Thomas - Linebacker - 1989-1999 Kansas City Chiefs

Thurman Thomas - Running Back - 1988-1999 Buffalo Bills,
2000 Miami Dolphins

Reggie White - Def. End/Def. Tackle - 1985-1992 Phil. Eagles,
1993-1998 Green Bay Packers, 2000 Carolina Panthers

Rayfield Wright - Tackle - 1967-1979 Dallas Cowboys

Gary Zimmerman - Tackle - 1986-1992 Minnesota Vikings,
1993-1997 Denver Broncos

[Cerevant]

thing that jumps out at me here is that warren moon played this decade...i didnt realize he was that recent

how sure are you that aikman gets in on a 1-10 scale?  10

does art monk finally make it?  no

whos your list?  reggie....aikman....irvin

[rjs246]

My rankings...

1.Grimm, T. Thomas, White
2. Aikman, Carson, Monk
3. Moon, D. Thomas, Irvin
4. Zimmerman, Madden, everyone else...

[ice grillin you]

off the field ish will keep irvin out at least one more year...and if art monk isnt in yet then i dont see how irvin gets in on year two

[PhillyPhreak54]

Aikman
White
Monk
Madden

You know...if Troy didn't win those SBs he wouldn't be a HOFer, IMO. His raw numbers aren't overwhelming like a guy like Marino's were. Obviously Marino played longer and Troy was cut down by concussions...but his TDs and other numbers are somewhat low.

I don't know if Monk will make it, but he should.

[rjs246]

You know...if Troy didn't win those SBs he wouldn't be a HOFer, IMO.

I don't know if Monk will make it, but he should.

Agreed.

[QB Eagles]

You know...if Troy didn't win those SBs he wouldn't be a HOFer, IMO.

Sure but so what? The point of the game is to win Super Bowls. Tom Brady will be elected to the Hall of Fame as well.

Absolutely ridiculous that Art Monk was nominated instead of Andre Reed, a better receiver with better stats from the same era.

IMHO Monk has no chance to make it in this year (Moon, Aikman, White, Thomas, and Irvin would all easily get in before him), nor should he. As I've said before:

Lynn Swann doesn't deserve to be in, but making one error with Swann doesn't mean they should repeat it with Monk.

I compare players to other players of their day. Steve Largent was selected to 7 Pro Bowls. 9 times he was in the top #10 in receptions, 8 times he was in the top #10 in yards, 8 times he was in the top #10 in receiving touchdowns.

In comparison, Art Monk was selected to 3 Pro Bowls, 4 times he was in the top #10 in receptions, 3 times he was in the top #10 in yards, and only once was he in the top #10 in receiving touchdowns. Those are very similar to Swann's numbers. In absolute numbers Monk was better, but relative to the other players of their day, Monk and Swann are equals. Monk was just a good receiver who hung around for a long time, catching a lot of 8-yard hooks in Joe Gibbs' scheme, not an all-time great. Longevity means something, but not enough to catapult someone into the Hall.

In terms of stats and greatness relative to the rest of the league, Mushin Muhammad is today's Art Monk. Do you guys think Muhammad will make the Hall?

[Fan_Since_64]

My comments on the finalists, FWIW:

Troy Aikman - Yes, he belongs. You can't really compare him to Dan Marino because Aikman was operating a more balanced offense than Marino was running for most of his career. He wasn't the greatest Dallas QB - Roger Staubach gets that distinction - but he did get the job done. I was rooting against him and his team every step of the way (same with Staubach), but he's a Hall of Famer, no question

Harry Carson - Poor Harry, he demanded to be removed from consideration a couple of years ago because he keeps making it to this stage only to fall short. I can imagine the frustration. And if it was up to me, he'd be in. Another guy I was always rooting against, but he was terrific for many seasons. Here's hoping he finally gets his bust in Canton!

L.C. Greenwood - Outstanding player with a great team. Hard to not say he belongs.

Russ Grimm - Guards are underrepresented in the HOF, and Grimm was a terrific one. Vote him in!

Claude Humphrey - Big Claude had his greatest seasons with Atlanta, but was an excellent pass rushing specialist for the Eagles. He's borderline. I'd vote for Greenwood first.

Michael Irvin - Wow, I never liked this guy, but had to respect his talent. He'll probably make it eventually, but not this year. Let Troy go first. In fact, make him wait until Emmitt goes in.

Bob Kuechenberg - Another outstanding guard, and the other starting guard for the Dolphins during that period, Larry Little, is already in. Was he that much better than Kuechenberg? Vote him in already!

John Madden - Okay, people like to rip on Madden on the board, but I've always liked the guy. That said, while I think he was a very good head coach, I would stop short at saying he was a great one. Would he even be getting consideration if he hadn't had a lengthy broadcasting career to keep him in the public eye?

Art Monk - QB Eagles has made me want to ponder Monk's qualifications some more (I well remember our discussions last year at this time about him!). He was very consistent for a long time - at the very least a very good receiver, and with winning teams. A strong borderline candidate. I'm open to persuasion either way.

Warren Moon - Moon didn't win anything, but neither did Sonny Jurgensen, Y.A. Tittle, or Dan Marino. I wouldn't blame him for that. He was an outstanding athlete and QB who put up some amazing numbers. And all after he'd spent his first few professional seasons in the CFL. Vote him in!

Derrick Thomas - Terrific linebacker for years, clearly considered one of the best in the game during his career. He belongs.

Thurman Thomas - Yep, he deserves a spot, too. Another consistently outstanding player, clearly one of the best at his position in his prime. If Scott Norwood had made that field goal against the Giants, he would have been the MVP of that Super Bowl, IMO.

Reggie White - No one should even think twice. If Reggie wasn't a Hall of Famer, no one was.

Rayfield Wright - I'm surprised that he wasn't considered sooner. Definitely one of the top tackles of his era (but not as good as Bob Brown, who is already in the HOF!  ), and an important part of the first wave of Dallas championship teams.

Gary Zimmerman - Probably will get voted in at some point. Another tackle who was clearly recognized as one of the best in the game during his career.

Obviously, they can't all go in, even though almost all of them deserve to. I wouldn't want to be one of the voters, I'd never be able to whittle the list down each year!

[Cerevant]

Good stuff FS64 - I always enjoy reading what you have to say.

John Madden - Okay, people like to rip on Madden on the board, but I've always liked the guy. That said, while I think he was a very good head coach, I would stop short at saying he was a great one. Would he even be getting consideration if he hadn't had a lengthy broadcasting career to keep him in the public eye?

I would even go so far as to say he should be nominated/enshrined *as* a broadcaster.  I think he changed the way color was done, and brought new aspects of the game to the forefront.

[phattymatty]

I would even go so far as to say he should be nominated/enshrined *as* a broadcaster.  I think he changed the way color was done, and brought new aspects of the game to the forefront.

most notably babbling incoherently and drawing circles around things not related to the football game.

i like him too though.

[Fan_Since_64]

I would even go so far as to say he should be nominated/enshrined *as* a broadcaster.  I think he changed the way color was done, and brought new aspects of the game to the forefront.

Good point, I could go along with that.

[QB Eagles]

Whatever one thinks of Madden's coaching or broadcasting abilities, he could be enshrined for the impact of his video game series alone. Looking over his entire body of work, one must say he's been a towering figure in the world of professional football and deserves enshrinement.

[Larry]

White, Aikman, Moon, Kuechenberg

[henchmanUK]

Whatever one thinks of Madden's coaching or broadcasting abilities, he could be enshrined for the impact of his video game series alone. Looking over his entire body of work, one must say he's been a towering figure in the world of professional football and deserves enshrinement.

Agree completely. His coaching, TV work and video game all mean he should be in the Hall of Fame. All my school friends who like American football got into it through the video game. And I would expect 64 to agree with me that the constant snubbing of Pat Fischer for Canton is incomprehensible.

[stillupfront]

In order of preference:

Reggie White - Def. End/Def. Tackle - 1985-1992 Phil. Eagles,
1993-1998 Green Bay Packers, 2000 Carolina Panthers

Russ Grimm - Guard - 1981-1991 Washington taterskins

Harry Carson - Linebacker - 1976-1988 New York Giants

Troy Aikman - Quarterback - 1989-2000 Dallas Cowboys

L.C. Greenwood - Defensive End - 1969-1981 Pittsburgh Steelers

Rayfield Wright - Tackle - 1967-1979 Dallas Cowboys

Bob Kuechenberg - Guard - 1970-1984 Miami Dolphins

Derrick Thomas - Linebacker - 1989-1999 Kansas City Chiefs

Thurman Thomas - Running Back - 1988-1999 Buffalo Bills,
2000 Miami Dolphins