HOF Classes: 2007, 2008 (official thread)

[OWUBuckeye51]

Cris Carter and Paul Tagliabue not getting in to the HOF are absolute travesties...

Say what you will about him, but Tagliabue turned the NFL into the most popular professional sport in the US and has made the game twice as global as his predecessors. My one complaint with Tagliabue is that he let the NFL become rampant for poor off-field behavior (which his successor has righted).

Cris Carter was the second best receiver, IMHO, in the 1990s, behind Jerry Rice and only Jerry Rice. The statistics prove that.

 

[daveeb]

I still can't believe Carter didn't make it...

 

[Jaxbuck]

Andre Tippett was a very good OLB in his day but if he's a HOFer then they better start expanding the joint because so are dozens of other OLB's who have played since he hung them up. I'm talking about names like Greg Lloyd and Kevin Green, good players but not HOF material imo.

The voters should be embarrassed he's in over Gradishar.

 

[WoodyWorshiper]

This whole process is a joke. Hickerson should have been in 30 years ago. Tagliabue got hosed as did Carter IMO. But the one the pisses me off to the limit, year after year, is Randy Gradishar. Do these voters have access to game films? What do they base their criteria on? Randy wasn't a good player, or a great player. He was a fucking freak that arrived way before his time. This guy was about 6'3" and 240 pounds when the typical LB was an inch shorter and 20 lbs. lighter. Randy covered sideline to sideline, regardless of his incredible size better than any LB I've seen since him.

In my opinion, Randy Gradishar set the bar for an innovative Coach to take advantage of a player with his type physical attributes and go with it. That player showed up in the form of Lawrence Taylor about 10 years after Randy hit the NFL.

 

[harrydangler]

This isn't baseball...the NFL HOF is more than numbers and probably the hardest to pick.

Did the WR throw blocks down field (not in the stats), did the WR take on double teams giving others a shot (Gary Clark), what kind of offense did they run, how's the coaching/teammates/etc

WR is the most up and down position in the game. Consistency and longevity should be rewarded. Monk was a great WR and a team player. He shared the ball with Sanders and Clark with no complaints but everyone knew who it was going to when the game was on the line. Monk's a HOF hands down.

Art Monk is not HOF caliber. The number of times that he was in the top 5 in any major category in any season is embarrassingly low. He's like a RB that rushes for 1100 yards a year and plays for a long time.

 

[buckeyegrad]

Now that Art Monk is in the Hall, its time to focus on the next most deserving man who should be in Canton that is not--Ray Guy!

Greatest punter of all-time, so what's keeping him out?

 

[osugrad21]

Carter will get in, but he had some troubles early in his career and bloomed late to have a bunch of big seasons. He will get in, trust me.

Agree. The early issues left a bad taste for some voters...LT had the same issues, but he is a once in a generation player...CC was not.

This is my major issue with the HOF in any sport. Voters are judging beyond the game. Votes should be performance-based. If you are voting based on the player's personal life or representation of the leagues, then there are plenty of "good guys" who need to be considered.

 

[Thump]

Agree. The early issues left a bad taste for some voters..

Michael Irvin had issues throughout his career and he is still in.

Monk rarely was in the top 5 in any season. his lack of Pro Bowls indicates that he rarely was considered the best in any one season.

And based on that, we are supposed to believe he is one of the greatest of all time?

As I said before, Chad Johnson has dominated more seasons than Monk has.

In regards to Chad Johnson, how many Super Bowls has he helped lead his team to?

 

[Mike80]

For his era, and especially considering the offense that Washington ran during the majority of his career, Monk's numbers aren't horrible.

He was and should be borderline. Perhaps had there been no other worthy candidates at WR this year (Reed and Carter) it wouldn't be such an issue.

Gradishar got screwed again however.....

 

[osugrad21]

Michael Irvin had issues throughout his career and he is still in.

That is my point...both were punished by voters for indiscretions off the field.


If a guy's performance warrants the HOF, why delay it? Why make the "first ballot" BS such a matter?

If the guy deserves it, he deserves it as much on the first ballot as he does in 10 years.

 

[Thump]

That is my point...both were punished by voters for indiscretions off the field.


If a guy's performance warrants the HOF, why delay it? Why make the "first ballot" BS such a matter?

If the guy deserves it, he deserves it as much on the first ballot as he does in 10 years.

Gotcha

 

[tibor75]

Michael Irvin had issues throughout his career and he is still in.





In regards to Chad Johnson, how many Super Bowls has he helped lead his team to?

Super Bowls only mean something if you do something great while you are there. Lynn Swann he ain't. Monk reached super bowls because he was a part of great teams. He did have 1 very good SB with 7 catches for over 100 yards, so that helps.

 

[Thump]

Super Bowls only mean something if you do something great while you are there. Lynn Swann he ain't. Monk reached super bowls because he was a part of great teams. He did have 1 very good SB with 7 catches for over 100 yards, so that helps.

Lynn Swann along with Joe Namath may be one of the two most undeserving inductees of all time.

 

[Bucklion]

Michael Irvin had issues throughout his career and he is still in.





In regards to Chad Johnson, how many Super Bowls has he helped lead his team to?

In the voters' eyes, you answered your own question in a sense...Irvin had 3 SB rings, Carter zero. And Irvin didn't get in the first time either.

 

[Bucklion]

Lynn Swann along with Joe Namath may be one of the two most undeserving inductees of all time.

No argument there, though I actually think Fred Dean, a situational pass-rusher who is basically a poor-man's Charles Haley, ranks right up there.