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>It is that time of year once again. It is the final day that precedes the Super Bowl, which means that today is the day that the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010 will be announced. Seventeen finalists make up the ballot whom the Hall of Fame's Selection Committee have voted upon to decide whom should make up this year's Hall of Fame class. Sixteen of these finalists are players, with longtime head coach Don Coryell being the lone exception. All of these players were great in their generation, but opinions vary on which ones stand the test of time to earn the exclusive honors of being a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I now give you my personal ballot for which players I would select for the Hall of Fame.
My Selections for the Class of 2010
1. Jerry Rice, WR - Do I really need to explain this selection? Rice is one of the biggest locks for induction into the Hall of Fame ever. It would be inexplicable for Rice to be anything less than a unanimous choice for the Hall of Fame this year. Rice is the greatest wide receiver to ever play in the National Football League, and few people have found any reason to dispute that. Rice rewrote the record books for receivers, as he retired as the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, all-purpose yards, total touchdowns, and with many other records. Quite simply, it is just about indisputable that Jerry Rice will be inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2010.
2. Emmitt Smith, RB - Not only is the all-time leader in receiving yards on the ballot this year, but so is the all-time leader in rushing yards. In many years, Emmitt Smith would be the marquee candidate for the Hall of Fame, and he would be this year if it were not for the greatest wide receiver of all-time. Emmitt Smith does not quite have the argument for being the greatest running back of all-time, but he ranks near the top behind only the best of the best such as Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Walter Payton. Smith was one of the stars of the Dallas Cowboys teams that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s, and is statistically the most prolific running back of all-time, as the all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. Like Rice, Smith is also a certain lock for this year's Hall of Fame induction.
3. Cris Carter, WR - With the greatest receiver of all-time being inducted in this class, I fear that Cris Carter will be forced to wait yet another year for induction. But quite frankly, it is ridiculous that Carter is even still on the ballot. In my opinion, Cris Carter is the second greatest wide receiver of his generation, and should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. While Carter may get left out to give proper honors to Rice, it would also be plenty fitting to induct Carter along with Rice, so that the two premier receivers of the generation would go in together. Either way, it is about time Carter gets inducted. There may be no better possession receiver throughout NFL history, and the fact that it is taking him multiple years to get inducted is hurting the credibility of the Selection Committee. Here's hoping that the Hall of Fame gets it right this year, and puts Carter in the Hall of Fame where he belongs.
4. Shannon Sharpe, TE - Sharpe may have a tough time getting in this year with the amount of skill-position studs that are up for induction this year, but he certainly deserves to be inducted. Sharpe revolutionized the tight end position, as he became the most prolific receiving tight end the NFL had ever seen, and set the precedent for the transformation of the tight end position which has made receiving the primary focus rather than blocking for many of the league's tight ends. And that is not to say Sharpe was not a great blocker - he was one of the best in the league at blocking too, but he was primarily a receiver, and he was a true offensive weapon as a part of three Super Bowl championship teams - two with the Denver Broncos, one with the Baltimore Ravens. Sharpe is one of the greatest tight ends to ever play in the National Football League, and needs to be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
5. John Randle, DT - Skill-position players will certainly steal the headlines for this year's Hall of Fame class, but one defensive player who truly deserves the recognition this year is John Randle. Many people do not realize just how good John Randle was, but he was one of the dominant defensive linemen of the 1990's. Randle has 137.5 career sacks, which easily ranks best all-time among defensive tackles. Typically interior defensive linemen are known mostly for their ability to play the run, but Randle was fantastic at all facets of the position, for he was both a fantastic run stopper and a dangerous inside pass rusher. If you ask an offensive linemen who had to go up against Randle a few times, I am quite certain that any of them would tell you that John Randle deserves to be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and in his second year on the ballot, it is time for Randle to earn induction.
Guys who miss the cut, but would be great choices and should get in eventually
6. Richard Dent, DE - Richard Dent was one of the premier pass rushers of his generation, and was among the leaders of the dominant Chicago Bears defense of 1985 which pounded opposing offenses en route to winning Super Bowl XX, a game which Dent was the MVP of. If the Hall of Fame voters decide to leave out Carter and/or Sharpe with other skill-position studs in Rice and Smith being locks for induction, this eighth year on the ballot for Dent could very well be his year to earn induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
7. Dermontti Dawson, C - During the 1990's, no center was better than Dermontti Dawson. Unfortunately, Dawson played a position that received very little hype, but he is very worthy of being a Pro Football Hall of Famer. Dawson was a dominant center for the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout the 1990s, and while it is unlikely he will get inducted this year, I really hope that he will be recognized in the next few years by the Selection Committee and earn induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame like he deserves.
8. Tim Brown, WR - As both a wide receiver and a kick returner, Tim Brown was a superstar for the Oakland Raiders throughout the 1990's, and is very much deserving of being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. However, Brown has to go up against two even better wide receivers of the 90's this year in Rice and Carter, which should leave Tim Brown out until next year at least.
9. Cortez Kennedy, DT - Like Randle, Kennedy was also one of the best defensive tackles of the 90's, and is worthy of enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kennedy was even better than Randle against the run, but it is Randle's ability to rush the passer that made him even tougher to block than Kennedy, which is why Randle should be inducted before Kennedy, but Kennedy is worthy of future induction.
Not sold on these guys as Hall of Famers
10. Russ Grimm, G - If Russ Grimm is going to be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, this might have to be the year. In his fourteenth year of eligibility, this is the second to last year that he is eligible to be a part of the modern-era ballot for the Hall of Fame. Grimm was a fantastic guard who was a leader of the fantastic "Hogs" offensive line unit that led the Washington Redskins offense to three Super Bowl championships. But while Grimm was a great guard, he just does not have quite have the exclusive credentials that would make him a Hall of Famer, which is why he has yet to be inducted in thirteen previous opportunities, and therefore may fall short of induction.
11. Andre Reed, WR - Statistically, Andre Reed was a very prolific receiver, and he was one of the stars at the position at the 1990's. But if you haven't already noticed, there were alot of star receivers in the 1990's; three of whom have already been mentioned as members of this ballot. In my opinion, Reed would be deserving of being a Hall of Famer. The problem is, the Hall of Fame is a very exclusive club, so it cannot become loaded with too many players from a single position of a single generation, for the Hall of Fame is meant to honor the players who were truly the elites among their position during their era. Therefore, Andre Reed should remain a player who will fall just short of induction.
12. Rickey Jackson, LB - Rickey Jackson was the leader of the New Orleans Saints' "Dome Patrol" in the 1980's, which consisted of him, Sam Mills, Pat Swilling, and Vaughan Jackson, and is probably the best linebacker corps in National Football League. But while that gives him credibility as a Hall of Fame candidate, it also hurts him in some ways because of the fact that he did not truly stand out among that unit of four linebackers whom were all star linebackers, but none of whom are quite Hall of Fame level players, including Jackson.
13. Charles Haley, DE/LB - Charles Haley was a defensive star of his generation whom could truly be an impact defender, but his career credentials lack the consistency that would make him a Pro Football Hall of Famer, so he should go down as one of those players who was an NFL great, but just was not quite a Hall of Fame level player.
14. Dick LeBeau, CB - Typically, at least one of the two Senior Committee candidates is inducted, and LeBeau is the better of the two. LeBeau was a very good defensive back in his day, but he really is better known for his work as a defensive coordinator, and just did not stand out enough as a player to be a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
15. Floyd Little, RB - Floyd Little was a very versatile player during his prime, as he retired with more than 12,000 all-purpose yards from running, receiving, and returning punts. But while Little was one of the better offensive players of his generation, his career just does not stand out enough for him to be a part of the exclusive Pro Football Hall of Fame.
16. Roger Craig, RB - San Francisco 49ers fans would love to see two skill-position stars of their dynasty of the late 1980's go in together, but while Rice is a lock, Craig is almost a lock to not get in. Craig was a very good running back during his era, but the 49ers were certainly known for their Montana-Rice passing combination, and with good reason. Craig was an important part of those Super Bowl teams, but he is not a Pro Football Hall of Fame level running back.
17. Don Coryell, Coach - Don Coryell was a very successful coach, but he never led a team to a Super Bowl, which makes him hard to induct into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Coryell did not stand out as a coach because of his lack of a Super Bowl championship, and does not quite have the credentials to be a Hall of Fame coach.
Tune into NFL Network at 5 PM ET today to find out which candidates (at least four but no more than seven) have been selected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Selection Committee to make up the class of 2010!
