Word is trickling out on social media about who has officially been voted in as the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class.
Reports are that Morten Andersen, Kurt Warner, LaDanian Tomlinson, Terrell Davis and Jason Taylor were elected from the modern era. Jerry Jones was elected as a contributor, and former commissioner Paul Tagliabue reportedly missed election by a single vote. Senior candidate Kenny Easley also reportedly was inducted.
Warner and Davis were the only two who made the final 10 in 2016 voting, a noticeable difference from year’s past. Joe Jacoby, John Lynch and Don Coryell were the others in the final 10 from 2016 who missed the cut again this year. Tomlinson and Taylor were both eligible for the first time in 2017.
Davis and Tomlinson being elected together marks the first time since 1977 that two RB were elected together in the modern ballot, when Frank Gifford and Gale Sayers were elected.
Andersen’s election is the first for a full-time kicker since Jan Stenerud was elected in 1991.
The 15 finalists had been announced at the beginning of January. Tony Boselli, Isaac Bruce, Coryell, Brian Dawkins, Alan Faneca, Jacoby, Ty Law, Kevin Mawae, Lynch and Terrell Owens were the 10 finalists not elected.
Lynch, Dawkins, Law, Boselli and Mawae were reportedly the final five eliminated before final voting (thanks to Commenter Rob for the head’s up). This would seemingly put a serious damper on Coryell’s recent push to get in, as well as Jacoby, who was in his 19th year of eligibility.
From our predictions, I managed to get 3 of the 5 modern era candidates (Tomlinson, Davis, Warner). Only 2 of Andy’s predictions (Taylor and Tomlinson) were elected.
Check back for more analysis and commentary.
Loading ...
Per Clark Judge, the 15 to 10 cut were Alan Faneca, Don Coryell, Terrell Owens, Joe Jacoby and Isaac Bruce. The 10 to 5 cut were John Lynch, Brian Dawkins, Ty Law, Tony Boselli and Kevin Mawae.
I am shocked about Morton Andersen based on how voters treat special team players. Morton is very worth though. To me, he was the best Kicker back in the 1980’s and 1990’s that I seen growing up. Since Morton got voted in there, Adam Vinatieri should get inducted too.
Terrell Davis to me is a surprised and it opens a can of worms unlike Tomlinson. Terrell Davis first went to the NFL back when I was in high school. Terrell Davis was a great player for 4 years and was the reason the Broncos defeated the Packers in the Super Bowl. The problem is have is his body basically fall apart after his 4th year in the league. I said it opens a can of worms because there are other great players not in the hall of fame that had short careers also like Sterling Sharpe, and Tony Boselli as examples.
Tomlinson is a first ball player in most years and is very deserving of that honor.
Jason Taylor wasn’t much of a shocker to me. His resume does scream hall of fame and he’s the player with the most sacks on the ballot.
Warner isn’t a shock either. The biggest argument for him is what he did with the Rams and the Cardinals. The Rams after they lost to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game back in January of 1990, they usually didn’t have a winner record. Kurt taking that organization to 2 Super Bowls is a big accomplishment. What he did the Cardinals was huge since that was a losing franchise dating back to their days in Chicago.
All this did is open it up for Roger Craig if he’s still on the ballot and Edgerrin james for the runner back position.
With Kurt Warner inducted, there isn’t going to be a qb inducted into the Pro football hall of fame before Peyton Manning unless Ken Anderson gets inducted from the Senior Committee side.
I am not shocked Paul Tagliabue didn’t get voted in. The problem with Paul is an easy one. When he was commissioner, he did cover up the concussion and medical findings as way for not allowing former players to collect Disability money like Mike Webster as an example. Him and Gene Upshaw was responsible retired players not getting paid a bigger pension for many years.
I think the Wide Receiver Ball is going to be way too crowded next year with Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Terrell Owens, and Randy Moss. I am not pleased about the big traffic jam in the Safety and offensive line positions also.
Someone needs to explain Boselli and Mawae jumping ahead of Faneca to me.
Along with Jacoby, next year is Roger Craig’s final try as a “modern era” candidate. Given who else is going to be on the ballot (and that two RBs are going in this year), I’d be floored if he got in.
With three first team all decade team members on the ballot for the first time next year (Lewis, Moss, Urlacker) going be tight fight for remaining two slots. Plus big back up now at OL and S. I think Coryell and Jacoby are toast. TO also not getting in next year either. Likely fight for last two slots will be Boselli/Mamae and Dawkins/Lynch.
And not electing Tagliabue(apparently by one vote?!?), wastes two contributor slots since he will certainly be advanced again by the contributors committee within the next few years (as the senior committee has in the past when its candidates were not elected the first time)
Terrell Davis is like Charles Haley – underwhelming as a candidate and just falls short altogether in my book.
Kurt Warner deserves this, no doubt. While he may have had some imperfections, he was the premier quarterback at his height.
Tags getting snubbed and by one vote is a thumbs down for me.
Jones getting in is fine. The accomplishments are there.
LaDanian Tomlinson is first ballot worthy. I’m glad the writers didn’t mess this up.
I’m not denying Jason Taylor being worthy of Canton. I do think first ballot might be a reach.
Good on Kenny Easley making it.
Morten Andersen is a worthy choice but pleasant surprise. Special teamers do belong in Canton and he’s worthy. I’m hoping Jim Bakken gets his due one day.
No sense in fretting over who was snubbed. Davis was a mistake, but I had no power in this. The Senior pool is my main focus. Johnny Robinson, please. Bobby Dillon, Billy Howton, Chuck Howley, Jerry Kramer, Joe Fortunato, none of them are getting any younger. Don’t let what happened to Les Richter and Dick Stanfel happen to them.
Lewis yes, but I wouldn’t think Urlacher goes in on his first try. I would give Moss the edge over Owens, but who knows? Moss has some baggage of his own, having quit on a team in the middle of his career.
Steve Hutchinson is another notable first-time eligible for next year. However, given that Faneca’s having to wait for a bit, I would assume Hutchinson will have to, too. The guard position just isn’t valued all that highly.
I don’t think Randy Moss is an automatic for the Hall of Fame next despite him being on a 1st team all decade team. Since the voters have been punishing Terrell Owens for off the field stuff, it is very possible for Randy to get punished by the voters for the reputation he had on the field and a very infamous statement he made years ago.
Randy Moss did say years ago that “He plays when he decides to play”. That basically means he isn’t to going play hard every game even if the game is the Super Bowl.
Randy during his career had a reputation of showing lack of effort. Jerry Rice even said in the past that he had problems watching Randy Moss because he hating a seeing a player so gifted not taking advantage of his gifts due to work ethic. Case in point is the 49ers super Bowl game and the 49ers ended up losing that super bowl 31 to 34. Randy had done the same thing in the Vikings vs. Giants Championship that the Vikings were blown out. People claimed during Randy’s Oakland days that he shown lack of effort there too.
Randy Moss had a great career and was the best freak of Athletic ability from the Wide Receiver position I’ve seen.
Randy was 6 foot 4, but he ran less than a 4.3 in a 40 yard dash. Randy is one of the greats at his position, but his reputation of lack of effort makes people wonder how great he could’ve been if he had the work ethic of a Jerry Rice. That is something that voters are going to look at since he’s a person that even got called out by ex football players for lack of effort.
Although I painted Randy Moss in a negative light, he will be inducted before being a senior Candidate. I’m guessing it would be a 2 to 5 year range. My concern is the logjam at Wide Receiver because of the personalities of Randy Moss and Terrell Owens.
My reasoning is the numbers are there, and everything else you ask for a player’s resume outside of a Super bowl. Voters only punish players for a bad attitude so long like Terrell Owens and a Randy Moss.
Next year’s first time eligibles include Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Brian Urlacher, Ronde Barber, Steve Hutchinson and Richard Seymour.
Early prediction for 2018 modern era.
Lewis
Moss or Owens
Dawkins or Lynch
An OL
A second WR/OL/DB or Urlacher.
Wow, there were a lot of surprises this year. Both Davis and LT getting in, a kicker getting in, no safeties or offensive linemen getting in, Taylor getting in on the first ballot, four first-time finalists making the final 10, and 2 “final 10” members missing the final 10 cut this year. Definitely not a year where the typical patterns were followed.
We are definitely seeing some pretty big logjams happening now at safety, offensive linemen an wide receiver. I get the feeling that we’ll see one of each get inducted next year, but it’s hard to say. When there are multiple deserving players at certain positions, they can often cancel each other out.
As great as Moss and Urlacher were, I don’t think either are getting in next year on the first ballot. Ray Lewis is the only one who seems like a lock to me. As for the other returnees, my early guesses for induction would be Dawkins, Owens, Faneca and Mawae.
Two running backs, one of which wasn’t a first-year guy? No offensive linemen for the first time in I don’t even know when? Only the second kicker ever to be inducted? Only three of last year’s final ten even make it back to the final ten this year, while Anderson goes from outside the top ten to the hall and no fewer than three people who weren’t even finalists last year make it to the final ten? Were there significant changes in the makeup of the committee? It’s going to be a lot more difficult to predict next year’s class.
As mentioned, we’re starting to have backlogs develop at OL and the secondary as players cancel each other out the way Carter, Reed, and Brown did at WR for a few years, though I fully expect Dawkins or Lynch to get in next year. I had Dawkins ahead of Taylor and I didn’t even consider Taylor even a borderline first-ballot candidate, but then I haven’t done any real position-by-position analysis of what sorts of players get in, which don’t, and when (and there’s not necessarily much correlation between the strength of a resume and when you get in other than the true legends going in first-ballot), and Taylor is probably better-known to the casual football fan.
I didn’t think Urlacher would go in next year, but then part of the reason for that was because I didn’t think the Hall would put in two linebackers with Lewis certain to go in, and putting in two players at the same position is more justifiable when both are first ballot, and because I figured his resume was weaker than the casual football fan might think, except I had it ahead of Taylor’s. And I would expect Moss to get in ahead of TO, at least if one of them goes in next year, since Moss ultimately had the better, more important career and TO would have to jump in from outside the final ten, though I can’t say I’d be surprised at anything.
2017: good class. I’m very disappointed as a Redskins fan that Jacoby didn’t make it. Also think Dawkins was probably short changed a bit, but given the treatment of Safeties, I was concerned he wouldn’t make the top ten. Totally agree that the room seemed to have a new dynamic this year. Clark Judge mentioned the influence of Fouts and Lofton. I have no idea if their presence can be connected to the change in voting but it definitely felt like this year’s vote was a repudiation of the final 10 from last year and the previous “wait your turn” voting system. It is very possible that the voters understood and considered the star power of upcoming classes and wanted to get in Davis and Andersen beforehand. Just disappointed that Jacoby didn’t get the same treatment.
2018 (and beyond): Ray Lewis is a lock.
Moss v. TO v. WR field (i.e., Bruce, Holt, Ward) is anyone’s guess. Definitely the most difficult position to predict.
Dawkins or Lynch (but unlikely both) should be elected next year, which is critical because whiever isn’t elected may be in store for a long wait with Reed eligible in 2019 and Polamolu in 2020.
Law v. Barber is very interesting as well. My gut tells me that a lot of people think of Law as better because of his three rings and playing in NE, but a statistical comparison gives the nod to Barber by a healthy margin: Law has a career weighted AV of 87, Barber is at 111. While Law had 53 ints, 7 tds, 7 ff, 5 fr, and 5 sacks, Barber is at 47, 8, 15, 12, and 28. In fact Barber is the only players with 40 ints and 20 sacks in his career. Both made 5 pro bowls, and second team all decade for 2000s, but again Barber leads in AP all pros 3 to 2. Will be interesting how this plays out. Do they cancel each other out, does Barber leapfrog Law, who gets in before Champ Bailey shows up on the ballot in 2020, etc.
OL is a crap shoot. I’m biased and want Jacoby to get in, but my gut tells me that yesterday’s vote was the death kneel of his candidacy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t make the final 15 next year. Right now Boselli and Mawae have to be considered leaders, but Faneca and Hutchinson are both very deserving candidates.
Urlacher to me is the real wildcard. His reputation would seem to be first ballot lock, but when he is compared to Zach Thomas, who has never even made the semi finalists list, you have to wonder. They have identical weighted AVs and while URlacher made one more pro bowl, Thomas made one more ap all pro. Urlacher was also first team all decade while Thomas was second team. Stats do give the edge to Urlacker (significantly more sacks and ints), but is that enough for Urlacher to sail in while Thomas languishes? It shouldn’t be, but then again playing middle linebacker in Chicago never hurts.
This isn’t always the case, but being in your final year can help in baseball, like Jim Rice and Tim Raines. I understand 2018 is Jacoby’s last year as a modern era player. Can that help? That’s all we need is for him to be a senior candidate while older generations get left in the cold again.
Them again, at least some players get love from the senior committee. The Veterans’ Committee in baseball is practically a death sentence.
Jacoby may get final year push, but like others before him it not elected as modern I can see him as a senior candidate within 5 years (which does not help the many pre-1980 seniors still waiting).
Moving forward I am putting much more wait on 1st team all decade team members from 90s and 2000s as PFHOF voters certainly favored them this year (Taylor), that I why I am willing to predict Lewis, Moss and Urlacker, plus Boselli and one of the safeties (Dawkins/Lynch) for 2018.
Thoughts. 1. No surprise that warner Tomlinson got elected 2. Really shocked that td Morten Anderson and Jason Taylor (first year) got elected now then on to next year where does the senior committee go defense again or back to offense thoughts
2018 senior candidates? OL + LB, hopefully both pre 1980 but I stopped trying to apply reasoning to senior committee thinking and selections
I hope they go. Brazil’s lb or gradishar lb for defense
had a problem with my phone should say brazlie instead of brazil
Future PFHOF eligible
2018: Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Steve Hutchinson, Brian Urlacher, Ronde Barber.
2019: Tony Gonzalez, Ed Reed, Champ Bailey
2020: Troy Polamalu, Reggie Wayne, Patrick Willis.
2021: Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson, Marshawn Lynch, Jared Allen.
For 2018 Seniors Candidates I would go with Kramer and Howley, but I have no confidence the seniors committee will nominate either.
For 2018 Contributor candidate my prediction is Bobby Beathard
And for 2018 moderns: Lewis, Moss, Urlacker, Boselli, Dawkins ( I like the heavy focus on defense)
I could see that with 2018 paul
Somewhat amazed to read that Moss may run into same concern with voters as TO has, and in fact TO may get in next year before Moss! Their numbers are very similar and although I know Moss had issues with lack of 100% effort, my sense is that most people feel those are less than for TO, plus would place Moss above TO in any list of all time WRs, perhaps as high as #2. Yet many people pointing out in the era of the passing game, the so called “Jerry Rice” standard is being held for 1st time eligible WR elections and Moss may fall short. Thoughts??
I would like to see senior candidates at OL, and LB, but don’t have a good feeling it wouldn’t happen to one of those two positions. My reasoning is I the Senior Committee is knows Special teams and the Safety Position isn’t represented well in the Hall of Fame. I’m guessing they may do either Special teams or Safety for one of the two spots.
I think the Committee could be thinking that since Morton Andersen and Ray Guy got inducted in the last 4 years, they might look at a returner. I think Rick Upchurch and Billy “White Shoes Johnson are the top 2 return guys from a senior standpoint and I think Rick has the stronger case since he went to 4 pro bowls and 5 all pro teams including 3 first team all pro teams and was a 1st team all 70’s all decade team.
I thinking they might go the Safety position again since Eddie Meador, Cliff Harris, Joey Browner, Eddie Robinson, and Deron Cherry are senior candidates.
Packerfan4ever don’t you mean johnny robinson
Yes, I meant Johnny Robinson.
Just posted some of my own thoughts on the 2017 class. Looking forward to hearing your comments. https://www.zoneblitz.com/2017/02/07/critiquing-2017-hall-fame-class/
Andy I liked your class the only problem was that this year lynch and Dawkins cancelled each other out
Robert, agreed that they canceled each other out. But the voters have to figure out a way around that.
I found Hanburger, Richter, Guy and Tingelhoff to be fantastic picks. I found Culp, Robinson and Stabler to be mistakes. May the senior committee please get it right for 2018.
Didn’t realize the site was active until now because the list of recent comments hadn’t changed in a good while.
First, congratulations to all those elected. Very reasonable class, and a good result for a catch-up year. I’m kind of on the fence with Davis but am glad he got in and is off the table; actually not surprised he got in. Surprised (though pleasantly) at Andersen and Taylor getting in. Didn’t expect the latter to be first ballot, though in retrospect he was helped by having no LB or DL on the ballot to provide competition. Was afraid Andersen would wait longer, but he took advantage of there being three logjams to get around the field to the final five. Tomlinson and Warner were no surprise. Happy also for Jones and Easley. But not electing Tagliabue was really bad, since it wastes a Contributor slot and further could be seen as coming at the expense of a possible Senior. They’ve now wasted three Senior/Contributor slots in nine years, which is totally unacceptable.
More to come.
The Contributor and Senior situations are now both a real problem, am thinking. The nominating committees seem to have real problems getting good candidates put forth, the presentations of nominees don’t seem to be convincing the voters consistently enough, and it seems far too easy for a small clutch of voters to keep nominees out. They need to overhaul the system.
A radical solution, which I’ve suggested before. Replace the members of the nominating committees with real football historians, then have them direct elect the candidates they come up with, bypassing the general voters. But that’ll likely never happen.
A less radical, and maybe more workable solution. Have the committees present a well vetted slate of nominees, five Contributors, ten Seniors. Include coaches with the Contributors. Present both slates to the general voting committee. Have the voters rank each nominee from best to worst, and the two Seniors and one Contributor who score best are automatically elected.
Regardless, the current system wastes too many slots. Something needs to change.
Here is what Clark Judge had this to say about for Seniors for 2018 ” so many candidates for two spots. Brazile could be one. Johnny Robinson. Mike Curtis. kramer long overdue. Would love to see Drew Pearson come out. Same with Al Wistert. Anyway, probably better suited to ask Rick and Ron. Theyre on subcommittee.”
Other thoughts. Surprised that both Don Coryell and Joe Jacoby lost ground, not even getting out of the first cutdown this time in spite of a catch-up year. With a bunch of good candidates coming up the next few years, this may be it for Coryell. And Jacoby’s candidacy looks to be in serious trouble, given that both Boselli and Mawae bypassed him into the top 10 and next year is his last as a regular candidate.
Looks like more logjams in the making (Dawkins/Lynch/Law, Owens/Bruce, Boselli/Mawae/Faneca/Jacoby). Adding Moss and Barber will complicate things further. It’s going to make predicting the 2018 class really tough. For me, the only sure thing next year will be Ray Lewis. Not sure Moss will be first ballot because of dogging-it and similar baggage, though he might get in anyway. Not sure Urlacher gets in first ballot — he’ll pale next to fellow MLB Lewis, and being the cover guy for an SI article a few years ago on most overrated players may not help. Am also thinking at least three, maybe four holdovers from the logjams above will be elected, possibly at least one OL and one DB. Darned if I know who will get through, though. This year’s results really reduced things next year to a crapshoot, am thinking.
Del Shofner was a 5x Pro Bowler, 5x First Team All Pro and member of the 1960s All Decade Team. Where’s his love from tge Senior Committee?