Eleven first-year players, including WR Randy Moss, LB Ray Lewis, LB Brian Urlacher and DB Ronde Barber highlight the list of 108
Courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2018.
Other first-year candidates include WR Donald Driver and (the other) Steve Smith; OL Matt Birk, Jeff Saturday, Steve Hutchinson; and DL Richard Seymour and Kyle Vanden Bosch.
Of the first-year guys, the first four would seem to be locks for enshrinement – presumably Lewis as a first-ballot HOFer and the rest in years to follow (Moss had a first-ballot career, but likely falls into the trap Terrell Owens and others have with logjams and politics).
Without spending a great deal of time studying their respective cases, my inclination is that Driver and Smith are solid nos, Hutchinson is a yes, Birk and Saturday are maybes, Seymour is a yes and Vanden Bosch is a no … your thoughts?
The entire list can be found here. It consists of 53 offensive players, 38 defensive players, five special teamers and 12 coaches.
As you can see by the link, there has been a fair amount made of the nomination of Smith. In reality, as most of you are aware, anyone can nominate a player for this stage of the process. Thus, over the years, many non-candidate candidates have had their names brought forward.
The group will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November and then to 15 finalists in January.
Those 15 finalists along with Senior Candidates Jerry Kramer and Robert Brazile and Bobby Beathard, who was nominated as a contributor, will be voted on during meetings held during Super Bowl weekend.
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Steven Smith and Ferrell Edmunds should not even be on the list
Someone can correct me if am wrong but it is my understanding that anyone can nominate a candidate for the preliminary modern candidate list (which is why it is often 100 names+), as long as they are eligible. PFHOF Board, staff or the selection committee do not review or refine that list. As a result every year there are odd surprises of who is listed, including those clearly not competitive or deserving for consideration, and often who is not on the list. I think if anyone wants to have Irving Fryar, Derrick Mason, Keenan McCardell or Muhsin Mohammed appear on the 2019 list they can simply write to the PFHOF with that nomination next year.
And as have stated in the past at this stage of the election process, for me the list of the preliminary nominees is the least interesting and meaningless stage. Sure there are always a few odd inclusions and questionable exclusions of some candidates, but none that really have a serious chance this year or in the near future for election. For me the real fun and process, and debates, start with the 25 semi-finalists released in November, and especially with the 15 finalists in mid January.
Paul, agreed. This is kind of the “silly season” part of the process where anyone eligible can in theory be nominated.
Mostly a decent list, though — even Richmond Webb, who if memory serves has always been omitted in past, finally made it on. Irving Fryar, Derrick Mason, Muhsin Muhammad, or Keenan McCardell would of course be better options than the NYG Steve Smith or John Taylor, though they weren’t getting in anyway. The only other omissions I noticed were Ray Childress and Pat Swilling, but again they’re not going to be elected.
And it could be worse. I remember one year each when Cortez Kennedy and Randall McDaniel somehow didn’t make the preliminaries. Nothing as drastically bad this year.
Pleased to see Webb, Dillon, Fred Taylor and Neil Smith finally get a nomination. Leslie O’Neal used to be left out but he’s now been listed the last few years. The list of Defensive Linemen has also been expanded though there are still some omissions like Childress and Charles Mann.
Some names not listed:
Shaun Alexander
Warrick Dunn
Jamal Lewis
Clinton Portis
Priest Holmes (the logjam of HOVG RBs)
Jim Lachey
Olin Kreutz
Charles Mann
Ray Childress
Derrick Mason
Irving Fryar
Keenan McCardell
The Ken Harvey fan club looks to have given up or forgot to send in their letter this year as other former Redskins, Lachey, Mann and Stephen Davis were also not on this year’s list. I thought Harvey and Davis was bad until I saw Edmunds and (the other) Steve Smith.
No Darren Sharper this time, which I am glad he is off. What he did was absolutely one of the worst things you can do on this planet. I understand what you do off the field shouldn’t have an impact on your career; but in this case, it does. Breaking the law such as DUI , using drugs, etc shouldn’t keep you from getting a bust. Kidnapping and other stuff 100% should. Okay so predicting the semifinalists. There will be some new names :
Edgerrin James
Issac Bruce
Torry Holt
Randy Moss
Terrell Owens
Hines Ward
Tony Boselli
Alan Faneca
Steve Hutchinson
Joe Jacoby
Kevin Mawae
Steve Wisniewski
Richard Seymour
Ray Lewis
Brian Urlacher
Zach Thomas
Steve Atwater
Ronde Barber
Brian Dawkins
Ty Law
John Lynch
Darren Woodson
Gary Anderson
Don Coryell
Jimmy Johnson
I took off Chris Hinton because I feel Steve Hutchinson trumps him. I am pleased to find room on my list for Zach Thomas. He was way overdue. Gary Anderson may be the biggest stretch , I feel as though he might make it. He might have to wait a long long time until he gets elected. I am just thinking voters want his name out there just so his career doesn’t fade away when it comes time for Senior Nominee. This ballot is very deep and there are easily 10-15 realistic combinations. I wouldn’t be shocked to Donovan McNabb’s name instead of Gary Anderson.
And for a future reference, I hope to see London Fletcher on the list someday. Not saying he is 100% HOF worthy, but he had about 8-11 quality seasons and should have been a PBer a total of 6-8 times( I believe was an alternate 9x). He also played in 256 straight games. I don’t care if it’s playing in those games as a special teamer. That’s impressive. He did it mostly as a starting LB and playing at a high level. If players such as Derrick Brooks, Ray Lewis, Zach Thomas, Brian Urlacher, etc didn’t play in his era, I wouldn’t be surprised if he made 2-3 First Team AP.
Pretty good list this year. In particular, I’m happy to see Corey Dillon finally make the list and it’s nice to see Ben Coates, Richmond Webb, Michael Dean Perry, and Neil Smith nominated. Those 4 are borderline semi-finalist worthy in my opinion, and their absence in past years was frustrating. In terms of players that I would call “misses” on the list, I’ll go by position:
QB: Boomer Esiason and Drew Bledsoe
RB: Priest Holmes
WR: Gary Clark, Mark Clayton and Andre Rison
TE: Keith Jackson, Brent Jones, Steve Jordan and Jeremy Shockey
OL: Jim Lachey, Olin Kreutz and Mark Stepnoski
DL: Ray Childress, Steve McMichael and Trevor Pryce
LB: Pat Swilling, Hardy Nickerson and James Farrior
DB: Carnell Lake. Darren Sharper and Tim McDonald
K: None
P: None
ST: Eric Metcalf
First-Time Eligibles: Todd Heap, Casey Hampton, Takeo Spikes, Keith Brooking, Adrian Wilson and Antoine Winfield
Jason Hanson scored 2,150 career points for the Lions, an NFL record for a single franchise, and was also a first time eligible.
Lance Briggs in 2 years should make the list. 2/7/none is right on the cusp of HOF worthy. He was 1-2 more First Team All Pros and 1-2 PBs away from being a HOF lock. I know this is a 2018 HOF post, but Geno Aktins is on the verge of being a HOFer. He is on his way to his 6th Pro Bowl and perhaps his 4th first team All Pro team (Even though it’s only week 2). 4/6/00s after this year the way he is playing and could end up 5/8/00s for a career is easily HOF worthy.
I always thought of Lance Briggs as being in the Hall of Very good. Geno Atkins looks like a Hall of Fame player. Even when the Bengals are not great defensively, he stands out.-Bill
Speaking of future PFHOFers, Jason Witten continues to strengthen his case as he is now only the 2nd TE with over 12,000 career reception yards, and at 1,106 receptions (4th all time among all players), and with 2(2)/10 profile, plus most receptions by TE in a game (18) and a season (110 in 2012). He lacks career TDs (65) and of course limited playoff successes, no all decade team, and no SBs. Also possible in the coming years once he retires ,and by time he is on the ballot, that he may be passed by others on the career receptions list (Brandon Marshal-942 and Antonio Gates-901 are next current players on top 20 list, with several others likely to move up over next 5-10 years). It will be an interesting debate if and when Witten and Antonio Gates (3/8/00s) and 112 career TDs -best for TE- appear on the ballot. Clearly roles for TEs have changed in last few decades as many, such as Gates, are more of a WR and have much less blocking duties (Witten does both). Not saying Witten gets in before Gates nor will he be 1st ballot (as PFHOF voters are very slow to recognize TEs-there are currently only 8, Tony Gonzalez will be the 9th, likely as 1st ballot in 2019. But Witten is clearly deserving and depending on other candidates on the ballot in 2023 (if he retires after this season which is possible) and beyond, he should be elected in years 2-5.
Witten is definitely a hall of famer. Along with Gates, and Gronkowski. Vernon Davis and Jimmy Graham come up a little short. The one straddling the fence for me is Olsen from Carolina…too bad he just got hurt.
Rob Gronkowski would take a long time to get into canton. While Gronkowski is one of the finest tight ends I watched. he’s injury prone. From 2010 to 2016, Gronkowski only has played in around 79 percent of regular season games. I’ll surprised if he’ll still be in the league in 2021.
One guy I’ve been thinking of has been Matthew Stafford. His case could be a tough one to argue against. I get that he is only been named to 1 Pro Bowl. But, let’s face it. the Pro Bowl is a joke now-a-days. He didn’t Pro Bowl when he threw for 5k in a season, yet during the same season Wilson did throwing for 3,118 yards and so did RGIII throwing for 3,200. His HOF case could come from just his pure numbers. Now, it could be just the era we are in. He also has the most pass attempts per game for a career. But, still. I think numbers play a huge part in making the HOF. If he continues the way he is playing , he could get to: 60k yards, 400 TDs, and 5,300 completions . All of those numbers would rank in the top 7 ( as of today). He could be the one QB of his era who just amasses a lot of big numbers. But, I think it would be hard to pass that up for enshrinement if he reaches those milestones. A long way to go for him to get there, but at the same time he has a lot of football left. And if he has a break out season like Matt Ryan did last season (MVP, 1st Team AP, and making the SB), that’ll improve his candidacy even greater.
Rob Gronkowski may be injured quite a bit but it hasn’t hurt his numbers or the fact tat he has two Super Bowl rings. Kellen Winslow was even more injury prone and Gronk has long surpassed his numbers. the inductions of Kurt Waner and Terrel Davis and the future induction of Tony Boselli signifies you only have to be great for a few years and pretty good for another year or two. Gronk has already done that!
One of the challenges in terms of sorting out the current era of TEs (besides TonyG) for PFHOF consideration is the real variety of AP All Pro selections-that will also help determine the eventual 2010s all decade team selection
2010: Witten/Gates; 2011: Gronk/JimmyG; 2012: Tony G/Witten; 2013: JimmyG/VDavis; 2014: Gronk; 2015: Gronk/GregO; 2016: Travis K/GregO
Beyond Gronk (3x all pro), unless Travis or GregO make a sustained run of All Pro selections 2017-2019, the 2nd TE on the 2010s all decade team (giving them a PFHOF edge) is really wide open. Right now (beyond Gronk), Witten, JimmyG, and GregO all have 2 all pro team selections.
As to Stafford, many QBS, especially those who have 12+ year careers, are gojng to put up huge career numbers. So for PFHOF QBs from this era, it will take MVPs, multiple All Pro selections, and playoff successes especially SB wins. Fair or unfair that is how QBs are going to be judged when so many will end up in the top 10 passing records from this era.
Thats a Good point Paul about qbs
I can see a situation within the next several years where all the top 10 career passing records are held by 10 players who all paid in the same era or decade (2010s)
You know that the exact opposite will be true for RB’s. there will be more RB’s in the Leroy Kelly, Terrell Davis numbers than the Curtis Martin and Franco Harris numbers. It may become more difficult to decipher a Hall of Fame Running back. I have a feeling reception by RB’s may become a greater part of the HOF debate
That will be interesting when that time comes bill
Bill I actually think we will see a gradual decline in the number of high profile RBs considered for and elected to the PFHOF as more RB are playing fewer seasons and driving up consistent high rushing numbers. Once we get beyond the two RBs on the all decade teams, could be looking at fewer RBs considered. Terrell Davis (all decade, 2xSBs, 2000 yrd season, NFL MVP, SM MVP) is more the exception than the norm as not too many RBs can put that quality of career together, especially in under 10 years. Just look at situation of Edgerrin James, is taking a while to get elected and may be a few more years long as PFHOF voters are clearly finally starting to give more attention to DL, OL, WR, S, and soon TEs. The idea that RB is a premier position (along with QBs) is shifting. Once the wave of QBs, WRs and TEs from the post 2000 era passing offenses starting to appear on the ballot in large numbers in the next decade, RBs are going to get pushed further back in the list. Once EJ is elected, we could see an extended period with no RBs elected (just as occurred with QBs prior to Brett F election)
Paul Ill be Brief what you said about the drought of elected running backs to the hall of fame is spot on
Frank Gore is 107 yards away from passing Eric Dickerson for 7th all time on rushing list. He is just chiseling his way to a bust in Canton.
After Gore and Peterson there’s a quartet of active players in the 9,000-10,000 yards range. Chris Johnson, Shady McCoy, Marshawn Lynch and Matt Forte.
The 9,000-11,000 range is looking very cluttered with 17 players, with only Joe Perry and Earl Campbell in Canton. Then there’s another three retired RBs between 11,000-12,000; Fred Taylor, Steven Jackson and Corey Dillon.
Adrian Peterson needs just over 200 yards for 12,000.
10,000 yards career rushing is no longer going to be golden ticket to PFHOF enshrinement. I doubt very much that C Johnson, McCoy, Lynch of Forte are getting into PFHOF any time soon after retirement. Same can be said for F Taylor, S Jackson and C Dillon, once they are on the ballot their support among voters is going to be divided and cancel each other out. Beyond the NFL MVP, multiple all pro and all 1st ream all decade RBs (e.g. Peterson in 2010s). others are going to be left out.
and how do you know all that paul
I actually like Forte as a hall of fame candidate and I still hold out hope that Roger Craig will get his due. Also I think Peterson is just about finished. He picked a bad team to go to for his skill set and he looks at least a step slow. Chris Johnson did not look good last night either.
Here’s my order for players not yet eligible for the HOF: AP, Gore, CJ2k, Beast Mode, LeSean McCoy,Steven Jackson. I put Chris Johnson #3 because he had a 2k rushing yard season, OPOY and in prime, the guy was a HR hitter(as in he could break off very long TDs). His first 6 seasons were among the best 6 years starts for RBs in NFL history. Anyway,they all have had very good careers. They are all ballot worthy. It will be interesting to see what voters will do this decade.
So going decade by decade you got for the 70s(I am listing those that are in or will be in. Roger Craig is deserving but didn’t mention him because it might take him years once he’s a Senior Nominee): Gale Sayers,Floyd Little, Larry Csonka, LeRoy Kelly, Earl Campbell, OJ Simpson,John Riggins, Franco Harris, Tony Dorsett,Walter Payton. (10)
80s: Earl Campbell, John Riggins, Thurman Thomas, Franco Harris, Marcus Allen, Tony Dorsett,Eric Dickerson,Barry Sanders, Walter Payton. (9)
90s: Terrell Davis, Thurman Thomas,Marcus Allen,Edgerrin James (will get in soon),Marshall Faulk, Curtis Martin,Jerome Bettis,Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith. (10)
00s: Thurman Thomas, Edgerrin James, LaDainian Tomlinson, Curtis Martin, Adrian Peterson,Marshall Faulk,Frank Gore,Jerome Bettis,Emmitt Smith, Terrell Davis.( 10)
10s: LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, Frank Gore. Who else?
I get that a lot only played a handful of years in a decade, but,as you can see, since the 70s at least 9 HOFers per decade. 10s is a different story. With voters not voting for a plethora of 10k yard backs for the 00s ,it doesn’t seem to bode well for the RBs mentioned on previous posts. Will the standard be lowered or will this allow more QBs, WRs, and TEs into the HOF? It’s something to think about.
I meant to put Forte before Steven Jackson.
I think you may end up seeing more lineman and defensive players going forward. The game is so offensive now that I think it highlights those that are special on defense and it is hard to differentiate from one skill player to another. For example; I used to think Andre Johnson was a hall of fame wide receiver when I was watching him play. By the time he shows up on the ballot. there maybe 25 wide receivers with careers like him.
Robert: Like every other post here it is simply an opinion-but an informed one having looked closely at trends in the game and in PFHOF voting. Much has been made of the decline in the role of the RB as a major offensive weapon and whether many individual RBs would get the majority of carries year after year enough to sustain greatness in terms of season and career numbers, or whether RBs are burning out by 30 or replaced by RB via committee and also losing carries to a more passing focused attack. Just look at NE and their use of RBs since 2000. Yes there will always be exceptions and 4 will make the 1st and 2nd team all decade teams, and some others play long enough to get 9,000 yards, but without NFL MVP, multiple all pro teams and playoff successes (including SB and SB MVP) many are simply not getting into the PFHOF. Point in case is Forte with a 0/2/0 profile he is simply not PFHOF worthy. After Peterson and Gore (likely 2010 all decade team RBs) I do not see a current strong case for any other RBs.
“I get that a lot only played a handful of years in a decade, but,as you can see, since the 70s at least 9 HOFers per decade. 10s is a different story. With voters not voting for a plethora of 10k yard backs for the 00s ,it doesn’t seem to bode well for the RBs mentioned on previous posts. Will the standard be lowered or will this allow more QBs, WRs, and TEs into the HOF? It’s something to think about.”
I agree, with the passing focus on the game today, more QBs, WRs and TEs will be elected and many fewer RBs. By the election years in the 2020s the RB position will be like the TE position has been for decades, a low priority of the PFHOF voters. Just look at the challenge facing E James in recent years and his lack of movement forward in the balloting. Yes eventually the seniors committee may rescue some of the post 2000 RBs not elected as moderns, but even with the potential increase in senior slots, RBs are not the only underrepresented position in the deep seniors candidate pool. Why would the PFHOF senior committee put a post 2000 era RB lacking all pro and all decade status ahead of pre and post 2000 era players at other positions that have those qualifications? As the RB position continues to be devalued across the league, so will they be devalued by PFHOF voters. I would not expect the decades of the 2010s to come close to 10 RBs elected to PFHOF, 3-4 perhaps 5 but not 10.
I recently found this great PFHOF resource available for free download:
http://www.profootballhof.com/media/2017-media-guide/
that makes sense paui
Aqib Talib has been arguably the 3rd best corner in past 5 years, behind future HOF contenders Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman. If he makes the 1st team AP team this year, he will end up most likely 2/5/10s?. Is that HOF worthy given the trend of his career? He could wind up getting a resume of 3/7/10, which seems worthy of a bust. He also has 10 pick sixes, which puts him at 3rd most in a career(4th overall as a player).
J.J. Watt is out for the season. It seemed 2 years ago he was a virtual lock for first ballot given the way his career was going. Now ,will he even make the HOF on the modern era ballot? I think he will, even if it takes him to be inducted as a Senior Nominee ( But that is very unlikely. He will sneak into a class for sure). 3x DPOY and Bert Bell POY awards are hard to pass up. Only him and Lawrence Taylor have done that. But, his career, if he decides to retire after this year, would be considered very short. The HOF just inducted someone like him and that would be Terrell Davis . Now, I get that TD never won 3 OPOY awards like Watt has for defense, but both were so darn good for 3-4 years then go hurt. Watt actually had a very good rookie year. According to the Pro Football Focus group he was among the best D-linemen in the NFL during his first year. But RBs last on avg 2-3 years then retire. And speaking of RBs, Gale Sayers got in 1st Ballot despite having a very short career, JJ Watt I can see getting in the on his first year, but he needs to play another 2-3 years with at least 12 or more games played each year. If he does retire, I don’t see first ballot, but I certainly don’t see him getting passed up 20 straight years and being thrown into the Senior pool. Could J.J. Watt get the Gale Sayers treatment and get enshrined right away or will it be the Terrell Davis route and will have to wait a decade plus? I think it is somewhere in the middle
Julius Peppers has reached 150 career sacks.
you hit the nail on the head about jj watt brad
J j Watt will also clearly make the 2010s all decade Team and even if his career ends now he will be in the PFHOF in under 10yrs once eligible possible sooner
Julius Peppers is IMO a player for first ballot. Chris Doleman got in on his 8th ballot with a resume of 3/8/90s and 150.5 sacks. Julius’ has a better one: 4/9/00s (10s perhaps? JJ Watt is a lock for first team. Who will be the others on first and second team? Peppers has a resume of 1/4 in the decade. He actually could make the Pro Bowl this year avg. more than a sack a game this year). Julius has more 10 sack seasons and could add another this year. He also has more forced fumbles and was very good at knocking down passes at the line of scrimmage (78 PDs). We shall see who remains on the ballot when he is eligible and if he plays beyond this year. If he does in fact make the PB this year, 4/10/00s-10s? is hard to pass up for first ballot. I don’t think many 10x Pro Bowlers don’t get in first ballot.
Another pass rusher that has a HOF worthy resume that is active is Terrell Suggs. 1/6/10s? Isn’t strong but being named DPOY and DROY helps. 118.5 sacks is good for an OLB. He won a SB too and is 3rd in postseason sacks, behind WIllie McGinest and Bruce Smith and is ahead of Reggie White , Charles, Haley, and Richard Dent. I think he gets in but his road will be long. His lone first team all pro won’t bode well.
The folks I listed at another thread who seemed most likely to be the DEs on the all-10s team were Watt, Cameron Wake, Justin Smith, and Jared Allen.
And agreed, if this is it for Watt, my guess is he still gets in but waits a few years. Even now his profile is 4/4/10s?, he has 76 sacks in an abbreviated career, and he’s considered excellent all around, not just as a pass rusher. The short career won’t be a major sticking point for him and similar short career folks like Patrick Willis, Calvin Johnson, and Tony Boselli — but it will be a delaying issue.
hard to believe any 3x DPOY will have a long wait to get into the PFHOF, regardless of total length of career, he is certainly more qualified then Patrick Willis, Calvin Johnson, and Tony Boselli
spot on as usual paul
And I do support Patrick Willis, Calvin Johnson, and Tony Boselli (who will get in very soon) for PFHOF, I just think they will all end up with longer waits then JJ Watt
Dwight Freeney just signed with the Seahawks. If he plays 1 snap, it’ll push back his eligibility to 2023, which I thinks bodes well for him. Many players’ eligibility, who have been named semi finalists recently, will be up by then(Roger Craig, Karl Mecklenburg,Clay Matthews, Joe Jacoby Chris Hinton, and Mike Kenn). Out of those I see Joe Jacoby as the only one who has a shot at getting in on the modern era ballot. Not too mention Steve Awater and Darren Woodson will be off soon after. Also 30 more players will be inducted. While many more will be put on the ballot each year, I don’t see 30 players filling the void. Zach Thomas’ name will (or I should say better) appear on the Semi list. It’ll be no doubt a stacked ballot once Dwight is eligible but it’s better he played after his time with the Colts or otherwise he’d be eligible this year and we see how packed the ballot is now. The only downside to Dwight’s candidacy is that he is a one dimensional player. Strictly a pass rusher. But, his 3/7/00s and winning a SB with 11 postseason sacks,is a very solid resume.
while i agree with you on freeney brad the one dimensional tag sounds a little nit picking other than that we agree
Brad, Atwater is indeed eligible up to 2024, though Woodson is good through 2028. It’ll be tight for the former and maybe for the latter, but both may yet make it in. A lot depends in how long Reed, Dawkins, and Polamalu wait, and I don’t think it will be long for any of them. Agreed about Freeney, though.
Julius Peppers is now in sole position for 4th most sacks.
and PFHOF voters love them pass rushers (at least last several years)
I know I said it before but,Dwight played yesterday (recorded a half sack, which puts him tied for 17th all time) so he is up for HOF in 2023 unless he plays one more season. The ballot will be very light once he is on it. If Julius Peppers finishes the year with 12 sacks(on pace for 15) , he just needs 5 sacks to pass Kevin Greene for 3rd most all time. While Kevin Greene got elected on his 12th ballot, Peppers has a much better resume, even without passing him in sacks: Peppers: 4/9/00s, DROY, 151 sacks, 11 ints (4 for TDs), 52 Forced Fumbles ( Which I think is an NFL record since they kept track of the stat),9 seasons of 10 sacks or more(Probably getting his 10th this year). Greene: 3/5/90s, 160 sacks, 23 Forced Fumbles(his first 3 seasons weren’t tracked),10 seasons of 10 sacks, 5 ints (1 for a TD).
Speaking of pass rushers, what are everyone’s thoughts on John Abraham’s HOF case? 3/5/none. Could have been All Decade in 2000s if he wasn’t hurt. As a Jet fan , I wish they never let him go. If they had him in 2009 and 2010, I think that defense would have been a top 10-15 all time defense. Him as the pass rusher, David Harris at LB to stop the run, and Darrelle Revis as your shut down corner. That team would have made one SB in either year. Anyway, His AP/PB/ADT isn’t strong, but minus the ADT it’s similar to Kevin Greene. He also had 47 Forced Fumbles, which is impressive. I think he is a Senior Nominee contender, but I do hope he makes the Semi Finalists at least 1x. Jared Allen’s name is coming up too. Pass rushers are going to be tough to sort out in next 10-15 years Just think, JJ Watt, Terrell Suggs, and DeMarcus Ware will most likely make their appearance on the ballot in the 2020s, unless Watt miraculously gets healthier and plays another 5-6 years. I see Ware retiring end of the year. Suggs is still playing well, but he is 35. If he plays 2 more seasons, he’ll be on the ballot in 2025. Only guy who has a shot at making the ballot for first time in 2030 is Watt and even that’s a major stretch given his health.
It may be very early, but I think Travis Kelce is a player for the HOF. He is a contender for the 2010s All Decade Team TE. I see Gronk as one of them and the other comes down to Travis and Greg Olsen. 1st Team All Pro will come down to him and Gronk this year and going forward I can see Travis being named to another 3-4 Pro Bowls after this year with 1-2 All Pro selections. Just someone to keep an eye on.
I forgot Jason Witten for 2010s ADT. He is also a contender for sure. I may even say It’s him 2nd team and Gronk 1st team. But, we’ll see how much longer he plays. Travis seems to be in the prime of his career.
” I see Ware retiring end of the year” Ware is already retired and not currently playing. So as long as he does not get back into the game, he will get at least one yr on the ballot (2022) before Freeney and Peppers arrive. Allen makes ballot in 2021, so could be interesting discussion and voting between Ware and Allen including for final 15.
If Travis Kelce secures All Pro teams for 2017, 2018 and 2019, plus 3 more Probowls (or even only 2 of those) he could very well get on 2010s all decade team ahead of Witten, who has two all Pro teams this decade. Not that it really makes a difference for Witten’s PFHOF case as his season and career numbers, and 2(2)/10 profile begs election, even without playoff successes. Perhaps not 1st ballot for Witten (voters tend to delay TE elections), but within years 2-5 on the ballot
Yea starting in 2021, that decade will be filled with some prime pass rushers in Allen, Ware, Suggs, Watt, Peppers and Freeney, and perhaps Abraham.
Also I wonder if are starting to see the end of the 2000s era QBs of the Mannings, Ben, Brees, Rivers, Romo, and eventually Brady (hey they all hit a wall at some point) and rise of the next great QB era with Wilson, Carr, Dak, Luck(?), Winston(?), Wentz, and Watson-looking to dominate over the next decade?
WIlson is my frontrunner for HOF out of the ones you mentioned. He already has won the SB, was a play away from another win(Can’t blame him. Bad play call and that interception was timed insanely well). He is also starting to string together 4k yard seasons. Not necessarily a guy who will pass for 250-300 yards most games, but he is getting more and more ypg as the years go on. His rushing ability helps his HOF case too, like Cam Newton, which you forgot to mention. He is the only QB to win MVP this century not named Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Gannon(HOF worthy if he played a tad better in the beginning of career and/or won the SB vs Bucs) or Brees. Newton has an interesting case. He is inconsistent but I wouldn’t go as far to say it’s on the same level as Jim Plunkett, who many fans think should be in the HOF. Newton has been considered the best player for a single season and voted by his peers as that. Making the SB helps too. If he ends up with 250 TD passes, 40k passing yards, 5-6k rushing yards, and 70-80 rushing TDs, that would be hard to pass up. Only time will tell.
I believe Wilson has the inside track right now but Carson Wentz looks like a young John Elway to me. If the eagles remain decent during his time he may resemble the former Hall of famer. To me Carr and Winston have taken a step back so far this year.