by Andy | May 9, 2013 | Hall of Fame
Ronde Barber announced this week that he would join a collection of high profile group of his contemporaries in retiring from the NFL. The highly-decorated cornerback, who became the first player ever to achieve at least 40 interceptions and 25 sacks during his career, spent all 16 of his seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Barber joins Ray Lewis, Steve Hutchinson, Matt Birk, Jeff Saturday, Donald Driver and Jason Hansen, among others, who have decided that the 2012 season will be their last. The clock starts this season on the five year wait to see when – or if – they will eventually be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Barber’s pursuit of immortality in Canton will be an interesting one. In addition to the 47 interceptions and 28 sacks he finished with, he went to five Pro Bowls and was named first team All Pro by the Associated Press three times. That puts him a notch ahead of Ty Law, who profiles at a 5/2 in those same categories. (more…)
by Andy | Apr 7, 2013 | Hall of Fame
Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson retired last week and, I’m embarrassed to say, I initially didn’t even think of doing a post on his chances of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But Colts blogger and occasional Zoneblitz contributor Andrew Aziz posted the question to our Twitter account and it made me curious. It’s an interesting question. My initial thought was that Hanson was a very good kicker in the NFL for two decades but not one who will be rewarded with a spot in the Hall of Fame. Here’s why.
First, he faces the same dilemma guys like Ray Guy, Mark Moseley and other good to great kickers and punters face – just not many special teams guys get any love from voters. A look at finalists from recent years shows that the last time a punter or kicker made it that far was Guy in 2008. Guy has been a finalist seven times and is the only kicker/punter to get that far in the 2000s, but he has never gotten over the threshold, leaving Jan Stenerud remains the only pure kicker enshrined in Canton. (more…)
by Andy | Feb 22, 2013 | Hall of Fame
Jeff Saturday & Matt Birk
Matt Birk announced his retirement today meaning that the 2012 season was the last for two of the NFL’s most prominent centers over the last decade and change.
Birk joins Jeff Saturday in hanging up his cleats. The Vikings and Ravens center goes out on top, having helped Baltimore to its second Super Bowl championship. It was his only ring despite having played for 15 years.
In addition to winning the Super Bowl once, Birk finishes his career with six Pro Bowl appearances. Saturday leaves the league after a 14 year career that was primarily spent in Indianapolis. He made six Pro Bowl appearances, though the last one this season (with Green Bay) was earned despite his having been benched toward the end of the season. Saturday adds two appearances on the Associated Press NFL All Pro First Team.
So, where do these two greats fall on the all-time list of NFL centers? Both of them were very good to great players but I’m uncertain whether they belong in the Hall of Fame. Using Pro Bowls as a comparative stat has its shortcomings because of fan involvement and all the guys these days who are getting appearances due to superior players pulling out of the game. But offensive linemen are particularly difficult to judge, so comparing their postseason profiles with respect to Pro Bowls and AP All Pro appearances with counterparts who were on the last three NFL All-Decade teams seems a logical place to start. (more…)
by Andy | Feb 4, 2013 | Hall of Fame, NFL Random Thoughts
Critics, including Zoneblitz.com, have been hard on the Pro Football Hall of Fame committee over the past few years for perceived shortcomings in their votes. So I think it is only fair to give them credit for the class they chose to induct in 2013.
That’s not to say I agreed with every selection they made. There were others I thought should have gotten in, but the 2013 class included no borderline candidates and nobody who wouldn’t otherwise have gotten in within another year or two had it not happened this season.
Family responsibilities kept me from watching the announcement last weekend, so this is the first chance I’ve had to truly take an in depth look at their choices. And I think it’s one of the strongest in years. (more…)
by Tony & Andy | Feb 2, 2013 | Hall of Fame
The Class of 2013 Hall of Fame was announced Saturday, with Larry Allen, Cris Carter, Curley Culp, Jonathon Ogden, Bill Parcells, Dave Robinson and Warren Sapp making the cut.
The final 10 candidates were Michael Strahan, Parcells, Allen, Jerome Bettis, Carter, Charles Haley, Ogden, Andre Reed, Sapp and Aeneas Williams.
While several of the finalists were strong holdovers from previous votes, this was a strong class of former players who were in their first year of eligibility. In addition to finalists Ogden, Allen, Strahan and Sapp, first-year eligible candidates included safety John Lynch, running back Priest Holmes, quarterback Steve McNair and kicker Morten Andersen.
The finalists also again included three wide receivers – Cris Carter, Tim Brown and Andre Reed – who reportedly each have factions of support among Hall of Fame voters but who individually had not been able to garner enough support to be elected.
This year’s vote did/did not clear up that logjam, which only will/would have gotten tighter with Marvin Harrison gaining eligibility next year and guys like Terrell Owens, Torry Holt and Hines Ward waiting in the wings a few years down the road.
The enshrinees were selected from a list of 15 finalists that also included Tim Brown, Eddie DeBartolo, Kevin Greene, Art Modell, and Will Sheilds. Culp and Robinson were nominated by the Hall’s senior committee and went directly to the final stage for an up or down vote.
The process started in September, when the Hall of Fame announced 127 modern-era nominees for the Hall. In late November, the committee of voters narrowed that initial list down to 27 semifinalists. The 15 finalists were announced in mid-January. Voters held discussions throughout the day Saturday, first narrowing the 15 finalists to 10 and then from 10 to five. The last five candidates then received an up or down vote. The class of 2013 will be enshrined on Saturday, August 3 in Canton, Ohio.
The 2012 Hall of Fame class included Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy, Willie Roaf and senior candidate Jack Butler. The other senior nominee, Dick Stanfel, was not elected.
by Andy | Feb 2, 2013 | Hall of Fame, Where are they now
Willie Davis is probably best known for his NFL playing career, perhaps rightfully so. After all, it did span 12 years and six league championships, including 1966 and 1967, when Green Bay won the first two Super Bowls.
Davis, who is unofficially the all-time Packers’ sack leader, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
But as good as he was on the field, Davis has led just as successful a life in his post-football days. He’s been a television commentator. He was president of All-Pro Broadcasting, which operates several radio stations. He was a successful executive in the beer industry. And he has served on the boards of nearly a dozen companies.
Davis grew up in Lisbon, La., where his mother hesitated to even let him play football. When he did get on the field, he parlayed the opportunity into a degree from Grambling State (where he played for the legendary Eddie Robinson) and a trip to the National Football League (where he played for the legendary Paul Brown and Vince Lombardi). He starred in the NFL, but he also nearly always had his eye on what he would do next.
With the help of co-authors Jim Martyka and Andrea Erickson Davis, Willie Davis wrote recently published a book, Closing the Gap, that covers the journey that is his life. He also recently joined Zoneblitz.com to share some of those thoughts.
Zoneblitz: What made you want to write Closing the Gap? (more…)
Loading ...
Voters will not care about a feud between Bill and Kraft, and those two respective BRPs (neither of whom got…
Brian she finished third in her state beauty pageant
Brian we’ll just see what happens and your right about Jordon Hudson
Your right Brian I doubt seriously they would put in both for various reasons right now but that could change…
Thats true, Andy P, but Kraft and Belichick are feuding in the most childish of ways, despite their great team…