by Tony | May 21, 2013 | Hall of Fame
From the quotes offered up by Pro Football Hall of Fame Vice President of Communications and Exhibits Joe Horrigan this may technically be in the category of “Non-News News,” but the Hall of Fame appears to be considering changing the process for the election of Contributors to the game.
The change would presumably remove owners, broadcasters and other personnel (and possibly even coaches) from the regular voting process that elects players into the Hall. This would remove the need to figure out how to compare a Steve Sabol or Paul Tagliabue to a Ray Lewis or Ronde Barber, a difficult (if not impossible) task. Only three of the last 40 modern era inductees elected since 2006 have been “Contributors”–Ralph Wilson Jr. in 2009, Ed Sabol in 2011, and Bill Parcells in 2013.
What may make this non-news, though, is that it appears it isn’t the first time the idea has come up:
“I can’t tell you we’re real close to a solution, but as we do every year, we do discuss the possibility,” Horrigan told Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
This could make for an interesting scenario where in theory an individual could come up for election as both a player and as a contributor–Mike Ditka and Dick LeBeau being two players inducted who some might argue could gain election as coaches. However, whether the “Contributor” label was technically a separate wing in Canton, or the individual just got a second bust (one in their youth as a player, one more aged as a coach (just envision Ditka’s bust with a cigar and/or Ricky Williams dreadlocks), would seem amenable to me.
What say you, Zoneblitz faithful? Separate category for contributors, or leave well enough alone? Vote below and give us your thoughts in the comments…
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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.
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im just wondering andy why are we obessing over friviolous things like websites
Yea it’s a mess and another example of how poor their PR and marketing often is
In addition to the process the Pro Football Hall of Fame has to fix how they run their website because…
I just started a Facebook group called Clint Murchison for Pro Football Hall of Fame
Paul I’ve emailed Rick Gosselin a lot of times about Clint Murchison