NFL HOF Class of 2006 finalists announced ...

sixdart · January 21, 2006 3:50AM

NFL HOF Class of 2006 finalists announced ...

Troy Aikman - Quarterback - 1989-2000 Dallas Cowboys

Harry Carson - Linebacker - 1976-1988 New York Giants

L.C. Greenwood - Defensive End - 1969-1981 Pittsburgh Steelers

Russ Grimm - Guard - 1981-1991 Washington Redskins

Claude Humphrey - Defensive End - 1968-1978 Atlanta Falcons, 1979-1981 Philadelphia Eagles (injured reserve - 1975)

Michael Irvin - Wide Receiver - 1988-1999 Dallas Cowboys

Bob Kuechenberg - Guard - 1970-1984 Miami Dolphins (injured reserve - 1984)

John Madden - Coach - 1969-1978 Oakland Raiders

Art Monk - Wide Receiver - 1980-1993 Washington Redskins, 1994 New York Jets, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles

Warren Moon - Quarterback - 1984-1993 Houston Oilers, 1994-1996 Minnesota Vikings, 1997-1998 Seattle Seahawks, 1999-2000 Kansas City Chiefs

Derrick Thomas - Linebacker - 1989-1999 Kansas City Chiefs

Thurman Thomas - Running Back - 1988-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Miami Dolphins

Reggie White - Defensive End/Defensive Tackle - 1985-1992 Philadelphia Eagles, 1993-1998 Green Bay Packers, 2000 Carolina Panthers

Rayfield Wright - Tackle - 1967-1979 Dallas Cowboys

Gary Zimmerman - Tackle - 1986-1992 Minnesota Vikings, 1993-1997 Denver Broncos

AlanAllen · January 21, 2006 4:03PM

I think the four first-timers are locks, although they might make Thurman wait a year. That'll make it tough for the guys who have been rejected a few times before. Committee members: Stop making yourselves look like idiots and induct Art Monk already.

Joe

gregm13 · January 21, 2006 9:16PM

<< I think the four first-timers are locks, although they might make Thurman wait a year. That'll make it tough for the guys who have been rejected a few times before. Committee members: Stop making yourselves look like idiots and induct Art Monk already.

Joe >>

Amen Joe. I was in shock that he wasn't elected last year - with only 2 shoo ins (neither of which was a WR) it seemed likely that Monk would finally make it. What I'm afraid of is that if Monk isn't elected in the next couple of years, the future HOF WRs (Cris Carter, Tim Brown, Jerry Rice) will overshadow the numbers that Monk put up. What may be lost is the fact that Monk was arguably the #1 WR in the NFL over a period of 10+ years (toward the end of which Rice began his incredible run).

We'll see what happens, but I'm rooting for Art this year. I even picked up a PSA 9 rookie and autographed card that I will hopefully add to my HOF rc and autograph sets.

Regards,

Greg M.

gregm13 · January 21, 2006 9:27PM

Another question - will Rayfield Wright or John Madden (or both) be elected this year. It seems at least one senior finalist has been elected the past several years (and both last year) so it stands to reason that at least one will be elected this year. Anyone want to venture a guess as to who it will be. Personally, I don't know much about Rayfield Wright - regardless, I think Madden will be elected this year. Having said that, does anyone think that he deserves to be elected? He didn't coach for that long (I believe only 8 or 9 years) and won one super bowl - is that short timeframe enough to be elected to the HOF? If Madden is elected, it will partially be because he is the most widely recognized announcer in football over the past 10 to 15 years.

Regards,

Greg M.

ArnyVee · January 21, 2006 10:01PM

I hope that Art Monk makes it as well. He clearly deserves it and he's gotta get in there before more of the bigtime receivers start getting their shots.

CardCoreCollector · January 21, 2006 10:07PM

Rayfield Wright should've been elected years ago

RAYFIELD WRIGHT
Tackle. . .6-6, 255. . .Fort Valley State. . .1967-1979 Dallas Cowboys. . .13 seasons, 166 games. . .Selected by Cowboys in seventh round (182nd played overall) of 1967 NFL Draft. . .Raw talent, used as a tight end, defensive end, and offensive tackle during first three seasons. . .In 1969 replaced injured right tackle Ralph Neely in lineup. . .First opponent was future Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones. . .Performance against Jones good enough that before 1970 training camp, named permanent starting right tackle. . .One season later was named All-NFL. . .Known as "Big Cat," earned first- or second-team All-NFL honors six consecutive times (1971-1976). . .Selected to play in Pro Bowl following each of those seasons. . .1975 season particularly impressive. . .Coming off knee surgery, many questioned whether he would even play. . .Again earned All-NFL honors. . .In 1975 postseason play faced three legendary defensive ends - Jack Youngblood, L.C. Greenwood, and Carl Eller - head on. . .Each time rose to occasion with exceptional play. . .During career, Wright and Cowboys won 10 division titles, six conference crowns, two Super Bowls. Started at right tackle in six NFC championship games and played in five Super Bowls. . .Named to NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1970s.

JasP24 · January 21, 2006 11:32PM

I also think Aikman, Moon and Reggie are locks...Thurman is iffy for his first ballot but WILL get in..Derrick Thomas would be next on my list and should have been in last year...

Irvin and Monk might cancel each other out again this year...They should be happy that Andre Reed somehow isnt a finalist this year...I think what is hurting Monk is that he wasn't a dominant WR. He ended up with a lot of catches and yards, but he also played forever...He went to exactly THREE Pro Bowls in 16 years. He was in the league's Top 5 in receptions 3 times, top 5 in receiving yards 2 times and was never in the top 5 in TDs in any of his 16 years. 940 catches yet only 68 TDs???

I think he deserves to be in, but his vote is coming more from longevity and career numbers (quantity) rather than dominance(quality) and those guys are harder to vote for...He will get in eventually, but it might be awhile. He will be eligible until 2020...

Rayfield Wright is in his first year as eligibility as a Senior candidate and the fact that he was selected right away says something...He's not a slam dunk though. Good player, played on great teams, and is a good comparison to guys like Ron Yary and Bob Brown who are already in. If he doesnt get in this year, he will never get in...

FYI on Wright, he was named to the SECOND TEAM of the 1970's All-Decade Team...The FIRST TEAM OTs were Ron Yary (who was elected to the HOF in his 14th year of eligibility, and Art Shell, who was the only slam dunk OT from the 70's and was elected in his 2nd year....)...Personally I would take Zimmerman over Wright. He was one of the innovators of that Broncos blocking scheme that has produced more 1,000 yard rushers over the years than any other team. He went to more Pro Bowls than Wright and was named to the FIRST TEAM of the 1990's All-Decade team along side Willie Roaf (who is a LOCK already)....Wright might get the sympathy vote though as Senior candidates usually do...

If they vote Madden based on his coaching+other contributions as an announcer/video game innovator he will be elected. He didnt do enough as a coach.

Also, this is Greenwood and Humphrey's last chance as a regular candidate...After this year they can only be elected as Senior candidates...One of those guys could slip in this year...There's almost always one surprise...

Jason

wolfbear · January 22, 2006 2:10AM

John Madden in the Hall of Fame ? For what, being the game's biggest buffoon ?
Tom Flores coached the Raiders to two , not one, Super Bowl wins and was a star quarterback in the AFL for 6 years.

Not saying that either belongs in the HOF, but to put Madden in ahead of Flores seems a bit silly ...

sixdart · January 22, 2006 2:59AM

Madden coached 10 years with a winning percentage in the mid-70s ...

Year TM | W L T |
+----------+--------------+

| 1969 oak | 12 1 1
| 1970 oak | 08 4 2
| 1971 oak | 08 4 2
| 1972 oak | 10 3 1
| 1973 oak | 09 4 1
| 1974 oak | 12 2 0
| 1975 oak | 11 3 0
| 1976 oak | 13 1 0
| 1977 oak | 11 3 0
| 1978 oak | 09 7 0

+----------+--------------+
| TOTALS | 103 32 7

I believe the Steelers prevented his teams from winning more Super Bowls?

achtey · January 22, 2006 12:14PM

All I care about is that Reggie White will be in the HOF this year. He was a great player and an even better person.

Josh

estang · January 22, 2006 9:40PM

I think all of the following below belong in the Hall of Fame, especially think that LC Greenwood has been shafted. 6-time Pro Bowler & 4 Super Bowl Rings. Madden belongs in not just for coaching, but announcing and quite honestly video games as well. He's a Pro Football institution for 40 years.

Troy Aikman - Quarterback - 1989-2000 Dallas Cowboys

Harry Carson - Linebacker - 1976-1988 New York Giants

L.C. Greenwood - Defensive End - 1969-1981 Pittsburgh Steelers

John Madden - Coach - 1969-1978 Oakland Raiders

Art Monk - Wide Receiver - 1980-1993 Washington Redskins, 1994 New York Jets, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles

Derrick Thomas - Linebacker - 1989-1999 Kansas City Chiefs

Thurman Thomas - Running Back - 1988-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Miami Dolphins

Reggie White - Defensive End/Defensive Tackle - 1985-1992 Philadelphia Eagles, 1993-1998 Green Bay Packers, 2000 Carolina Panthers

Rayfield Wright - Tackle - 1967-1979 Dallas Cowboys

JasP24 · January 23, 2006 1:32AM

If I were king for a day, of the 15 finalists this year I think these players should be elected in the following order of precedence this year(max of 6):

Reggie White
Warren Moon
Troy Aikman
Derrick Thomas
Thurman Thomas
Michael Irvin

These players I still consider HOF worthy, just not in the top 6 for this year:

Harry Carson
Art Monk
L.C. Greenwood
Gary Zimmerman
John Madden

The other 4 finalists: Russ Grimm, Claude Humphrey, Bob Kuechenberg, and Rayfield Wright; personally I feel are just not quite HOF caliber.

These HOF NOMINEES SHOULD have been finalists ahead of the above mentioned because they are also deserving of induction:

Ray Guy
Andre Reed
Steve At-water
Ken Stabler

I'm not sure how it is that a guy can be a finalist one year, and not even be a semi-finalist 2 or 3 years later..Also, how is it that a guy can be so overlooked that he's not even considered for induction like say Elvin Bethea from a few years back??For 14 years he was never even a finalist, then all of a sudden he's voted into the HOF??? I think all the sports need to revise/change how players are selected to be in the HOF...Maybe only current HOF members should be voting???

Just my opinion of course,
Jason

chicago111 · January 23, 2006 1:50AM

Do any of those guys actually deserve to be in the HOF? I say no. Only players that come close are Aikman and White. NFL HOF needs to tighten the grip a little instead of letting the best players of a certain era into the hall. Maybe that’s what they should call the HOF " The Hall of the good players of their day"
I love the NFL but the HOF is becoming to easy to get into. JMHO

edited for spelling..forget the grammer-lol

Southsider · January 23, 2006 2:03AM

I'm going with:

Aikman
Moon
Thurman Thomas
White
Madden

Madden deserves to be in the HOF for his total contribution to the game of football. Yes, the video game and Tinactin commercials count. I mean really, here's a guy who is one of the most recognizable personalities in football. He's been parodied the world over, maybe second only to Harry Caray.

Well, I just learned something interesting about Madden while researching this response. Originally, I was going to continue my Harry Caray - John Madden comparison and use Caray's Ford Frick Award from the Baseball HOF as a justification for honoring Madden. But, I discovered that Madden has already been similarly honored with the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Profootball HOF. Hmm, since his contributions to the game of football in his capacity as a commentator have already been honored, should they NOT be considered in the voting? I'm not sure how I feel about that now. I guess one could argue that because his other contributions have already been acknowledged, the HOF vote should be based purely on his coaching.

Food for thought.

Southsider · January 23, 2006 3:07AM

FWIW, I asked Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post, who does have a HOF vote, what his take was:

"Michael Wilbon: This is very simple for me: John Madden should go into the Hall of Fame right now for all the reasons you mention. While baseball is constantly worried about having lost a generation of youngsters, football has no such worries. Why? Mostly because of Madden and his video contribution. If he's not voted in, the people in our room ought to be ashamed... "

JasP24 · January 23, 2006 5:12AM

<< Do any of those guys actually deserve to be in the HOF? I say no. Only players that come close are Aikman and White. NFL HOF needs to tighten the grip a little instead of letting the best players of a certain era into the hall. Maybe that’s what they should call the HOF " The Hall of the good players of their day"
I love the NFL but the HOF is becoming to easy to get into. JMHO
edited for spelling..forget the grammer-lol >>

Warren Moon doesn't belong in the HOF???I'm sorry, but he was GREAT, not just good...Derrick Thomas was GREAT, Thurman Thomas was GREAT, Micheal Irvin was GREAT...Those guys dominated the competition!

The biggest difference between baseball and football is how players are compared and evaluated..In baseball, its almost purely stat driven. In football, you have bigger rosters, more players, and more chances to excel...Football has changed so much over the years that it is entirely unfair to compare say a WR from the 60s or 70s with a WR from 2005...You have to compare them with other players from their era...Thats why Pro Bowls, All-Pro selections, MVPs, Team of the Decade selections play such a big part...Look at Jerry Rice's stats and compare them to Don Hutson...For their time in the game, both were THE dominant WR in the NFL...But were does Hutson rank on the all-time WR list vs. Rice???

The fact that players like Michael Irvin, Derrick Thomas, Harry Carson have been passed over in recent years tells me the football HOF induction isnt getting any easier...But Bruce Sutter just got inducted into baseball's HOF???I can't buy that argument at all...Just because football has a larger quantity of HOF deserving players doesnt mean its easier to get in....If the guy is deserving, the guy is deserving...I'm a football history buff and I can quote you stats and figures all day long on players from the last 100 years...And to say Warren Moon is not deserving tells me you must have never watched him play...

JasP24 · January 23, 2006 5:26AM

Want an argument for Moon even without ever seeing him play???

49,325 pass yards (4th all-time)
291 pass TDs (5th all-time)

Years ranked in the NFLs top 5?
Attempts- 6 years
Completions-6 years
Yards-7 years (led the league twice)
TDs-5 years
3,000 yard seasons? 9
300 yard games? 49

9 Pro Bowls(8 straight-NFL Record for a QB)
All-Pro (#1 QB in the league) 1990
All-AFC (#1 QB in the AFC) 3 times

Warren Moon is a slam dunk first ballot HOFer...Not even close...He was dominant for a long period of time. Only easier selection in this class is Reggie White who may be the best DE to ever play the game...

NathanSr · January 23, 2006 6:29AM

If Moon and White do not both get in this year, I am selling everything lock stock and barrell. Then me and my freedom fries are moving to France,

Nathan Sr.

chicago111 · January 23, 2006 6:45AM

<< 

<< Do any of those guys actually deserve to be in the HOF? I say no. Only players that come close are Aikman and White. NFL HOF needs to tighten the grip a little instead of letting the best players of a certain era into the hall. Maybe that’s what they should call the HOF " The Hall of the good players of their day"
I love the NFL but the HOF is becoming to easy to get into. JMHO
edited for spelling..forget the grammer-lol >>

Warren Moon doesn't belong in the HOF???I'm sorry, but he was GREAT, not just good...Derrick Thomas was GREAT, Thurman Thomas was GREAT, Micheal Irvin was GREAT...Those guys dominated the competition!

The biggest difference between baseball and football is how players are compared and evaluated..In baseball, its almost purely stat driven. In football, you have bigger rosters, more players, and more chances to excel...Football has changed so much over the years that it is entirely unfair to compare say a WR from the 60s or 70s with a WR from 2005...You have to compare them with other players from their era...Thats why Pro Bowls, All-Pro selections, MVPs, Team of the Decade selections play such a big part...Look at Jerry Rice's stats and compare them to Don Hutson...For their time in the game, both were THE dominant WR in the NFL...But were does Hutson rank on the all-time WR list vs. Rice???

The fact that players like Michael Irvin, Derrick Thomas, Harry Carson have been passed over in recent years tells me the football HOF induction isnt getting any easier...But Bruce Sutter just got inducted into baseball's HOF???I can't buy that argument at all...Just because football has a larger quantity of HOF deserving players doesnt mean its easier to get in....If the guy is deserving, the guy is deserving...I'm a football history buff and I can quote you stats and figures all day long on players from the last 100 years...And to say Warren Moon is not deserving tells me you must have never watched him play... >>

I saw moon play just about his whole career (in the US). Like I said it was JMHO. All good players that I loved to watch, but worthy of the Hall of Fame?--well...
Now who will get in...imo

Aikman
White
Moon
MAdden
and maybe Thurman Thomas (riding the 4 losses in the Super Bowl)
"The Hall of the good players of their day"

AlanAllen · January 23, 2006 12:07PM

<< Irvin and Monk might cancel each other out again this year...They should be happy that Andre Reed somehow isnt a finalist this year...I think what is hurting Monk is that he wasn't a dominant WR. He ended up with a lot of catches and yards, but he also played forever...He went to exactly THREE Pro Bowls in 16 years. He was in the league's Top 5 in receptions 3 times, top 5 in receiving yards 2 times and was never in the top 5 in TDs in any of his 16 years. 940 catches yet only 68 TDs???

I think he deserves to be in, but his vote is coming more from longevity and career numbers (quantity) rather than dominance(quality) and those guys are harder to vote for...He will get in eventually, but it might be awhile. He will be eligible until 2020...Jason >>

One stat alone gets Monk in, in my book.
Career reception rank when he retired: First.

Boopotts · January 23, 2006 1:56PM

One thing that needs to be remembered when comparing the NLF HOLF to MLB is that the NFL has 22 starters who could all potentially be HOFers, while a baseball team has maybe 12 (9 position players, 2 starters and a reliever). If twice as many football players are elected to the Hall then baseball players then the standards are fairly equal.

JasP24 · January 24, 2006 1:14AM

I agree Joe...And I think he will eventually get in...He should have already gotten in based on previous years with fewer and/or weaker candidates...

Do you think he's a top 6 candidate THIS year? Alot of competition in 2006...I think 07 or 08 will be Monk's year...

I just think the votes are tougher to get when the vote is based on longevity..Monk finished as the career leader because he played for so long...And played most of his career in the "Era of the WR"...

Personally, I would choose Irvin over Monk though simply based on performance on the field..If Irvin had played 16 years he would have had more catches than Monk..Plus I think he had more QUALITY receptions than Monk did...He had 3 less TDs in 4 lfewer seasons and 800 less yards in 4 fewer seasons...Andre Reed is right there too....All 3 of those WRs need to get in before Carter, Brown and Rice come up, or they may be waiting a LONGG time...

Jason

NFL HOF Class of 2006 finalists announced ...

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