Possible 2013 First-Ballot Hall of Famers
Pat Kirwan over at NFL.com pointed out that there may not be enough room for all of the NFL players that retired in 2008 to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2013. In order to determine who should get in the Hall of Fame, Kirwan interviewed 40 callers on his Sirius Radio show and received another 36 e-mails from fans, and this is how the voting went. In order, they are:
- QB Brett Favre (Falcons/Packers)
- OT Jonathan Ogden (Ravens)
- DE Michael Strahan (Giants)
- OG Larry Allen (Cowboys/49ers)
- LB Junior Seau (Chargers/Dolphins/Patriots)
- DT Warren Sapp (Buccaneers/Raiders)
- QB Steve McNair (Oilers/Titans/Ravens)
Kirwan also provided the achievements for each of these seven players. Excluding Seniors Committee nominees, the maximum number that can be elected in a given year is five. Plus you have to add the guys that didn’t get into Canton in years past. Pat also said to, “Keep in mind Broncos WR Rod Smith (three Pro Bowls), 49ers defensive lineman Bryant Young and possibly former Bills, and current Bears offensive guard Ruben Brown (nine Pro Bowls) could also be candidates in an already crowded class of 2013.
Here’s my spin on the list above. None of the players were part of teams that made more than 2 Super Bowl appearances, and none of them were part of a team that won more than 1 Super Bowl. There are no players that were part of a dynasty a la Joe Montana. I must admit that I’ve never heard of Larry Allen. I know who Jonathan Ogden is but never realized how great he’s been. Ogden has made 11 Pro Bowl appearances. The only player on the list with more is Junior Seau who made 12. Larry Allen also made 11 Pro Bowl appearances. It would be unfair if I rearranged the list because I might discredit the accomplishments of two players on the list. At the same time, how is it possible that I don’t know their achievements if they are being considered for the Hall of Fame. There is no way that McNair is a Hall of Famer. McNair only made the Pro Bowl three times. He has half as many yards as Favre, but he runs and Favre doesn’t so it’s not a fair comparison. If I had to rearrange this list then it would look like this:
- Brett Favre
- Michael Strahan
- Junior Seau
- Warren Sapp
- Jonathan Ogden
- Steve McNair
- Larry Allen
Let us know how you would list the players.
