Dcat Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 (edited) So we've been told that this won't happen again any time soon. For the NFL Centennial, they are inducting a special pool of players who had missed out. I think most teams will be getting some inductees. For my team, the NY Jets, Jets fans were hoping that #73, Joe Klecko, would finally be inducted. But no. I guess his legal issues after the NFL threw a monkey wrench into that. Instead, they chose Winston Hill, OT. Hill was a Jet from the early 60's to the 70's. Joe Namath's Left Tackle. A freak for his day and age... large (for that time period standards) but extraordinarily athletic. Sort of a precursor to the modern day LTs in the NFL. He was the prototypical elite, athletic LT before it was a thing. Highly worthy. It's just sad that he died 3 years ago before he could see this. How about your team? Who is getting in that you always wanted to get in? Edited January 16, 2020 by Dcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
League_Champion Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 CB Eric Allen Allen recorded 54 interceptions and nine touchdowns in his 14-year career, and during those 14 years, only Hall of Famer Rod Woodson had more interceptions. Allen is one of only six players in NFL history with at least 50 interceptions and at least eight INT returns for touchdowns. Three of the other four who are eligible are already in the Hall of Fame, and the fifth, Darren Sharper, is out because of non-football reasons. Allen is the only cornerback in NFL history with 50 or more interceptions and eight return touchdowns who’s not in the Hall of Fame. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
League_Champion Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 It was great to see Harold Carmichael finally get in. He was also a freak for his time at 6'8". He was a dominant force back in the late 70's and 80's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcat Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 1 minute ago, League_Champion said: CB Eric Allen Allen recorded 54 interceptions and nine touchdowns in his 14-year career, and during those 14 years, only Hall of Famer Rod Woodson had more interceptions. Allen is one of only six players in NFL history with at least 50 interceptions and at least eight INT returns for touchdowns. Three of the other four who are eligible are already in the Hall of Fame, and the fifth, Darren Sharper, is out because of non-football reasons. Allen is the only cornerback in NFL history with 50 or more interceptions and eight return touchdowns who’s not in the Hall of Fame. Very worthy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcat Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 5 minutes ago, League_Champion said: It was great to see Harold Carmichael finally get in. He was also a freak for his time at 6'8". He was a dominant force back in the late 70's and 80's. remember him well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Was disappointed that Clay Matthews missed out again (maybe that was the regular voting class and he missed being a finalist). Never saw him play or heard much about him, but Browns end (WR) Mac Speedie who played with Otto Graham got in. Was glad Art Modell was shut out again, hearing that could have been his lost shot. Glad to see Steve Sabol get in, the game does not grow to what it is now without him and his dad Ed and their work on NFL Films and production. With only 15 guys total, and some of them not affiliated with any single team there were bound to be some without a player selected, so how many got in from what teams: PIT(2), PHI(1), DAL(2), CHI(2), NYJ(1), old school teams from 20s(Badgers, Independents, Cardinals for Slater), DET(1), GB(1), NYG(1), I guess you can MIA too for Johnson I have heard some complaints that this centennial class was supposed to right many of the wrongs from the past, and there were quite a few candidates from long ago being considered. Yet most of those who got in were from more recent past, especially the coaches and contributors, but even most of the players were 70s and beyond. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverines Fan Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 (edited) Bears LT Jimbo Covert finally got in, and it's long overdue. Blocking for Dan Marino at Pitt, Covert gave up just three sacks during his college career. From Covert's rookie '83 season through '86, Chicago led the NFL in rushing, and Bears finished third or better in rushing during all but one of Covert's seasons. A chronic back injury cut Covert's career short. He retired in 1990 at age 30. I really think he would have gotten into the Hall on his own if he had played longer. ================ Two way player Ed Sprinkle played for the Bears in the 40s and 50s. Per si.com: Sprinkle was nicknamed "the Claw" and was known as one of the toughest Bears ever, as well as one of their best pass rushers. He played on the 1946 NFL champion team and was in the NFL from 1944-1955. Sprinkle passed away in 2014 at the age of 90. Besides being known for the use of his forearm, Sprinkle was simply known as the meanest man in football. He played at only 200 pounds and was called by George Halas the greatest pass rusher he'd ever seen. The Giants once claimed Spinkle had injured two of their players on the same play in the 1946 title game. Part of the 1946 Championship team, he scored the Bears only touchdown to win the game by helping force a fumble and returning it to the house. Edited January 16, 2020 by Wolverines Fan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Def. Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I only heard the audio, but Drew Pearson was a tough listen once he realized he didn't get in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Def. Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I also think Tagliabue doesn't deserve the induction. Don't believe he was a great commissioner, more an average one that was just along for the ride while the league was on its upswing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Pearson is a great guy when you meet him. He was the original Hail Mary pass. He is a glaring exception to the HOF for no apparent reason. He has more records and acclaim than many if not most of his contemporaries that got in. He has zero character issues. Not sure why they excluded him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 (edited) 51 minutes ago, DMD said: Pearson is a great guy when you meet him. He was the original Hail Mary pass. He is a glaring exception to the HOF for no apparent reason. He has more records and acclaim than many if not most of his contemporaries that got in. He has zero character issues. Not sure why they excluded him. He shouldn't get in until Otis Taylor gets in. That dude was WAY ahead of his time. Edit to add: He and Pearson are eerily similar on career stats. My point is, they both deserve to be there. Edited January 17, 2020 by Chief Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 [Vikingsfan]Because Pearson pushed off[/Vikings fan] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 What? He'll tell you himself that there was no push off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I wonder what made him feel so confident he would get in, causing him to have this big group gathered? (I'm sure expecting it and having many friends and family gathered made not getting it hurt more.) That Centennial class had quite a few players to review, and as I mentioned yesterday some still think it was skewed too far to more modern players. So if you leave out a Sprinkle or Speedie to put Pearson in that's even more skewed. Should he have been selected over Carmichael? WR is just one of those positions, where more gaudy stats in more recent years as passing game is more featured means older guys have less chance. How long did Art Monk wait to get in? Whenever the discussion arises of is player X worthy, one thing I look at is the Pro Football Reference site, the Similar Player section, particularly the career line. The more HOFers on the list the more deserving the guy is of induction, Only a few unlikely, about half pretty deserving, over half should get in eventually, if almost all they should be in soon after being eligible. When I look at Drew Pearson there is only one on the career line, the just inducted Harold Carmichael. The other lines have some more HOFers (TO, Largent, Monk, James Lofton, Belietnikoff) Looking at Otis Taylor career line has no HOFers, other lines hae some (Lance Alworth, Rice, Bob Hayes, Harrison, TO, Reed). Maybe they need an "old school WR catch-up" where they get the next 8-10 as extra inductees like they just had for Centennial celebration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Well, if making the NFL all-decade team means anything, Pearson should be in the HOF. He and Lynn Swann were the two WR's selected as first-team for the 1970's. Swann is in, obviously, as are both WR's from the SECOND team (Warfield and Carmichael). Not to mention, every WR (first or second team) from the 80's and 90's are in as well. Even 3 out of 4 from the 2000's are in (Torry Holt, 2nd team, is the one exception). So, yeah, if you're one of the top two payers at your position, for a 10-year period of time, it seems like you should probably be in the HOF. But, maybe I'm missing something. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcat Posted January 17, 2020 Author Share Posted January 17, 2020 agreed that WR position is the easiest one to miss out because of the level of greatness through the decades. Plain old "great" just won't make it. Guys like AJ Green can pretty much forget it. But there are omissions at every position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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