Nominees for NFL HOF Class of 2013 released

[Hasselbeck]

*First year of eligibility; ^Past finalist


QUARTERBACKS
DREW BLEDSOE – 1993-2001 New England Patriots, 2002-04 Buffalo Bills, 2005-06 Dallas Cowboys
RANDALL CUNNINGHAM – 1985-1995 Philadelphia Eagles, 1997-99 Minnesota Vikings, 2000 Dallas Cowboys, 2001 Baltimore Ravens
RON JAWORSKI – 1974-76 Los Angeles Rams, 1977-1986 Philadelphia Eagles, 1988 Miami Dolphins, 1989 Kansas City Chiefs
NEIL LOMAX – 1981-88 St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals
*STEVE McNAIR – 1995-2005 Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans, 2006-07 Baltimore Ravens
PHIL SIMMS – 1979-1993 New York Giants, injured-1982
DANNY WHITE (also P) – 1976-1988 Dallas Cowboys

RUNNING BACKS
JAMAL ANDERSON – 1994-2001 Atlanta Falcons
OTTIS ANDERSON – 1979-1986 St. Louis Cardinals, 1986-1992 New York Giants
TIKI BARBER – 1997-2006 New York Giants
^JEROME BETTIS – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
LARRY CENTERS – 1990-98 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 1999-2000 Washington Redskins, 2001-02 Buffalo Bills, 2003 New England Patriots
^ROGER CRAIG – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings
STEPHEN DAVIS – 1996-2002 Washington Redskins, 2003-05 Carolina Panthers, 2006 St. Louis Rams
TERRELL DAVIS – 1995-2001 Denver Broncos
EDDIE GEORGE – 1996-2003 Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans, 2004 Dallas Cowboys
*PRIEST HOLMES – 1997-2000 Baltimore Ravens, 2001-05, 2007 Kansas City Chiefs
BRIAN MITCHELL (also PR/KR) – 1990-99 Washington Redskins, 2000-02 Philadelphia Eagles, 2003 New York Giants
GERALD RIGGS – 1982-88 Atlanta Falcons, 1989-1991 Washington Redskins
HERSCHEL WALKER – 1986-89 Dallas Cowboys, 1989-1991 Minnesota Vikings, 1992-94 Philadelphia Eagles, 1995 New York Giants, 1996-97 Dallas Cowboys
RICKY WATTERS – 1992-94 San Francisco 49ers, 1995-97 Philadelphia Eagles, 1998-2001 Seattle Seahawks

WIDE RECEIVERS
^TIM BROWN (also KR) – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
^CRIS CARTER – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
GARY CLARK – 1985-1992 Washington Redskins, 1993-94 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 1995 Miami Dolphins
MARK CLAYTON – 1983-1992 Miami Dolphins, 1993 Green Bay Packers
HENRY ELLARD (also PR) – 1983-1993 Los Angeles Rams, 1994-98 Washington Redskins, 1998 New England Patriots
KEYSHAWN JOHNSON – 1996-99 New York Jets; 2000-03 Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 2004-05 Dallas Cowboys, 2006 Carolina Panthers
*KEENAN McCARDELL – 1991, 2007 Washington Redskins, 1992-95 Cleveland Browns, 1996-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2002-03 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-06 San Diego Chargers
STANLEY MORGAN – 1977-1989 New England Patriots, 1990 Indianapolis Colts
^ANDRE REED – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
STERLING SHARPE – 1988-1994 Green Bay Packers
JIMMY SMITH – 1992 Dallas Cowboys, 1995-2005 Jacksonville Jaguars
ROD SMITH – 1995-2006 Denver Broncos

TIGHT ENDS
TODD CHRISTENSEN – 1979 New York Giants, 1979-1988 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
BEN COATES – 1991-99 New England Patriots, 2000 Baltimore Ravens

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
*LARRY ALLEN (G) – 1994-2005 Dallas Cowboys, 2006-07 San Francisco 49ers
TONY BOSELLI (T) – 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2002 Houston Texans (injured reserve)
LOMAS BROWN (T) – 1985-1995 Detroit Lions, 1996-98 Arizona Cardinals, 1999 Cleveland Browns, 2000-01 New York Giants, 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
JIM COVERT (T) – 1983-1990 Chicago Bears
JOE FIELDS (C) – 1975-1987 New York Jets, 1988 New York Giants
BILL FRALIC (G/T) – 1985-1992 Atlanta Falcons, 1993 Detroit Lions
JEFF HARTINGS (G/C) – 1996-2000 Detroit Lions, 2001-2006 Pittsburgh Steelers
JAY HILGENBERG (C) – 1981-1991 Chicago Bears, 1992 Cleveland Browns, 1993 New Orleans Saints
CHRIS HINTON (G/T) – 1983-89 Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, 1990-93 Atlanta Falcons, 1994-95 Minnesota Vikings
KENT HULL (C) – 1986-1996 Buffalo Bills
JOE JACOBY (T) – 1981-1993 Washington Redskins
MIKE KENN (T) – 1978-1994 Atlanta Falcons
JIM LACHEY (T) – 1985-87 San Diego Chargers, 1988 Los Angeles Raiders, 1988-1992, 1994-95 Washington Redskins
*TOM NALEN (C) – 1994-2007 Denver Broncos
*JONATHAN OGDEN (T) – 1996-2007 Baltimore Ravens
WILL SHIELDS (G) – 1993-2006 Kansas City Chiefs
ERIK WILLIAMS (T) – 1991-2000 Dallas Cowboys, 2001 Baltimore Ravens
STEVE WISNIEWSKI (G) – 1989-2001 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
*SAM ADAMS (DT) – 1994-99 Seattle Seahawks, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens, 2002 Oakland Raiders, 2003-05 Buffalo Bills, 2006 Cincinnati Bengals, 2007 Denver Broncos
CARL HAIRSTON (DE/DT) – 1976-1983 Philadelphia Eagles, 1984-89 Cleveland Browns, 1990 Phoenix Cardinals
^CHARLES HALEY (DE/LB) – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
ED “TOO TALL” JONES (DE) – 1974-78, 1980-89 Dallas Cowboys
JOE KLECKO (DE/DT/NT) – 1977-1987 New York Jets, 1988 Indianapolis Colts
DEXTER MANLEY (DE) – 1981-89 Washington Redskins, 1990 Phoenix Cardinals, 1991 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
CHARLES MANN (DE) – 1983-1993 Washington Redskins, 1994 San Francisco 49ers
*WARREN SAPP (DT) – 1995-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Oakland Raiders
FRED SMERLAS (NT) – 1979-1989 Buffalo Bills, 1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991-92 New England Patriots
*MICHAEL STRAHAN (DE) – 1993-2007 New York Giants
*TED WASHINGTON (DT/NT) – 1991-93 San Francisco 49ers, 1994 Denver Broncos, 1995-2000 Buffalo Bills, 2001-02 Chicago Bears, 2003 New England Patriots, 2004-05 Oakland Raiders, 2006-07 Cleveland Browns
*BRYANT YOUNG (DE) – 1994-2007 San Francisco 49ers

LINEBACKERS
CORNELIUS BENNETT – 1987-1995 Buffalo Bills, 1996-98 Atlanta Falcons, 1999-2000 Indianapolis Colts
^KEVIN GREENE (also DE) – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers
KEN HARVEY – 1988-1993 Phoenix Cardinals, 1994-98 Washington Redskins
CLAY MATTHEWS – 1978-1993 Cleveland Browns, 1994-96 Atlanta Falcons
KARL MECKLENBURG – 1983-1994 Denver Broncos
SAM MILLS – 1986-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-97 Carolina Panthers
DARRYL TALLEY – 1983-1994 Buffalo Bills, 1995 Atlanta Falcons, 1996 Minnesota Vikings

DEFENSIVE BACKS
ERIC ALLEN (CB) – 1988-1994 Philadelphia Eagles, 1995-97 New Orleans Saints, 1998-2001 Oakland Raiders
STEVE ATWATER (S) – 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets
JOEY BROWNER (S) – 1983-1991 Minnesota Vikings, 1992 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
LEROY BUTLER (S) – 1990-2001 Green Bay Packers
NOLAN CROMWELL (S) – 1977-1987 Los Angeles Rams
ALBERT LEWIS (CB) – 1983-1993 Kansas City Chiefs, 1994-98 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders
*JOHN LYNCH (S) – 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos
DENNIS SMITH (S) – 1981-1994 Denver Broncos
TROY VINCENT (CB – 1992-95 Miami Dolphins, 1996-2003 Philadelphia Eagles, 2004-06 Buffalo Bills, 2006 Washington Redskins
EVERSON WALLS (CB) – 1981-89 Dallas Cowboys, 1990-92 New York Giants, 1992-93 Cleveland Browns
^AENEAS WILLIAMS (CB/S) – 1991-2000 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 2001-04 St. Louis Rams
DARREN WOODSON (S) – 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys

KICKERS/PUNTERS
*MORTEN ANDERSEN (K) – 1982-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-2000, 2006-07 Atlanta Falcons, 2001 New York Giants, 2002-03 Kansas City Chiefs, 2004 Minnesota Vikings
GARY ANDERSON (K) – 1982-1994 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1995-96 Philadelphia Eagles, 1997 San Francisco 49ers, 1998-2002 Minnesota Vikings, 2003-04 Tennessee Titans
SEAN LANDETA (P) – 1985-1993 New York Giants, 1993-96, 2003-04 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1998 Green Bay Packers, 1999-2002, 2005 Philadelphia Eagles
NICK LOWERY (K) – 1978 New England Patriots, 1980-1993 Kansas City Chiefs, 1994-96 New York Jets

SPECIAL TEAMS
STEVE TASKER (also WR) – 1985-86 Houston Oilers, 1986-1997 Buffalo Bills

COACHES
BILL ARNSPARGER – 1964-69 Baltimore Colts, 1970-73, 1976-1983 Miami Dolphins, 1974-76 New York Giants
DOUG BLEVINS – 1995-97, 1999 World League/NFL Europe, 1997-2003 Miami Dolphins
BUD CARSON – 1971-77 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1978-81, 1997 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1982 Baltimore Colts, 1983 Kansas City Chiefs, 1985-88 New York Jets, 1989-1990 Cleveland Browns, 1991-94 Philadelphia Eagles
^DON CORYELL – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers
BILL COWHER – 1992-2006 Pittsburgh Steelers
TOM FLORES – 1979-1987 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-94 Seattle Seahawks
JIMMY JOHNSON – 1989-1993 Dallas Cowboys, 1996-99 Miami Dolphins
CHUCK KNOX – 1973-77 Los Angeles Rams, 1978-1982 Buffalo Bills, 1983-1991 Seattle Seahawks, 1992-94 Los Angeles Rams
^BILL PARCELLS – 1983-1990 New York Giants, 1993-96 New England Patriots, 1997-99 New York Jets, 2003-06 Dallas Cowboys
BUDDY PARKER – 1949 Chicago Cardinals, 1951-56 Detroit Lions, 1957-1964 Pittsburgh Steelers
DAN REEVES – 1981-1992 Denver Broncos, 1993-96 New York Giants, 1997-2003 Atlanta Falcons
MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER – 1984-88 Cleveland Browns, 1989-1998 Kansas City Chiefs, 2001 Washington Redskins, 2002-06 San Diego Chargers
CLARK SHAUGHNESSY – 1944-47 Washington Redskins, 1948-49 Los Angeles Rams, 1951-1962 Chicago Bears
DICK VERMEIL – 1976-1982 Philadelphia Eagles, 1997-99 St. Louis Rams, 2001-05 Kansas City Chiefs

CONTRIBUTORS
K.S. “BUD” ADAMS, JR. (Founder/Owner) – 1960-Present Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Titans
GEORGE ANDERSON (Trainer) – 1960-1993 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
BOBBY BEATHARD (Admin.) – 1966-67 Kansas City Chiefs, 1968-1971 Atlanta Falcons, 1972-77 Miami Dolphins, 1978-1988 Washington Redskins, 1990-99 San Diego Chargers
GIL BRANDT (Admin.) – 1960-1988 Dallas Cowboys, 1995-present National Football League
C.O. BROCATO (Scout) – 1974-76, 1981-present Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans
LEO CARLIN (Admin.) – 1960-Present Philadelphia Eagles
JACK KENT COOKE (Owner) – 1974-1997 Washington Redskins
OTHO DAVIS (Trainer) – 1971-72 Baltimore Colts, 1973-1995 Philadelphia Eagles
^ED DeBARTOLO, JR. (Owner) – 1979-2000 San Francisco 49ers
RON GIBBS (Official) – 1940-1962 National Football League
RALPH KOHL (Scout) – 1978-1992 Minnesota Vikings
EDDIE KOTAL (Admin.) – 1947-1961 Los Angeles Rams
ROBERT KRAFT (Owner) – 1994-Present New England Patriots
ART McNALLY (Official) – 1968-Present National Football League
^ART MODELL (Owner) – 1961-1995 Cleveland Browns, 1996-2011 Baltimore Ravens
BILL POLIAN (Admin.) – 1978-1982 Kansas City Chiefs, 1984-1992 Buffalo Bills, 1993-94 National Football League, 1995-97 Carolina Panthers, 1998-2011 Indianapolis Colts
ART ROONEY, JR. (Admin.) – 1961-Present Pittsburgh Steelers
STEVE SABOL (Contrib.) – 1964-2012 NFL Films
CARL STORCK (Owner/Coach/Admin.) – 1918-1930 Dayton Triangles, 1930-1941 National Football League
^PAUL TAGLIABUE (Commissioner) – 1989-2006 National Football League
BURL TOLER, SR. (Official) – 1965-1989 National Football League
JIM TUNNEY (Official) – 1960-1991 National Football League
RON WOLF (Admin.) – 1991-2001 Green Bay Packers
^GEORGE YOUNG (Admin.) – 1968-1974 Baltimore Colts, 1975-78 Miami Dolphins, 1979-1997 New York Giants, 1998-2001 National Football League

First-year eligible
Hall of Fame bylaws require that a player or a coach must have last been active at at least five full seasons before being eligible for consideration. There are 13 individuals among the 2013 modern-era nominees who are eligible for the first time.

Sam Adams, DT
Larry Allen, G
Morten Andersen, K
Priest Holmes, RB
John Lynch, S
Keenan McCardell, WR
Steve McNair, QB
Tom Nalen, C
Jonathan Ogden, T
Warren Sapp, DT
Michael Strahan, DE
Ted Washington, DT/NT
Bryant Young, DE

Lots of good names on this list. I'd say Ogden, Strahan, Larry Allen and Sapp are probably favorites to get in.

 

[EmpireWF]

Among the first timers, Strahan, Sapp and Allen for sure.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

You know how you know you're getting old? When you can remember the entire careers of Hall of Fame players from draft day to induction.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Also, I can't take the Hall of Fame seriously until Cris Carter, Bill Parcells, Aeneas Williams, and George Young are in.

I threw the towel on getting worked up about the baseball hall of fame a few years ago, same here until the can get the obvious ones right.

 

[Glenbino]

You know how you know you're getting old? When you can remember the entire careers of Hall of Fame players from draft day to induction.

Keyshawn Johnson was the first draft I ever watched. The Broncos took John Mobley that year.

I'd love to see Atwater and Nalen get in but I know they have no shot.

 

[Leftwich]

This is a tough class. A lot of guys are gonna feel left out.

 

[ram29jackson]

Henry Ellard

 

[NAHSTE]

You know how you know you're getting old? When you can remember the entire careers of Hall of Fame players from draft day to induction.

The Warren Sapp draft was one of the first ones I remember watching as as a kid. I just remember him falling like a stone (due to rumors of marijuana use, the horror!) and that Jets fans really wanted him but got Kyle Brady instead. Probably my first NFL draft memory, in fact. Damn. I do feel old.

 

[Woy]

Go Steve! :shifty:

:crying:

 

[ram29jackson]

Coaches

BUDDY PARKER – 1949 Chicago Cardinals, 1951-56 Detroit Lions, 1957-1964 Pittsburgh Steelers

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/ParkRa0.htm

CLARK SHAUGHNESSY – 1944-47 Washington Redskins, 1948-49 Los Angeles Rams, 1951-1962 Chicago Bears

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=4515354

greater emphasis on the quarterback and making running schemes more efficient.


Of the 10 men recently nominated as semifinalists in the coaches category for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2010, only one served as a sideline boss for just two full NFL seasons and for fewer than 35 games.

Yet Clark Shaughnessy, who led the Los Angeles Rams for just two seasons (1948 and '49) and compiled a modest 14-8-3 record in that capacity, rightfully earned his "coach" title. Perhaps far more important, however, Shaughnessy commanded the less defined but probably more durable handle of "innovator," a rare distinction that likely merited him a Hall of Fame nomination.

"He definitely belongs in that [innovator] category," said Miami Dolphins executive vice president Bill Parcells, kind of an amateur historian of the game. "He lent a lot of ideas to the game."

The nomination of Shaughnessy is timely and fortuitous, indeed, given that there has been a recent groundswell among Hall of Fame selectors to recognize men whose contributions to the professional game were primarily as assistant coaches. Longtime assistants such as Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau are most often cited, although the seniors committee has nominated him this year for his outstanding if sometimes ignored playing career.

The term innovator is a fairly nebulous one and certainly subjective. Not all great coaches are considered innovators. Late Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, for instance, is almost universally recalled as a great coach, but not necessarily an innovator. Shaughnessy, regarded by most as one of the game's great, fertile minds and by a few as perhaps its greatest tinkerer, is generally deemed more the latter than the former.

Paul Brown, of course, is responsible for so many elements that we now consider integral to the NFL that a lot of people have forgotten half of them.

The great Amos Alonzo Stagg all but invented many of the tenets of football. Sid Gillman developed the modern passing game. Buddy Ryan scribbled up the 46 defense. Bill Walsh popularized the West Coast offense. Red Hickey introduced the shotgun as an every-down formation. Mouse Davis basically created the run 'n' shoot offense. And Joe Gibbs fine-tuned the two-tight end/one-back offense.

Yep, a pretty impressive roll call of innovators.

Except that litany of fertile football minds doesn't include Shaughnessy, arguably the most innovative man in the history of football. (And, yes, we expect a ton of e-mails from the many folks supporting Brown for that same title.) Certainly, Shaughnessy, much better known for his coaching success at the college level, is one of the premier innovators and a man who left his considerable imprint on the NFL game.

Those who champion Brown's cause possess a sound argument. Certainly, the game would be radically different without the genius of Brown, the man who gave us face masks, a playbook, calling plays from the sideline, scouting techniques, film study and the practice squad (although it was termed the taxi squad years ago).

But by positioning the quarterback directly behind the center for a hand-to-hand exchange, and by making the position the undeniable focus of an offense instead of merely a glorified blocker in the single wing, Shaughnessy forever altered the game. He conjured up the man in motion, misdirection, the counter play and the three-wide receiver formation. Shaughnessy prioritized deft ballhandling and intelligent decision-making by quarterbacks, and made the ground game more viable and modern by drawing up quick hitters and eliminating much of the backfield traffic that slowed the run and previously rendered the game a ponderous exercise in physical superiority.

As head coach at the University of Chicago in the '30s, Shaughnessy engendered a strong but often confrontational relationship with Bears coach George Halas. Shaughnessy teamed with the Papa Bear to handpick Columbia University single wing tailback Sid Luckman as a revolutionary Hall of Fame quarterback who operated the modern T-formation, a Shaughnessy brainchild, in the NFL.

"He loved to draw things up and transfer them from paper to the field," said NFL vice president Joel Bussert, an Illinois native who grew up an avid Bears fan and has done extensive research on Shaughnessy's career.

But it might have been Shaughnessy's ability to work both sides of the street -- to implement changes in defensive theory as well -- that set him apart from most men regarded as innovators. Hired by Halas in 1951 (as a consultant and de facto defensive coordinator) to develop a defense that could answer the modern T-formation and to deal with offenses that were becoming increasingly aerial, Shaughnessy stressed man-to-man coverages.

"He understood that you've got to be able to cover [man-to-man] to win," Parcells said.

Shaughnessy, who died in 1970, also merged his single-coverage philosophies with the umbrella or zone techniques that were so pervasive around the league, and came up with combo-style pass coverages. And, as Bussert noted, "He loved to blitz."

Until that time, the standard NFL blitz was to send the middle linebacker on a red dog into the opposition's backfield. Shaughnessy brought pass-rushers from many different angles. He dropped linebackers and even ends to cover the flat areas. In a game increasingly dependent on throwing the ball, he worked creatively to get defenders into the passing lanes.

As a coach, Shaughnessy's most notable success was at Stanford in the early '40s, taking a team that had gone 1-7-1 in 1939 to an undefeated campaign the following year. As an innovator, however, his reach was across all levels and all eras.

Hall of Fame vice president Joe Horrigan, himself a football history buff, kindly referred to Shaughnessy as "maybe too cerebral." Former longtime NFL defensive coordinator Richie Petitbon, who played in Chicago's secondary during much of Shaughnessy's stint with the franchise, was less delicate.

"He could be sharp-tongued, abrupt and impatient," Petitbon said. "But I feel like a lot of people who think on a higher level in any [endeavor] are like that."

Len Pasquarelli, a recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's McCann Award for distinguished reporting, is a senior writer for ESPN.com

 

[NAHSTE]

Morten Andersen should be a lock, btw.

 

[Saluki]

Chris Carter might have to keep waiting.

Sent from my HTC myTouch 4g using Tapatalk 2

 

[Blick]

Ogden and Larry Allen received more notoriety and played for more popular teams (by far), but Will Shields should get in eventually. He and Willie Roaf basically paved the way for Priest Holmes to be a nominee here...and Priest has no fucking chance to get in ever.

 

[BigBucs]

Yea, Sapp, Allen and Strahan 1st ballots. Maybe Ogden. Carter and Haley should get in. How many do they induct every year, 6?

 

[Rayman]

lol @ Danny White being on there. Who knew?

Would anyone really be shocked if the sympathy vote kicked in right away and Steve Sabol got put in?

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

lol @ Danny White being on there. Who knew?

Would anyone really be shocked if the sympathy vote kicked in right away and Steve Sabol got put in?

And now that the cartoonishly angry Browns fans can't boo the man off the stage in Canton, Art Modell.

 

[s@ppisgod]

Ogden and Larry Allen received more notoriety and played for more popular teams (by far), but Will Shields should get in eventually. He and Willie Roaf basically paved the way for Priest Holmes to be a nominee here...and Priest has no fucking chance to get in ever.

That Chiefs line was maybe the best of the post-2000 era. Roaf and Shields were rocks, and Waters was really good as well. Tait was solid until leaving also. That line was very reminiscent of the Cowboys in the 90's. Some parts would move on, but they still just mauled opponents. The Cowboys obviously had better talent behind that line, and were a little more dominant IMO. But they're pretty much the cream of the crop of the last 20 years IMO.

Shields was awesome, but I wouldn't put him up there with Allen. Allen is for my money the most dominant interior lineman in the history of the NFL, maybe offensive lineman period. Shields should get in, probably within the next 10 years. But Allen is a first-ballot home run.

Allen, Strahan, Sapp, and Ogden should get in first-ballot. Bryant Young is pretty underrated IMO. 49ers fans can make a better case than I can, but I think he should be a finalist eventually. Kinda tough to gauge if that will happen at this point though. The voters seem to be a little wacky sometimes. Aeneas Williams should get in very soon. Same for Carter, Brown, and Bettis. Kevin Greene has the numbers too, and produced outside of the Blitzburgh system. Probably him with-in the next 5 as well.

 

[Hasselbeck]

Ogden isn't a "maybe" .. he's one of the best OT's in NFL History. Him and Walter Jones (next year) are locks.

 

[s@ppisgod]

The class of LTs coming in is really going to deny a lot guys who seem just about to get in. You've got Ogden, Jones, and Pace, and then down the line Roaf will probably garner a lot of consideration.

 

[Blick]

That Chiefs line was maybe the best of the post-2000 era. Roaf and Shields were rocks, and Waters was really good as well. Tait was solid until leaving also. That line was very reminiscent of the Cowboys in the 90's. Some parts would move on, but they still just mauled opponents. The Cowboys obviously had better talent behind that line, and were a little more dominant IMO. But they're pretty much the cream of the crop of the last 20 years IMO.

Shields was awesome, but I wouldn't put him up there with Allen. Allen is for my money the most dominant interior lineman in the history of the NFL, maybe offensive lineman period. Shields should get in, probably within the next 10 years. But Allen is a first-ballot home run.

Allen, Strahan, Sapp, and Ogden should get in first-ballot. Bryant Young is pretty underrated IMO. 49ers fans can make a better case than I can, but I think he should be a finalist eventually. Kinda tough to gauge if that will happen at this point though. The voters seem to be a little wacky sometimes. Aeneas Williams should get in very soon. Same for Carter, Brown, and Bettis. Kevin Greene has the numbers too, and produced outside of the Blitzburgh system. Probably him with-in the next 5 as well.

Agreed on all accounts. Casey Wiegmann in his younger days was a very solid center as well. That line was the tits. It made that offense go. Trent Green (who was dubbed TrINT after his first year in KC) threw for 4000 yards for 3 years in a row (back when it wasn't as watered down as it is now) with guys like Eddie Kennison and Johnnie Morton as his wide receivers. Granted, they had Gonzalez in his prime, but everybody was keying on him. That offense could do whatever it wanted because of that line.