One of the best things about this Throwback Thursday is the brief opportunity it provides to step away from the crap currently found in the NFL. More importantly, it offers the opportunity to honor the players, coaches, and contributors that have taken the next step towards slipping on one of those snappy gold jackets next August.
The 26 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015 were announced Tuesday on NFL Network's Gold Jacket Semifinalists special. There is supposed to be 25 semifinalist but a tie bumped it up to 26 this year. Those 26 will be cut to 15 in early January. The Hall of Fame Class of 2015 will be selected on January 31. Here are the 26 semifinalists:
Morten Andersen
Steve Atwater
Jerome Bettis
Tim Brown
Isaac Bruce
Don Coryell
Roger Craig
Terrell Davis
Tony Dungy
Kevin Greene
Charles Haley
Marvin Harrison
Tory Holt
Joe Jacoby
Edgerrin James
Jimmy Johnson
Mike Kenn
Ty Law
John Lynch
Kevin Mawae
Karl Mecklenburg
Orlando Pace
Junior Seau
Will Shields
Kurt Warner
Darren Woodson
Kurt Warner, Junior Seau, Orlando Pace, Edgerrin James, Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt, Kevin Mawae, and Ty Law are in their first-year of eligibility. Seau should be the one automatic of the group. Warner will be an interesting one because he had a very interesting career. His career had a late start as he bounced around the lower leagues for about five years before finally finding a spot with the St. Louis Rams. He was great early and late in his interesting career. In between he had a forgettable year with the New York Giants and three mediocre seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Basically, he had five great seasons in his 12-year career. A quarterback with five great seasons, three Super Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl win usually has a great shot at the Hall of Fame. Potentially, this could be a banner year for the Rams of the "Greatest Show on Turf" era with Warner, Pace, Bruce, and Holt. The guess here is that Warner is the only one that makes it this year. Pace wasn't quite as dominant throughout his career as recent first-year tackle inductees Walter Jones and Jonathan Ogden. Those two were dominant pretty much every time they step on the field. Pace wasn't quite there. Unfortunately for Holt and Bruce, the Hall of Fame voters have created a logjam of receivers. The Rams pass catchers should have to wait in line like the rest. Ty Law will have some support but I'm not sure that he's a first ballot Hall of Famer. Of the first year eligible players, Seau is a lock to make it to Canton this year and Warner will probably make it as well. I just wish that Junior Seau was still around to experience it.
The Hall of Fame voters have to keep chipping away at the receivers. Some felt that Marvin Harrison should have made it last year in his first-year of eligibility. I agreed with the voters that he should wait his turn in line. I could see him making it this year but I'd put Tim Brown in first. He's been waiting too long. Speaking of waiting too long, Don Coryell should have been inducted decades ago. It would have been nice to see him make it to Canton while he was still alive.
Coryell makes four:
Junior Seau
Kurt Warner
Tim Brown
Don Coryell
I'd like to see Terrell Davis finally make it but pass rushers Charles Haley and Kevin Greene have been deserving for a long time. Haley has 5 Super Bowl rings. Greene is third all-time with 160 sacks. All of the players surrounding him on the sack list are in the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is an individual honor and it's time for Greene.
The Flea Flicker picks for the 2015 Hall of Fame Class:
Junior Seau
Kurt Warner
Tim Brown
Don Coryell
Kevin Greene
The Hall of Fame added a separate contributor category this year. Former general managers Ron Wolf and Bill Polian were nominated. They will face a selection process like that of the Senior Committee nominees.
With the added contributor category, the number of senior nominees was cut to one. Minnesota Vikings center Mick Tingelhoff is that single senior nominee. I think that Wolf, Polian, and Tingelhoff make it through for a big 8-member class.
Seeing as the Hall of Fame voters never see these things the way that I do, I expect a class more like this:
Kurt Warner
Junior Seau
Orlando Pace
Marvin Harrison
Will Shields
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