Next Hall of Fame Class Revisited

With the recent announcement of the Pro Football of Fame Class of 2019 semifinalists and the weekly Hall of Fame talk on the Talk of Fame Network podcast I was thinking again about the next Canton Class.

The 25 Semifinalists:

Ed Reed
Tony Gonzalez
Champ Bailey
Steve Atwater
Ronde Barber
Tony Boselli
Isaac Bruce
LeRoy Butler
Don Coryell
Alan Faneca
Tom Flores
Torry Holt
Steve Hutchinson
Edgerrin James
Jimmy Johnson
Ty Law
John Lynch
Clay Matthews
Kevin Mawae
Karl Mecklenburg
Sam Mills
Richard Seymour
Zach Thomas
Hines Ward
Darren Woodson

When I'm not thinking about the Minnesota Vikings I often think about the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I love the Hall and the selection process is very important to me. I took it a little too personally for the five years that Cris Carter didn't make it but I hope I've grown since then. I hope that I no longer let personal biases cloud my judgement. I still think that Carter waited five years too long.

Anyway, I was thinking about the Class of 2019 semifinalists and the five that I think most deserve to be in Canton next August. My initial guess when the list was released produced a group that looked like this:

Ed Reed
Tony Gonzalez
Kevin Mawae
Steve Hutchinson
Don Coryell

I still think that Ed Reed and Tony Gonzalez make it in their first year of eligibility and that Champ Bailey doesn't. Bailey deserves to make it and he will. I just think that Ty Law should go in first. If the two cornerbacks had hit their eligibility at the same I'd rank Bailey ahead of Law. They didn't hit their eligibility at the same time. This is Law's fifth year as a semifinalist and his wait has to end before Bailey gets inducted. I'm tired of seeing deserving players wait longer than they should. Plus, I think that making it in the first year of eligibility has to mean more than it currently does. Reed and Gonzalez changed the way that their positions were played. They changed the game. They had the sort of career deserving of first year induction. Bailey was a great football player but he didn't change his position.

My five modern-era Class of 2019 has evolved into this.

Ed Reed
Tony Gonzalez
Tony Boselli
Ty Law
Steve Hutchinson

Tony Boselli's Hall merits are much debated due to a career cut short to seven seasons by injuries. He was the league's best offensive tackle for nearly all of those seven seasons. This was during a time when Hall of Famers Willie Roaf, Jonathan Ogden, Walter Jones, and Orlando Pace populated the league.

There's no doubt that Steve Hutchinson had a Hall of Fame career. It's just a matter of when he's called to Canton. I say it's next August.

Those five would join the Senior and Contributor finalists.
Johnny Robinson
Gil Brandt
Pat Bowlen

A few players hovering just on the outside of my five modern-era inductees are Darren Woodson, Kevin Mawae, Alan Faneca, Zach Thomas, and Edgerrin James. Much like receiver over the past decade, safety is becoming a Hall of Fame problem. Ed Reed and Johnny Robinson should join Ken Easley and Brian Dawkins as recent safety inductees but there are four deserving semifinalists that have been waiting. Steve Atwater, Darren Woodson, LeRoy Butler, and John Lynch. Woodson tops my list because of his ability to play all over the defense. He was one of the first safeties to frequently play nickel. He covered Jerry Rice! A strong recommendation from Mike Zimmer boosts his Hall candidacy in my book. I keep flipping back and forth on Kevin Mawae. Some days I wake up thinking that he's a slam-dunk pick. Other days I'm not so sure. That sort of waffling isn't fair to a terrific football player. I want to include both Steve Hutchinson and Alan Faneca because both deserve to be in the Hall already. They are, by far, the best guards of their era. They played at the same time and now they are competing for a spot in Canton. Sometimes I have a Class that includes both but there really isn't room for both. Just as he was when he was playing, Zach Thomas is underrated as a Hall of Fame candidate. Perhaps it was because he was a pint-sized linebacker. Perhaps it was because he played at the same time as Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher and Junior Seau. Thomas had a remarkable career. I've been guilty of forgetting how excellent a player Edgerrin James was. His first two seasons in the league were dominant. He was the game's most versatile back for nearly a decade. The only knock on his career is a single All-Pro selection and a modest four Pro Bowls. Both are indications that he wasn't always recognized as among the best backs of his era.

These are tough decisions. I often wish that I had a Hall of Fame vote. More often, I'm glad that I don't. But it sure would be fun to be part of the debates.