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Hall of Fame predictions Junior Seau will headline Class of 2015

Submitted by seestyle » Fri 08-Nov-2024, 14:03 Subject Area: General Keywords: Hall of Fame predictions Junior Sea, Hall of Fame predictions Junior Sea, Hall of Fame predictions Junior Sea, Hall of Fame predictions Junior Sea, Hall of Fame predictions Junior Sea, Hall of Fame predictions Junior Sea, Hall of Fame predictions Junior Sea	0 member ratings

Yeah, OK, I'm a little salty. How in the heck is Charles Haley not in the ? Anyone? Anyone?The only thing worse than a guy with five rings and 100 career sacks having to wait this long to get inducted is .The '90s are when Mr. Haley cemented his legacy, starting the decade with an appearance as a San Francisco 49er in , one of the best contests ever. Haley would go on to play in four of the next five NFC title games, all as a member of the . He is widely regarded as the man who pushed Jimmy Johnson -- also a finalist this year -- and his young football team to a pair of Lombardi Trophies (and one more after Johnson left).Sadly, I think one of those two guys won't hear the phone ring Sa ... ay.As NFL Media's historian, I am supposed to call it like I see it, so to speak. That said, I totally whiffed on Aeneas Williams last year. ( #fail) Yet, this year . Need a quick review on that list? I'm here to please: Morten Andersen, kicker Jerome Bettis, running back Tim Brown, wide receiver/returner Don Coryell, coach Terrell Davis, running back Tony Dungy, coach KevinGreene, linebacker/defensive end Charles Haley, defensive end/linebacker Marvin Harrison, wide receiver Jimmy Johnson, coach John Lynch, safety Orlando Pace, offensive tackle Junior Seau, linebacker Will Shields, offensive guard Kurt Warner, quarterbackPlus, there are three more specially designated finalists: Senior Finalist: Mick Tingelhoff, center Contributor Finalist: Bill Polian, executive Contributor Finalist: Ron Wolf, executiveFor a more in-depth look at those last three, and . As for the modern-era guys ... Well, it's time for the rubber to meet the road. In advance of the official announcement at on Sa ... ay night (9 p.m. ET, NBC), here Jabari Zuniga Jersey 's my best attempt at who will be part of the 's Cla s of 2015:Three who make itJunior Seau, , is an absolute shoo-in. Orlando Pace is the next closest thing to a lock there is in this particular cla s.Next to Seau and Pace, the three names were Tony Dungy, Marvin Harrison and Kurt Warner. But after making my rounds in the walk-up to XLIX, and talking to a whole bunch of football folk, I'm not so sure. Let's quickly examine those three ...Dungy completely turned around the and won a with the . His social impact is difficult to ignore. And now that another head coach -- John Fox -- has failed to win a with at quarterback, perhaps Dungy's title triumph takes on more meaning.Harrison simply has ridiculous numbers. Take your pick: 143 catches in one season, eight straight seasons with at least 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns, and the third-most catches in league history (1,102). If it's simply about stats with him, then this should be an easy choice.Lastly, Warner's career, while not completely consistent throughout, is dotted with absolute greatne s: Two NFL MVPs, one MVP and the accomplishment of guiding the to a at age 37 -- not a bad rsum. There were many factors that contributed to Warner's middling seasons of 2002 to '06, from injuries to franchise politics.Of Dungy, Harrison and Warner, I like the latter's candidacy the most. I'm not sure voters -- or anyone -- can completely ignore . And my sense is that Dungy, who received much attention in 2014 as a first-year eligible, has fallen back to the pack. If coaches like Bill Cowher (whom Dungy once Isaiah Williams Jersey worked under) and Johnson are waiting ... well, you get the picture.OK, now that we have Seau, Pace and Warner. Do the last two spots get taken? And if so, by whom? ... and two who I think make itAfter bouncing around in Arizona this week, performing a little retro study and weighing what's down the road, I like two names to emerge:Charles Haley and Tim Brown.Last year I pleaded Haley's case. This year, I'm encouraged. Several people I've talked with consider this cla s to be weak enough ("weak" being a relative term, in relation to recent cla ses) for Haley to push through. If voters don't feel that Harrison, Dungy and/or Warner are better than a couple of the candidates who have suffered similar fates to those of the Art Monks and Harry Carsons of the world -- being a finalist for years -- then we should see the players who have waited longer get the call. Seems fair.Rick Go selin, a writer for the "Dallas Morning News" and a Hall voter, thinks Trevon Wesco Jersey Haley has his best shot this year, given the lack of surefire first-ballot candidates on the finalist list. He believes that Haley's candidacy might have been hurt by a couple of low sack years. But Go selin also noted that "once he came back from back surgery, he immediately put up 12 and 10 sacks." Haley was a disruptive force -- period. (And that includes run support, by the way.)Brown retired with 1,094 catches, and so many people I have talked with feel like "Mr. Raider" is as quality a player as anyone on this list, with three different media guys citing the quarterbacks he played (OK, suffered) through. I worked with Tim my first year in this busine s, and when I spoke to him Thursday, he acknowledged the proce s has been a bit trying: "It's been work!" You also get the sense he has enough pride that a bust in Canton would be an honor, not a nece sity. I think this is the year. Had a chat this week with former LB Kirk Morrison and he put it succinctly: "Tim Brown is an absolute r ... he shouldn't have to wait."Aeneas Williams Upset Special candidatesThe two guys I think could be this year's Aeneas Williams -- i.e., the guys who could surprise everyone -- are two coaches: Jimmy Johnson and Don Coryell.The thinking here is: Joe Namath Jersey If you were to build a team, or even wanted to win one game, would you (or the voters) rather have Johnson or Dungy? At the very least, that answer is probably split. Talking to some of my colleagues, I can tell you they hold Johnson in higher esteem. Go selin, who covered Johnson while in Dallas, points out that .Meanwhile, Coryell has gained momentum the last couple of years -- with his presence as a finalist this year, despite having coached his last game 29 years ago, being indicative of that. He was a true innovator, a characteristic that could trump wins in some voters' minds.Another name that could surprise -- although it certainly wouldn't carry the wow-factor shock of Johnson or Coryell -- is Will Shields. Shields, of course, is in his fourth year as a finalist. Prognosticating who among the multi-time finalists could make the cut has proven to be nearly impo sible over the last few years. But if Brown or Haley were to get beat out by one of the other long-waiting candidates, Shields would be my gue s. If Seau is considered a slam dunk with his 12 s lighting up the rsum, why can't Shields -- who lit up Seau's many times in his career -- ride his 12 nods up the steps in Canton? If I were a voter campaigning for the former lineman, that is precisely what my argument would be. Guards play football, too. Just ask first-ballot r Larry Allen. Well, don't. Not this yearWith Jerome Bettis being on the proverbial doorstep for the fifth straight year -- and I see him staying there -- I have a hard time seeing Terrell Davis getting the call in his first year as a finalist Tim Ward Jersey . I'm on the record with Davis; I feel he deserves the honor. But, as an employee of the NFL, I am currently ineligible to be a voter.Morten Andersen, John Lynch and KevinGreene are the only remaining names we haven't covered. Andersen certainly has a shot, considering that punter Ray Guy made it last year. However, Guy was a seniors nominee, and those candidates do not have to compete with modern-era finalists for induction.On the subject of Lynch ..

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