The National Football League recently released their list of semi-finalists for the Hall of Fame. This list includes a number of notable players, such as Darrelle Revis and Joe Thomas, who have been consistently great throughout their careers. Jim, a Hall of Fame voter, has some thoughts on who should make the cut.
Rodney Harrison
Jim believes Rodney Harrison is a Hall of Fame safety and should have been inducted a long time ago. He states that Harrison was a better player in San Diego than he was in New England, but the fact their teams were so bad meant people didn’t get to see him. Jim believes his numbers compare closely to those of Brian Dawkins, and if you put up their resumes “blind”, it would be difficult to tell them apart.
Henry Ellard
Jim is happy to see Henry Ellard make it to the semi-finals. He notes that Ellard was third in the league in receiving yards and fourth in catches when he retired and had to play in an era that wasn’t as wide-open as the offenses are today.
Specialists
Jim believes that traditionally Hall of Fame voters have a bias against specialists, such as punters. He brings up the example of Shane Lechler, who was on two All-Decade teams, a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary Team, and a six-time first-team all-pro player, but who only made it to the semi-finalists list. Jim believes that dominance, impact, and consistency over a period of time should be considered when voting for specialists.
Conclusion
The National Football League’s Hall of Fame semi-finalists list is always a hotly debated topic. Jim has highlighted a few of the players who he believes should make the cut, as well as the need to reconsider the bias against specialists. It will be interesting to see who will eventually make it into the Hall of Fame.
