NFL Hall of Fame: Class of 2010
Here are the 25 semi-finalists. This list will be whittled down to 15 and then finally down to somewhere between 4 and 6 inductees by Super Bowl Sunday. I love how the list (in alphabetical order) begins with two Raiders!
- Cliff Branch, WR – 1972-1985 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
- Tim Brown, WR/KR – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Cris Carter, WR – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
- Don Coryell, Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers
- Roger Craig, RB – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings
- Terrell Davis, RB – 1995-2001 Denver Broncos
- Dermontti Dawson, C – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
- Richard Dent, DE – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles
- Chris Doleman, DE/LB – 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers
- Kevin Greene, LB/DE – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers
- Russ Grimm, G – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins
- Ray Guy, P – 1973-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
- Charles Haley, DE/LB – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
- Lester Hayes, CB – 1977-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
- Rickey Jackson, LB – 1981-1993 New Orleans Saints, 1994-95 San Francisco 49ers
- Cortez Kennedy, DT – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
- Art Modell, Owner – 1961-1995 Cleveland Browns, 1996-2003 Baltimore Ravens
- John Randle, DT – 1990-2000 Minnesota Vikings, 2001-03 Seattle Seahawks
- Andre Reed, WR – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
- Jerry Rice, WR – 1985-2000 San Francisco 49ers, 2001-04 Oakland Raiders, 2004 Seattle Seahawks
- Shannon Sharpe, TE – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens
- Emmitt Smith, RB – 1990-2002 Dallas Cowboys, 2003-04 Arizona Cardinals
- Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner – 1989-2006 National Football League
- Steve Tasker, Special Teams/WR – 1985-86 Houston Oilers, 1986-1997 Buffalo Bills
- Aeneas Williams, CB/S – 1991-2000 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 2001-04 St. Louis Rams
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Tim Brown, Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, and Aeneas Williams are first-year eligibles. Many of the names on this list were also on the last list we looked at four years ago.
Okay. You get to pick six. Who’re yours?
Without looking at the statistics, my gut reaction besides the no-brainers like Emmitt Smith and Jery Rice:
Ray Guy: I can see if the Hall has a bias against punters, but, if that’s the case, there better not be any other punters in there.
Russ Grimm: Honestly, I can’t remember that much about him, but I do remember the “Hogs”. I hated them because I hated hearing Darren gloat. Of course, if they weren’t that great, I wouldn’t have hated them so much.
Charles Hayley: John Randle, Kevin Greene, Chris Doleman and Richard Dent are all very good, if not great, but I give the edge to Hayley. I hated Hayley for similar reasons I hated the Hogs (when he played for the Cowboys). I just got annoyed that this smallish (one of the first?) could be so effective.
Shannon Sharpe: This is a tough one, if I’m thinking of receivers/TEs. Tim Brown is up there, just because he was so consistent for so long. He shouldn’t be penalized for playing on bad Raider teams. Branch was super consistent, too, for a long time, so I like him too. Cris Carter seemed pretty dominant, but I don’t know about his earlier years. Actually, I believe his stats might make him an automatic. I guess, I think of Sharpe as being really dominant for a long time.
Others:
I love TD, but is his career too short, even for a running back? The guy was terrific, though. Lester Hayes is another guy, I’m thinking should be in there.
Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice are the shoo-ins for my ballot (and hopefully for anyone’s). That gives me four to play with. I like having at least one Raider every year, and although I love Lester the Molester and Cliff Branch (whose appearance on this list surprises me just a little), I have to give it to Ray Guy. My feelings about putting him the hall have only gotten stronger in the four years since we last discussed this.
Man, you could really make a case for Steve Tasker.
Instead, I’ll go with Russ Grimm, Chris Carter, and Cortez Kennedy. Reid makes a good point about stats which is what swayed me on Carter and Sharpe (whom I’ll vote for next time) even though that’s way too offensive an induction class if you ask me. Still, you just can’t argue against Rice and Smith, so maybe this year it’s okay.
Let’s here the case for Steve Tasker. I don’t know his stats, and based watching him play, I wouldn’t expect him to be nominated, let alone get into the Hall.
I didn’t think Kennedy was a better DT than John Randle. Does the amount of time on this list matter on the voting, since Randle has only been on from last year?
I with both of you on Guy, if any punter should make it, it’s Guy.
For some reason I’m thinking Dawson was a rock on the Steelers line, even more so then Grimm. I would guess he must have made 8-10 pro bowls (but Grimm too I would guess). But who knows with the linemen.
I’ll give the last one to Tags. There is usually one nonplayer voted in.
I gotta be honest for a lot of the players, particularly the linemen, I don’t know or remember enough to say who’s really better. Kennedy over Randle? Dawson over Grimm? It would be a complete guess for me.
Of the non-players, I would go with Don, (the original) “Air” Coryell. But then again, I don’t know the influence of Modell and Tags.
I don’t have a whole lot to add, except that regarding Cortez Kennedy, I think people forget about him because he played in Seattle and wasn’t nearly as flashy or as loud as John Randle. But one thing that should stand out is that he was so dominant as a defensive tackle in 1992 that he was voted the NFL defensive player of the year despite the fact that the Seahawks were 2-14. Think about that. The worst team in the league. Kennedy was really good for about ten years, which is a long time for a defensive tackle.
Well you could at least add five more names for your ballot.
Here are the finalists. At least four and as many as six of these guys will be enshrined this year, to be announced on Super Bowl Sunday. Five of my six choices made the cut, excepting only Ray Guy (there is no justice, I tell you). All of Reid’s choices except Guy also made the cut. I can’t really tell who Don picked except for Dawson and Tagliabue, of whom Tags didn’t make the cut but Dawson did.
Looks like three Raiders could go into the hall in the same year. Jerry and Roger are going in wearing the Silver and Black, right?
Tim Brown – Wide Receiver/Kick Returner – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
Don Coryell – Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers
Roger Craig – Running Back – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings
Dermontti Dawson – Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles
Russ Grimm – Guard – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins
Charles Haley – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
Rickey Jackson – Linebacker – 1981-1993 New Orleans Saints, 1994-95 San Francisco 49ers
Cortez Kennedy – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
Dick LeBeau* – Cornerback – 1959-1972 Detroit Lions
Floyd Little* – Running Back – 1967-1975 Denver Broncos
John Randle – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Minnesota Vikings, 2001-03 Seattle Seahawks
Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
Jerry Rice – Wide Receiver – 1985-2000 San Francisco 49ers, 2001-04 Oakland Raiders, 2004 Seattle Seahawks
Shannon Sharpe – Tight End – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens
Emmitt Smith – Running Back – 1990-2002 Dallas Cowboys, 2003-04 Arizona Cardinals