One of our favorite days on our Hall of Fame calendar is the day before the Super Bowl.  Not only are we excited with the impending biggest game of the year, but it also is the day that the Pro Football Hall of Fame announces their annual class.

With the advent of social media, the word on the inductees broke before the official announcement on the NFL Network.

The new members are:

Steve Atwater:  This was a long time coming.  Eligible since 2005, Atwater was a two-time Super Bowl Champion with the Denver Broncos, and he was also a two-time First Team All-Pro.  The Free Safety also was chosen for eight Pro Bowls, and was chosen for the 1990s All-Decade Team.  This was the third time that he was named a Finalist, and his entry cushions the blow for an upset Denver fanbase that felt Randy Gradishar was snubbed by the Centennial Slate Blue Ribbon Committee.  Atwater was ranked #5 on our latest list for Hall of Fame consideration.

Isaac Bruce:  A star with the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” team, Isaac Bruce won a Super Bowl with the Rams and would    Bruce has been eligible since 2015, and this was the fourth time that he made to the Finalists.  Over his career, he went to four Pro Bowls and accumulated 15,208 Receiving Yards and 91 Touchdowns.  With the exception of his last two seasons in San Francisco, he was with the Rams for the majority of his career.  Bruce was ranked #9 on our last list.

Steve Hutchinson:  Hutchinson has been Hall of Fame eligible since 2018, and he has been a Finalist ever year.  The Offensive Guard began his career in Seattle, where he spent five seasons, and was chosen for two First Team All-Pros.  He would join the Minnesota Vikings for six years, and was a First Team All-Pro three times while donning the purple.  Finishing his career with one final year in Tennessee, Hutchinson was a Pro Bowl Selection on seven occasions.  Hutchinson was ranked #24 on our last list.

Edgerrin James:  Eligible since 2015, Edgerrin James was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1999, and with the Indianapolis Colts he went to four Pro Bowls. He would win the Rushing Title in his first two years and would overall rush for 12,246 Yards, and caught 433 passes for another 3,364 Yards.  This was the fourth year for James as a Finalist.  He was ranked #20 on our last list.

Troy Polamalu:  Polamalu enters Canton on his first year of eligibility, which was widely expected.  The Safety spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2003-14), and he was the 2010 Defensive Player of the Year. The Strong Safety won two Super Bowls, went to eight Pro Bowls and four First Team All-Pros.  Polamalu was ranked #7 on our last list.  

The first five cut from the 15 Finalists were LeRoy Butler, Torry Holt, Sam Mills, Reggie Wayne and Bryant Young. The next five cut were Tony Boselli, Alan Faneca, John Lynch, Richard Seymour and Zach Thomas

This group will join the 15 men who were chosen by the Centennial Slate Blue Ribbon Committee.  That group consisted of Harold Carmichael, Jim Covert, Bill Cowher, Bobby Dillon, Cliff Harris, Winston Hill, Jimmy Johnson, Alex Karras, Steve Sabol, Donnie Shell, Duke Slater, Mac Speedie, Ed Sprinkle, Paul Tagliabue and George Young.

We will now begin work on our Notinhalloffame.com Football List.  All of those inducted will be removed from the list.  We will then add those who are eligible for the 2021 Class, and insert them accordingly.  Look for that in early March.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In a few weeks, the Baseball pre-season will commence but we will be missing Curtis Granderson, who announced his retirement today.  

Granderson cracked the Majors in 2004 where he would join the Detroit Tigers.  With the Tigers, he would lead the American League in 2007 & 2008, and was an All-Star in 2009.  The Outfielder would be dealt after the season to the New York Yankees where he played for four seasons.  With the Bronx Bombers, Granderson would have two All-Star Game appearances and in 2011 would lead the AL in Runs Scored (136) and RBIs (2011).  That season and he the year after he had 40 Home Run seasons. 

Granderson would next play three and half seasons with the New York Mets, where he had 95 Home Runs for the team.  He finished off his last two seasons and change with stops in Los Angeles, Toronto, Milwaukee and Miami.  He retires with an even 1,800 Hits and 344 Home Runs.   

While Granderson is unlikely to make the Baseball Hall of Fame, he will be on the ballot in 2025.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com thanks Curtis Granderson for his on-field play, philanthropic nature and we wish him the best in his post-playing career.

The toughest Super Bowl to call

In case you haven’t noticed, there happens to be a not-too-small sporting event taking place in the very near future. No, we’re not talking about the Australian Tennis Open (although, it’s looking like a great tournament). We are, of course, talking about the 54^thSuper Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers that is set to take place in Miami next weekend.

So who’s going to win? Who will be named the MVP? Can the Chiefs really end their 50-year drought? Before we answer that last question, let’s take a look at the Chiefs opponents, the 49ers.

The 49ers

If we take a look back at some of the 49ers' key moments en route to the Super Bowl, we'll see that they aren’t quite invincible. In the regular season, they lost to the Ravens, the Seahawks, and surprisingly enough, the Falcons.

Despite their losses, the 49ers have arguably been one of the most outstanding teams of the season. Now, that might sound like an obvious thing to say about a team that has just made it to the Super Bowl, but the truth is that there have been plenty of teams that have made it to the final despite playing poorly throughout the season. The 49ers are beatable, but they’ll take some beating.

In the Packers game, the 49ers’ Raheem Mostert played the game of his life. 220 yards and four touchdowns left the Packers second best throughout the game and, if anything, it’s an ominous sign for the Chiefs.

The team’s running game has been impeccable, ranking second for rushing yards and first in the league for touchdowns. And this offense will come up against a defense that is well-known for giving up space on the field despite their relative tight control of the game.

If the 49ers can bring their A-game in terms of offense, we fully expect them to rack up the points. Tevin Coleman dislocated his shoulder but hasn’t yet been ruled out of the game. We have a feeling that even if he doesn’t play, Mostert will be more than able to handle the pressure as he has already proven.

The Chiefs

Caption - Can the Chiefs lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy?

Can you believe that the win over the Titans secured the Chiefs their first ever Lamar Hunt Trophy? It’s pretty incredible given that Hunt was the founder of both the Chiefs and the AFC. Once the excitement of that win died down, the reality of preparing for their first Super Bowl appearance since 1970 set in.

The Chiefs haven’t had quite the same experience this season as the 49ers. They are a backs-to-the-wall team that has snatched some miraculous wins from the jaws of defeat. They gave up a 24-point lead against the Texans and were up against it vs. the Titans when they went 10-0 down in the first quarter. Against lesser teams than the 49ers, they were able to come back by playing their air game but if they get a slow start in Miami, we’re not sure that will work this time around.

Even so, the Chiefs were the marginal favorites when both finalists were decided, but the odds seem to be changing and swinging in either team’s favor on an hourly basis. Coach Andy Reid may see this as his last opportunity to finally win the Lombardi and, if anyone deserves it, it’s the man who lost out as Eagles coach back in 2004.

Who will be the MVP?

It’s hard to look past a quarterback when it comes to the MVP. In fact, seven of the last ten MVPs at the Super Bowl have been quarterbacks. If this year is no different, then it’s a straight up contest between Patrick Mahomes and Jimmy Garoppolo.

Both players are in amazing form though we get the feeling that, despite his new lease of life at the 49ers, Garoppolo needs to add an MVP and a ring as an active player to the two he won as a back-up if he wants to avoid becoming another Randall Cunningham. Mahomes, on the other hand, seems to be a man with the world at his feet. While Garoppolo has something to prove, his Chiefs counterpart has nothing to lose and everything to gain. It all depends on how the game pans out, of course.

However, this season could see a running back take the MVP. Raheem Mostert is improving with each game and if the Chiefs play to his strengths and make a quick start to the game, he just might be the most important player on the field. This is particularly true if Tevin Coleman fails to recover from his injuryand the onus is placed on Mostert to lead the line.

Aside from Mostert, we really can’t see anyone else pushing either quarterback for the MVP. Of course, you could punt for a linebacker in Nick Bosa, but we don’t expect it to be a game where the plaudits are won by the defensive units of either team.

So which team will win?

It really is the toughest Super Bowl to call in recent memory. Both teams seem pretty evenly matched and have quarterbacks in good form. Neither team is unstoppable, but if we were to choose one team that will give up scores, it would be the Chiefs. The 49ers just seem like a more solid defensive side.

That point, however, is countered by the fact that the Chiefs have an incredibly fluid attack that is good in the air. But then the 49ers have Mostert. You see where we’re coming from when we say that this is too tough to call? In fairness, we’d like to see the Chiefs do it for Reid and the fact that it’s their first Super Bowl in 50 years, but again it’s too tough to call.

Either way, this has all the makings of a real classic. With both sides evenly matched we can see this being one of the most enjoyable Super Bowls for neutral fans in a very long time. Let’s hope it lives up to expectations.

This is not the kind of news that you want to wake up to.

Chris Doleman passed away at the age of 58 after a battle with glioblastoma.  

Doleman played his college ball at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Defensive End would be chosen fourth overall in the 1985 Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.  He would to his first Pro Bowl 1987, and would lead the NFL in Forced Fumbles with six.  Doleman was a Pro Bowler in the next three seasons, the best of which being the 1989 season where he was a First Team All-Pro and would finish atop the Quarterback Sacks list with 21.0.  He played for the Vikings three more seasons, and would earn two more Pro Bowls and in 1993 would be chosen for his second First Team All-Pro.

Next up, was Atlanta, where Doleman played two seasons, and then three with San Francisco.  In both teams, he would secure one Pro Bowl season.  He returned to the Vikings for one final season in 1999.

Doleman would be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012, and he is a member of the 1990s All-Decade Team.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our congratulates to both Martinez and Ivanisevic.