Is David Ortiz a Hall of Famer?

Apr 07, 2015
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DDT's Pop Flies
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Responding in late March to the allegations of performance-enhancing drug use that have dogged him throughout his career, Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz forcefully denied the charges while stating unequivocally "[h]ell yes I deserve to be in the Hall of Fame" in a post entitled "The Dirt" on The Players' Tribune website.
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Kurt Warner: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 29, 2015


Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at Quarterback Head Coach, Kurt Warner.

Of the three first year eligible players (the others being Junior Seau and Orlando Pace), Kurt Warner is easily the best story.  We all know the story of Warner who went from small Northern Iowa, to bagging groceries to the Arena League to the World League to Super Bowl Champion.  It is an amazing story and the perfect counter to Seau’s suicide, and let’s face it…nobody carries a better Hall of Fame resume than the former Linebacker so you would think they HAVE to put him in.  If Seau is a lock (and he should be) isn’t the story of Warner the one they want front and center?

Does that mean Kurt Warner is a Hall of Fame player? 

I have always thought that though he is a two time MVP, and a one time Super Bowl Champion that he was on the fence for enshrinement.  He had three great seasons with the Rams (1999 – 2001) where he led the NFL in Completion Percentage every season, twice in Touchdowns and twice in QB Rating.  Basically, for a three year stretch he was the top QB, though he had a lot of offensive power surrounding him. 

He would have two very good seasons in Arizona, taking them to a Super Bowl, but this also a man who had years of doing not much of anything, and his induction would be based on three great years, two good ones, and the rest being average to mediocre. 

Accumulatively, and especially with the inflated stats that Quarterbacks are now accumulating, his 32,334 Passing Yards and 208 Touchdowns won’t seem as impressive to future generations, but what he was able to accomplish in Arizona with not nearly the help he had in St. Louis will probably put him in…especially with a story this good.






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Tony Dungy: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 29, 2015


Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at former Head Coach, Tony Dungy.

Dungy has been a Finalist before for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and as a former Super Bowl winning Coach this shouldn’t be a surprise.  Dungy coached for thirteen years in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts and for eleven of those seasons he took his team to the Playoffs and would win it all in 2006 with the Colts.

Dungy’s overall regular season record of 136 and 69 is one of the best and he has long been highly regarded as one of the best and most popular coaches in recent memory.  He has been revered for his calm teaching style and is one that many other coaches have openly looked to emulate. 

He has also been known for giving back to the NFL after his career as a coach was over, assisting Michael Vick in getting back into the NFL, his philanthropic and community involvement is legendary.  He has parlayed that likability factor into a successful analyst career with NBC.

There are however valid criticisms, and Dungy may not have done himself Hall of Fame favors when he openly decreed that he would not have drafted Michael Sam, citing his sexuality as a distraction.  Also, Dungy did win a Super Bowl in Indianapolis, but it was Jon Gruden who took his previous team to the promised land.  One Super Bowl may not cut it.

Recognizing that, if one of the three coaches (Dungy, Don Coryell and Jimmy Johnson) Dungy is the one who will probably get in…and probably this year, not that I would personally put him in right now, behind the other two. 






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John Lynch: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 28, 2015


Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at former Safety, John Lynch.

Lynch is a Finalist for the second year in a row, but pure Safeties only number eight in Canton, the last being in 1998 when Paul Krause got in, who is still the all time leader in Interceptions.  Lynch only has 26, significantly lower than Krause (81), but that was not why he was chosen for nine Pro Bowls and two First Team All Pro squads. 

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and Denver Bronco was considered to be one of the most ferocious hitters in the NFL and he put the fear of God in open Wide Receivers.  Lynch was named the Defensive Back of the Year by the NFL Alumni in 2000 and in 2003 was a major part of the defensive effort that decimated the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl.

That defense has already seen two players go to the Hall of Fame (Warren Sapp & Derrick Brooks) and could see another when Ronde Barber is eligible.  Lynch was a big part of that effort, but will Canton see fit to pit in a third and a fourth from that D? 

We have talked about character and the Hall of Fame, and if that were the main prerequisite, Lynch’s head would be measured for that bust right now.  He is a former winner of both the Bart Starr and Whizzer White Man of the Year and was known throughout the NFL for being a genuinely nice guy, but that is not what this should be all about.

As for me, I am not yet convinced that the third Buccaneer Super Bowl winner enshrined in Canton shouldn’t be Barber, and I am on the side of the fence that does not see him get in.  My wager is that is how it will play out this year too. 




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Junior Seau: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 27, 2015


Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at former Linebacker, Junior Seau.

When Seau retired, virtually every football fan and journalist pegged him as a surefire first ballot inductee and why not?  Seau was regarded for many years as the top Linebacker in the National Football League, and has the trophies to prove it. 

The former linebacker was the consensus Defensive MVP in 1992, a twelve time Pro Bowler, a six time First Team All Pro Selection, a member of the 1990’s All Decade Team and the NFL Alumni Linebacker of the Year in 2003.  Stat wise, he has 56.5 Quarterback Sacks, 18 Interceptions and 1,849 Tackles over a twenty year career.  He has suited in the second most games of any Linebacker.

It can be criticized that Junior Seau never won the Super Bowl, though he has been to two, the first with the San Diego Chargers where he was a major reason they got as far as they did in the first place.  It should also be noted that Seau also won the Walter Payton Man of the Year, an accolade showing his charitable work.

Perhaps that is why his suicide caught all of us by surprise when he committed suicide as we all thought he was such a happy well adjusted man who loved life.  We did not know about the concussion related injuries and depression that he had about no longer being a football player and the other issues he had.

While the Pro Football Hall of Fame has posthumously inducted players in the past, there has never been one before where people have pointed at the injuries suffered at the gridiron as a possible cause to his death. 

This should not keep him out, but it does raise the question of the costs of playing football are, and though Seau should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and should go in immediately, there will be articles written about the cost of playing the game. 

Could that prevent him from getting in?  If it was a player with less accolades that could happen, but this is a player who was one of the best Defensive players ever, so it is not only likely to happen, he will get in on the first ballot.

Anything else is criminal.   








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Jerome Bettis: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 26, 2015


Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at former Running Back, Jerome Bettis.

This is “The Bus’s” fifth consecutive year as a Hall of Finalist, but this year seems different, as there are not as many obstacles in his way.  There had been higher profile Running Backs ahead of him in the past, and while Terrell Davis is also a Finalist, based on previous voting patterns, it stands to reason that he is behind him in line.  Bettis also made it to the final ten last year showing that he is very close to the door.

He should be.  Amassing 13,662 Rushing Yards and 91 Touchdowns over his career, the popular Running Back is considered one of the best “big” backs ever and statistically he is among the elite.  Bettis has six Pro Bowls and two First Team All Pro selections to his credit, and in 1996 he won the NFL Alumni Running Back of the Year, indicating that there was a sizable segment that considered him the best at one point in his career.

Character (good or bad) should not really be a factor in getting into the Hall of Fame, but who are we kidding?  Where it hurts Charles Haley, it helps Jerome Bettis, a former Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (2001), and was also named the PFWA Good Guy Award in 2005.   Through broadcasting, Bettis remains in the public eye and still has a high level of respect within the community.

Bettis would win a Super Bowl Ring in his final season in the NFL, but he was largely ineffective and almost cost the team the game, so that is not exactly a selling point.

Personally, I have always viewed Jerome Bettis as a marginal Hall of Fame talent, but one if he got in would not bother me, and if he never got in would be fine also.  Saying that, this is his year, and all signs are for the bus to make a final stop in Northern Ohio.










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Terrell Davis: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 25, 2015



Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at former Running Back, Terrell Davis.

For the first time in eight years, Terrell Davis has made it to the Final Round, a feat inconceivable four years into his career when he had just completed a three year stint as the best Running Back in the National Football League. 

Those first four seasons were among the most impressive by any Running Back in NFL history.  Davis would win the Rushing Title in 1998 and would lead the league in Rushing Touchdowns twice in 1997 and 1998, and is one of the rare people to rush for 2,000 Yards in a NFL season.  More importantly, Davis would be a featured performer taking the Denver Broncos to two consecutive Super Bowls, where he would be named the MVP of his first one, and was the MVP of the NFL in the regular season the year after.

So what happened?

Like so many professional athletes, Terrell Davis succumbed to injuries way to early in his career and in his final three seasons only saw the Running Back play 17 Games.  He just wasn’t the same player and there are many who look at Hall of Fame players for Canton and expect that they should have longer careers than only seven NFL campaigns.

While I can understand that sentiment, a very important fact remains is that Davis WAS at one point the undisputed best Running Back in the NFL and not just for a moment.  That reality makes him a bona fide contender for the Hall of Fame and despite the brevity of his career makes him someone that I would personally vote for, champion for and induct into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Saying that, will he get in?

Not this year, as the patterns we have seen have shown as that those who have “toiled” in the Semis and eventually make it to the Finals never get into the Hall of Fame the year they finally break through. 

Although this is very unlikely to be the year that Davis breaks through…well, we can hope can’t we?  I am sure that there are many in the state of Colorado thinking the same thing.










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Mick Tingelhoff: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 25, 2015


Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at former Center, Mick Tingelhoff.

Tingelhoff is part of all four Minnesota Vikings teams in the 1970’s that made it to the Super Bowl, though failed to win the big one.  Saying that, while he was still regarded as an above average Center in the National Football League, it was in the 1960’s that he was an elite performer. 

That decade, Tingelhoff went to six Pro Bowls, five of which saw him named as a First Team All Pro Selection.  His overall durability saw him play 240 consecutive games, all of which as a starter, a mark that at the time of his retirement placed him second overall. 

Tingelhoff, who is already in the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor and has had his number retired by the organization, has long been a player that Vikings fans have been clamoring for to enter the Hall of Fame, and history shows that they will likely get what they want.


Over 65 percent of past Senior Candidates have gotten in, and now with their being only one on the ballot, many, including us think that Tingelhoff will no longer be on the outside looking in, which is how it should have been for years.






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Will Shields: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 24, 2015


Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at former Offensive Guard, Will Shields.

This is Shields fourth consecutive year as a Finalist, which is also his fourth on the ballot.  The Right Guard started 223 of his 224 Games Played and of his fourteen seasons, he was a Pro Bowl Selection for twelve of them, not to mention a First Team All Pro Selection twice. 

A consistent player, Shields was the steadying force in what was predominantly one of the better Offensive Lines in the NFL and was rarely beat, much to the delight of the his Quarterbacks, Elvis Grbac and Trent Green who both had 4,000 Yard Passing seasons. 

What has kept Shields out thus far is the high amount of Offensive Linemen who have been eligible at the same time, and this year is no exception with Orlando Pace and Senior Candidate Mick Tingelhoff, the latter of which has a great chance of getting in based on the recent frequency in which Senior Candidates have been getting inducted. 

Saying that, I think he will get in (and should) this year, but if he is passed over again, the former Kansas City Chief won’t wait long.


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Jimmy Johnson: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 23, 2015


Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at former Head Coach, Jimmy Johnson.

The former Dallas Cowboy and Miami Dolphin Head Coach has been eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for over a decade but this is the first time he made this far.  The initial question might be why, but it appears that longevity would have to be the answer. 

Johnson would only coach for nine seasons and his 80 and 64 record is well below a lot of other Head Coach’s winning percentage is not in line with others in Canton.  That is something that probably should not matter, but having a win total well under 100 has to be something that has prevented him getting him this far until now. 

Now that being true, he does have three major things going for him, and two of them are Super Bowl Rings.  You pay coaches to win the big one, and his record is skewed a lot from that 1 and 15 inaugural season in Dallas, but ask Cowboys fans if they care about that now?  They don’t and nor should they based on what he built.

What also works in his favor is that Johnson was the architect of putting together the team (he was the head of all those decisions) and through drafts and the brilliant trade of Herschel Walker that netted him a plethora of draft picks, he built a mini-dynasty that would win another Super Bowl under Barry Switzer that largely was due to the personnel decisions by Johnson.

Perhaps the best comparison is John Madden, who like Johnson had a relatively similar career with ten seasons as the Raiders Head Coach and one Super Bowl win, though his regular season record was much better (100-32-7), though wouldn’t he heave traded some wins for a second Super Bowl?  Also, both remained largely in the public eye with their broadcasting career, and make no mistake, that does subconsciously play into the minds of many voters.

For me, the most important thing is the two Super Bowl Bowls, and arguably an assist on the third, which in my mind makes him not only a Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalist, but an inductee as well, and he should have been a Finalist long ago.

If it was up to me he will get in this year, but he won’t.  Tony Dungy will likely get that spot instead.




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