Committee Chairman

Jimmy Johnson: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 23, 2015

Published in Hall of Fame Debates

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.

Marvin Harrison: 2015 HOF Debate

Jan 21, 2015

Published in Hall of Fame Debates

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 Wide Receiver, Marvin Harrison.

The biggest shock last year was that Marvin Harrison did not get in last year on his first year of eligibility, as stat wise he was the most accomplished of the Wide Receivers on the ballot. Harrison caught 1,102 passes for 14,580 Yards and 128 Touchdowns, career numbers that fit the resume of a Hall of Fame caliber player, even in this inflated era. He would twice lead the NFL in Receiving Yards, would three times be named a First Team All Pro three times and also was once named the NFL Alumni Wide Receiver of the Year.

Those accolades show that not only did Marvin Harrison have the durability, he had a claim at one point as the top Wide Receiver in the game, a “two for two” in what should make a player a Hall of Fame lock.

So what kept him out last year?

Harrison has had shooting incidents, a couple of which attached to drugs and drug dealers. Now, it needs to be stated that Marvin Harrison was never convicted on any charge, but it is a stigma that has followed him, as has the fact that he was not always the most cooperative with the media.

Still, as stated many times in this site, character should not be a factor (unless there is something far more serious) should not keep a man out of the Hall of Fame, and Harrison has every necessary gridiron credential.

My prediction is that the former Indianapolis Colt gets in this year, and he really should not have to wait another year. It’s already been too long.

Charles Haley: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 20, 2015

Published in Hall of Fame Debates

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 Defensive End and Linebacker, Charles Haley.

This is the sixth consecutive year that Charles Haley has been named a Hall of Fame Finalist, and every single time that someone extolls the virtues of Haley for enshrinement they point to the same thing every single time:

Five Super Bowl Rings.

And why shouldn’t they do mention that fact over and over again? There is no player who ever competed in the National Football League who can make that claim, and why else do you play the game if it isn’t to become a champion? Haley wasn’t just a bystander, he was a pivotal figure in these championship teams with both the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers and is one of the few players who has over 100 Quarterback Sacks (100.5). That is the most important stat, and one you can’t not mention when looking at Haley’s Hall of Fame credentials.

Haley was also someone who had successful seasons at both Defensive End and at Linebacker, and went to the Pro Bowl and had First Team All Pro Selections at both positions, overall accumulating two First Team nods and five Pro Bowl selections, which again are decent numbers, though we have seen many other defensive players with five Pro Bowls who really have not come close to getting into Canton, though that is not what many think has kept him out so far.

As much as you would hear John Madden wax poetic about his skills on Sundays, you would equally hear about character issues that Haley had. The defensive standout, who would later be diagnosed as bipolar, was absolutely detested by the media and though that should not be a factor for Hall of Fame voting, it is voted on by humans who mostly have interacted with the people they vote on. The human factor plays a part, right or wrong.

It is not that he also did not ruffle teammates the wrong way as he famously had to be restrained from attacking Quarterback, Steve Young following a loss to the Oakland Raiders and this was not an isolated incident.

Still, there have been many past teammates, namely Troy Aikman and his former coach, Jimmy Johnson who have been vocal advocates of Haley getting into the Hall. That kind of support has to help though as much as he has become a finalist over and over, there never seemed to be any year where it felt that he was going to get over that hump.

This year doesn’t feel that much different either and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him fall short again.

Kevin Greene: 2015 HOF Finalist

Jan 18, 2015

Published in Hall of Fame Debates

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, Kevin Greene.

The Quarterback Sack is the sexiest defensive statistic in Football, and though the Interception is a far bigger game changer, the Sack defines the game. Despite the changing of the rules designed to protect the Quarterback, it remains an exciting play and the most coveting thing a Linebacker can get.

Kevin Greene recorded 160 of them.

Although the sack statistic is certainly aided by schemes and surrounding personnel, it is an impressive accomplishment and one that places him third overall behind Bruce Smith and Reggie White, both of whom were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Greene is also a two time leader in that category leading the National Football League in that stat in 1996 and 1998, the latter of which when he was 34 years old.

This bears mentioning, as though he was recording multiple sacks in his 20’s, he was a more complete player in his 30’s and it was this decade of his life where he was also recognized as one of the top defensive players of his time. Greene would be named the NEA Defensive Player of the Year in 1996, and would also be named the NFL Alumni Linebacker of the Year.

Greene would also be named to five Pro Bowls, two First Team All Pro nods and was also named to the 1990’s All Decade team, decent numbers and though many other Defensive players have been named to more Pro Bowls and All Pro squads, he wasn’t that far off from consideration in his early years.

Entering his fourth consecutive year as a Finalist, Kevin Greene again is not the highest profile Linebacker left and could easily be pushed aside for Junior Seau, and frankly if it comes down to picking only one Linebacker, it should be Seau, though Greene remains the top pass rusher on the ballot, a fact aided by Michael Strahan’s induction last year.

That is another factor that works against him, as he doesn’t have the same star quotient those other defensive players who got in recently, namely Strahan and Warren Sapp who got in the year before.

That shouldn’t matter, but though he did become a more balanced player later in his career, he is measuring up against others that were.

Kevin Greene should eventually get into the Hall of Fame, and probably should. Personally, the more I look at his career, the more I am swaying towards inducting him, as originally, I felt he was a bit too one dimensional. I will revert back to the word “eventually” because I don’t think he is getting in this year, but he won’t have to wait much longer.