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First Team All Pros and the HOF
Jan 07, 2015
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
It was not that long ago that we looked at Pro Bowl selections and how it may impact future Hall of Fame chances. Personally, we put a lot more stock in Associated Press All Pro Selections, as this is a true statement as to which players are elite in their position in a given NFL season. When a player is considered to be the best at their given skill, that is when a serious statement is being made to get a future bust in Canton, Ohio.
Let’s take a look at the men who were chosen for the First Team All Pro squad and what impact that this should have for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Aaron Rodgers, Quarterback, Green Bay Packers: (44 of 50 Votes)
At age 31, Aaron Rodgers is making his second First Team All Pro appearance. Rodgers got a bit of a later start, due to playing behind Brett Favre for his first three years. He is considered an elite Quarterback and is building up impressive statistics, especially in terms of efficiency where he has a TD/INT ratio of 226 to 57. Already a two time leader in Quarterback Rating, Rodgers may not have everything needed for Canton, but he is not far away.
DeMarco Murray, Running Back, Dallas Cowboys (48 of 50 Votes)
This is the first time that Murray has been named to the First Team, and he is coming off his best season where he won his first Rushing Title. This is huge for ant potential Hall of Fame hopes, but there are many Rushing leaders who never got in, and a recent example is Shaun Alexander, who has never even made the Semi-Finals of Hall of Fame voting. There is a lot more work left to do for Murray, but with the improved Cowboys Offensive Line, there should be some hope.
Le’Veon Bell, Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers (44 of 50 Votes)
In only Bell’s second season, he has landed his first Pro Bowl and first All Pro. Saying that, we are in an era where Running Backs are considered a dime a dozen. This is a nice start, but there is a good chance that RBs will be held to a different standard. He will need a few of these to enter a serious conversation.
John Kuhn, Fullback, Green Bay Packers (18 of 50 Votes)
A very popular player in Green Bay, but achieving his First All Pro Selection (and a minority one at that) at the age of 32 in a position that doesn’t generate a lot of Hall of Famers anymore, we don’t see this accolade for John Kuhn meaning a whole lot in terms of Canton, Ohio.
Rob Gronkowski, Tight End, New England Patriots (50 of 50 Votes)
“Gronk” is making his second appearance as a First Team All Pro, and the very popular New England Patriot will close in next season on 5,000 Receiving Yards. The unanimous vote is huge for any kind of chances he may have for the Hall of Fame; especially if he can secure a few more Pro Bowl worthy seasons.
Antonio Brown, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers (49 of 50 Votes)
This is a huge step for Brown, who earned his first All Pro, and earlier his third Pro Bowl. This is Brown’s best season, where he won the Receiving Yards Title for the first time and was the consensus best Wide Receiver in the NFL, a fictional championship that holding it elevates someone’s future Hall of Fame chances.
Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys (24 of 50 Votes)
Dez Bryant has come a long way as in his first two seasons, controversy surrounded him do numerous off field issues and he appeared to be on the fast track out of the NFL and set to join the list of washed out players who wasted their potential. So much has changed now, as he is coming off his second Pro Bowl and this year, along with his First All Pro Nod, he led the NFL for the first time in Touchdown catches. This is a great step for Bryant.
Tyron Smith, Offensive Tackle, Dallas Cowboys (35 of 50 Votes)
The much improved Offensive Line of the Dallas Cowboys, showcased Tyron Smith at the Left Tackle position. This is his fourth season and first All Pro Selection and if they can propel this momentum than perhaps we might talk about them in the future.
Joe Thomas, Offensive Tackle, Cleveland Browns (22 of 50 Votes)
Eight seasons, eight Pro Bowls; five of which were First Team All Pro. This season should put Joe Thomas in the Hall of Fame discussion and the bright spot of the Cleveland Browns now has similar resumes of other Offensive Linemen in the Hall. A bigger question now is what could keep him out.
Marshal Yanda, Offensive Guard, Baltimore Ravens (38 of 50 Votes)
This is Yanda’s first such accolade but the 30 year old is coming off his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl selection. Realistically, there is probably not enough time left in Yanda’s career to secure enough honors to net a spot in Canton.
Zack Martin, Offensive Guard, Dallas Cowboys (24 of 50 Votes)
Martin is part of the revamped Cowboys Offensive Line and a large part of Dallas’ success this season. He is a rookie, but you can’t ask for a much better start if you are trying to build a Hall of Fame resume.
Maurkice Pouncey, Center, Pittsburgh Steelers (21 of 50 Votes)
Pouncey is coming off his best season and he justifiably secured his second First Team All Pro selection in his five seasons in the NFL. If he duplicates his performance in his next five years, he will be hard to keep out of Canton.
J.J. Watt, Defensive End, Houston Texans (45 of 50 Votes)
It should be noted that Watt received five votes for Defensive Tackle, so he was in fact a unanimous selection. The Houston Texan is regarded as the best defensive player in the NFL, and has been for the last two years. He won the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, is expected to win that again this year and is entering his third consecutive First Team All Pro year. As a player who has the “best” mantle he is secured a spot in the discussion no matter what, but the Hall voters to reward longevity, as shown my Terrell Davis’ brilliant but short career and how he has yet to be named a Hall of Fame Finalist.
Mario Williams, Defensive End, Buffalo Bills (24 of 50 Votes)
The former #1 pick overall finally got his first Selection to the First Team All Pro roster. Williams will be playing in his fourth Pro Bowl but he needs some monster seasons in the next three years to get a real shot and escape the “Hall of Very Good.”
Ndamukong Suh, Defensive Tackle, Detroit Lions (41 of 50 Votes)
The controversial and polarizing Defensive Tackle had just received his third First Team All Pro Selection in his five year career. Ndamukong Suh may not be respected for his dirty play, but there is no doubt that he is very talented. If he replicates that again over the next half decade, he should be a Hall of Fame lock.
Marcell Dareus, Defensive Tackle, Buffalo Bills (24 of 50 Votes)
This is the first First Team All Pro selection for Marcell Dareus who is part of an improving Buffalo Bills defense. Dareus, who also has two Pro Bowls is coming off his best NFL season and if his arc continues he has a very good chance to enter the Hall of Fame conversation.
Justin Houston, Outside Linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs (47 of 50 Votes)
Houston is coming off his best season in every statistical way and every visual way and this first First Team All Pro Selection reflects that. Houston also led the NFL in QB Sacks for the first time, and though this stat can be a little misleading, it does hold a lot of weight.
Elvis Dumervil, Outside Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens (13 of 50 Votes)
Elvis Dumervil secured his second First Team All Pro selection (barely, as Von Miller was two votes away), and his first since 2009, where he also won the Sack Title. Dumervil is now 10 Sacks away from 100 and as he may not get enough or another First Team All Pro, he may have to pad some Sack stats to get serious Hall of Fame consideration.
Luke Kuechly, Inside Linebacker, Carolina Panthers (43 of 50 Votes)
Luke Kuechly was a First Team All Pro last year also and his first three years in the National Football League has been excellent. Kuechly has easily been the best middle Linebacker in that time frame and when you have that label at one time, all he may need is longevity.
Bobby Wagner, Inside Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks (31 of 50 Votes)
Wagner is consistently improving and securing his first All Pro selection a year after winning the Super Bowl will aid his cause in the future.
Darrelle Revis, Cornerback, New England Patriots (42 of 50 Votes)
Revis Island is back and this marks the fourth time he received this honor and with he has probably done enough to get into the Hall already. However, he is not yet 30, and there is no reason to think he can’t produce a couple more stellar NFL campaigns.
Richard Sherman, Cornerback, Seattle Seahawks (41 of 50 Votes)
The most recognizable defensive player in the NFL today has just made it three in a row. A four year career does not a Hall of Fame resume make, but how can anyone deny he is on that path?
Earl Thomas, Safety, Seattle Seahawks (39 of 50 Votes)
Richard Sherman may get all the press, but Earl Thomas is just as important in the Seahawks secondary. Like Sherman, this is his third straight First Team All Pro Selection and all he needs now is the longevity that the Hall covets.
Eric Weddle, Safety, San Diego Chargers (16 of 50 Votes)
This is Weddle’s second First Team All Pro, though this easily could have gone to Thomas’ teammate, Kam Chancellor. Thomas is 29, and while is having a very good career, securing a spot in Canton will be very difficult.
Adam Vinatieri, Place Kicker, Indianapolis Colts (25 of 50 Votes)
Many think that Adam Vinatieri is already a Hall of Famer, but Special Teams players ALWAYS have a hard time getting enshrined. This is his third First Team All Pro selection and he is coming off his best Field Goal Percentage season of his career. This year could be huge for his potential induction.
Adam Jones, Kick Return, Cincinnati Bengals (15 of 50 Votes)
At age 31, this is the first such accolade for the man called “Pac Man”. It was not that long ago when Adam Jones was considered a bust in the making, but he is enjoying the best run of his career. This won’t help him for Canton as he has not done nearly enough for serious consideration.
Pat McAfee, Punter, Indianapolis Colts (25 of 50 Votes)
Pat McAfee is enjoying the best season of his career but look how long it took for Ray Guy to get inducted. This is the first time McAfee got the All Pro, but there will have to be a mantle full of them to get considered.
It is possible to enter Canton without a First Team All Pro nod, but history has shown that it is a huge step towards getting there.
Regardless of whether any of these men get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, earning a First Team All Pro is something that should be celebreated.
Baseball HOF 2015 Class Announced
Jan 06, 2015
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
It had long been speculated that Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz would enter the Baseball Hall of Fame on their first try. Not only did that happen, but they will be joined by Craig Biggio making this the largest Hall of Fame class in sixty years.
Let’s take a look at who got in and who didn’t make the cut.
Inductees:
Randy Johnson, 1st Year, 97.3 percent. 15 voters did not choose Johnson. I would love to hear explanations from each of them as to why “The Big Unit” was not Hall of Fame worthy.
Pedro Martinez, 1st Year, 91.1 percent. No shock here, as Pedro was expected to get in right away.
John Smoltz, 1st Year, 82.9 percent. It was speculated by some that Smoltz might have to wait a year due to such a crowded ballot, but he was able to follow his closest contemporary, Dennis Eckersley as a first ballot inductee.
Craig Biggio, 4th Year, 82.7 percent. Biggio narrowly missed the cut last year, and it was a travesty that he had to wait this long.
Not Inducted:
Mike Piazza, 3rd Year, 69.9 percent. Piazza’s percentage rises seven percent from last year and is headed in the right direction. This bodes well for his future chances.
Jeff Bagwell, 5th Year, 55.7 percent. This is a marginal increase from last year, but still down from the 59 percent he received in 2013.
Tim Raines, 8th Year, 55.0 percent. Raines is poised to be the first victim of the new ten year rule, and he only has two more years to gain twenty more percentage points of the vote. The good news is that this is Raines’ highest vote total since he has been on the ballot.
Curt Schilling, 3rd Year, 39.2 percent. Schilling made a large gain from his sub 30 percent percentage from last year, but he had 38.8 percent that he had on his first year.
Roger Clemens, 3rd Year, 37.5 percent. A slight increase from last year, but basically we know the percentage that he and Barry will receive from the voters. There is little reason to think he will crack 40 percent.
Barry Bonds, 3rd Year, 36.8 percent. See Clemens, Roger.
Lee Smith, 13th Year, 30.2 percent. Smith gained 0.3 percent from last year but has been as high as 50.6 in the past. Any chance that he will have will likely have to reside on the Veterans Committee.
Edgar Martinez, 6th Year, 27.0 percent. This is Edgar’s second straight year under 30 percent after exceeding that threshold in his first four years on the ballot. This is more due to the logjam ballot, but this is still not very promising.
Alan Trammell, 14th Year, 25.1 percent. Up five percent from last year, but it won’t matter as a fifty percent jump is unheard of.
Mike Mussina, 2nd Year, 24.6 percent. A nice four percent elevation in this crowded ballot is promising for Mussina.
Jeff Kent, 2nd Year, 14.2 percent. Kent suffered a slight decrease from his 15 percent last year.
Fred McGriff, 6th Year, 12.9 percent. This is a slight increase from last year but since he had been over 20 percent in the past, this is not looking very good for his Hall of Fame chances.
Larry Walker, 5th Year, 11.8 percent. The exact same story as McGriff as he is up a bit but well under the 20 percentage points he had in previous years.
Gary Sheffield, 1st Year, 11.7 percent. Considering how the other PED guys have fared this is a minor victory for Sheffield.
Mark McGwire, 9th Year, 10.0 percent. This is the sixth year in a row that McGwire has seen his voting percentage drop. Enough said.
Don Mattingly, 15th Year, 9.1 Percent. In Mattingly’s first year on the ballot he had 28.2 percent. He would never come close again.
Sammy Sosa, 3rd Year, 6.6 percent. Sosa sees his lowest voting percentage thus far, down from the 12.2 percent he had in his first year.
Nomar Garciaparra, 1st Year, 5.5 percent. Garciaparra survives the ballot, but barely. Can he hang on again next year?
The only significant one and done name was Carlos Delgado who only received 3.8 percent of the vote.
We will be looking to revise the Baseball list to reflect the next batch of eligible players.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate this year’s class, and we look forward to watching their inductions in the summer.
Christian Retires
Dec 31, 2014
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
Last night on Monday Night Raw, on commentary, Jerry “The King” Lawler inferred that WWE Superstar, Christian was retired. It was known that the former World Heavyweight Champion had issues with concussions and had not wrestled in six months, but there had never been any conversation about retiring from in ring competition. As it turns out, it would be reported that this was not a slip from Lawler and that the WWE does consider Christian to be retired.
Now you know that with a site such as ours, the first thing we look at is the WWE Hall of Fame. His long time tag team partner, Edge, has already been inducted, which took place in 2012 after he announced his retirement due to injury. Edge had the Hall of Fame resume, but does Christian?
Born Jay Reso, the Canadian wrestler entered the WWE in 1998 and with the exception of a two year stint in TNA, he has competed there ever since. Christian would win the Word Heavyweight Champion twice, the Intercontinental Championship four times, the ECW Champion twice, the WWE World Tag Team Champion nine times (seven with Edge) and also held the European, Hardcore and Light Heavyweight Title once.
With Edge, his tag team matches against the Hardy Boys would be match of the year candidates and would elevate all four men. Christian, although has had a very good career, did not reach the peaks that Edge or Jeff Hardy did, and the fact that his retirement was confirmed by a passing comment by Lawler as opposed to a retirement speech (like Edge) may show where he is seen by the WWE, and to a lesser extent the fans as a whole.
Saying that, we will be moving Christian from the Future Candidates and place him in to our rankings when we do our revisions in May. We expect that his ranking will be a healthy one, though we openly wonder if he will ever get in on his own, or if his only legitimate chance is with a tag team with Edge.
It is also a good time to announce a new rule that we will be enacting a policy where once a contracted WWE performer reaches the age of 45, they will automatically be switching over from Future Candidates to Current Candidates for the WWE Hall of Fame.
Until now, we never had a set age policy and were going by when we thought a wrestler was essentially “done” and unlikely to return for a substantial WWE run. We are still going to go with that to a point if we think a wrestler under the age of 45 is unlikely to come back for a WWE run (see, X-Pac) but once a performer hits that age, they probably should be wrapping it up, or at the very least they are certainly well into the back nine of their career.
This may prevent what occurred to us a few years ago with Dustin Rhodes (Goldust) was ranked on our initial list when we erroneously thought that he would not be returning in a major role to the WWE.
Not only did he do so, he came back in the best shape of his career and won the Tag Team Championship two more times with his brother Cody, and as of this writing, he has remained on our list, and at age 45, will now stay in lieu of our new age rule.
With all of that said, we here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank Jay Reso (Christian) for his career and wish him the best in his future career after World Wrestling Entertainment.
Paul McCartney headlines Pop Music HOF Class
Dec 30, 2014
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
There are chances that if you are regular visitor to this website, you know that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the constant controversy that surrounds it, is the backbone of what this site about. The Pennsylvania based “America’s Pop Music Hall of Fame” may not have nearly the same prestige or name recognition, but they have unveiled their third Class, which will be the official Class of 2015.
Named to their Hall of Fame are the following:
Paul McCartney
Linda Ronstadt
Glen Campbell
Paul Anka
Chubby Checker
The Eagles
The Everly Brothers
The Four Seasons
Tom Jones
Ricky Nelson
The Righteous Brothers
Johnny Tillotson
Andy Williams
With all due respect to this Hall, their website, which has multiple configuration errors and a press release that was full of duplication, they still have a lot of work left to do, though we applaud the type of Hall they are trying to create.
We will be watching closely to see how this Hall of Fame progresses.