As the first overall pick in 1984, many expected Irving Fryar to be great right away.  He wasn’t, but his career showcased a slow climb to being one of the elite receivers in football, and a lot of times hearing his number called by broadcasters on Sunday afternoons.

The New Orleans Saints offense has been good for so long, it is forgotten that when they were finally able to put decent teams together in the early ’90s, it was on the strength of their defense.  Pat Swilling was a big part of those squads.

As one of the men who used to eagerly wait for the final undefeated team to lose every NFL season, Bob Kuechenberg was a staple on the famed Miami Dolphins O-Line.

As part of the Dolphins' two consecutive Super Bowl champions, Kuechenberg actually enjoyed better individual seasons after.  Although he looked like a reject from the Longest Yard Prison Team (the original movie); Kuechenberg would enter into six Pro Bowl seasons.  What he lacked in ability, he made up for in guile, technique and mistake-free football.

Kuechenberg was a finalist for eight years in a row, but in 2010, he failed to even make the Semi-Finals on the Hall of Fame ballot. Many from that legendary 72 Dolphins team are in the Hall (including a fellow lineman), and this may now work against him as it may be felt that that group has been sufficiently recognized.  Throw in the fact that he was not the most liked man by sports media, his omission seems a little more clear.

Many Hall of Fame candidates watch their push for the Hall build and build.  This doesn’t seem to be the case for Lester Hayes who was a finalist in his first four years of eligibility but has only been a semi-finalist six years there after.

Lester Hayes is best known for two things.  The first was in 1980 where he had 13 picks and won the Defensive Player of the Year award. The year after the “Lester Hayes” rules were put into effect banning players from the use of “stickum”, an adhesive that Hayes was using to get a better grip on the ball.  Hayes was more than that, with hs bump and run coverage and route distruption showing few peers in professional football.