The Washington Redskins drafted Brian Mitchell in the 5^th Round of the 1990 Draft, where the Running Back found his true calling as a Return Specialist.  Mitchell played for Washington throughout the 1990s, winning a Super Bowl (XXVI), and with his huge returns (both kick and punt), he led the league in All-Purpose Yards Four Times (1994, 1995, 1996 & 1998).  While he was only a Pro Bowl Selection once, there was no doubt that he was the most dependable Special Teams player of the decade.

At the turn of the century, Mitchell would play four more seasons, three with Philadelphia and one with the New York Giants, where he continued his run as a top returner.

As of this writing, Mitchell is the all-time leader in return yards with 19,013 yards, and with his additional 1,967 Rushing Yards and 2,336 receiving yards, he has a total of 23,330 All-Purpose Yards, second only to Jerry Rice.  When you have that type of yardage, surely the Pro Football Hall of Fame has to notice.

There was a time when a case could be made that Wilber Marshall was the best Linebacker in football.  In 1985, he was a member of the most dominant team of the decade, the Super Bowl XX Champion Chicago Bears.  The year after, he was a First Team All-Pro, led the league in Approximate Value (23), and was a Pro Bowler for the first time.  Marshall was overshadowed by some of his teammates (William Perry & Richard Dent), but those in the know saw Marshall as one of the most versatile outside linebackers in the NFL.

Marshall would later join the Washington Redskins, and he was a significant cog in their dominant defense.  Winning Super Bowl XXVI, Marshall was a First Team All-Pro the season after and was the NFC Defensive Player of the Year.  He finished his career with a season in Houston, Arizona, and the New York Jets. 

You don't expect an eighth-round pick to become one of the best at his position in his first four seasons, but Larry Brown, the afterthought from Kansas State, did exactly that.  The new Washington Redskins Head Coach, Vince Lombardi, pegged Brown to become the starting Running Back, and he blossomed after Lombardi noticed that he was hearing-impaired in one year, and he was permitted to get an audio device in his helmet to listen to his Quarterback's signals.  It worked, as Brown went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie and for the next three seasons, including two First Team All-Pro selections.  He had an excellent 1970, winning the Rushing Title, but in 1972 he led the league in Yards From Scrimmage and Approximate Value and won the MVP, Bert Bell Award, and Offensive Player of the Year.  More importantly, that year for the Redskins, he would take them to the Super Bowl in a loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Brown would become beset with injuries, but he would play his entire career with Washington and would accumulate 8,360 Yards From Scrimmage with 55 Touchdowns.

Pat Fischer was not a tall man, standing at only 5' 9", which was likely why the multi-talented star at Nebraska fell to the 17^th Round.  The St. Louis Cardinals chose him, and after initially using him as a Returner, he forced his way into a starting Cornerback Role and was named to the Pro Bowl in 1964 and 1965.  The certified ballhawk would later sign with the Washington Redskins and brought a veteran presence to their secondary and was a large part of their appearance in Super Bowl VII.  Fischer played until 1977 and accumulated 56 Interceptions.

At the time of his retirement, Fischer’s 213 Games Played were a record for a Cornerback.

A late round draft pick by the Washington Redskins from Loyola Marymount in 1951, Gene Brito would play on both sides of the ball in his first two seasons.   The End was certainly solid in his role, but by 1953, Brito focused on left defensive end and earned his first Pro Bowl selection. 

Brito would have another four-year streak of Pro Bowls (1955-58) and likely would have netted another one in 1954 had he been in the league (he opted to play in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders instead), and in 1955 the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club named him the NFL Player of the Year.   Brito was so beloved in Washington that he was one of the first players to host a local television show while still playing.

The defensive star would play his final two years with the Los Angeles Rams.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players and executive.  As such it is news to us that the Washington Redskins have announced that they will be honoring Chris Samuels and London Fletcher to their Ring of Honor.

Chris Samuels played all ten of his seasons in Washington where he would start all 141 of his Games at Left Tackle.  Drafted 3^rdoverall in 2000, Samuels would be named to the Pro Bowl six times.

London Fletcher played the last seven of his sixteen seasons in the NFL with the Redskins and it was the most successful tenure of the Linebacker’s career.  Fletcher was chosen for four straight Pro Bowls (2009-12) and never had a season where he finished with less than 111 Combined Tackles.  He would lead the NFL in that statistic in 2011 and he would also contribute with 12 Interceptions and 11.5 Sacks.

Samuels and Fletcher become the 50^thand 51^stmembers of the Ring of Honor.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate both Chris Samuels and London Fletcher for earning this impending honor.

Out of all the people on this list, we will say up front that there is zero chance that Jim Tyrer will get into the Football Hall of Fame.  Killing your wife and committing suicide thereafter is sadly what Tyrer is best known for, and this has led to him being ostracized by the NFL.

Had Tyrer not broken down in his personal life, his on-field accomplishments may have been enough to get him into Canton.  He was arguably the best offensive lineman in the AFL and was a multiple-time AFL All-Star.  He was voted to the all-time AFL team and was a big part of opening holes for Chiefs runners for years.  Tyrer may very well be the best lineman that Kansas City ever had.

Again, his off-field circumstances will prevent him from enshrinement, though with what we now know about CTE, we have to wonder if he might have had that.  He was a finalist once in his first year of eligibility, but was left off afterward until he made a shock return as a Senior Finalist in 2025.  He won’t be back.

Generally, if you are selected to eight Pro Bowls in a decade, regardless of your position, it stands to reason that you won’t be forgotten.  Somehow, Cornerback Lemar Parrish managed to slip through the cracks of football consciousness as his legacy just doesn’t seem as big as it should be.

You can’t be selected to eight Pro Bowls in eleven years without being consistent.  Parrish was certainly that, but while he was a top Cornerback, he was also a top Punt Returner for the first half of his career.  Once he stopped returning punts, Parrish would actually have some of his best years at Cornerback as he landed his only First Team All-Pro selection at the age of 32.  Parrish matched any attacking Wide Receiver man-to-man, and that skill can be argued as to why longtime Bengals teammate, Ken Riley entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame years later.

As freakishly consistent as Lemar Parrish was, he was never considered the best at his position.  This is certainly one of those cases, where a year of dominance would have done wonders for his Hall of Fame cause, though he has all the good for Canton as is.

Offensive linemen are often the unsung heroes of football, but one group of linemen bucked that trend: the "Hogs" of the Washington Redskins. The "Hogs" were a legendary offensive line that played together in the 1980s and early 90s, known for their toughness, physicality, and dominance on the field.

One of the linemen who stood out from the rest was Joe Jacoby. Jacoby was not a highly sought-after player when he entered the league; in fact, he went undrafted out of Louisville. But he didn't let that stop him. He worked hard and earned a spot on the Redskins' roster, eventually becoming one of the team’s most beloved players.

Jacoby was a force to be reckoned with on the field. He was a talented blocker who earned the respect of his peers and opponents alike. He wasn't the most naturally gifted tackle, but he made up for it with his work ethic and his punishing blocks. He was fearless and mean, and few players could beat him in the running game. His contributions helped the Redskins win three Super Bowls, each with a different quarterback who is not in the Hall of Fame.

Despite his impressive career, Jacoby has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. His teammate Russ Grimm was recently inducted, but many believe Jacoby should be there too. While it's unlikely that any other "Hogs" will be voted in, Jacoby's legacy as one of the greatest linemen of his era deserves recognition. 

Seriously, only one “Hog” in the Hall.  We need two!

London Fletcher was a tackling machine who had accumulated over 2,000 Tackles in the National Football League. This is where Fletcher’s best chance for the Hall lies, as he was only a four-time Pro Bowl selection, a number that, right or wrong, does matter. Fletcher, however, does hold a resume with all those tackles, longevity, a Super Bowl Ring with the Rams, and a reputation as a locker room leader and off-field good guy. 

For our money, nobody more intriguing was first eligible in 2019, and his overall resume is one of the most interesting on this list.  Whether or not he ever receives any PFHOF consideration, the fact that he accomplished so much as an undrafted player from John Carroll will forever be impressive.

Generally, non-quarterbacks don’t have spectacular seasons in their 30s, but Henry Ellard did.  In fact, he really didn’t become a star in the National Football League until he turned 27.

The first few years of Henry Ellard’s career were fairly nondescript, but he would then see his number called more often, and he responded with seven seasons of 1,000 yards or more.   He became the Rams’ go-to receiver and would perform the same duty as a Washington Redskin.  He excelled as a brilliant route runner, but his talents often went unnoticed in the Jerry Rice era. 

What also hurts his Hall of Fame candidacy is that for all the yards he tabulated through passes, his touchdown tally (65) is relatively low.  Without that sexy statistic and with only three Pro Bowl berths, this could explain why someone who accumulated so many yards (13,777) has not been given serious consideration for enshrinement.

Art Monk may have been the lead receiver for the Washington Redskins for a long time, but he was paired with another great Wide Receiver who was somewhat in his shadow.  Of course, at 5’ 9, Gary Clark was in a lot of players’ shadows.

Five times during Gary Clark’s career, he caught for over 1,000 yards.  He was a consistent performer for the Redskins and was a big part of their two Super Bowl runs.  Clark was small, but he was quick, sure-handed, and saved his best performances for the biggest stage.

Clark’s problem on his resume is that, as good as he was, he never led a receiving category and was not the best Wide Receiver on his own team.  This factor makes it hard for him to be considered Hall of Fame-caliber no matter how many passes he caught.