The rest of the modern-day finalists:
* First-time eligibles Derrick Brooks, Tony Dungy, Marvin Harrison and Walter Jones;
* Repeat finalists Tim Brown (fifth straight year), Charles Haley (fifth straight year), Andre Reed (eighth straight year), Will Shields (third straight year) and Michael Strahan (second straight year);
* First-time finalists Morten Andersen (a kicker? really?) and John Lynch.
* The five-modern day finalists can be joined by one, both or neither of the Seniors Committee nominees, Ray Guy and Claude Humphrey.
Topping out as semifinalists this year: Steve Atwater, Don Coryell, Roger Craig, Terrell Davis, Joe Jacoby, Jimmy Johnson, Karl Mecklenburg, Steve Wisniewski and George Young.
And now for the annual RamView Hall of Fame rant. There are some pretty great names just in that group that didn't make the finals. Record-breakers, players with ground-breaking versatility, coaching and front office innovators and great franchise builders. It's kind of a shame that an utterly mediocre commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who'd never have allowed football back in St. Louis had he had his way, is also associated with that group that came up just short.
It's an even bigger disgrace that cheating, bribery-indicted former 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr. has ONCE AGAIN been named a finalist for induction. The NFL Network broadcast kept talking about "DeBartolo and his five rings". He broke the NFL's salary cap rules to get some of those rings. It is complete garbage that football's greatest players have to be sullied by his inclusion in their group.
This year, we may get to find out who the lackeys are that are promoting this particular criminal for Hall of Fame membership. (One lackey literally pounding the podium for DeBartolo during NFL Network's special was NFL Media reporter Michael Silver, who I sincerely hope does not have a vote.) NFL Network is going to break the fourth wall and actually have cameras in the room this year while the voters debate on the players. That is a huge plus. A huge minus, though, is that the class of 2014 is going to be announced during something called "The NFL Honors" on Fox the night before the Super Bowl, so we may not learn who made the top 10 but didn't make the final cut. Williams and Bettis were in the top 10 last year; Greene had to settle for top 15.
All four of those first-timers look like they deserve to go in on the first ballot to me. Brooks played in 11 Pro Bowls, Walter Jones in 9. Harrison played in 8 and is the 2nd-leading receiver of all time. All three are on the first-team all-Decade 2000-2009. Dungy is one of the finest gentlemen to have represented the game and the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl.
Dungy doesn't have a ton of career wins, though. 139 is 22nd all-time, but that's also 17 behind... Jeff Fisher. With all respect, RamView's ballot would make coach Dungy wait, and I'll vote for Brooks, Jones, Harrison, Aeneas and Greene.
During the NFL Network special, Houston sportswriter and HoF voter John McClain predicted that the wide receiver logjam would resume, meaning he doesn't think ANY receiver is getting in this year, even Harrison. That would be ludicrous if the voters let that happen, but he's far closer to the process than I am. My predicted inductees: Brooks, Jones, Harrison, Strahan and Haley, along with Guy and Humphrey.
Good luck to all the nominees February 1st, except DeBartolo.
-$-
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