Hall of Fame update

The Rams are once again very well-represented in the list of semifinalists up for Pro Football Hall of Fame induction this year: Orlando Pace, Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Kevin Greene are all among the 25 modern-era players. St. Louis is also represented by former Cardinals head coach Don Coryell and Broncos safety Steve Atwater, who played high school ball in the area.

The modern-era candidate list will be trimmed down to 15 in January and the 2016 induction class, which can at most (and more than likely will) include 5 modern day players, will be announced Super Bowl weekend. Senior Finalists Ken Stabler and Dick Stanfel likely will have little resistance in joining the five. And in one final desperate push to put a fecal smear on the Hall of Fame, the voters are more than likely going to let Eddie DeBartolo in the back door as a "contributor". Maybe they're planning to start a "criminal" wing. Or a "cheater" wing. At least he won't be holding back any far-more-deserving player from qualifying.

Bruce and Holt did not qualify as finalists last year in their first year of eligibility and would seem to be in for unjustifiably long waits to be inducted. Last year, for instance, they came in behind a KICKER (Morten Andersen) and a DB who couldn't cover either one of them on his best day (John Lynch). Yes, five spots on the waiting list obviously opened up last year, but there's a very good chance the Rams WRs are also behind well-qualified players like Atwater, Joe Jacoby and Karl Mecklenberg, who have had longer waits, which I don't think the voters are wrong to consider, even though it screws over some of my favorite players.

That's only three guys, but Brett Favre is obviously going to jump right over everybody in his first year of eligibility, and much to my everlasting disgust, Terrell Owens, another first-year eligible, will probably slot in ahead of the Rams WRs. It's OK, though, Marvin Harrison is in the front of the WR line to be inducted next anyway.

Three Rams finished between 6th-10th in last year's voting to be among the favorites for this year's class: Pace, Warner and Greene. Harrison and Tony Dungy were also top ten. 11-15 were Lynch, Coryell, Terrell Davis, Jimmy Johnson and Andersen.

Favre cutting to the front of the line likely displaces fellow QB Warner, but leaves the Rams well-represented in the Canton Class of 2016. The prediction here (we all know how great I am at predictions) is Pace, Greene, Dungy, Harrison and Favre.

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