Apparently, the issues with the way the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting isn't going away anytime too soon.
Peter King took umbrage with something written by Jason Whitlock recently regarding the way the voting is done. Whitlock all but called some of the voters on the panel racists, which is ridiculous. Of course, this is the same Whitlock who was once suspended by the Kansas City Star for taunting a fan at a Patriots-Chiefs game by holding up a sign calling Drew Bledsoe gay, so you have to consider the source.
Whitlock is a clown.
As for the Hall of Fame voting process, I have no problem with it.
Every year, 44 voters – one from each NFL city and 12 at-large voters – gather at the site of the Super Bowl to whittle down the list to five new members and give their rubber stamp of approval to the two veteran committee nominees.
I know several of the voters and these guys take it very seriously. It's worked pretty darn well over the years.
But now, we have people like Whitlock championing making changes to the system by adding more voters to the process.
I've been a member of the Pro Football Writers of America for 18 years. Were I a member of the Pro Baseball Writers of America, I would have gotten a vote for the Hall of Fame after 10 years of covering the league.
That's why there are about 2,000 people out there voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame - many of whom haven't covered baseball in years. They simply pay their dues every year to keep their vote – I actually know people who do this.
And that's why you have a number of players in the Baseball Hall of Fame who don't really belong.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is different. There's a more rigid voting process. And that's the way it should be.
Everybody has favorite players who they think should get in. For Whitlock, it's Willie Roaf. But Dermontti Dawson hasn't gotten in yet and if Whitlock thinks Roaf was better than Dawson, I would suggest he lay off the sauce for a while.
But that's the great thing about these kind of honors - it's purely subjective.
Dawson will get in at some point - probably next year. Jerome Bettis will get in at some point as well.
Only five guys get in each year, which, when you consider that there are currently 32 teams with 53 men on each roster, isn't a lot.
That's the way it should be. It's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of the Pretty Good.
I think the issue to a lot of us is not that one player gets in before another (okay with a lot of us it is) but more that a great player loses his spot to a contributor to the NFL. I think coaches and media types should get one spot each year that doesn't have to filled if their isn't anyone outstanding, but that also doesn't take away from the 5 spots open for actual players.
ReplyDeleteMy $.02
u think Hines Ward will ever get in?
ReplyDeletei doubt it
"It's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of the Pretty Good."
ReplyDelete- line of the month. Great writing.
When Art Monk was admitted it almost became the Hall of Pretty Good
ReplyDeleteagree with just about everything Dale said. I'm fine with the process
ReplyDeletea 3rd SB ring would go a long way to putting Hines in the hall.
As it stands now, I think he'd get in, but not for awile. Hes a unique player and probably the best blocking WR of all time.
Slightly OT:
ReplyDelete'Beware the Ides of March'
March 3 will be here before you know it. Any news, or thoughts about what might happen?
I sure hope pro football won't
suffer from the bad publicity
that the MLB did in their 'lost year'
Frankly, I don't want to see simi-pro players used as repacements.
Ron W
There's a backlog of receivers right now who have 1,000 catches, which used to be a pretty big deal. People are pointing to Cris Carter as a guy who should be in. I'm not buying that.. Carter was a stats guy. What did he ever win.
ReplyDeleteI'd put Andre Reed in before Carter. At least he was a key contributor to four teams that captured an AFC Championship. All Carter did was pile up stats.
For the same reasons, Ward should get in.
I would agree with the contributor argument. I didn't think Ed Sabol belonged in. But now he is.
I think Ward should be a no-brainer but the stats (i.e., baseball) guys among the voters, especially for a postition like wide receiver, will make it hard. Yeah, 1,000 receptions will be nothing soon -- you can't have a bunch of Wes Welkers in the Hall, can you?
ReplyDeleteJudging by the voters I've talked to, Ward has enough respect among them that he'll get in. It might not be on the first ballot - that will depend on who else is eligible - but he'll get in.
ReplyDeleteif you say chris carter was a stats guy and what did he win ? shouldn't that apply to marino also ? you think he shouldn't be in ?
ReplyDeletebaseball hall of fame has "pretty good" players in it who shouldn't be. so does the football hall of fame. can't really fix bias of voters for either
cooperstown is a beautiful place. except for the "steeler display" we were left very underwhelmed by nfl hall of fame
Marino made his team competitive every year and made everybody on that offense better. Can't say the same about Carter.
ReplyDeleteThe QB position is and should be viewed a little differently. They handle the ball on every play.