from Dr. Z today: The second guy I've lobbied for, Joe Klecko, has never even reached the finals. He hasn't gotten enough votes in the prelims. He played defensive end, a power end, early in his career and was as sound against the run as any lineman in the game. The year before they started officially counting sacks, he collected 20?.
Capital Idea. Word Play. EDIT: I'm waiting for JetsIn2004 to say Klecko doesn't deserve to be there, just like always. 10, 9, 8 ,7...
Klecko's career was cut short, but he was dominant when he played. He's a bit like Koufax (no, not THAT dominating) but D linemen get one strike against them to begin with. They will never vote him in.... and he will remain the ONLY player to ever be named to the pro bowl at 3 different posions. They can't vote that away from him.
Bruce Matthews went to the Pro Bowl as a guard, center, and tackle. Ronnie Lott went to the Pro Bowl (and was also an All Pro) as a cornerback, free safety and strong safety. Often no distinction is made and Lott will appear as simply a safety and hence, winds up being overlooked in the Pro Bowl-at-three-positions discussion.
What I can't figure out for the life of me is why Dwight Stephenson got to the hall of fame on an 8 year career and Klecko gets stiffed on an 11 year career that had 3 serious injuries. If you really want to say that a short career should disqualify you then Stephenson should have been disqualified on that basis.
Your schtick is stuck in first gear. Easy now, ease off the clutch, or you could buck yourself into traffic. Could be sometime before you drive around here with a license if that happens, but time will tell.
Easley was one of my all time favorite players! Bruce Matthews did NOT get into the Pro Bowl as a C or T! He only got in as a G. FS/SS is not a differentiation on the older Pro Bowl Ballots, so the same with Lott - he got in as a CB and S How many years did Klecko play? I don't think his career was cut short, but the last couple were effected by his injuries
Monk and Branch belong - both were stars - productive for many years - and contributed to championship teams. I'm not on the Derrick Thomas bandwagon. He was a situational player, a LB who sacked the QB. The rest of his game - run stopping and cover - weren't even good much less HOF level. I think his tragic death gets him more support than he deserves as a player.
