Its official though. Curtis Martin will go into the Hall of Fame as a Jet. Cause if he was a Patriot, he would have been in this year.
That reads as if you think I am complaining about Faulk. Faulk absolutely deserved first ballot induction. Martin was borderline. Bettis did not deserve first ballot induction. The correct decisions were made. Faulk made it in, Bettis did not make the top 10, and Martin came close. I have no problem with Sanders and Sharpe. I am not bitching about Richter and Hanburger the way you think I am bitching about them. Both were excellent players who should have made it in decades ago. I already explained that Hanburger was kept out for many years due to politics. Carter should be in, but he's going to have to wait some more just like Art Monk and Lynn Swann had to wait a while.
I thought they were gonna pull some shit and put Bettis in over Curtis which would have really made me mad. But Curtis was one of the final 10, Bettis wasn't.. so next year he should get in there.
This is what Norm Van Brocklin had to say about Les Richter who made it to the HOF over Curtis Martin: "Richter is an overrated oaf. If he could just go as hard while the ball is in play as he does after the whistle, he'd be one helluva boy. But he doesn't and he isn't."
Disappointing Martin didn't make it this year, but it was a stacked class (not mad about Richter and Hanburger; they're not as good as Martin, but two of the inductees have to be Senior Committee nominated, so they didn't really cost Martin the spot). I like Martin's chances for next year, but there is always room for concern when the HoF Committee is involved. By way of example, I remember an NFLN Top 10 about the best players not in the HoF; they interviewed one voter and asked him why one player (forget which) wasn't in the Hall, and the voter replied, "Wait, he's not in?"
Hey, there is a solid chance of that. Unless I'm overlooking somebody, Will Shields and Bill Parcells will be the only 1st year eligible people next year with any real shot of being inducted. Therefore, next year is mostly going to be about guys who just missed in recent years. Martin, Andre Reed, Tim Brown, Cortez Kennedy, Willie Roaf, Chris Doleman, Dermontti Dawson and company will be in the mix with Shields and Parcells in 2012. Who knows who the Seniors Committee will choose. Gene Brito, Johnny Robinson, and Mac Speedie would be good choices. edit: Let me clarify the Parcells thing. He was already a Hall finalist (2001 and 2002). He did not make the cut, of course, and then went back into coaching. Next year, he'll be back in the mix for good as it does not appear he'll ever coach again.
Martin will be in next year. I don't understand why Klecko does not even appear in the discussion with the veterans committee. I don't remember Chris Hanburger as being a superstar. I am going to have to take a look back at his career.
I just looked up Hanburger - 9 Pro Bowls, 4 time NFL First team All Pro and the QB of the Redskins defense in the 70s under George Allen. Those were good defensive teams. He deserves it. Funny - no rings though
My problem with him is that he was never chosen as a consensus 1st team All-Pro. He was recognized five different seasons, so there were five seasons in which he was considered as one of the top three or four players at his position. Therefore, Dent's postseason profile record is 5 and 0 (years in which he received All-NFL recognition and years in which he was a consensus 1st-team choice). That number seems a little low for a "monster." Compare it to some of the greats at defensive end- Deacon Jones- 8 and 5 Lee Roy Selmon- 7 and 3 Bruce Smith- 12 and 8 Jack Youngblood- 9 and 4 Doug Atkins- 10 and 2 Willie Davis- 6 and 4 Reggie White- 13 and 9 Elvin Bethea was a lesser defensive end than those guys. He is a Hall of Famer. His profile is 8 and 0. L.C. Greenwood (6 and 2), Gene Brito (5 and 4), Chris Doleman (6 and 2), Mark Gastineau (5 and 2), and Claude Humphrey (8 and 3) are five DEs who have stronger All-Pro profiles than Dent and all five are currently on the outside looking in. I believe it is between Bethea, Dent, and Fred Dean as to who is the weakest DE in the Hall of Fame. All three were very questionable choices in my opinion. Also, Jason Taylor has a stronger postseason profile. He should make the HOF faster than Dent did. I saw both players play numerous times. Even without looking at sack data and those All-Pro numbers, I thought Taylor was the better player. Michael Strahan's better than Dent, too. My point on the Taylor and Strahan stuff was to show that both of them should not have difficulties being inducted. I have seen people on this message board write that those two guys are overrated. Both were pretty darn good.
screw the HOF they just slapped Martin in the face and he should just tell them to F off. He is the 4th all time leading rusher and all the other top ten are in. that is messed up. I don't care who is eligable he should have made it. He is not a weak class to get in type player.
C-Mart should have gone in tonight.. Sucks he didn't, but as usual when I talk about the Jets, we just gotta wait till next year.
He played two more years than Martin, but same as Bettis who also got a ring. But a ring at the RB position is not really as relevant as say QB. A RB who gains yds with a bad offensive line (like Payton and Sanders did most of their career) is more impressive. Martin is 4th all time in rushing in 10 years of playing. There is room for 2 RB's, and i think he and Faulk should both be in. Dent and Sharpe deserve to be in, and got in this year for waiting their turn. Kind of like the pro-bowl, you wait your turn. Martin will be in next year, likely at the expense of Bettis if 2 positions cannot get in same year. Chris Carter has also waited long enough. Defensive guys tend to have to wait even longer..
You are completely wrong. Curtis Martin was an excellent RB, but not a first ballot HOFer. Even in his best years, if you asked anyone in football (outside of the Jets) who the best RB in football was, no one would answer Curtis Martin. He was upper tier for a long time and that will get him in the HOF. The voters made the right decision not to make him first ballot. Even in weaker class, he should not be first ballot.
Willie Roaf got robbed this year, it would be nice to see him and Shields go in together next year. Considering how little respect OL gets I don't know if it could happen though. Dent sure stole the spot from a more deserving player this year. If they were only going to elect one pass catcher this year it would be hard to argue with the selection of Shannon Sharpe but I can't believe Andre Reed over Cris Carter as a finalist. Parcells is a lock next year but otherwise it could be the window Martin needs to get in before Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, and others become eligible.
You are mistaken because there were years in which Martin was a 1st-team All-NFL player. In 2001 and 2004 he was a consensus 1st-team RB. The majority of people watching the sport that year concluded he was the best or second best RB in the sport. He also received All-NFL recognition after the 1995, 1996, and 1999 seasons as a 2nd-team and/or all-conference performer.
