There's no way Bettis deserves it more than Martin. He might get it, but he doesn't deserve it. 10 Straight 1,000 yard seasons and 439 more yards in two fewer years. Martin was the better back.
I dont think they take four rb's in any class. if they dont martin probaly wont get in the 1st ballot.
I am a huge Curtis Martin fan, but the HOF has become a joke. Jerome Bettis is the more popular player, so he'll be recognized first.
I rank those fellows in this order. 1. Deion Sanders 2. Marshall Faulk 3. Curtis Martin 4. Jerome Bettis There is no question Sanders will be enshrined next year. He is a lock. Faulk is probably a lock, too. He should be, anyway. The problem with Martin and Bettis being inducted in '11 is that there are some other good players they have to battle than just Sanders and Faulk. Cris Carter and Dermontti Dawson are still out there. Willie Roaf becomes eligible next year.
This guy obviously reads The Gang Green: jetsff Will Curtis Martin Be a First Ballot Hall of Famer? http://ffd.me/9Dil1i #jets 4 minutes ago via FanFeedr
If you pulled a semi coherent non Jets fan off the street that had a cursory knowledge about Football. You then asked that person who is better Curtis Martin or the big dude from the Chunky commercial, who do you think they will say? Like it or not, that does carry over/resonates with the voters.
You must be smoking crack to think faulk is better than curtis, that's a whole other thread. And sanders should have his own wing. That being said, curtis is an easy first ballet HOFer.
Take those green glasses off man. Marshall Faulk changed the way this game is played - he's arguably the best all-purpose back ever.
I didn't say he wasn't a great player....I said he wasn't THE dominant player at his position. If you were to ask anyone outside of new york to name the best RB in football at any point over the last 20 years, Martin's name would not come up. Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Terrell Davis, Ladanian Tomlinson, and maybe Edgerrin James (I'm on my phone so I can't look up anyone else). I'm not even suggesting that all those guys are first ballot. All I'm saying is that if you are first ballot, at some point you needed to be the best player in the game at that position. First ballot should be for players who were truely special. As great as Curtis was, he was never that guy. HOFer, yes. First ballot, no.
Cris Carter who got shafted this year is probably going to make it next year....Same for Shannon Sharpe(Whose speech should be great) I love Curtis but the quiet guys have been known to just get shafted constantly. Look at Art Monk for example.
All-Pro selections are supposed to indicate who were the best players at each positon in a given year. Bettis had one season where he was a consensus 1st team pick (1993). Martin had two- 2001 and 2004. Don Maynard, Jackie Slater, and Charlie Joiner are three Hall of Famers who had 0 seasons like that. In other words, there was never one season in which Maynard was considered the best at his position. Slater was a 1st ballot guy, but the two WRs were not. Addendum- I understand the first ballot thing with Martin. At best, I'll think he'll wait only one year.
The Martin vs Bettis battle for who gets inducted first will be the ultimate litmus test for PFHOF induction. If Bettis gets in before Martin, then we'll know the "Fame" part of the name is a huge factor. Bettis does not top Martin in any other measure. At least I don't think he does.
I would argue that Curtis was a dominant player. He just wasn't flashy like some of the others. When you have a guy that continues to eat up yardage and keep the chains moving and the other teams offense on the bench - that is a form of dominance. His consistency is his dominance. Sanders and Faulk I would put ahead of Martin... but I think he's in Faulk's class. Faulk had the luck to play on some great teams that won some rings, and the rings make much of the difference when trying to separate great players. Sanders will always be in a class to himself even without rings - and why the hell is he not already in the HoF? Bettis was very close to Martin stat-wise and up there on the career leader board... mix that in with a ring whether he's a backup or not its going to help his chances. Not saying its fair, it just is what it is.
He'll get in around 2012 or 13. Bettis will get in 1st because of having a ring. That's how the HOF voters do things.
DOH... that makes sense then... thank you! That said... I #$!@#$!2 hate Deion Sanders... My opinion of his worthiness is hugely biased... lol
That's not exactly true. Bettis could get inducted before Martin for the fame aspect but it won't be because he won a ring as a backup. That's just ridiculous. I don't think the Hall voters are that silly about it. There are plenty of HOFers who did not get a ring (in a team sport for crying out loud) but still were enshrined on the first ballot. Ollie Matson, John Hannah, Warren Moon, Ken Houston, Bruce Matthews, and Larry Wilson are some examples. Ring winners who had to wait at least a year include Lynn Swann, John Riggins, Fred Biletnikoff, Rayfield Wright, Jim Taylor, John Stallworth, Lenny Moore (the Marshall Faulk of the 50s and 60s), Michael Irvin, Mel Renfro, Joe Schmidt, Bob Griese, and Larry Csonka. Hey, that's a good one- Larry Csonka. He got in on the third ballot. No way can I say Bettis was better than Csonka.
^ hmmmm. I think it'd be shocking to most if Bettis waited a year while Martin and Faulk went in the same year. I'm excited for Faulk to be inducted. NFL Networks staff is made up of HOFers for the exception of anchors and Mariucci.
