Some Hall of Fame Predictions

Alright, Saturday the Pro Football Hall of Fame welcomed six new members. I’ve already covered these players and their accomplishments, so I think perhaps a few predictions are in order. This is going to be pretty simple, I’m going to look at the teams that the recent inductees predominantly played for and as well as their colleges and predict who would be the next Hall of Famer elected from those places. I don’t have to pick someone to make it clear. So, let’s get started with the Pro teams first.

Pittsburgh Steelers (Represented by Dermontti Dawson, Jack Butler)

        There are a lot of great players who played with the Steelers for a long time and plenty of them could join their brethren in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Donnie Shell and L.C. Greenwood were both underrated members of the Steel Curtain defense of the 70s and have been Hall of Fame finalists in the past. Kevin Greene, who bounced around a lot but will best remember as a Steeler and a Ram, was a finalist this past year. But none of these guys have as good a case for election as the sixth All-time leading rusher (fifth all-time at the time of his retirement), Jerome “The Bus” Bettis. The only reason Bettis isn’t in the Hall of Fame already is because he had the misfortune of coming eligible with two other Hall of Fame running backs, Marshall Faulk and Curtis Martin, who have both been elected. Odds are, Bettis will follow them in being elected next year and even if he isn’t then, he will be before any of the previously mentioned great Steelers.

Prediction: Jerome Bettis

Minnesota Vikings (Represented by Chris Doleman)

        Much like the Steelers, the Vikings have a lot of great players, though most of their greats are from the 60s and 70s. Chuck Foreman, Jim Marshall and Mick Tinglehoff are all greats from the 60s and 70s who have legitimate chances to make the Hall, whenever they come up as senior nominees. But while we wait for them to have their chance, Cris Carter will be getting fitted for his gold jacket. Every year the selection committee is lambasted for Carter not being elected and it’s not difficult to understand why. Carter was finished his career with the second most catches and second most touchdowns catches of all-time. He’s been caught in a logjam at the receiver position but it’s very likely that he’ll the first of that group in.

Prediction: Cris Carter

Seattle Seahawks (Represented by Cortez Kennedy)

        The Seahawks don’t have a great legacy of players going back decades like the Vikings or the Steelers, but that’s mostly because they built their legacy recently. While they do have some guys like Kenny Easley and Jacob Green who merit some discussion, I highly doubt either will garner enough attention to find their way into the halls of Canton. Shaun Alexander will also be discussed, but it’s doubtful he’ll go far. Cortez Kennedy said it best during his enshrinement speech, Walter Jones will be the next Seahawks inducted, without a doubt. Jones was among the best left tackles in the game all through the 2000s, as evidenced by his nine Pro Bowl selections, seven All-Pro selections and place on the All-decade team of the 2000s. Those kinds of accolades don’t go unnoticed for long. He’ll be in.

Prediction: Walter Jones

New York Jets (Represented by Curtis Martin)

        The Jets have had a number of great players whose careers have been overlooked by their mediocre record. From the ranks of the senior nominees, sack artists Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko could both garner attention. But, it’s a craps shoot to predict who will get the senior nominee in any given year. Unless one of them shows up as a senior nominee, I don’t thinkt here will be anyone from the Jets coming close until Kevin Mawae comes eligible. Also a member of 2000s All-Decade team, Mawae made eight Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams. He also instantly upgraded every offensive line he was on. He was that intelligent and that good a leader. I also think Darelle Revis will have a shot down the line, but that’s WAY down the line.

Prediction: Kevin Mawae

New Orleans Saints (Represented by Willie Roaf)

        Now this is probably the hardest team to figure out, because until very recently, there were no long time Saints in the Hall of Fame. Two years ago, linebacker Rickey Jackson was elected and now Willie Roaf follows him in. In the future though there just aren’t that many great Saints players to choose from. The only two who are eligible who come to mind are Jackson’s teammates Sam Mills and Pat Swilling. Both have cases but neither has had a lot of success with the voting committee in recent years. While Swilling was an excellent pass rusher, I’m going to bet on Mills gaining momentum and getting in. Mills has a ton of respect throughout the league as one of the best interior linebackers of his day. He made five Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro four times. While his career was fairly short, it was incredibly effective and he might already be in if he had started playing in the NFL out of college instead of stopping in the USFL for three years. Other than Mills, I don’t think there’s any long time Saint who would garner attention until current quarterback Drew Brees comes up for election.

Prediction: Sam Mills

And now we’ll do the colleges;

St. Bonaventure (Represented by Jack Butler)

        …………Um, no. No there will not be another Hall ofFamer from St. Bonaventure University. The university doesn’t have a football program anymore and I’m not aware of any other greats to come from that particular school.

Prediction: None

Kentucky (Represented by Dermontti Dawson)

        Kentucky hasn’t had the best reputation as a football school. Only recently have they really broken that trend and started producing NFL caliber players on a more regular basis. Even then though, there’s not a lot of hope for Kentucky and the Hall of Fame, short of Stevie Johnson exploding for a long period of time. However there is hope in the form of a center. Long-time Falcons center Jeff Van Note has been brought about to the Hall of Fame numerous times and has a case. However, it’s not a great case, as Van Note only made the Pro Bowl five times in an eighteen year career and was only named second team All-Pro twice, combined that with the Falcons horrific record and you have a recipe for a guy not making it in for a long time. However, there’s no one with a better case.

Prediction: Jeff Van Note

Pittsburgh (Represented by Chris Doleman and Curtis Martin)

        Pittsburgh has a great history of college and pro football. However, most of the best players who have gone from Pittsburgh to the NFL are already in the Hall. There are only two who have made five or more Pro Bowls and aren’t in the Hall already. One his Mark Stepnoski, the Cowboys center through their dynasty years and the other is Rueben Brown, the Bills guard who comes eligible this year. Stepnoski attended five Pro Bowls, won three Super Bowl rings with the Cowboys and was the second team All-Decade center of the 90s. Brown went to nine Pro Bowls and was a four time All-Pro selection. Both have good cases, but I’m going to lean to Brown on this one, mainly because Stepnoski has been eligible for a few years now and has gained any traction with the voters. Brown may have enough of a resume to overcome a number of the stumbling blocks that come with Hall of Fame selection. Though I do think he’ll have to wait a while with Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden becoming eligible the same year.

Prediction: Rueben Brown

Miami Fl. (Represented by Cortez Kennedy)

        This is probably the easiest for me to pick. While the “U” has produced a ton of great players over the past 25 years, a lot of the best are still playing. The one I think has the best chance to make the Hall in the coming years has got to be Warren Sapp. Sapp comes with an excellent pedigree and was the definitive pass rushing defensive tackle during the 2000s. He ranks only behind John Randle in sacks from the defensive tackle position with 96.5 and was All-Decade in both the 90s and 2000s. He won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 1999 and was named to seven Pro Bowls and four First-team All-Pro teams. This year will be his first year of eligibility and while I think he might get stone walled because of the strength of his fellow eligible players, I have no doubt he’ll be the next Hurricane in Canton.

Prediction: Warren Sapp

Louisiana Tech (Represented by Willie Roaf)

        I’ve done my research and sadly, there really just isn’t anyone I could add to this list from Louisiana Tech. The vast majority of the players who made it to then NFL were either role players or not stars. For the time being, it looks like the best players from Louisiana Tech have already made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Prediction: None