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By The Athletic NFL Staff May 13, 2020
As part of The Athletic’s Hall of Fame snubs blitz, the NFL team has compiled and voted on a list of players and coaches they feel should be in the Hall of Fame. Twenty-nine Athletic staffers voted on three categories: modern-era players (many of whom are likely to get into the Hall sooner or later), senior candidates and coaches. The names listed in bold below received over 30 percent of the Athletic NFL staff vote. Below we break down the categories and selections.
Modern-era players
Each year the Pro Football Hall of Fame sets aside five slots for modern-era players and coaches, with the “modern era” designation applying to players whose careers ended within the past 25 years. The 48-member voting panel gathers one day before the Super Bowl to discuss 15 finalists for these five slots, as narrowed down from about 100 initial candidates through preliminary voting that takes place weeks earlier. Once discussions on these 15 finalists are finished, a process that can take most of the day, the Hall conducts an initial vote reducing the 15 finalists to 10. From there, a second round of voting reduces the 10 to five, usually without much additional discussion. Once the final five are known, voters cast “yes” or “no” votes for those five, with the 80 percent “yes” threshold required for enshrinement all but a formality most years.
Having only five slots adds to the value of enshrinement while forcing voters to exclude from their final ballots multiple candidates who they might consider worthy of the honor. This inevitably fosters debate over which finalists were “snubbed” in a given year, but the reality is, every finalist is highly respected by the committee, by definition. The five modern-era players who received the highest percentage of votes in our very unofficial Athletic NFL vote are not Hall of Fame snubs in the purest sense. All have been finalists recently. All five will likely be enshrined in the future. These players are next in line. Elite modern-era candidates such as La’Roi Glover, Darren Woodson and Ricky Watters have never even been finalists. They might be snubs in the truest sense. But if we are drawing our snubs from the pool of modern-era candidates who have been eligible without being enshrined, the players below certainly qualify.
The modern-era players who received more than 30 percent of The Athletic NFL staff vote to be in the Hall of Fame:
Safety John Lynch is a seven-time Hall finalist. (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)
John Lynch: Lynch is a seven-time finalist, which makes him among the most highly regarded candidates, but also a frustrating case for supporters who think he should have gotten in already. Fellow modern-era safeties Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed and Brian Dawkins all skated into the Hall without much debate while Lynch has fallen just short of enshrinement. Meanwhile, senior candidates such as Cliff Harris, Donnie Shell, Johnny Robinson and Kenny Easley have dramatically bolstered the Hall’s numbers at the safety position, drawing even more attention to the fact that Lynch remains on the outside. Lynch has not always survived the initial reduction from 15 finalists to 10, raising some fears among supporters that he might never clear the final hurdle. Lynch did make the final 10 this year, which could be a positive indicator for him.
Alan Faneca: Faneca remains highly regarded among Hall voters, to the point where he has been one of the 15 modern-era finalists for five years running. But with fellow offensive linemen Orlando Pace, Kevin Mawae and Steve Hutchinson earning enshrinement ahead of him, and with some other strong offensive line candidates also stuck in a holding pattern, Faneca has waited longer than someone with his credentials might expect to wait. On the positive side for Faneca, he has survived the reduction from 15 finalists to 10 and no one has raised even the slightest objection to him as a candidate. Faneca appears to be inching closer to enshrinement, with a better-than-ever chance to break through now that two other top interior linemen in Mawae and Hutchinson will no longer compete against him for one of the final five modern-era slots. Faneca seems like one of the stronger bets for the Hall in 2021.
Tony Boselli: The future is a little harder to forecast for Boselli in that his career was cut short by injuries and some voters might never support his candidacy over the candidacies of great players who performed twice as long in some cases. All agree that Boselli was among the most dominant offensive tackles in league history when at his best with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the late 1990s. Boselli possessed an almost impossible combination of athletic feet, brutish strength and competitive fire, which famously allowed him to win a playoff matchup against Defensive Player of the Year and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Bruce Smith following the 1996 season. That was a watershed performance for Boselli, one that signaled his arrival as an elite player who presumably would have been a first-ballot selection if he had started more than six seasons. Stressing just how great Boselli truly was — greater than many players who are being enshrined — is the best hope for his candidacy. Former Dolphins center Dwight Stephenson is an apt comparison as a rare talent at his position who played fewer than 100 games, went to the same number of Pro Bowls (five) and was a finalist about the same number of times (five before Stephenson was enshrined, four for Boselli to this point).
Zach Thomas: The former Dolphins linebacker became a Hall of Fame finalist for the first time when voters convened earlier this year. After failing to become a finalist for several years, Thomas survived the initial reduction from 15 finalists down to 10 this year, which would seem to indicate he’ll be back in the room for consideration and could earn enshrinement eventually. Thomas is on a short list of inside linebackers to earn first-team Associated Press All-Pro honors at least five times since the league began changing rules to promote passing in 1978. Some of those other decorated inside linebackers were slam-dunk selections for the Hall already (Jack Lambert, Mike Singletary, Junior Seau and Ray Lewis). Others could be likely selections when they become eligible in the future (Bobby Wagner, Luke Kuechly). Thomas and former 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, who became eligible for the first time this past year and was not a finalist, might fall somewhere in between.
Torry Holt: Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison and Holt are the only players to post at least eight consecutive seasons with 1,100 yards receiving. Rice did it nine times in a row. The streak was eight seasons for Harrison and Holt. That type of consistent production requires staying power within a prolific passing offense. Holt, who ranked 10th in all-time receiving yards at his retirement following the 2009 season, certainly had that. His candidacy appears to be trending positively after Holt became one of the 15 modern-era finalists for the first time this past year (he did not make it to the final 10, however). Holt’s candidacy could have been complicated in the past by the presence of so many other elite players from the “Greatest Show on Turf” offenses that set records two decades ago. Now that fellow “Greatest Show” alums Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace and Isaac Bruce have earned enshrinement, Holt could be next in line. There is some logic to the process as those other four all-time great St. Louis Rams began their careers before Holt arrived as a first-round choice in 1999. Bruce’s enshrinement this year leaves the spotlight for Holt. His time could be approaching.
Reggie Wayne: Wayne ranked eighth in receiving yards upon retirement following the 2014 season. The seven players ahead of him on that list have all been enshrined in Canton (Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Isaac Bruce, Tony Gonzalez, Tim Brown, Marvin Harrison). So have the two players who ranked immediately behind Wayne at that time (James Lofton, Cris Carter). Wayne’s turn is almost assuredly coming at some point in the future. He was a finalist this year, the first time he was eligible. That was a positive sign. Many other highly productive receivers have earned enshrinement eventually after falling short mostly because there were only five modern-era slots available each year, not necessarily because voters thought these receivers were not worthy. If Wayne must overcome anything to hasten his enshrinement, it could be the perception that he played a supporting role to Harrison in an offense that generated prolific statistical production simply because Peyton Manning was the quarterback behind center.
Also receiving votes (less than 30%): Shaun Alexander, Willie Anderson, Carl Banks, Ronde Barber, Cornelius Bennett, Lomas Brown, LeRoy Butler, DeRon Cherry, Eddie George, Chris Hinton, Olin Kreutz, Clay Matthews Sr., Karl Mecklenberg, Sam Mills, Leslie O’Neal, Simeon Rice, Richard Seymour, Neal Smith, Steve Tasker, Hines Ward, Ricky Watters, Richmond Webb, Patrick Willis, Steve Wisniewski, Darren Woodson.
Senior candidates
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has a process and a committee for older players. After a player’s career has been completed for 25 years, he goes from being a modern-era candidate to a senior candidate. A nine-man senior committee decides on 15 senior finalists each year. Then five of the senior committee members vote to nominate a candidate or candidates to the full 48-man selection committee, which votes whether or not to induct. This year was a special circumstance, as a Blue Ribbon centennial committee voted to induct 10 senior candidates (as well as three contributors and two coaches) without the input of the 48-man selection committee.
The senior players who received more than 30 percent of The Athletic NFL staff vote:
Cliff Branch started on three Super Bowl winners for the Raiders. (George Rose / Getty Images)
Cliff Branch: A world-class sprinter, Branch averaged 17.3 yards per catch in his career. He was a first-team All-Pro three straight times and started on three Super Bowl winners for the Raiders. Branch was known for his ability to stretch the field and open things up for Fred Biletnikoff, Dave Casper and the Raiders’ run game. During a seven-year stretch from 1974-80, Branch led the NFL with 6,047 receiving yards. Branch rose up in the postseason, and at the time of his retirement, he held NFL records for most catches and yards in the playoffs.
Drew Pearson: The former Cowboys wide receiver was stunned not to be included in the Blue Ribbon centennial class, as were many of his supporters. A first-team all-decade performer from the 1970s, Pearson is known as one of the great clutch receivers of all-time. Pearson wasn’t as flashy as some of the other receivers from his era, but he was an excellent route runner who consistently produced. He played on three Super Bowl teams.
Roger Craig: He was one of the best pass-catching running backs of all-time, though he ranks only 44th in career rushing yards. In the 1980s, Craig helped make the 49ers’ West Coast offense elite. Craig was the first NFL player to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. He was named to the 1980s all-decade team and was the 1988 NFL offensive player of the year.
Ken Anderson: Statistically, Anderson is off the charts. The former Bengal is the only quarterback in history to win back-to-back passing titles in two different decades (1974-75 and 1981-82). He also is one of only five players to win at least four passing titles. He also was voted NFL MVP and comeback player of the year in 1981, when he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl. Upon retirement, he ranked sixth all-time in passing yards.
Joe Jacoby: The offensive tackle and charter member of the Hogs was an anchor for the Redskins’ great running games in the 1980s, often leading the way on Joe Gibbs’ “counter trey.” He blocked for three different quarterbacks on Super Bowl winners. Jacoby also was voted to four straight Pro Bowls.
Others receiving votes (less than 30%): Roger Brown, Joey Browner, Lavern Dilweg, Joe Fortunato, Randy Gradishar, L.C. Greenwood, Chuck Howley, Mike Kenn, Jim Marshall, Tommy Nobis, Jay Hilgenberg, Ken Riley, Andy Russell, Dale Shofner, Jack Tatum, Everson Walls.
Dick Vermeil turned three struggling franchises into contenders, and one into a Super Bowl champion. (Bob Leverone / The Sporting News via Getty Images)
Coaching candidates
Don Coryell: By leaving Don Coryell out of the Hall of Fame, once again, voters have shown they value wins — particularly Super Bowl wins —over all else. Coryell never took the teams he coached (the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Chargers) to the Super Bowl, but his candidacy is based on his immense influence on modern NFL offenses. Coryell was an innovator. He transformed the NFL’s passing game by inventing the passing route tree, implementing a one-running back offense and utilizing the tight end as a receiver. Coryell’s offenses in San Diego led the NFL in passing seven of the eight seasons he coached there, and several of the players from the Air Coryell years — notably quarterback Dan Fouts and tight end Kellen Winslow — are in the Hall of Fame. Coryell was a five-time finalist for the Hall of Fame (2010, 2017-2019, 2020’s Centennial Class), so it’s reasonable to argue he’s the biggest snub on the list of coaches.
Tom Flores: The strength of Flores’ candidacy for the Hall of Fame is his Super Bowl success. He owns four rings — one as a player (backup quarterback for the Chiefs), one as an assistant on John Madden’s staff, and two he won as the Raiders’ head coach. He became the first minority head coach to win a title in Super Bowl XV.
As a head coach, Flores had a winning record against Don Coryell (12-5 in their years as AFC West rivals), and a 19-13 record against coaches already in the Hall of Fame (including 6-0 against Miami’s Don Shula).
Flores had been a finalist for the Hall’s 2019 class and did not get in, and was then passed over in the Centennial Class as well.
Mike Holmgren: In 17 years as a head coach for the Packers and Seattle, Holmgren amassed a resume comparable to, if not better than, other enshrined coaches like Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher.
Hired to rebuild the Packers, Holmgren led Green Bay to a Super Bowl championship in 1997, the franchise’s first title since the Lombardi era, and took the Packers back to the Super Bowl a year later.
He was then hired to rebuild the Seattle Seahawks, and he ended Seattle’s 10-year playoff drought in 1999, his first season in Seattle. In 2005, he led the Seahawks to an NFC title (Seattle lost that Super Bowl to Pittsburgh.)
Dick Vermeil: Vermeil is the great rebuilder. During a coaching career that spanned three decades, he turned three struggling franchises into contenders — and one into a Super Bowl champion.
The Eagles were coming off nine consecutive non-winning seasons when Vermeil was hired in 1976; he had them in the Super Bowl for the first time ever in 1980.
The Rams were another reclamation project when Vermeil was hired in 1996; his 1999 Greatest Show on Turf team won Super Bowl XXXIV. He was hired for one more rebuild in Kansas City in 2001, and in 2003 won 13 games in Kansas City.
Vermeil can’t match the winning percentage of other coaches in Canton (or even on this list) but the degree of difficulty with the teams he turned into contenders warrants him consideration. Unlike other coaches on this list, Vermeil only coached one truly great quarterback (Kurt Warner in St. Louis) and showed he could build winning teams in multiple ways.
Others receiving votes (less than 30%): Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer.
