Pro Football Hall of Fame:


Ray Guy's wait should be over. The greatest punter in NFL history has been denied too many times of the greatest prize a player can receive; induction into the Hall of Fame. Now, Steve Tasker, the greatest special teams player in the history of the sport has been nominated for induction. To me, that is a sign that the wait will be over for another special teams standout.

Steve Tasker and Bill Bates, a special teams star in Dallas are both worthy of the Hall for one simple reason; they dominated. In all sports, the Hall of Fame has usually been based on statistical requirements. But what the Hall of Fame should always come down to in any sport is domination. The players who dominate the competition deserve to be remembered forever.

As long as I'm talking about the Hall, Sports writers have no business voting for who should be enshrined. The voting should be reserved for just the members of the Hall of Fame. There are 144 members in Canton that could vote for the Class of 2003. That is more than enough people to vote for the next class of enshrinees.

Now that being said, my humble opinion for the 15 finalists is the following:

Here are my 7 picks for enshrinement:

  1. Guy I have already mentioned.


  2. Marcus Allen is one of the greatest running backs to ever play in the National Football League. He belongs in the same breathe with Brown, Payton, Sayers, and Campbell.


  3. L.C. Greenwood is one of the most underrated defensive lineman in league history, mainly because Joe Greene played alongside him.


  4. Lester "The Molester" Hayes was one of the most physical corners of the 1980's and deserves the ultimate recognition.


  5. Art Modell might have the appeal of Al Davis, and may be hated in Cleveland, but he changed the game and nobody can take that away from him.


  6. Art Monk is worthy because of his longevity and consistence throughout his career.


  7. Bill Parcells coached three teams further than anyone else in the era could take them. He ended 40 years of losing in New York with the Giants, ended 30 years in New York again with the Jets, and ended another decade in New England.



    Now here is who should make the first cut of the final 15: (note: Bob Keuchenberg and Hank Stram are already guaranteed to the final list)

  8. Brent Jones will not make the cut in his first year, but Todd Christensen should.


  9. Roger Craig will probably not make it into the Hall now, but in an era of the West Coast Offense, he defined the West Coast running back.


  10. Jim Plunkett and Ken Stabler are both Hall of Famers in Oakland fans eyes for winning Super Bowls, but both deserve serious consideration.


  11. Donnie Shell didn't get to play during the Super Bowl years with Pittsburgh but he was one of the few great players of the Steelers of the '80's.



  12. Jack Tatum was the most feared safety of his generation and it would be a crime to not give the man his due respect.