The list of 15 finalists for the 2012 HOF class has been made. Assuming 5 people get voted in (not including senior nominees) which 5 would you choose? Here is the list of finalists: Bill Parcells, Tim Brown, Chris Carter, Andre Reed, Jerome Bettis, Curtis Martin, Will Shields, Aeneas Williams, Chris Doleman, Kevin Greene, Charles Haley, Cortez Kennedy, Dermontti Dawson, Willie Roaf, and Edward DeBartolo Jr. (owner). Here's the ESPN article announcing the finalists:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7...ill-parcells-cris-carter-andre-reed-tim-brown
Here's my 5 in no particular order:
Bill Parcells- He is one of the greatest head coaches of all time and has had success everywhere he has been. Parcells led the Giants to two SB titles and also led the Pats to the big game even though they came up short. He has had a winning overall record with 3 of the 4 teams he coached and he went .500 overall in his 4 seasons with the Patriots. He also has an overall winning record in the playoffs.
For my next 4 choices I am going to pick one player from each position category because they are so many deserving guys. One receiver, one running back, one of the defensive players, and one of the O-lineman.
Curtis Martin- It was tough taking him over Bettis but Curtis Martin has the slightly better overall numbers and even though Bettis has a SB ring and Martin doesn't, Bettis was a back up and short yardage guy at that point. Both are HOFers but I put Martin in first.
Chris Carter- Another tough choice between he and Tim Brown (Andre Reed is definitely behind both) but in the end I give Chris Carter the nod. His stats were slightly better and he was the overall more complete receiver. The 130 tds he had in his career was a big deciding factor. His induction is overdue.
Chris Doleman- For me it came down to him and Kevin Greene. They are number 3 and 4 on the all time sack list behind two first ballot guys in Bruce Smith and Reggie White. Both should already be in but with a lot of split votes because of the similar position they play I give the slight edge to Doleman. They both played 15 seasons with Doleman playing just 4 more games. While Greene had the edge in sacks by 9.5, Doleman has him beat in basically every other category including tackles, interceptions, and fumbles forced. Both guys played at a high level all the way up until their retirement and both are underrated.
Will Shields- Choosing between Shields, Roaf, and Dawson is tough because all three were elite guys who will likely get in eventually but Will Shields had the longest career of the three and made the most starts. Shields played 14 seasons all with the Chiefs and appeared in all 224 games, starting 223 of them. He was also selected to the pro bowl in each of his last 12 seasons. Not bad for a third round pick.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7...ill-parcells-cris-carter-andre-reed-tim-brown
Here's my 5 in no particular order:
Bill Parcells- He is one of the greatest head coaches of all time and has had success everywhere he has been. Parcells led the Giants to two SB titles and also led the Pats to the big game even though they came up short. He has had a winning overall record with 3 of the 4 teams he coached and he went .500 overall in his 4 seasons with the Patriots. He also has an overall winning record in the playoffs.
For my next 4 choices I am going to pick one player from each position category because they are so many deserving guys. One receiver, one running back, one of the defensive players, and one of the O-lineman.
Curtis Martin- It was tough taking him over Bettis but Curtis Martin has the slightly better overall numbers and even though Bettis has a SB ring and Martin doesn't, Bettis was a back up and short yardage guy at that point. Both are HOFers but I put Martin in first.
Chris Carter- Another tough choice between he and Tim Brown (Andre Reed is definitely behind both) but in the end I give Chris Carter the nod. His stats were slightly better and he was the overall more complete receiver. The 130 tds he had in his career was a big deciding factor. His induction is overdue.
Chris Doleman- For me it came down to him and Kevin Greene. They are number 3 and 4 on the all time sack list behind two first ballot guys in Bruce Smith and Reggie White. Both should already be in but with a lot of split votes because of the similar position they play I give the slight edge to Doleman. They both played 15 seasons with Doleman playing just 4 more games. While Greene had the edge in sacks by 9.5, Doleman has him beat in basically every other category including tackles, interceptions, and fumbles forced. Both guys played at a high level all the way up until their retirement and both are underrated.
Will Shields- Choosing between Shields, Roaf, and Dawson is tough because all three were elite guys who will likely get in eventually but Will Shields had the longest career of the three and made the most starts. Shields played 14 seasons all with the Chiefs and appeared in all 224 games, starting 223 of them. He was also selected to the pro bowl in each of his last 12 seasons. Not bad for a third round pick.
