The NFL HOF induction ceremonies were this past weekend; NFL Net did one of their top ten shows of the top 10 players not in the Hall of Fame.
So, I did my own. Only players eligible but not in are listed here.
Here are ten players who absolutely, unequivocally, should be moved directly into the Pro Football HOF.
Top 10 Players not in Pro Football HOF
1. Jim Marshall 1960-79 DE Minnesota (Eller, Page, Marshall, Larsen - the greatest defensive line of all time)
2. Ken Anderson 1971-86 QB Cincinnati (Better than Terry Bradshaw.)
3. Alex Karras 1958-70 DT Detroit (Note the relatively short career compared to Marshall, per game, Karras is the best player on this list).
4. Mick Tingelhoff 1962-78 C Minnesota (The greatest center in NFC history.)
5. Mike Kenn 1978-94 T Atlanta (Is Walter Jones a Hall of Famer? 'Cause Mike Kenn was as good.)
5. Mike Kenn 1978-94 T Atlanta (Is Walter Jones a Hall of Famer? 'Cause Mike Kenn was as good.)
6. Lee Roy Jordan 1963-76 MLB Dallas
7. Chuck Howley 1958-73 OLB Dallas (The Cowboys are among my my least favorite endeavors in human history, but both Howley and Jordan are HOFamers. I get why the rest of the guys on the list aren't in, they either played for bad teams, or they lost big in multiple Super Bowls, or they're Alex Karras. I don't have any idea why Howley/Jordan aren't in the HOF. Why can't Jerry Jones fix that?
8. Jim Hart 1966-84 QB St Louis (He and John Brodie should go in together)
9. Russ Washington 1968-82 T San Diego (Mike Kenn, west coast version)
10. Ken Riley 1969-83 CB Cincinnati (I love me some cornerbacks; Riley's the best eligible not in the Hall)
1 comment
Nice topic, Jim... You could almost push this list to 'top 25' or even 'top 50' with the backlog of players who are continually snubbed... Some others to consider:
Ken Riley's teammate Lemar Parrish... he was like the Rod Woodson of the '70s - not only did he have a nose for the ball, he knew what to do with it once it was in his hands (13 career TDs).
Safeties seem to have a hard time getting into Canton: Johnny Robinson, Cliff Harris, Steve Atwater, Jake Scott, Donnie Shell, Deron Cherry and Joey Browner, to name a few...
Check out the list of LBs who haven't gotten in (besides the two Cowboys greats you mentioned): Tommy Nobis, Randy Gradishar, Maxie Baughan, Isiah Robertson, Karl Mecklenberg, Greg Lloyd, etc..
Former Packers guard Jerry Kramer is usually considered one of the most glaring snubs in history...
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