2020 HOF Class

[DukeSlater]

Polamalu, James, Hutchinson, Atwater and Bruce are HOFers.

[NWebster]

Polamalu, James, Hutchinson, Atwater and Bruce are HOFers.

Atwater and Bruce both feel like a stretch to me.

[DukeSlater]

I never agreed with Sam Mills and Bryant Young being finalists. They were great players, but I can think of better modern players as finalists....

[JohnTurney]

Atwater and Bruce both feel like a stretch to me.

One thing is for sure, Atwater is the first safety in HOF to only have 2 All-Pro seasons

If 2 All-pros is "enough" there isn't room to hold all the HOFers.

Byt 2 All-Pros, plus 2 rings, plus 2 'signature plays' I guess it adds up

[JWL]

Atwater and Bruce both feel like a stretch to me.

One thing is for sure, Atwater is the first safety in HOF to only have 2 All-Pro seasons

If 2 All-pros is "enough" there isn't room to hold all the HOFers.

Byt 2 All-Pros, plus 2 rings, plus 2 'signature plays' I guess it adds up

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is one thing.

A top 100 players list (the USA Today one of this season, the NFL 100 All-Time Team, the NFL Films/NFL Network 100 greatest players list from several years ago) is another thing.

One is for the large Hall fans.

One is for the small Hall fans.

[DukeSlater]

Atwater, as you all know, made eight Pro Bowls and was an All-Decade member.

He was not the greatest in coverage, IMO, but I have no problem with him being in Canton.

[conace21]

Bruce is a little light on honors (4 Pro Bowls and I think 1 2nd Team All Pro season,) but I'm all right with his induction. He had more 1,781 receiving yards in a season in 1995, and that was more receiving yards than anybody had ever gained in a season. Bruce didn't make the Pro Bowl, but that's understandable. The NFC was absolutely loaded at receiver that year. Cris Carter tied his own record (set in 1994) of 122 catches... but Herman Moore had 123. Nine players went over 100 catches that year, all of them in the NFC. And Bruce had a 200 yard receiving game in the season finale, after the Pro Bowl voting was announced.

[Reaser]

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is one thing.

A top 100 players list (the USA Today one of this season, the NFL 100 All-Time Team, the NFL Films/NFL Network 100 greatest players list from several years ago) is another thing.

One is for the large Hall fans.

One is for the small Hall fans.

Yup. On NFL Network Deion, Tomlinson, Warner and co. were discussing the watering down of HOF'rs this week. It was sort of along the lines of what you said.

Also, I was talking to my friend last night about WR's when were we kids/growing up and we started -especially here- with Largent as a legend, then you have Rice who was the best, and Sharpe had a period where he was at least his equal and can argue better for a time, then our Fr. year of HS Moss came along. And I thought about it and; Largent, Rice, Sharpe and Moss. HOF'rs, it makes sense.

Instead, Sharpe isn't in. And from that era you have Carter, Brown, Reed, and Bruce had his best years in the 90s, plus he's a different era but still was doing things into the 90's so put Lofton in the group, too.

And the problem is Herman Moore fits in that group, Henry Ellard fits in that group, or can say if Bruce is a HOF'r then so is Jimmy Smith, and so on. Can do it for any position, i.e. if Floyd Little is a HOF'r then every RB in history who is better or = to Little should be in. Or Ed Sprinkle, every player better than him 'should be' in the HOF. So it's a perpetual lowering of the bar.

And since that's what the HOF is, there's more PFHOF players/coaches/GM's/owners than there is spots, because 'everyone' that was "good" is a or is a "should be because he's in" HOF'r.

I'm a small hall type, but arguing or worrying about never really makes sense since that's just what I wish the HOF was or what I would have had it as, but it's not what the HOF is.

[DukeSlater]

I agree on Sprinkle, Matt. He is not a HOFer, in my opinion.

How did you guys feel about Covert getting selected with only two Pro Bowls? I loved Jimbo at Pitt, and in the NFL as a player...BUT I don’t think is quite a HOFer.

[JohnTurney]

Atwater, as you all know, made eight Pro Bowls and was an All-Decade member.

He was not the greatest in coverage, IMO, but I have no problem with him being in Canton.

Pro Bowls with some teams are not reliable. Denver has John Lynch (late in career) and Atwater (late in career)
and Dawkins (late in career) should have had that many

Atwater, I am ambivalent but he was only First-team All-Pro twice, never a guy who got
any AP DPOY votes. He just lowered the standard for players

To me, the mitigating thing is he does have 2 rings.