Measuring Greatness II, HOF Dolphins Edition

Ok Lil Nicky, FinsX, Uncle Finster, and Alpha....you asked for it. 

In this update, I have taken a strong look to see which Dolphins, current and present, actually stand a chance at the hallowed Halls of Fame.

First, let me preference that ,despite the importance of "talent', we can not underestimate that role politics does play. See below for the voting specifics..

http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/SelectionProcessFAQ.jsp

With a delegate in each market, each delegate must lobby year in and year out to help their candidate(s) get the recognition they deserve. Delegates for Harry Carson and Art Monk have been exemplary in "getting their men in". Unfortunately, delegates who represent players like Ray Guy, are doing very little to keep Ray in the mix. (out-of-sight = out-of-mind)

When looking at criteria, all these superstars have the stats or credentials for consideration. What really separates them are two things, championship play (opportunities to win or championships earned) and standing separate from his peers (ALL PRO honors, and recognition as one of the 2-3 best in his era). As careers become longer and longer, padded stats and meaningless Pro-Bowl honors begin to hold less and less weight.

Before we get on to the Dolphins, Here are a few guys who need to get in IMO.

1) Ray Guy  P OAK- Ridiculous to think Jan Stenarud is the only Special Team rep in the HOF...

2) Tommy Nobis LB ATL- As good as Butkus!- Yes I said it, and Larry Czonka once said he'd "rather be tackled by Butkus than Nobis"

3) Bo Jackson RB OAK - If you can put Gale Sayers in, why not Bo? If he was on your team with Jim Brown, Payton and Barry Sanders, you would have a hard time NOT starting him- PERIOD.

4) John Madden- A Super Bowl coach for sure, but look at all that he has done as a contributor- Madden Football alone has kept the interest of the league at an all time high.

5) Charles Haley- DE DAL SF- Dominated and won Championships 

6) Brian Mitchell KR-WAS - NFL's #2 ALLTIME Yards from Scrimmage- Brian is #1 or #2 in 8, yes 8!!, major career statistics. Only one ProBowl- a shame

7) Tony Boselli: OT JAX- Any man who can pick up Reggie White and dump him on his back like a turtle instantly earns my lifetime respect. 6 short years, 5 ProBowl, 3 Time 1st Team All Pro. If anyone gets in because of a short career Tony deserves it.

8) Joe Jacoby- Russ Grimm- Where are the Hogs? Makes no sense

HM) Kevin Greene, Jerry Kramer, Jim Marshall, Gil Brandt, Sterling Sharpe, Richard Dent., Terrell Davis, Randy Cross, Kent Hull,  Andre Reed, Dermonti Dawson, Cortez Kennedy, Rickey Jackson, Eric Allen,

Pending: Larry Allen, Dieon Sanders, W Sapp, J Ogden, M Faulk, S Sharpe, Bettis, Tim Brown. Will Shields, J Lynch, T Law

Current: Favre, Manning, Brady, Warner, LT, Moss, TO, Fitzgerald, Harrison,  Gonzo, Mahwae, Pace, R Harrison, B Dawkins, D Brooks, R Lewis, Alan Fanaca, Jake Long :)

OK MIAMI -

Let's start with who ARE NOT getting in:

1) Mark Clayton: It pains me to say it but, Clayton will never get in. Not only did not do enough to separate himself from his peers he will forever be tied to Duper. Mark's number are very good but not HOF; 582 rec (58 all-time) 8974 yds( 43 all-time) and 84 tds (14th). Clayton only had 5 probowl and was never an All Pro.

2) Mark Duper: Mark was only a 3 time probowl and played second fiddle to Clayton on productivity. Career Stats are also not strong enough- 511 catches (94th all time) 8869 yds (49 all time) 59 TDs (65 all time) he had 70+ catches only twice and went over 1,000 yds only 4x . Interestingly, he is 22nd All-Time in yds per touch! Sorry Super..

3) Jimmy Johnson- Coach Johnson masterminded the Cowboys resurgence but unfortunately did not spend enough time in the pros to amass a comparable career to his HOF peers. Sorry Jimmy, a SB or two with Miami and you would have had a shot.

4) Mercury Morris- Merc's short career 7 yrs did produce 3 ProBowls but he did spend more time than deserved as Kiick's backup.  At times, he was perceived more of a KR than a true RB.  All potential, no productivity-

5) Reggie Roby- Even if Ray Guy opened the gates for punters, Reggie would struggle to get consideration. Unfortunately his reputation proceeds him, He's 19th all-time in punts, 17th in yards, and 43rd in yds per punt. Not good enough.

6) Sam Madison- A 4 time probowler and 2 time All Pro, Sam helped himself with a SB with the Giants. However, he needs more. Not a ball hawk, there are no stats to substantialize his greatness. His 38 picks are only 86th all-time. If Sam has better wheels he might have been able to play 2-3 more years and maybe get another ring.. but the fork is waiving over his career, Sorry Sam. (Surtain, like Duper to Clayton, will always play second fiddle and deservedly so)

7) Bill Stanfill- Playing with Manny Fernandez, Bill wound up as the benefactor. Manny has no probowl or all pro honors while, Bill has 5 probowls and 1 all pro honor. With his accolades and championship experience, Bill is a fringe candidate. Without concrete stats, sadly, Bill is forgettable when compared to his peers, Carl Eller, Joe Greene, Jack Youngblood, Elvin Bethea, etc.

7b) Bob Baumhower: see Bill Stanfill, expect, Bob does not have the SB rings to help. Hard to compete with the likes of Randy White and Dan Hampton, etc.

8) Irving Fryar:  He has the stats: 851 rec (13th) 12785 yds (12th) 88 TDs(33rd) and is ranked 17th All-time in all purpose yds. Fryar was also a 5 time probowler. Fryar will likely never sniff the HOF because his body of work never really "produced". More so, he pales when compared to his peers, Tim Brown,Rice, Sharpe, Monk, Carter, etc etc

Troy Vincent: Not enough to stand apart from peers. 47 Ints (only 43rd all time)

John Offerdahl: Really only played 4 full seasons including strike yr 87'. Despite 5 Probowls and 1 All pro. Not enough resume to even compare him to others.

Norm Evans: Not great, but real good. Job is easier with Little and Langer.

Trace Armstrong: 106.5 Sacks is 18th All-Time.  Without championship play, (OAK 02' doesn't really count)  Despite the productivity, Trace spent a great deal of time as a pass-rusher and NOT a starting DE. How could you keep him off the field?

Keith Byars: regarded as one of the All Time best FBs, Keith will never see the HOF. Without stats for blocking success, he does not have enough rush/rec to make up ground. He is 46th all time in receptions with 610.

Ricky Williams: Too little too late. There is no doubt in my mind that Ricky has/had the talent to be one of the all-time greatest, but he needs to support that claim and has unfortunately run out of time. Even with two 1,000 + years, 15 TDs and a superbowl MVP, he'll be a long shot at best. 

And now the CANDIDATES:!!!!!!!

10) WES WELKER:  Hold on, he has a long way too go but check this out: He has a league championship, a SB appearance and one ProBowl so far. Not spectacular, BUT he is already ranked #32 ALL-TIME in K/PR yds, And is #145 All-Time in All Purpose Yds. Pretty nice start to a career. SEE ALSO Tommy McDonald, whose career is very similar. Tommy only ranks #110 in receptions and his only Championship was his last yr, as a bystander in Cleveland.

9) JOEY PORTER:  If Andre Tippett got in Joey only needs 2-3 more good years to help his cause. Surprisingly, Joey only has 4 Probowls and 1 All Pro honor. His 83 sacks are only 43rd All Time. He'll need 17 more and 2 more Probowls to join the elite. Tippet finished with 100 sacks (24th) , 5 Probowls and 2 All pros.

8) KEITH JACKSON: With only 8 true TEs in the HOF. Keith needs to make a push soon before the likes of Sharpe and Gonzo make his success appear minimal. His 441 rec, 5283 yds, and 49 Tds are very good. But so are his 5 probowls and 3 All Pro honors. He shined among his peers in the early 90's.

7) ZACH THOMAS:  Did you realize there are only 10 true Inside Linebackers in the HOF. That is an elite class. When Butkus got in, Tommy Nobis was overlooked because he did not have the championships or exposure playing with ATL. Zach faces a similar comparison with Ray Lewis. Sure, Ray is a surefire HOFer but Zach has been more than a respectable sidekick. Zach is a 7 time Probowler and a 5 Time All Pro. That is strong. Buononcini was 8 and 5 and Singletary was 10 and 7, so Zach is among the elite, he just doesn't have the championship play, which will hurt him. 50/50 for Zach, good luck in KC my man.

6) RICHMOND WEBB: Our delegates (Edwin Pope!!) in South Beach have done a lousy job of promoting Webb. He was a 7 time Probowler and 2 time All -Pro.  Jackie Slater was a 7 time probowler and NEVER an All Pro. Hmm. Webb is close and might end up seeing his candidacy as a Senior Selection many years from now.

5) JAKE SCOTT:  There are 9 safeties in the HOF and none have been SB MVP!. IMO there's Ronnie Lott and everyone else, As such, Scott has the resume to stand among the elite. 5 Probowls, 3 SBs, 2 All Pro. 49 Ints are 35th All-Time and he's top 100  Punt Returner. So WTF? We need to lobby hard Dolphans because JAke belongs !

4) CRIS CARTER: #3 Alltime Receptions, #7 allTime in Yards, #4 AllTime RecTDs. Cris faces a similar fate as Art Monk. Though a great player, he did complete for honors with some of the best during his career, Rice, Tim Brown, St Sharpe, Monk, Moss, TO, and on and on. His 8 Probowls are good, but his 2 All pros are just a bit light.  He did play in 3 league championships but a SB would have certainly helped. He'll get in, but it may take awhile.

3) BOB KUCHENBERG: 4 SBs, 6 Probowls, and only 1 All Pro. He's 68th alltime in Playoff game started. Too bad Bob does not stand out among the crowd. He was close this year, but will fall into obscurity as the years pass. I have him 3rd on this list because he was so close, but in reality....Bob may never get this shot again and I'm not too upset. Congrats Bob on the run!

2) JASON TAYLOR: 6 Probowls and 3 All Pros, Jason has a solid resume. His 120.5 sacks is 14th All-Time and his 8 TDs are 25th AllTime. He's #1 alltime in FR for TDs, and is #4 AllTime in FR yds. He really needs 2-3 strong years left and he knows it.  I'm confident JT will come through and we'll see him in Canton.

1) JUNIOR SEAU:  JR may be our only LOCK for the HOF. A 12time Probowler and ^ time All Pro. JR is one of the games best ever LBers. He has SB experience and is #10 all-time in games starter.  It was nice to have seen him Aqua and Orange. Thanks JR.

That's All Folks.... Hope you enjoy.....