2016 Hall of Fame Class unveiled

by Andy | Feb 6, 2016 | Hall of Fame

It reportedly took the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s voting board less than a minute to determine that Brett Favre

Courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

would be a first-ballot enshrinee in the class of 2016.

Favre headlines a class that also includes coach Tony Dungy, WR Marvin Harrison, DE/LB Kevin Greene, T Orlando Pace, contributor Edward DeBartolo Jr. and senior candidates Dick Stanfel and QB Ken Stabler.

Voters started the day by whittling a group of 15 finalists down to 10. Those eliminated on the first cut were K Morten Andersen, S Steve Atwater, WR Terrell Owens, G Alan Faneca and RB Edgerrin James, meaning the five modern era candidates who made the final 10 but were not selected were QB Kurt Warner, T Joe Jacoby, RB Terrell Davis, S John Lynch and Coach Don Coryell. The group of 15 finalists was unveiled last month.

Once the five modern-era finalists had been selected, selectors voted yes or no on each of those candidates and on Stanfel, Stabler and DeBartolo. Each needed 80 percent yes votes to earn enshrinement. The class of 2016 hits the max number of eight that can be inducted in any given year. (more…)

Megatron’s Call From Canton Should Come Fast

by Andy | Feb 2, 2016 | Hall of Fame

Calvin Johnson reportedly has informed friends and coaches that he will retire after nine seasons in the NFL rather

Photo by Kevin810, via Wikipedia

than rejoin Detroit for the 2016 season.

While his quiet, low-key approach to announcing the end of his career would be fitting for the way he acted when he played, I hope this is not the case. Johnson has spent the last decade being one of the very few reasons to tune in to watch the Lions.

If he is, however, serious about stepping away, he would first become eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021. I think it’s just short of inarguable that he gets in eventually.

I don’t think he should have to wait.

You can certainly qualify Megatron’s impact by saying it’s a passing era, no question. He’s played in the most pass-heavy era of NFL football on mostly bad teams that had to throw the ball. Did that inflate his numbers? Perhaps. But I would argue that Johnson was also part of the reason Detroit should have been throwing the ball all along. (more…)