Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012 announced

by | Feb 4, 2012 | Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 50th class will include modern-era candidates Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy, Curtis Martin and Willie Roaf.

Joining them at the Aug. 4 induction ceremony will be senior Jack Butler, a senior nominee.

The Steelers fared particularly well, with Dawson and Butler entering the Hall. Dawson played center for Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2000. Butler was a four-time Pro Bowl defensive back for them from 1951 to 1959.

Doleman was an eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end for Minnesota, San Francisco and Atlanta from 1985 to 1999. Kennedy spent his entire 11-year career with Seattle. He made eight Pro Bowls during that span.

Five-time Pro Bowler Martin played split his 11-year between New England and the New York Jets. He ran for 14,101 yards and reached the 1,000 yard mark during his first 10 years in the league. And Roaf was a dominant left tackle for New Orleans and Kansas City during a 13-year career that included 11 Pro Bowls.

The new class was selected by a 44-person selection committee Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis. The group was announced this evening on the NFL Network’s Road to Canton show.

Other finalists included Cris Carter, Charles Haley, Andre Reed, Aeneas Williams, Bill Parcells, Tim Brown, Jerome Bettis, Kevin Greene, Will Shields, former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr. and Dick Stanfel, a second senior nominee.

The new class helps reduce an abundance of offensive linemen that will only get deeper starting next year when Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden become eligible.

Perhaps surprising is that the class does not reduce the long list of wide receivers attempting to gain entry to the Hall. Carter, Brown and Reed will soon face additional competition from other star wideouts, such as Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens and Randy Moss become eligible in years ahead.

The committee’s decision to not enshrine Haley and Parcells this year was mentioned by some analysts as surprising.

The selection committee had narrowed the field to 15 modern era finalists in January. Before that they had reduced the list to 26 from an original group of 105 preliminary nominees.

Stanfel and Butler were nominated in August 2011. Senior nominees are selected by a special committee that reviews the qualifications of players whose careers ended more than 25 years ago. Unlike the modern-era candidates, who are discussed and winnowed throughout the process, senior nominees move directly to the finalist vote.

We predicted in November that Reed, Roaf, Dawson, Martin and Parcells would get in from the modern-era nominees. Several readers posted their guesses today.

Last year’s inductees were Richard Dent, Marshall Faulk, Chris Hanburger, Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe, Les Richter and Ed Sabol, the man who started NFL Films.

In depth: Arizona Cardinals

by | Feb 4, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

You are what you are in the NFL and the Arizona Cardinals were an 8-8 team in 2011. But the Cardinals, more than most teams, have reason to saying “what if” right about now. Arizona started 1-6, but lost four of those games by four points or less. That dug a hole from which the team could not emerge.

But closing 7-2 on the strength of a mostly strong defensive performance has at least some Cardinals fans optimistic about the future. The quarterback situation is in flux, the running back position has some question marks, the team needs more consistent play from wide receivers not named Fitzgerald and the offensive line needs some upgrades.

Even with those issues, the blog Raising Zona’s Lead Writer Scott Allen says he thinks the Cardinals’ future is bright. Here’s what he had to say:

Zoneblitz: John Skelton won six of eight starts. Arizona gave up a lot for Kevin Kolb. Is the Cardinals quarterback of the future currently on the team’s roster? (more…)

Hunter Goodwin now tackling real estate, charitable works

by | Feb 3, 2012 | Where are they now

Hunter Goodwin’s NFL career was not glamorous. He caught just 37 passes and two touchdowns while playing eight seasons as a tight end for Minnesota and Miami. But he stayed in the league for eight years by focusing on being a team player and doing the important, often-unrecognized dirty work in the trenches that made his team’s offense better.

He gained so much respect for his efforts that teammates and coaches often referred to him as a sixth offensive lineman. And ESPN analyst Merril Hoge in 2000 reportedly called Goodwin the best blocking tight end in the league, saying he could block any defensive end without assistance.

Goodwin’s journey to the NFL began with with Texas A&M-Kingsville. He then walked on to the football team at Texas A&M. He starred there for two years as an All-Southwest Conference offensive tackle. And when Goodwin left, he was on his way toward an agricultural economics degree and a he had earned a shot with the Vikings.

Goodwin attributes his success in the NFL to grit and determination. He’s working just as hard in the decade-plus since he left football behind, establishing himself as a player in the real estate industry and filling his time with several community- and charity-based endeavors. Goodwin recently took some time with Zoneblitz.com to reflect on his football days and give an update on how what he’s been doing since moving on from the game.

Zoneblitz: You’re the president of Oldham Goodwin Group (he along with partner Casey Oldham, another Texas A&M graduate, were co-honored by the Better Business Bureau in 2010 as “boss of the year”). What is your company’s focus and what is your role?

Hunter Goodwin: My company’s focus us summed up in our mission statement: Maximize value creation for all stakeholders by providing integrated commercial real estate services to select market segments.  We have a distinct accessible expertise and connection with our target markets. (more…)

In depth: Seattle Seahawks

by | Feb 2, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

When the 2011 season started, I expected to hear a lot of talk about Seattle competing for the rights to draft Andrew Luck. As the season wore on, the Seahawks did get more and more media attention, but it was for the strong play of Marshawn Lynch and a resurgent second half of the season, not for a push toward futility.

There are a number of areas where the Seahawks still have room for significant improvement. But if they can add a few pieces this team could be a threat as soon as 2012, says Keith Myers, editor and lead writer of the Seahawks’ fan blog called 12th Man Rising. Myers recently shared his thoughts on where Seattle should be headed from here with Zoneblitz. Here’s what he had to say:

Zoneblitz: Is Tarvaris Jackson a long-term answer at quarterback or will the team have to address that position again? (more…)

NFL Best Bets 2011 Season, Super Bowl

by | Feb 2, 2012 | NFL Gambling

I’ve been on a brutal stretch dating back to the last week of the regular season. I managed to get just one of four bets correct on Championship weekend and that dropped my postseason picks to 4-8 overall.

So perhaps it’s for the best that the season ends Sunday.

The New York Giants and New England engage in their rematch. Tell you what — I thought I had a pretty good read on their first Super Bowl matchup. I picked the Patriots to win the AFC and the Super Bowl during a trek to Vegas before training camp started.

And it looked pretty good until David Tyree pinned that miracle catch to his helmet, ultimately helping cost me a nice payday.

I was pretty confident in the Patriots that season. I feel less strongly about either of the participants this year. The Giants are playing the more well-rounded football right now. But the Patriots offense can come together and outscore anyone when they are on. (more…)