I agree with a ton of Just Win Baby's post. I appreciate the thought that went into the tiers of it, and will piggy back off it a bit. The HOF is one of my favorite topics.I have no idea how to judge Gil Brandt, so I'll just address that now, and leave him out.
Guys who shouldn't ever make it:
Coryell-Very innovative offensive mind, but never won(or even made a Super Bowl) for coaches that is especially a deal breaker.
Bruce- Classic compiler, had 1 monster season(where he was still didn't lead in catches, yards or TD's) and a bunch of solid seasons. Doesn't help that Holt came in and was almost instantly better.
Matthews- Honestly, his son has a better case, and that isn't much of a case either. Matthews stayed healthy and a position that is tough to.
Ward- I'd put him and Bruce as equals. Ward didn't have the monster season, but he had more success.
James- Got exposed badly away from Manning, and they won a ring the second he left. Great fantasy RB though.
Mills- Maybe 3rd best LB on the Saints during his prime. Mills being a nominee just makes me think Pat Swilling is underrated.
Holt- Prefer him to Bruce, as he was more consistent, though his career was shorter. How many Greatest Show on Turf Rams should make it?
Flores- Might get some mileage from being a minority coach. I thought he was a better coach than Dungy, but that shouldn't matter. Winning 2 SB's with Plunkett is impressive, but he was handed a pretty loaded team, other than QB, his case is pretty similar to George Siefert's.
Johnson- Gets docked for lack of longevity. The Miami run doesn't help either, nor does Switzer(an underrated coach himself) winning with the same team.
Law- Great CB, but never a truly elite one. Good answer to a trivia question about the NFL's shortest name. 3 rings might help his case, but a lot of Patriots have that, including one I think has a better HOF case.
Atwater- Always found him slightly overrated. He had a lot of coverage issues that had to be schemed around(especially on the 2 SB winning teams) but was an elite hitter/tackler who made WR's hear footsteps.
Lynch- I'd take him over Atwater, but they were similar players. Time will tell if Lynch(like Elway) can make his case even better as an executive.
Guys who should get in eventually:
Barber- Was the 3rd best player on that amazing Bucs D, and had plenty of longevity. Lynch got the headlines, but Barber was the better DB for Tampa.
Boselli- So little longevity. Shouldn't keep him out, but he's going to need a lean year to make it.
Woodson- So underrated. 3 rings should push him over the top. Was so versatile, could man cover RB's and TE's, stuff the run, and play deep.
Mecklenburg- Versatile player who could play inside or outside, stuff the run and sack the QB. Was best player on Broncos 80's SB teams, shame he retired before they could win one.
Seymour- I think he has a better case than Law does. 3 rings, 2 of which he was the best defender on the team.
Bowlen- Broncos were among the leagues most successful teams for about 30 years on his watch. Almost always in contention. Might get pushed to the top of the list for unfortunate reasons.
Mawae- Thought he was more responsible for the Jets rushing success than Curtis Martin was. Was the best center in the NFL for several years at the turn of the century.
Bailey- Probably won't have to wait long. He almost made the next category.
Guys who should make it this year:
Butler- I know he won't, but he absolutely should. Most underrated player of the 90's. Invented the Lambeau Leap, won a ring, was the 2nd best player on a back to back SB team.
Hutchinson- All-time great run blocker. Shaun Alexander and Adrian Peterson both owe him a ton. Those guys(especially Peterson) were very good, but any RB could have hit 1,000 yards behind Hutchinson.
Thomas- Amazed he's not in already. I think he was better than Urlacher, just not as flashy I guess. Dolphins also don't get the same attention the Bears do, and I say this as a Bears fan.
Reed: Best Safety of the last 25 years. Might even be underrated, as he was always a little bit in the shadow of Ray Lewis.
Robinson: The best DB(and arguably best defender period) in the AFL. Incredible he wasn't in 25 years ago. Those Chiefs teams are so underrepresented, as is the AFL in general.
Faneca: How Will Shields got in right away and Faneca has had to wait is a mystery to me. Faneca was better than Shields in every way, including SB rings.
Gonzalez: He's the headliner to me. Greatest TE in NFL history, and was still playing at a pro bowl level when he retired. He could have added another 3,000 career yards if he'd played until he was no longer a top notch starter, like Witten did.
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