Post by TheShadow on Feb 3, 2007 9:59:16 GMT -5
www.mercurynews.com/
By Alan Schmadtke
The Orlando Sentinel
(MCT)
MIAMI - The debates on immortality start this morning.
How to judge a receiver, how to judge a commissioner, whether to add a punter, how to compare offensive linemen. These are among the issues to be considered - and ultimately voted upon - as the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2007 is identified.
Players are evaluated and picked by the hall's 40-member Board of Selectors. Each NFL city has one media representative (New York has two), the Pro Football Writers of America has a representative, and there are seven at-large media members. There are no official rules for class size, but the board's guidelines are to enshrine between three and six members annually.
The board will vote this morning, and the vote will come after what is expected to be a long discussion about how hall voters will deal with prolific receivers. This year's class of 17 finalists includes two new-era receivers, Michael Irvin and Andre Reed, while the recently retired Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Cris Carter - all with gaudy statistics - are coming soon. Eventually, so will receivers Marvin Harrison, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith and Torry Holt.
"There are guys out there that have more catches, but they played more games," said Irvin, whose candidacy is clouded by admissions of drug use and a criminal record. "The most important thing, I hope, is the winning, the culmination of what I have (done)."
Others under consideration:
Thurman Thomas, Buffalo's most prolific running back. Thomas, who lives in Orlando, played in four Super Bowls and retired with 12,074 yards and a 4.2-yard per-carry average.
Former Dolphins guard Bob Kuechenberg, a starter during Miami's heyday. Four other linemen also are finalists, guards Russ Grimm and Gene Hickerson, tackle Gary Zimmerman and three-position player Bruce Matthews.
Former Raiders punter Ray Guy, who played for 14 years and retired with a career average of 42.4 yards. The Hall has just one pure kicker (Jan Stenerud) and no punters.
Derrick Thomas, a nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker who died in 2000 from injuries sustained in a car accident after his 11th season with Kansas City. Some of his statistics are better than those of Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor.
Of the finalists, two were advanced by the board's senior selection committee, charged with re-evaluating players who may have been overlooked in the past. This year, the nominated players are 11-year defensive end Fred Dean and 10-year tight end Charlie Sanders.
Former commissioner Paul Tagliabue is the only surviving first-year nominee among the finalists, and he is not expected to gain election. Annually called "the most powerful man in sports" during his 17-year reign, Tagliabue witnessed unprecedented economic and popularity growth of the league. The NFL expanded into Jacksonville and Carolina under his watch. But he also was at the helm for multiple franchise relocations: the Browns moving out of Cleveland to become the Ravens, the Raiders out of Los Angeles to return to Oakland, the Rams out of Los Angeles to St. Louis and the Oilers out of Houston to Tennessee.
By Alan Schmadtke
The Orlando Sentinel
(MCT)
MIAMI - The debates on immortality start this morning.
How to judge a receiver, how to judge a commissioner, whether to add a punter, how to compare offensive linemen. These are among the issues to be considered - and ultimately voted upon - as the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2007 is identified.
Players are evaluated and picked by the hall's 40-member Board of Selectors. Each NFL city has one media representative (New York has two), the Pro Football Writers of America has a representative, and there are seven at-large media members. There are no official rules for class size, but the board's guidelines are to enshrine between three and six members annually.
The board will vote this morning, and the vote will come after what is expected to be a long discussion about how hall voters will deal with prolific receivers. This year's class of 17 finalists includes two new-era receivers, Michael Irvin and Andre Reed, while the recently retired Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Cris Carter - all with gaudy statistics - are coming soon. Eventually, so will receivers Marvin Harrison, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith and Torry Holt.
"There are guys out there that have more catches, but they played more games," said Irvin, whose candidacy is clouded by admissions of drug use and a criminal record. "The most important thing, I hope, is the winning, the culmination of what I have (done)."
Others under consideration:
Thurman Thomas, Buffalo's most prolific running back. Thomas, who lives in Orlando, played in four Super Bowls and retired with 12,074 yards and a 4.2-yard per-carry average.
Former Dolphins guard Bob Kuechenberg, a starter during Miami's heyday. Four other linemen also are finalists, guards Russ Grimm and Gene Hickerson, tackle Gary Zimmerman and three-position player Bruce Matthews.
Former Raiders punter Ray Guy, who played for 14 years and retired with a career average of 42.4 yards. The Hall has just one pure kicker (Jan Stenerud) and no punters.
Derrick Thomas, a nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker who died in 2000 from injuries sustained in a car accident after his 11th season with Kansas City. Some of his statistics are better than those of Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor.
Of the finalists, two were advanced by the board's senior selection committee, charged with re-evaluating players who may have been overlooked in the past. This year, the nominated players are 11-year defensive end Fred Dean and 10-year tight end Charlie Sanders.
Former commissioner Paul Tagliabue is the only surviving first-year nominee among the finalists, and he is not expected to gain election. Annually called "the most powerful man in sports" during his 17-year reign, Tagliabue witnessed unprecedented economic and popularity growth of the league. The NFL expanded into Jacksonville and Carolina under his watch. But he also was at the helm for multiple franchise relocations: the Browns moving out of Cleveland to become the Ravens, the Raiders out of Los Angeles to return to Oakland, the Rams out of Los Angeles to St. Louis and the Oilers out of Houston to Tennessee.