The NFL Hall of Fame class of 2013 includes head coach Bill Parcels, guard Larry Allen, wide receiver Cris Carter, tackle Jonathan Ogden and defensive tackle Warren Sapp. Seniors candidates Curley Culp and Dave Robinson will also be inducted. I love the Hall of Fame for the different sports as well as the debate the election process brings up each year.
The NFL is the one of big three sports in which I rarely have issues. The process itself isn't perfect but I do like it. A bunch of smart football guys in a room hashing out who will be inducted. That is the way it should be. Folks in the know making the case for different players and being able to argue it out when there are disagreements. Compared to the very flawed drive by voting process of Major League Baseball football has something I can at least feel content with.
When it comes to players in any sport I have two critiria for making the respective hall of fame. 1)When you watched them play during their career did you think they were a hall of famer? Some players become hall of famers after their career. For those players I think sentimentality tends to weigh more heavily as time goes by. I won't say time doesn't shed a different light on eras or players but it should be obvious in the day. 2)The stats must be there. The numbers have to back up the arguments to some extent but there are of course those exceptions due to injuries or eras. If those two factors pass the test then the other arguments should fall in line.
To this year's NFL class I won't argue against any of them. They are all deserving (though I can't speak to Culp and Robinson) and I'm happy for each. I was just wetting my feet with this post. I'm much more passionate in my MLB Hall of Fame discussions which I hope to have up soon.
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