HoF Finalists - 2017

[bluedevilz]

Ty Law. Yes

If not this year then within the next 3 years

There are currently 16 CB's in the HOF

Law would rank 10th among them in INT's same number as Deion

Law would rank 4th on TDs with 7

Unlike many of the "corners" in the HOF Law never played safety and was a shutdown physical cornerback who punished receivers resulting in the "Ty Law" rules

He was also an incredible clutch playoff performer with 3 SB rings

Absolutely belongs in the Hall

[DOUBLE H]

Originally Posted by Bondurant

Terrell Davis is the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL.

Compare his numbers to Gale Sayers (in the HoF):

Davis: 7 seasons, 7607 yds, 60 TD's, 4.6 Y/A

Sayers: 7 seasons, 4956 yds, 39 TD's, 5.0 Y/A

Granted, Sayers final two seasons he only appeared in 2 games each.

In the 1996 playoff loss to Jacksonville, Davis ran for 91 yards on 14 carries and scored 1 touchdown.

Then in 1997 and 1998 Davis got over 100 yards rushing in 7 straight playoff games. The previous record was 6 by Redskins running back John Riggins.

In 1998 he rushed for 2008 yards in the regular season and 468 yards against Miami in the divisional playoff, New York Jets in the AFC Championship, and the Atlanta Falcons in SB-XXXIII. Yardage total is 2476. Touchdown totals is 24.

I remember the game plan the Falcons coaching staff had for SB-XXXIII. They were not going to let Davis run them ragged and they stacked the line, basically telling Elway you'll have to beat us with your arm. Elway did, passing for 335 yards, at that time the second highest passing total in Super Bowl history. Davis still rushed for 102 yards in that game.

[bluedevilz]

Originally Posted by Illegal Hands to the Face

Blue, I normally agree with your posts, but have to really disagree here. Was Law a "good" CB, absolutely....HOF is for the "great" players and Law was not great. A lot of those NE players have 3 SB rings, doesn't mean they belong in the HOF (I believe Bruschi has 3 also, and he is nowhere near a HOF player)....To rank a CBs play solely on INTs can be misleading....Deion was the greatest cover corner to play, yet its funny he doesn't have more Ints. One reason for that is teams would NOT throw to the receiver he was covering. What made Deion truly special is he took the other teams best WR and covered him....WITH NO SAFETY HELP!!!! Deion was maybe the last true man on man....Law was NEVER that type of player....Again, was Law a really good CB, absolutely was. I just don't think he was GREAT and that's what the HOF is for

No worries, every one entitled to their own opinion

HOF voters seem to disagree with you however as Law has been a semifinalist past 2 years and now one of the 15 finalists in only his 3rd year of eligibility....players who are just "good" or even "very good" don't get that much traction for HOF so soon after retirement

I watched every game Ty Law ever played for the Patriots and saw Deion play plenty through his career as well....they were very different players and no one compared/compares to Deion when it came to shutting down a receiver or side of the field.....just don't ask him to tackle anyone

Law was one of the most complete and physical corners of the modern NFL, was absolutely a shut down corner and routinely was asked to shadow the other team's best receiver also without safety help but was also a devastating hitter who could come down in the box and take on running backs no problem

Was Law one of the 10 best corners of all time?

Probably not...but the HOF isn't just for the 10 best..

Was Law one of the top 20-25 corners all time?

I think so and that definitely qualifies for HOF

25 Greatest Defensive Backs in NFL History

The Top 50 NFL Cornerbacks of All Time | Bleacher Report

NFL named Law as one of 4 cornerbacks on the All Decade Team for the 2000's

If you look at the list you can make a case for almost every player on the list as HOFer or potential HOFer

League announces 2000s NFL All-Decade Team - NFL.com

[Labonte18]

Originally Posted by Illegal Hands to the Face

See, we can agree to disagree....respectfully
nice job listing the argument, I like, maybe I was selling Law short....he was good
Totally agree on Deion and tackling....I have never seen a CB cover like he did, but that is so right about him, he HATED to hit anything!!!!

I still remember the playoff game Dallas vs Carolina in '96 when Deion got a concussion.. The vacant eyes n the sideline.

[murksiderock]

I started watching football in '99 so I'll start with the guys I watched play:

John Lynch: is he really a Hall of Famer? I can name four safeties from his era off the top of my head who were unquestionably better players--Dawkins, Reed, Sharper, Polamalu. These guys were above the pack for their era--John Lynch is not in that class. Instead, he's in a pack of similar caliber, very good players of his time, with little seperation. What makes Lynch better than Rodney Harrison, Darren Woodson, LeRoy Butler? Is he better than those guys, what makes him better than those guys, where's the seperation? Are those guys Hall of Famers?

Lynch was a good player for a long time, but maybe an elite safety for only 4-5 years. In his best years, he was not as transcendent as the guys I named above. Let's not forget, while their careers were short, there is an argument to make that Bob Sanders (who won a DPOY) and Sean Taylor were better players at their peak. Those two guys didnt play long enough to be Famers, but if John Lynch gets in, it opens the door to a ton of just "very good" safeties to get in...

John Lynch is not a Hall of Famer!

Brian Dawkins: Yes!

Jason Taylor: off the top of my head, ends whose careers overlapped with his, who were better: Strahan, Peppers, Freeney, Smith, White. These guys transcended the position and we're unquestionably better than Taylor. How good was Taylor, was he really better than the next tier of guys--Robert Mathis, Jared Allen, Simeon Rice, John Abraham? Personally, I believe Abraham is a HOF'er, but I know he's debatable...

Taylor, like Lynch, had 4-5 year run as an elite player, tops. Maybe that's enough to make it as an end. I really liked the early-00s Dolphins defense with Taylor, Thomas, Surtain, Madison. They were really good, and Taylor was probably the best player, but I'm not sure anybody played highly enough for a long enough period of time to get in The Hall...

Maybe he gets in eventually, but I'd say he isn't a HOF'er...

LaDainian Tomlinson: No brainer, best running back and Top 5 player period of his era. Lock!

Morton Anderson: absolutely, let the kicker in!

Kurt Warner: I already spoke on him earlier but let me add this. He was one of the best quarterbacks of his time, Top 10-ish, but he wasn't at the elite, cream of the crop. Manning/Brady/Brees are the class of the Warner era--the time he played, 98-09. Those three stand above Warner, were far more consistent, all won rings in his time, and each of those three, one can say at their best, were probably better than Kurt Warner. So he doesn't fit the bill of best QB of his era...

Warner had a 3-year burst as an elite QB (1999-2001), then had a late-career resurgence, and has some classic playoff games on his resume. To me he's the quintessential "Almost Guy". Maybe if he wins one if the two Super Bowls he lost, maybe if he didn't have the mid-career empty stretch, maybe if he plays two more seasons...There's just too many maybes with Warner, and trust me, I was a fan!

Not a Hall of Famer...

Terrell Davis: I missed his elite seasons; the last three years I got to see he was a shell of himself. I'm not gonna appreciate if he makes it though. It will open the floodgates to other Almost Guys making it...the injuries aren't his fault, but damn, the consideration for guys like Eddie George, Shaun Alexander, etc will go way up if he gets in. Maybe even a guy like Arian Foster, who was a two-time All-Pro, and Marshawn Lynch, who should have been an All-Pro 4 times. If Davis gets in, Lynch should be automatic...

Isaac Bruce: isn't even the best receiver from that Greatest Show On Turf era, absolutely not. There are too many receivers that played during his time that were better than he was, starting with Holt. Absolutely not...

Terrell Owens: should be a lock. Getting over the personality issues, is clearly one of the greatest wide outs of all time...

Tony Boselli: I remember all the elite guys from that '99 Jaguars squad. I'd think he's a Hall of Famer, he's on the All-'90s Team. Only playing 8 seasons has to be a consideration, but he was really good. Not sure!

Alan Faneca: Should be a lock!

Ty Law: already spoke on him up thread. No...

Kevin Mawae: absolutely should be!