Future NFL Hall of Famers

Future Hall-of-Famers. In my opinion, that’s the best term to describe the recently retired Brett Favre, Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan. Any of you who want to argue Favre or Strahan’s Hall credentials are nuts. For those of you who say Sapp is a fringe Hall player, let me remind you that despite his sometimes questionable behavior, he revolutionized the way defensive tackle is played, and he put up pretty darn good stats to boot. So two great defenders and one great offensive player have left us and will seek enshrinement in the hallowed halls of Canton, Ohio, in 5 years. That’s fine as each played great, entertaining football for a long time. But who is going to step up and take their place? Who is a future Hall-of-Famer still making their mark on the league?

The quickest names that come to mind are probably the most obvious as well. Tom Brady, Ladanian Tomlinson, Peyton Manning, Randy Moss. In reality all four could be considered the best ever at their position when their career comes to an end, with a tie at QB for Manning and Brady. They are the players that draw us to the game of football; the kind of talent that only comes around every couple of decades, if ever. Their teams have been very, very good over the last 6 or 7 years and all of them have set numerous NFL records in that span. We all know them - they are locks. Sure bets to be on the first ballot when the Hall comes calling. But they are the most well known for a reason. As I said before, they play on teams that have been excellent recently (even if that excellence is derived from them) and have gotten a lot of national attention. Also, they play skill positions, the glamour positions if you will, so they’re a lot easier to notice than the lineman toiling in the trenches. So we have those four in. Who else?

Let’s look at other offensive players in the league. A few names come up relatively easy. Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens…ummm… Ok maybe not a few. Harrison and Owens have both had great, although very different careers and should be easy H.O.F candidates when they retire. Maybe even first-ballot. But now, unless you have crystal ball, it’s hard to tell what players will be good enough and have careers that are long enough to make the Pro Football Hall-of Fame. Chad Johnson claims that he will be making the trip to Canton, and his numbers somewhat support that theory so far. But if he can’t get his obnoxious behavior under control, that production might not mean enough in the near future. How about little Steve Smith down in Carolina? He’s been the go-to-guy on offense there for a little while and he keeps the stat guys working hard. He might get there too, but we don’t have enough evidence yet to say anything conclusive. Running Backs like Steven Jackson, Larry Johnson and Frank Gore could be possibilities. All good but again, we don’t have the body of evidence to support a Hall-of-Fame candidacy yet, so let's move on to defense.

To me, one name in particular jumps out on the defensive side of the ball - Derrick Brooks. A stalwart on the Tampa Bay defense since 1995 and a member of those great defenses of the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Derrick Brooks, like Lawrence Taylor, changed the way linebacking is played. In my opinion (and I’m sure I’m not alone here) Derrick Brooks is a top-5 all-time linebacker. Maybe even top 3. Maybe even THE BEST. He hasn't gotten nearly as much exposure as Ray Lewis or L.T. because he played for Tampa Bay. But he was and still is awesome. Speaking of Ray Lewis, when his career is over he will be Cantonized the first time around too. He is the leader and key-component on the Ravens defense which is year-in year-out a top 5 defense. And in 2000, it was the best defense ever. Other probably Hall-Bound Linebackers are Junior Seau, Zach Thomas, Brian Urlacher and some youngsters who have shown Canton-promise early are Shawne Merriman, Lofa Tatupu and Patrick Willis. But we can’t judge them accurately for 6 or 7 more years. In the secondary, Champ Bailey should make the Hall no sweat if he stays healthy and continues his high level of play. He averages about 7 or 8 picks a year and is still a shut-down corner, even though illegal contact rules make that tougher nowadays. Ronde Barber might make it but it will probably be 15 years after her retires and they have a skimpy class. The corners are so hard to judge, not a lot produce very well year in and year out. Asante Samuel might be a good guess, but let’s see how he does in Philly first. A lot of potential jumps out at Safety. John Lynch and Rodney Harrison are the two old-timers who could see enshrinement. Then you have some solid veterans like Ed Reed (who is the best in the league) Troy Polamolu, and Bob Sanders, and the deceased Sean Taylor who might still get in, even with his tragic death last year. They are all serious Canton-contenders if they continue to produce at the level they have been.

I know, I know. You say I forgot the lineman. Well I didn’t. As I said before, the NFL lost two of its best-ever linemen to retirement this offseason, so the Hall-worthy amount has significantly diminished. On the defensive side of the ball it’s kind of hard to call at this point, with the departures of Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan. One guy who comes to mind is Jason Taylor. He’s been in the league a long time now and has be a perennial pro-bowler and team leader. Offenses have to account for him and he typically puts Tom Brady on his back about 4 times a year. Guys like Julius Peppers and Richard Seymour have been in the league a little while too and have been consistent pro-bowl selections, but both had off years last season. Dwight Freeney and DeMarcus Ware are younger and extremely talented and if they keep playing the way they have been they will be on the short list in no time. On the offensive side of the ball there is one guy who really makes me think Hall of Fame. That’s the Ravens Jonathan Ogden, as he’s sealed up the left side of that line for nearly a decade and a half and has been selected to the pro-bowl 11 times. He might find a spot on my all-time offensive line. Another tackle with immense talent and a load of pro-bowls in his pocket is Orlando Pace, but he has battled injury a lot during his career and many people wonder what he could have been. Steve Hutchinson and Jeff Saturday could both be on the list in a couple years and Logan Mankins of the Patriots is a youngster who I really like.

Some of these are palyers are indeed Hall of Fame locks, some are way, way too early to call and for some the jury is still out on. The fact of the matter is: I like all of these players or they wouldn’t be included in this article and there are eight that I consider first-ballot Hall of Famers: Brady, Manning, Moss, Tomlinson, Brooks, Lewis, Taylor and Ogden. You may agree or disagree, and maybe I had an oversight and forgot someone truly deserving or your favorite player. My apologies in advance. Next year we will probably lose a few more of these guys and the game will be worse off without them. So let's enjoy them this year.

By Matt Fullerton
DFN Sports Staff Writer