The 2019 Dubsism Pro Football Hall of Fame Ballot
In less than two weeks, we will find out who will be part of the Pro football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019. When the selection committee on the eve of the Super Bowl, they will have a roster of 18 finalists. This includes 15 Modern Era nominees, 2 Contributor nominees. and 1 Senior nominee. For purposes of our discussion, we will be focusing on the Modern Era finalists, if for no other reason, the finalists in the other two categories appear on the induction ballot largely as a formality; they almost always gain election once they are named as a finalist.
That’s because the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s current bylaws that no more than eight new members will be selected each year. All inductees need to receive approval from 80 percent of the members of the selection committee, but only select five Modern Era finalists can be inducted. That means there’s no real reason not to vote for the finalists from the Contributor and Senior committees, so there’s no real reason for us to discuss them.
That also means the Football Hall of Fame has the exact same problem as does baseball’s. The system for induction is broken, and need to be drastically overhauled. To see that, all you have to do is look at the list of fifteen finalists and tell me there’s not more than five Hall of Famers on it. The I’m voting for are shown in bold, including the “formalities” from the Contributor and Senior committees.
The Modern Era Finalists
- John Lynch, Safety – 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos – 6th year on ballot
- Don Coryell, Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers – 5th year on ballot
- Alan Faneca, Offensive Guard – 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets, 2010 Arizona Cardinals – 4th year on ballot
- Tony Boselli, Offensive Tackle – 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2002 Houston Texans – 3rd year on ballot
- Isaac Bruce, Wide Receiver – 1994-2007 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 2008-09 San Francisco 49ers – 3rd year on ballot
- Edgerrin James, Running Back – 1999-2005 Indianapolis Colts, 2006-08 Arizona Cardinals, 2009 Seattle Seahawks – 3rd year on ballot
- Ty Law, Cornerback – 1995-2004 New England Patriots, 2005, 2008 New York Jets, 2006-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2009 Denver Broncos – 3rd year on ballot
- Kevin Mawae, Center/Offensive Guard – 1994-97 Seattle Seahawks, 1998-2005 New York Jets, 2006-09 Tennessee Titans – 3rd year on ballot
- Steve Atwater, Safety — 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets – 2nd year on ballot
- Steve Hutchinson, Offensive Guard – 2001-05 Seattle Seahawks, 2006-2011 Minnesota Vikings, 2012 Tennessee Titans – 2nd year on ballot
- Champ Bailey, Cornerback – 1999-2003 Washington Redskins, 2004-2013 Denver Broncos – 1st year on ballot
- Tom Flores, Coach – 1979-1987 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-94 Seattle Seahawks – 1st year on ballot
- Tony Gonzalez, Tight End – 1997-2008 Kansas City Chiefs, 2009-2013 Atlanta Falcons – 1st year on ballot
- Ed Reed, Safety – 2002-2012 Baltimore Ravens, 2013 New York Jets, 2013 Houston Texans – 1st year on ballot
- Richard Seymour, Defensive End/Defensive Tackle – 2001-08 New England Patriots, 2009-2012 Oakland Raiders
The Contributor Finalists
- Pat Bowlen, Owner – 1984-Present Denver Broncos
- Gil Brandt, Vice President of Player Personnel – 1960-1988 Dallas Cowboys
The Senior Finalist
- Johnny Robinson, Safety – 1960-1971 Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs
Who I Voted For and The Order I Placed Them On My Ballot:
- Tony Gonzalez: No tight end has ever inducted into Canton on either the first or second ballot Hall of Famer. In fact, there’s only eight Modern Era tight ends in the Hall at all. But the greatest receiving tight end in the history of the game figures to change that. Gonzalez ranks sixth in NFL history with 15,127 yards and seventh with 111 touchdowns. He was a six-time All-Pro, and his 14 Pro Bowls tie him with Merlin Olsen, Bruce Matthews, and Peyton Manning for the most in league history.
- Ed Reed: Reed may not be the greatest safety who ever played the game, but he certainly is the best of his generation. Reed should be the first at his position to gain induction on his first ballot since Ken Houston in 1986. The 2004 Defensive Player of the Year led the league in interceptions three times occasions and was a five-time All-Pro. Reed was also gifted return man being a serious threat to take the ball to the house.
- Champ Bailey: If you need to see a picture of Champ Bailey, just look up “shutdown corner” in the dictionary. Bailey’s dozen Pro Bowl appearances puts him at the head of the clas for corners. Bailey led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 2006 and finished his 15-year career with 52 picks.
- Alan Faneca: A six-time All-Pro, Faneca would have made a seventh at guard had he not unselfishly moved to left tackle in 2003. Faneca also made the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 2000s.
- Steve Hutchinson: Along with Alan Faneca, he and Hutchinson were arguably the two best guards of their era. Hutchinson was a five-time All-Pro, including three consecutive years from 2007 to 2009 and appeared in seven Pro Bowls.
If Dan Patrick Had His Way
In other words, this is about if there were no limits on voting; it’s a straight “thumbs up, thumbs down” on every guy on the ballot. This was an idea espoused for the baseball Hall of Fame by sports-radio guru and all-around broadcast legend Dan Patrick. But I thought what is good for one Hall is good for the other, which means here’s the others on the list who I think are worthy of induction (in alphabetical order).
Steve Atwater: In his career, Atwater played on two Super Bowl winning teams, was named to two All-Pro teams, was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, picked off 24 passes, and made 1,125 tackles…but none more iconic than this one…
Tony Boselli: While injuries shortened his career, Boselli was the gold standard at left tackle during his seven-year career, during which he a three-time All-Pro and a five-time Pro Bowl selection. He doesn’t have the longevity of his contemporaries like Jonathan Ogden, Walter Jones, and Orlando Pace but for those seven seasons years he better than all of three of those Hall of Famers.
Don Coryell: The importance of Don Coryell really can’t be measured in wins and losses. While he did rack up a 72-60 record from 1978-86, capturing three division titles along the way and twice reaching the AFC Championship Game, the legacy of Don Coryell is the fact he revolutionized the passing game. The aerial circus the NFL has become is a direct result of the “Air Coryelll” offense. It is not an overstatement to say that without Don Coryell, offensive football as we know it today would not exist.
Edgerrin James: There’s a lot of nonsense about James saying “he just benefited from playing with Peyton Manning.” For those soft-heads, I would ask how does playing alongside one the all-time passing yardage leaders make you one of the statistically greatest running backs in NFL history? In his 11 seasons in the league, was named to four Pro Bowls and his 15,610 total yards from scrimmage ranks 11th all-time among running backs; more than Hall of Fame backs Eric Dickerson, Jerome Bettis, and Jim Brown.
Ty Law: When you get a rule named in your honor, you did something right, namely being one of the dominant corners of his era. Speaking of Peyton Manning, I wonder what he thinks of Ty Law as a Hall of Famer (see the 2003 AFC Championship Game).
John Lynch: Who doesn’t love a big-hitting safety? Like Steve “I blew up the Nigerian Nightmare” Atwater, Lynch is one of those guys from a by-gone who might just put a shoulder into a moving Buick…and flatten it. Also like Atwater, they both have to wait for Ed Reed to be inducted, then they should both be locks.
Kevin Mawae: Bill Parcells once said Mawae was “the greatest center I ever saw.” Mawae was a three-time All-Pro and was named to the Pro Bowl eight times.
I can’t wait to get lit up by the “Isaac Bruce” crowd…
Now It’s Your Turn
Here’s your shot to cast your Hall of Fame ballot. Let’s see who the top five would be among the Dubsists!
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HOF always snubs Donnie Shell. Check his stats.
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I agree completely.
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