Now with the next NFL Hall of Fame class in the books, it is time again to look at the remaining field to see who are the best players, that are eligible, that are not yet in the Hall. In true Best 53 fashion, here is a positional break down of the best players not yet in the Hall of Fame.
(This does not include those in their first year of eligibility)
The Offense
Quarterbacks
| QBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ken Anderson | Roman Gabriel | Randall Cunningham |
| CIN | RAM, PHI | PHI, MIN, DAL, BAL |
| '71 - '86 | '62 - '77 | '85 - '01 |
| 4x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | 1x MVP | 4x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | 1x MVP | 4x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro |
When Ken Stabler was finally inducted into the hall, Bengals’ QB Ken Anderson moved to the top of the list of QBs not yet in the Hall of Fame. His best season came in 1981 where he earned Comeback Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and League MVP honors on the way to leading the Bengals to their first ever Super Bowl. Next is another often forgotten great, Roman Gabriel. Gabriel was the #2 overall pick in the 1962 draft and fit more of the mold of today’s NFL QB, standing 6’5″ 230lbs with a powerful arm. His best season came in 1969 where he led the Rams to an 11-3 record with a 24:7 td:int ratio and earned League MVP honors. Gabriel set numerous Ram’s passing records, but his 0-2 career record in the playoffs is what is most likely going to keep him out of the HoF. We finish out the quarterbacks with Randall Cunningham. Cunningham was one of the most electrifying players to ever play the quarterback position. His 4,928 career rushing yards are second most ever by a quarterback.
Running Backs
| RBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Edgerrin James | Roger Craig | Ricky Watters |
| IND, ARI, SEA | SF, RAI, MIN | SF, PHI, SEA |
| '99 - '09 | '83 - '93 | '92 - '01 |
| 4x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | '99 Off. RoY | 4x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | '88 Off. PoY | 5x Pro Bowl |
| Priest Holmes | ||
| BAL, KC | ||
| '97 - '07 | ||
| 3x Pro Bowl | 3x All-Pro | '02 Off. PoY |
Edgerrin James exploded onto the scene as a rookie in 1999, rushing for 1,553 yards and 13 tds, earning Pro Bowl, 1st team All-Pro, and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He followed that season up with a 1,709 yard season. He would go on to 5 more 1,000 rushing seasons, finishing his career 13th on the all-time rushing list. He was one of the most dominate backs of the ’00s, earning All-Decade honors, and will certainly find his place in Canton. Roger Craig is an often over looked name on the list of all-time great running backs because of the roll he played with the 49ers. In 1985, Craig became the first running back to rush and receive for over 1,000 yards in a season (a feat only achieved one other time, by Marshall Faulk in ’99). His versatility throughout his career shouldn’t be overlooked by the HoF. Ricky Watters is more on the borderline of this debate than the 2 running backs before him, but should still be in the debate. His 7 1,000 yard rushing seasons, and versatility as a pass catchers, should not go overlooked. Last on our list of running backs is former touchdown machine, Priest Holmes. Holmes is one of those guys with moments of greatness in a career cut short by injury. In the 3 year stretch from ’01 – ’03, Holmes has one of the most dominant stat lines ever; 6,566 yards from scrimmage and 61 tds, which included setting the single season touchdown record with 27 tds in ’03. That’s 456 yards and 8 tds more than Terrell Davis’ 3 year stretch that just earned him a spot in Canton. He was on pace to continue that dominance in ’04, rushing for almost 900 yards and 14 tds in 8 games, but went down with an injury. The big difference is Davis won 2 Super Bowls and Holmes only played in 1 playoff game during that time; in that game, he rushed for 176 yards and 2 tds, but came up short against a red hot Colts offense. Holmes is not a guy that is going to hop to the top of people’s lists, but should definitely be in the conversation for a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Wide Receivers
| WRs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Isaac Bruce | Torry Holt | Hines Ward |
| STL, SF | STL, JAX | PIT |
| '94 - '09 | '99 - '09 | '98 - '11 |
| 4x Pro Bowl | 5th All-Time Receiving Yards | 7x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | 4x All-Pro |
| Sterling Sharpe | Jimmy Smith | Rod Smith |
| GB | DAL, JAX | DEN |
| '88 - '94 | '92 - '05 | '95 - '06 |
| 5x Pro Bowl | 3x All-Pro | 5x Pro Bowl | 3x Pro Bowl |
Wide receiver is a notoriously back logged position for the Hall of Fame, so the top 3 in this list, in my opinion, are just waiting for their time. Isaac Bruce is 5th all-time in receiving yards, ahead of many other current Hall of Famers including Marvin Harrison, Tim Brown, and Cris Carter. His counterpart on the Greatest Show on Turf, Torry Holt, dominated the 2000s. Holt had 8 straight 1,000 yard seasons, including 2000 & 2003 where he average over 100 yards a game. Holt currently sits 6th all-time in career yards per game (77.4). The third receiver on this list is a little more questionable for some, but for me he is a definite Hall of Famer, Hines Ward. Ward doesn’t have the top 5 numbers, but the 3 things he does have is he caught 1,000 balls for a team that ran more than any other, while also dealing with a laundry list of bad QBs before Roethlisberger came to town, he’s the best blocking WR in the last 30/40 years, and he came up big on the big stage. Sterling Sharpe is another one of those guys that had a great career get cut short by injury. In the 7 years he played, Sharpe made the Pro Bowl 5 times, 1st team All-Pro 3 times, led the league in receptions 3 times, and in touchdowns twice, including catching 18 touchdown passes in his final season in ’94. Now that Jerry Kramer is finally in Canton, Sharpe will most likely fill the role of greatest Packer not yet in the Hall. The last 2 on this list are probably more suited for the Hall of Really Good, but both at least deserve to have their name thrown in the hat. Jimmy Smith received for over 1,000 yards in 9 of his 11 seasons with the Jaguars. He currently sits 22nd and 24th all-time in receiving yards and receptions respectively. The only other HoF eligible players higher on both those lists are the 2 Rams at the top of this depth chart. Rod Smith falls into a similar category. The 2 other things Rod Smith has going for him is he was an UDFA (meaning he had a lot more to prove) and he has 2 Super Bowl rings.
Tight Ends
| TEs | |
|---|---|
| Todd Christensen | Ben Coates |
| NYG, RAI | NE, BAL |
| '79 - '88 | '91 - '00 |
| 5x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro | 5x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro |
There aren’t many Hall of Fame eligible tight ends that are worthy but not in, but top of the list has to be the Raiders’ Todd Christensen. In his 10 year career with the Raiders, Christensen made the Pro Bowl 5 times, 1st team All-Pro twice, and led the league in receptions twice (not just for TEs, but the whole league). His numbers are very comparable to other Hall of Fame tight ends from the era, but also includes 2 Super Bowl rings. Behind Shannon Sharpe, Ben Coates was the 2nd best TE of the 90s. He is 1 of only 5 offensive players on the 1st or 2nd 90s All-Decade team that is not in the Hall of Fame (and that number will drop to 4 when Boselli gets in). He finished his career 4th all-time in receptions by a TE, behind Hall of Famers Sharpe, Kellen Winslow, and Ozzie Newsome.
Offensive Line
| OL | ||
|---|---|---|
| T Joe Jacoby | T Tony Boselli | G Alan Faneca |
| WAS | JAX | PIT, NYJ, ARI |
| '81 - '93 | '95 - '01 | '98 - '10 |
| 4x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro | 5x Pro Bowl | 3x All-Pro | 9x Pro Bowl | 6x All-Pro |
| G Steve Hutchinson | C Jeff Saturday | T Mike Kenn |
| SEA, MIN | IND, GB | ATL |
| '01 - '12 | '99 - '12 | '78 - '94 |
| 7x Pro Bowl | 5x All-Pro | 6x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro | 5x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro |
| T Richmond Webb | G Bob Kuechenberg | T Jim Tyrer |
| MIA, CIN | MIA | KC, WAS |
| '90 - '02 | '70 - '83 | '61 - '74 |
| 7x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro | 6x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | 8x All-AFL | 7x AFL All-Star | 2x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro |
The fact that Joe Jacoby is not in the Hall of Fame is mind blowing for Redskins’ fans like myself. Jacoby made the Skins as an UDFA and went one to anchor one of the most dominant offensive lines in NFL history. He started at tackle for all 3 of the Joe Gibbs led Super Bowl teams, including Super Bowl XXII where the Redskins set a Super Bowl record with 280 yards rushing. Tony Boselli is another player that falls into that category of great career limited by injuries. For a stretch in the 90’s, Boselli was the most dominant left tackle in football, earning 5 straight Pro Bowl honors from 96-00 and 3 straight 1st team All-Pros in the middle of that. He is currently the only player on the 1st team offense of the 90s All-Decade team that is not in the Hall of Fame. Our next 2 players on this list are a matter of when and not if for their Hall of Fame inductions, Alan Faneca and Steve Hutchinson. They make up the interior of the 1st team 00s All-Decade team offensive line. The only thing holding them back is the current backlog at other positions, like wide receiver, and the Hall of Fame’s tendency to not put multiple lineman in at once. With Kevin Mawae being inducted this year, Jeff Saturday moves into our top center spot. Tackles Mike Kenn and Richmond Webb both sit on that edge of very good to great. Kenn is probably the top Atlanta Falcon not yet in Canton. Bob Kuechenberg is, like Jerry Kramer was, a victim of being on an historically great team. With 7 of his teammates from the 72 Dolphins currently in Canton, Bob sits as the top player from that team not yet in the Hall. We round out the linemen with our top choice for the next veteran committee nominee, Jim Tyrer. Tyrer was the anchor on the offensive line for the great Chiefs teams of the 1960s. Tyrer’s teammate Johnny Robinson was finally inducted this year and it is about time Tyrer is also recognized for his greatness, even with a majority of that time being spent in the AFL and the controversy around his death.
The Defense
Defensive Line
| DL | ||
|---|---|---|
| Jim Marshall | L.C. Greenwood | Alex Karras |
| CLE, MIN | PIT | DET |
| '60 - '79 | '69 - '81 | '58 - '70 |
| 2x Pro Bowl | 6x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro | 4x Pro Bowl | 3x All-Pro |
| Simeon Rice | Leslie O'Neal | Richard Seymour |
| ARI, TB, DEN, IND | SD, STL, KC | NE, OAK |
| '96 - '07 | '86 - '99 | '01 - '12 |
| 3x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | '96 Def. RoY | 6x Pro Bowl | '86 Def. RoY | 7x Pro Bowl | 3x All-Pro |
Jim Marshall doesn’t have the honors like his teammates, Carl Eller and Alan Page, but he still had a great career. Marshall played opposite Eller on the Vikings’ famous “Purple People Eaters” defensive line. Marshall also held the record for most consecutive games played at 270 (before being passed by Brett Favre). Like others mentioned on this list, LC Greenwood suffers from being on an all-time great dynasty, with 9 members of the 70s Steelers in the Hall of Fame. Greenwood currently sits as the top player from those Super Bowl teams not yet in the Hall. Alex Karras was one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the NFL. He was named to the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 1960s, and is actually the only defensive lineman on that team to not have a place in Canton. However, Karras has one big strike against him; he was suspended for the 1963 season after admitting to betting on games. The NFL has set precedence on this, inducting the Packers’ Paul Hornung despite his gambling suspension, but Karras still sits on the outside looking in. The last 3 defensive lineman on this list all sit in a similar category of being right on the fringe, but absolutely worthy of being in the Hall of Fame.
Linebackers
| LBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sam Mills | Chuck Howley | Zach Thomas |
| NO, CAR | CHI, DAL | MIA, DAL |
| '86 - '97 | '58 - '73 | '96 - '08 |
| 5x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | 6x Pro Bowl | 5x All-Pro | 7x Pro Bowl | 5x All-Pro |
| Maxie Baughan | Randy Gradishar | Tommy Nobis |
| PHI, RAM, WAS | DEN | ATL |
| '60 - '74 | '74 - '83 | '66 - '76 |
| 9x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro | 7x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro | 5x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro |
| Karl Mecklenburg | Cornelius Bennett | Pat Swilling |
| DEN | BUF, ATL, IND | NO, DET, OAK |
| '83 - '94 | '87 - '00 | '86 - '98 |
| 6x Pro Bowl | 3x All-Pro | 5x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | 5x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro | '91 Def. PoY |
Sam Mills will forever go down as one of the most underrated linebackers to play the game. He joined the Saints as an UDFA and went on to 4 Pro Bowls and 2 2nd team All-Pro honors. He then joined the expansion Carolina Panthers and became one of the faces of the franchise, both on and off the field. He is also on the all-time All-USFL team. Chuck Howley has one of the best resumes on this list; 6x Pro Bowler, 5x 1st team All-Pro, 1 Super Bowl ring, and 1 Super Bowl MVP. The crazy thing is Howley has never even been a semi-finalist for the Hall of Fame. He can now only be inducted as a Senior Candidate. Like Mills, Zach Thomas was an undersized and underappreciated tackling machine. Thomas has similar numbers to the recently inducted Brian Urlacher, but does not have anywhere near the clout Urlacher has. The rest of the linebackers all sit in a similar category and show what a backlog there is of great linebackers that sit on the outside looking in. Taking you through the decades with Baughan and Nobis in the 60s, Gradishar in the 70s, Mecklenberg in the 80s, and Bennett and Swilling in the 90s. Each sit on the fridge but are worthy of discussion for the Hall of Fame.
Cornerbacks
| CBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lester Hayes | Lemar Parrish | Everson Walls |
| OAK | CIN, WAS, BUF | DAL, NYG, CLE |
| '77 - '86 | '70 - '82 | '81 - '93 |
| 5x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | '80 Def PoY | 8x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | 4x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro |
| Ronde Barber | Bobby Boyd | |
| TB | BAL | |
| '97 - '12 | '60 - '68 | |
| 5x Pro Bowl | 3x All-Pro | 2x Pro Bowl | 5x All-Pro |
Lester Hayes was a finalist his first 4 years of eligibility, but has not been back since. His numbers speak for themselves though, including the 1980 season where he interception 13 passes on the way to winning Defensive Player of the Year. Lemar Parish seems to be one of the those forgotten players, while he wasn’t considered the best, he was consistently a great player for 11 years. He earned his first and only 1st team All-Pro honor at the age of 32. He was also a prolific punt returner in the early parts of his career, including in 1974 when he average 18.8 yards a punt return. Everson Walls made the cowboys roster as an UDFA in 1981 and went on to lead the league in interceptions as a rookie. He would finish out his career with 4 Pro Bowls, a 1st team All-Pro, and a Super Bowl ring. Ronde Barber was named a semifinalist this year in his 1st year of eligibility and many believe it is a matter of when and not if. With Ty Law being inducted this year, enter former Colt Bobby Bod to our list. Boyd sits on that edge of very good to great but you can definitely make a case for Boyd in the Hall. He sits 13th all-time in interceptions, leading the leage in ’65, and was named 1st team All-Pro 5 consecutive times. He is 1 of only 5 defenders on the 1960s All-Decade team not yet in the Hall.
Safeties
| Ss | ||
|---|---|---|
| John Lynch | Steve Atwater | Cliff Harris |
| TB, DEN | DEN, NYJ | DAL |
| '93 - '07 | '89 - '99 | '70 - '79 |
| 9x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro | 8x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro | 6x Pro Bowl | 3x All-Pro |
| Deron Cherry | LeRoy Butler | |
| KC | GB | |
| '81 - '91 | '90 - '01 | |
| 6x Pro Bowl | 3x All-Pro | 4x Pro Bowl | 4x All-Pro |
John Lynch is another when and not if when it comes to the Hall of Fame. Lynch has been a finalist in each of his 5 years of eligibility. His role and reputation with both the Bucs and Broncos speak for itself. Next is another former Bronco, Steve Atwater. Atwater was named a semi-finalist for the 7th straight time this year. It will take someone in the room to go to bat for him to make that step from semifinalist to finalist and eventually make it into the Hall. Cliff Harris is the only member of the 1st team defense on the 70s All-Decade team not in the Hall of Fame. With 6 Pro Bowls, 3 1st team All-Pros, 2 Super Bowls rings, and playing for “America’s Team,” you would think Harris would get more love from the Hall, but he has only been a finalist 1 time. While Deron Cherry wasn’t the biggest of names in the 80s, he was a consistently great player for the Chiefs. He went to 6 straight Pro Bowls, earning 3 1st team All-Pros during that time. With Chiefs legend Johnny Robinson finally being inducted this year, Packers LeRoy Butler moves onto our list. Butler is not only credited with inventing the Lambeau Leap, but was a rock on the Packers defense in the 90s. Butler and Atwater are the only 2 1st-team members of the 90s All-Decade team not in the Hall of Fame.
Specialists and Head Coach
| ST and HC | ||
|---|---|---|
| K Gary Anderson | P Sean Landeta | ST Steve Tasker |
| PIT, PHI, SF, MIN, TEN | NYG, LAR/STL, TB, GB, PHI | HOU, BUF |
| '82 - '04 | '85 - '06 | '85 - '97 |
| 4x Pro Bowl | 1x All-Pro | 2x Pro Bowl | 2x All-Pro | 7x Pro Bowl |
| Head Coach | Don Coryell |
In true Best 53 fashion, I had to fill out a full roster, which would not be complete without special teams. Gary Anderson currently sits 3rd all-time in points scored in NFL history. Anderson should be most remembered for his perfect 1998 regular season, going 35/35 on field goals and 59/59 on extra points, however every Vikings fan will cringe when they hear his name for the field goal that he missed that season in the NFC Championship game that could have sealed the victory; instead the Falcons went on to tie the game and win in overtime. That shouldn’t take away too much from one of the greatest kickers in NFL history. Punter was definitely the toughest position to find someone Hall of Fame worthy. I don’t think we will have another punter in the Hall of Fame until Shane Lechler becomes eligible. However, looking at the player pool, I decided to go with Sean Landeta. Landeta was named a nominee for this 2019 Hall of Fame class. After his retirement, he was either 1st or 2nd in NFL history in punting yards, yards per punt, inside the 20 and net average. He is on the All-Decade team for both the 80s and 90s. And lastly, since no pure long snapper has ever or will ever make the Hall of Fame, I decided to replace that position with a generic special teams category. When Devin Hester becomes eligible, he will sit in the spot until he gets the call for Canton. For now, I will go with who some consider the best special teamer of all-time, the Bills’ Steve Tasker. Tasker has made the preliminary list for the Hall on multiple occasions.
Leading this not-yet-in-the-hall team will be the Chargers’ Don Coryell. Coryell coached multiple Hall of Famers like Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow, and Charlie Joiner. He was also an innovator of the game with his “Air Coryell” offense. He was the original designer of the router tree that is used widely around all stages of football, and created the 3 digit play calling system that is still used by some coaches today. He has been a finalist 4 times, including this year.
The Starting 22
| Offense | |
|---|---|
| QB | Ken Anderson |
| RB | Edgerrin James |
| Z | Isaac Bruce |
| X | Torry Holt |
| Slot | Hines Ward |
| TE | Todd Christensen |
| LT | Tony Boselli |
| LG | Alan Faneca |
| C | Jeff Saturday |
| RG | Steve Hutchinson |
| RT | Joe Jacoby |
| Defense | |
|---|---|
| DE | Jim Marshall |
| DT | Alex Karras |
| DE | L.C. Greenwood |
| Sam | Chuck Howley |
| Mike | Sam Mills |
| Will | Zach Thomas |
| Jack | Maxie Baughan |
| CB | Lester Hayes |
| CB | Lemar Parish |
| SS | John Lynch |
| FS | Steve Atwater |