Eleven Candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

There are many good athletes in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and perhaps just as many additional candidates who could be discussed for induction. Players like Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning look like slam dunks, while cases can be made for Don Coryell, Ronde Barber, and Clay Matthews, among many others.

Below, I've listed eleven candidates I think have a great case for a bust in Canton. This isn't necessarily a list of the best candidates, or the most deserving, but it is a list of players, and others, who I think should be strongly examined.

1. Philip Rivers - Rivers has been great in his career regardless of whether you like traditional or advanced stats. He's led the league in seventeen different categories at least once, including touchdown percentage, adjusted yards per attempt, and adjusted net yards per attempt, though he's also led in areas like interceptions. He's passed for 4000 or more yards ten times in his career, helping him rank eighth all time in passing yards. He'll be 38 in December, but threw for north of 4000 yards for a sixth year in a row in 2018. Regardless of when decides to hang up his cleats, he shouldn't have to wait long before he's making a trip to Canton.

2. Ken Riley - Riley played in 207 games in his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, picking off opposing QBs 65 times. He returned five of those interceptions for touchdowns. There are only four players in history with more interceptions, and each of those four is in Canton already. He's 16th all time among CBs in Pro Football Reference's approximate value (AV).

3. Julius Peppers - In my opinion, he should be a first-ballot inductee. He's fourth all time in sacks and second in forced fumbles, though neither stat was recorded through most of pro football history, and it's possible Deacon Jones, Lawrence Taylor, and others have more sacks. Still, Peppers' stats are very impressive, and his 183 AV ranks fifth all time among DEs and OLBs, one spot ahead of LT.

4. 1972 Miami Dolphins - Football is a team game, but there are no teams in the Hall. My vote, not that it actually counts, is to change that, and the first team that should get in is the famous 17-0 squad from South Beach.

5. 1985 Chicago Bears - They were scary. They were tough. And they were good. The 1985 Chicago Bears outscored opponents by 258 points in the regular season en route to a 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. They also shut the Giants and Rams out in the playoffs prior to facing New England.

6. Isaac Bruce - He's the fifth-best receiver all time in receiving yards, behind only Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald, Terrell Owens, and Randy Moss. His 91 career touchdowns lag behind some of the true legends of the game, but still put him in the company of the elites. He also won a Super Bowl with the Greatest Show on Turf, a standard for induction that will help him in the eyes of voters.

7. Frank Gore - Longevity, especially at the running back position, is difficult in the National Football League. Gore has achieved a long-lasting career and then some during his time as an NFL player, rushing for 14,748 yards over 14 seasons thanks in large part to nine seasons over 1000 yards. Gore has never had a truly bad season, and has played fewer than 14 games only once in his career.

8. Adam Vinatieri - Vinatieri has scored more points than anyone in league history, which by itself should be enough to get him in. It's hard to tell the story of a sports league without the top all-time scorer. Further boosting his case are his success in big moments and four Super Bowl rings.

9. Edgerrin James - He won an Offensive Rookie of the Year award when he led the NFL in rushing yards in 1999, and ranks 15th in career scrimmage yards. He's also tied with Bruce with exactly 91 total touchdowns for his career, short of true legend status, but also tied with Tony Dorsett, Bobby Mitchell, and Ricky Watters at 31st all time. James also led the NFL in rushing yards in his sophomore campaign with 1709.

10. Jeff Saturday - Overall, offensive lineman are underrepresented in the Hall of Fame. In general, there are five times as many linemen as quarterbacks on the field at any one time. Yet as far as Canton goes, there are 26 modern era quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame, compared to 46 modern era offensive linemen. The only offensive linemen ahead of Saturday in AV are current members of the Hall of Fame.

11. Alan Faneca - Faneca is just a few spots behind Saturday in AV, and was named to the All-Decade team for the 2000s. If I were a voter, I would have picked him for induction this year, though there were plenty of great candidates, and those who were chosen for enshrinement are more than worthy of the honor.

*All stats from the Pro Football Reference website, except for number of Hall of Famers by position, which came from the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, and Faneca's inclusion on the All-Decade team, which came from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.*

Why the Regular Season is Better than the Playoffs

It's Super Bowl season! We're just over a week away from the "Big Game," when people will be tearing open potato chip bags, laughing at commercials, and, hopefully, watching a great back-and-forth affair.

Those first few words, though, those are the ones that are almost painful. More than a week until the next truly meaningful game.

During the regular season, there are football games on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. For true junkies, there are even some Tuesday and Wednesday night college games. Then the best football of the year, in my opinion, comes from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, when the race for the NFL playoffs goes full throttle and the NCAA holds most of its Division I bowl games.

Contrast that with the NFL playoffs, where there are just four games maximum each weekend.

I know some people reading this are rolling their eyes, but hear me out before you drag the mouse up to the little "x" at the top of the screen. There are up to 16 NFL games each week during the regular season. If a game isn't living up to expectations, you can turn it off and watch another one. Simple. That goes double for college football, with who knows how many games each weekend. Plus, there are additional options like NFL Network's RedZone. If the Super Bowl isn't competitive? Our next NFL game will be played in Canton, Ohio, in approximately six months. Plus, there is a 100% chance your favorite team is playing sometime between September and December. There are minor football leagues starting up, but it will still be some time until the best-played games return to TV.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the Super Bowl, but there are games that don't live up to their billing. The New York Giants suffered a huge Super Bowl XXXV loss at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, and Super Bowl XLVIII was the same sort of game when the Seahawks crushed the Denver Broncos 43-8.

In the regular season, the viewer has multiple options. He or she can keep watching the blowout involving their favorite team, or shut it off and watch a more competitive game tomorrow. So let's watch some football, but if we have a choice, make it a regular season game. We'll have more options that way.

The Patriots Should Name Their Field After Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick is an all-time great coach and a surefire Pro Football Hall of Famer. After leading New England to a ninth AFC Championship as the Patriots head coach on Sunday, there's certainly some argument to be made for Bill Belichick as the greatest coach in the history of the NFL. Some have advocated for naming the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the elder statesman of pro football coaching, but I'm going to suggest something different: the New England Patriots organization should name the field at Gillette Stadium after Belichick.

I love some of the other ideas I've seen about honoring Belichick for his success, such as naming a wing in the Hall of Fame after him. He's an historic figure, and what better way to pay tribute to the man than by naming part of the complex that serves as the foremost vault to the history of the game after him? The Hall of Fame, though, sees under a quarter of a million visitors each year, while tens of millions watched the AFC Championship Game this past Sunday alone. Putting Belichick's name on the field would get it in front of millions and would help give more people a sense of his greatness, though there aren't any rules that say he can't have his name on both the field and the Hall of Fame.

Then there's the renaming of the Vince Lombardi Trophy. In theory, it's a great idea. Belichick's Patriots have won the Super Bowl five times with him at the helm, more than any other coach in league history, and have a chance for number six early next month. There's just one problem: the trophy is already named after someone. The late Vince Lombardi, who is already enshrined in Canton, has had his name on the trophy for nearly 50 years. Renaming it after Belichick, while certainly an appropriate honor for the long-time New England coach, would be an insult to Lombardi's memory, not to mention those members of his family who, I'm sure, hold his achievements in the highest regard.

Imagine instead Jim Nantz on a crisp October Sunday saying, "Hello friends, and welcome to Bill Belichick Field at Gillette Stadium." Then Al Michaels could say the same thing in November, before Joe Tessitore takes us home in late December, not to mention the cries of joy from the announcers in January when the Patriots grab home-field advantage. It makes his name more accessible to casual fans, and to greater numbers of fans, and I'd advocate for it as the number one option when it comes to honoring the all-time great head coach Bill Belichick.

Notes:

1 - Idea of naming a wing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame came from a Twitter poll. I will update with the specific poll if I can find it.
2 - Statistic on number of visitors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame came from the following New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/sports/pro-football-hall-of-fame-canton-ohio.html
3 - Statistics on number of viewers for the championship games came from deadline.com: https://deadline.com/2019/01/rams-patriots-nfl-championship-game-ratings-rise-1202538653/
4 - Statistic on how long the Vince Lombardi Trophy has been named, well, the Vince Lombardi Trophy is from Sports Illustrated: https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/02/04/who-makes-vince-lombardi-trophy-super-bowl

NFL Personalities as Marvel Characters

Last night I had the incredibly creative yet somewhat crazy idea of comparing NFL personalities to Marvel heroes. I think the 13 connections I came up with worked well for the most part. If I have another Vision, perhaps I'll turn this into a series. Enjoy!

J.J. Watt <--> Thor

Concerned about the well-being of others. Seemingly limitless strength. I bet Watt could even lift the Mjolnir.

Larry Fitzgerald <--> War Machine

Slightly underrated, yet truly a pinnacle of consistency, not to mention a surefire Hall of Famer.

Tom Brady <--> Tony Stark

Extremely wealthy with lots of shiny toys. Almost never loses in a professional setting.

James Harrison <--> Winter Soldier

Goes unwillingly over to the dark side for a time before returning to his roots and fighting for justice.

Sarah Thomas <--> Captain Marvel

Pioneers in the world of sports and superheroes.

Russell Wilson <--> Black Panther

Kindness, honor, and reason. Stay clear if angry and in full uniform.

Bill Belichick <--> Nick Fury

The mastermind behind everything. Always has a reason, even if it's a secret one. Very guarded about feelings.

Saquon Barkley <--> Vision

Inexplicable power, though perhaps Barry Sanders knows how Barkley makes people miss.

Tyreek Hill <--> Quicksilver

One word: speed.

Drew Brees <--> Hawkeye

Deadly accurate, plus superb skills as a brave leader of family and team.

Wade Wilson <--> Wade Wilson

I don't know anything about Wade Wilson the quarterback's personality, but once I found he played in the NFL ... how could I ignore this?

Baker Mayfield <--> Spider-Man

Young underdog who always finds a way to get the job done. Written off early by some only to come back and win big in the end.

Pam Oliver <--> Shuri

Impressive intelligence and vast depth of knowledge in craft.

Choosing Nicknames for the New XFL Franchises

The XFL on Friday in response to a fan's tweet asking when the "new" league will have franchise nicknames said that each of the eight teams set to kick off in 2020 will be named in "a few months." I figured I'd get the party started early with some suggestions, so I listed two potential nicknames for each city's squad, along with a few bonus options at the end of the post. Many, if not most, of the monikers below were used by other sports teams at some point over the last 100 years, which I did mainly to honor said previous teams, though I also tried to be original when possible.

Dallas:

Desperados - The name of an arena football team that played from 2002 to 2008. I also like the alliteration.

Demons - This was the nickname of the San Francisco franchise in the first XFL. I'd love to see it re-purposed, which, as above, would create an alliteration.

Houston:

Comets - It stays with the space theme of multiple Houston sports teams, like the Houston Rockets. The name "Houston Comets" also sounds a little like a high school that's local to me, which also has the nickname "Comets."

Galaxy - More space-themed nicknames! Plus, the Frankfurt Galaxy played in NFL Europe, and the other football has the LA Galaxy in the MLS.

Los Angeles:

Xtreme - The nickname of the first XFL team that called Los Angeles home, the same one that Tommy Maddox played for between stints in the NFL. Would also have the same acronym, LAX, as the Los Angeles International Airport.

Crushers - It's tough, good for a new football team. It also stays with the "LAC" abbreviations of the Clippers and Chargers.

New York:

Titans - Pays homage to the original name of the New York Jets, who played as the Titans from 1960 through 1962. It sounds powerful and tough, like New York itself.

Night Hawks - There are birds in New York City, though I'm not sure if night hawks are actually animals or not (a few quick Google searches make me lean towards "no," though there is a painting, plus various other sports teams). New York Night Hawks is catchy and there's a certain satisfaction in having each of the four words in the team's name be exactly one syllable.

Seattle:

Seals - It uses the technique of alliteration, which so many Seattle franchises employ. If hockey doesn't take it, I think the XFL should. SBNation's Satchel Price wrote a post about a year ago in which he said he'd pick this name for a hockey team, and I agree that it sounds good for an NHL franchise.

Slew - Not sure if this would be allowed, but it would be a fantastic tribute to a great (animal) athlete from another era.

St. Louis:

Spirits - I'll admit this isn't really a tough name, and we are talking about football, but the franchise would share a name with an ABA franchise from the 1970s. Maybe they could have ghosts on their helmets.

Skyhawks - The St. Louis franchise would also share a nickname if the XFL went with "Skyhawks," but the fictional (I think) bird seems to make more sense than my alternative, Soul. A quick Google search suggests there is a music scene in the Missouri city, but not quite enough to make me think such a moniker would truly fit a sports team based there.

Tampa Bay:

Bandits - The Tampa Bay Bandits were a USFL team. Also, pirates! Sort of ....

Mutiny - Another soccer nickname, they played in MLS from 1996 to 2001. I also love that it keeps with the pirate theme of the Buccaneers.

Washington:

Senators - A pro football team that played three games in 1921 and obviously fits in with the city's functions. If the XFL doesn't use it, I think it's a good candidate to be a new nickname for the NFL franchise located in the nation's capital.

Capitals - Speaking of capitals, I'm going to copy off the NHL for the Washington team's second nickname option. That's a little bit of a cop-out, but the backups are Federals (yuck!) and Americans (I just don't like the sound of "Washington Americans." It's almost redundant).

Bonuses:

St. Louis Stallions - I thought I had heard this somewhere before, and I also thought it was brilliant. A little bit of research, and I learned it was supposed to be an NFL franchise, and I thought we could finally bring it to life in the XFL. KMOX agreed. Then I realized the Salt Lake Stallions are set to begin play in about a month when the Alliance of American Football kicks off for the first time. Well, at least the AAF franchise's name has a nice ring to it.

St. Louis Soul - The franchise would share a nickname with arena football's Philadelphia Soul.

Los Angeles Express - It was a USFL franchise, but it's also going to be used by the AAF's Memphis Express.

New York Empires - It's the Empire State, so it makes perfect sense! But there are already at least two New York sports teams with the nickname "Empire," so I didn't want to copy, but the more research I do, the more I think that none of the nicknames I came up with are actually original.

Dallas Texans - The original name for the Kansas City Chiefs franchise when it first kicked off in 1960, among others, but, again, I tried not to copy too many other active professional sports teams' nicknames (i.e. the Houston Texans).

Houston Gamblers - A USFL team whose nickname I considered somewhat strongly for the XFL thanks to the growing acceptance of gambling, but I ultimately wanted to go with the space theme instead.

Tampa Tamarins - Tamarins are a type of monkey that do, in fact, reside at Busch Gardens in Tampa, and I liked the alliteration, but the pirate theme is already established. Plus, a team named after monkeys just doesn't seem to fit with football or sports.

Seattle Sharks - I'm not sure why I didn't consider this more strongly, though I do like "Slew" and "Seals" as solid options.

Washington Federals - I mentioned this above, and I'd also like to point out it was a USFL franchise.

Washington Americans - A football team based in Buffalo, New York used the nickname "All-Americans" during the early 1920s.