For the first time in my life, I watched the NFL Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony this summer, and loved it. That got me thinking, what players today are hall of famers to be. I tried not projecting too much, so I took players who have at least played at an all-pro level. I broke them into tiers. Tier 1: Sure Fire. Tier 2: Probable. Tier 3: Projected Young guys. I'll do them in positional order. Here we go. Defense and Coaches today (Special Teams and Offense tomorrow)
Coaches
This is not a long list, primarily because three hall-of-famers retired or were fired last year (Holmgren, Shanahan and Dungy), and Cowher left two years before. So there is a dearth of deserving coaches.
Tier 3
Mike Tomlin - I love this guy. He inherited a great team, already won a super bowl and has already become the coolest coach in the league today. The players love him, he can motivate, and he can, I cannot stress this enough, act like a total badass. There is no one cooler than him in the league. Being in Pittsburgh, he will always have a competitive team and will stay there a long time, because Job Security in Pittsburgh is like it is in Washington, except the exact opposite.
Tier 2
Tom Coughlin - He's won a super bowl (one out of three active coaches) and took an expansion Jacksonville team and made them an instant competitor. He made the playoffs four times with two different franchises and won a super bowl. He changed his entire demeanor and it payed off. His record is not that great, but considering he had an expansion franchise, it is not all that bad. He deserves a hall-nod just as much as Bill Cowher does.
Andy Reid - He may be an awful coach in terms of game-management, but the guy can coach, and build a team. He has done things few have, like getting the number one seed three straight times and making it to 5 NFC Championships in an eight year span. His winning percantage is basically the same as Bill Belichick, and Bill is a lock. Andy Reid has one of the most underrated resumes, making the playoffs 7 times in 11 years. The most amazing part of his resume is that in his seven playoff appearances, he has never lost the first game. He is a great coach, and should be a hall-of-famer.
Tier 1
Bill Belichick - I hate him with a never-ending passion. I really do. He's arrogant, his a major dick. He's secretive, he's disloyal; however, after all that, he is an amazing head coach. His 15-4 playoff record is one of the best all-time. I feel like he was more important to the Pats dynasty than Brady was. He did fail miserably in Cleveland (which did indirectly lead to them leaving town), but his record in New England is amazing. Any coach that wins three super bowls can go 0-16 for two years running and still get in. His enshrinement speech will be boring as fuck, and he dresses like a homeless man, but he deserves a first-ballot nod. Even with spygate smearing that legacy.
Defensive Backs
Tier 3
Derrelle Revis - He's that good. He may just be in his 3rd year, but he shut down Randy Moss and Andre Johnson in a way only one man has done in recent years. He deserves every bit of praise that is heaped upon him. Corners age pretty well too, at least the great ones, so his future is bright. He will be one of the best in the game for a long, long time.
Kelvin Hayden - Here is the list of Colts defenders that Bill Polian has given a second contract to: Freeney, Sanders and Hayden. That is it. He deserves that second contract, and he deserves to be in this discussion as well. Tampa-2 corners will never have the outlandish stats that they do in more pressure oriented schemes, but he is an absolute beast. He is a great tackler, has great instincts and can play that Tampa-2 perfectly. He will become a top-4 corner soon and will start to get the recognition he deserves.
Tier 2
Asante Samuel - I've always felt he was a tad overrated, more of a product of having great players around him, but his numbers speak for themselves. He has 4 postseason TDs, which is the all-time record. He has 30 picks at age 28 (almost a Reed like pace) and has acheived the status of a shut-down corner. Plus, his name was responsible for one of the comedic brilliances of this decade, when Phil Simms used to call him "Asante Samuels" for years. Just for that, and the playoff performances, he deserves a spot.
Nnamdi Asomugha - He held Andre Johnson to 1 catch for 4 yards this year. He held him to 3 catches for 24 yards last year. When they played Carolina, he covered Steve Smith all day, and Delhomme threw at him once, and he picked it off. QBs only threw at him 16 times last year, and only 50 times the last two years. He deserves every penny the Raiders pay him. Plus, he's been able to do all that in the black-hole of football and he's an outstanding guy as he's won the NFL humanitarian award each of the last three years. Finally, his name is fucking Nnamdi Asomugha, which is by far the chillest name in NFL history.
Troy Polamalu - Many people probably have him pegged as a sure fire. Not me, as he has not been that unbeleivably spectacular. To be in that top category, you need to be special. Troy is an excellent player, has amazing ball skills and hits like a line backer. He is straight ferocious and I would shit my pants if he came up to hit me. He is an all-around player, and is one of the most instinctive, smart safeties in the NFL. The perfect example was against the Ravens in the playoffs last year, when he lept over the offensive line to stop Joe Flacco on a QB sneak. That was amazing.
Charles Woodson - He may be on the fringe of this list, but his career reads out much like his Raider predecessor Mike Haynes, a hall-of-famer. Haynes hada 46 career picks, one sack and two touchdowns. Woodson has 40 career picks, nine sacks and eight career touchdowns. After a good start, he had a lull in the middle of his career, but has been reborn since he became a Packer. In his last three plus years (52 games) he has 4.0 sacks, 23 ints, 4 fumble recoveries and six touchdowns. He is an all-time great.
Darren Sharper - He is one of the most underappreciated safeties in recent memory, being overshadowed by the Reed/Polamalu duo, but he is the Ernie Banks of the NFL safeties, or in other words, a guy who tirelessly played very good for an exceptional amount of years. He has now done it for three franchises, and played at an all-pro level for each. He has not had amazing singular years, like Reed, but he has 13 career TDs, 60 career ints (ninth all-time) and he is a fearless guy who has rarely missed games. He may have never been extraordinary, but being above ordinary for an extended period of time should be viewed as good.
Tier 1
Brian Dawkins - He was the heart and soul of the NFC's premier defense of the last 10 years. The Bucs had Sapp/Brooks/Lynch, the Steelers had a bunch of great leaders, the Ravens had Ray and Ed Reed. The Eagles had only him. His stats and accolades are all hall-worthy, with 34 ints, 3 tds, 21 sacks (third highest for a DB all-time) and 4 all-pro selections. However, his surefire canidacy is far more than just numbers, it is about what he meant and what he did. Along with the late Jim Johnson, he was the only constant of a defense that had a six year run of the following defensive ranks: 7, 2, 2, 4, 7, 2. He was the anchor of a defense that led the Eagles to heights that the franchise had never reached. His heart and ferocity epitomized the city of Philadelphia.
Champ Bailey - He was the ultimate shutdown corner. In eight full years, he had 44 ints, but when you consider the fact that he was targetted fewer times than most DBs, that number is scary. He was, at one time, the only corner people game-planned around. He made Tom Brady look foolish in the playoffs. He was traded for a RB who put up four 1300 yard seasons in the five years since the deal and the team who let him go rues the day they did. Honestly, RBs are probably as dime-a-dozen as corners, and Portis is an excellent RB, and Washington lost that deal, and Dan Snyder has spent approxamately 500 billion trying to replace him (with characters like sex-boat pioneer Fred Smoot, starbucks-addicted Shawn Springs, wildly overrated DeAngelo Hall and actually good Carlos Rogers). He was a baller, and QBs were afraid to death of him.
Ed Reed - The feeling I have for Belichick (abject hatred, geniune want to fight his fat ass) is
pretty much the opposite for Reed. Reed is my favorite player not named Peyton Manning. Reed is the most dominant safety this era, and possibly ever. For whatever reason, there was a large Polamalu/Reed debate last year. First of all, they play different positions. However, Reed used to play Troy's position, and he played it better than Troy. When Reed was a SS, he averaged 65 tackles, 7 ints, 1.5 sacks and 2 tds a year, plus he won a Defensive Player of the Year award as a SS (something Troy never did). Then, he converted to FS and continued to play at a first-ballot hall of fame level. He is a guy who has 45 ints in 7.5 years, and has 12 career touchdowns (and 2 more that were called back for penalties). He has the longest INT return TD, and the second longest. He has twice picked off 9 passes and twice picked off 7 passes in a year. He has 4 career playoff ints in four games. He was by far the best player on the field in the 2006 AFC Divisional loss to Indianapolis (that film should be sent to Canton). And to complete his domination, he has blocked 3 punts and returned all for touchdowns. He is a special, special player and is as important to the defensive success of the Ravens as Ray Lewis is.
Linebackers
Tier 3
Terrell Suggs - He's a great player. But he is also a great story, as he was raised in a broken home, but a white family cared for him, forced him to study, to find the lord, to focus his abilities. I'm sure most opposing teams hate that white family, since it is them who has allowed his terrorness Terrell Suggs be unleashed to the NFL. He is still just 27, and he already has 55 sacks as a LB, and has two career touchdowns. He is still improving and that is the most scary part. He is the only LB that is not a product of Ray Lewis (I'm looking at you, Adalius Thomas) playing next to him.
Patrick Willis - He led the NFL in tackles as a rookie. Was third in tackles as a sophomore. Has already been an all-pro, and has five sacks and three ints (returning 2 for touchdowns) in two plus years. He is often compared to a young Derrick Brooks, and he has the speed and the instincts that merit that comparison (unlike Matt Ryan who does not really merit that Peyton Manning comparison, at all). He will be an all-time great.
Tier 2
Brian Urlacher - He is a tad overrated, and he has entered the neverworld known as the pussy of Paris Hilton, yet he is undeniably a rare talent. He is a 4 time all-pro, a guy who has racked up 37 sacks, 17 ints, and 90 tackles a year. He is the heart and soul of the third best NFC defense of the decade, and he is the connecting link to the team that was the top-ranked defense in 2002 and 2005 and the super bowl defense in 2006. He was the team MVP of a Super Bowl team that started Rex Grossman (the QB equivalent of burning dog shit) at QB. That is enough to merit serious consideration for this title. I, and society, may never forgive him for dating Paris and also having a weird paternity suit that invloved his kid and Michael Flatley (Lord of the Dance).
Julian Peterson - This may be really stretching it, but his stats are deserving. He has 50 sacks, 16 turnovers forced and a touchdowns. Has been a 5 time pro-bowler and the defensive leader of two different franchises. He has been a multiple time pro-bowler for two different teams. He is a longshot, and probably will not ever get it, but it is hard to argue that he is not as deserving than some of the lesser linebackers in the hall of fame.
James Farrior - He was the heart and soul of the Pittsburgh defense. Joey Porter was the mouth, but Farrior was the leader of the new-Steel Curtain. He was an all-pro, he was a pro-bowler. He has forced 25 turnovers, he has 30 sacks, which are all big numbers for an inside LB in a 3-4. He was one of the most stand-up guys out there. He was a tackling machine for six years in Pittsburgh, where he helped lead the team to 3 AFC Title games, and 2 super bowls. Just for his credentials as a leader in Pittsburgh, and his postseason success, the man might oneday be enshrined.
Tier 1
Joey Porter - Farrior's teammate was just one level ahead, and one of the most feared players coming off that edge. His antics and average trash-talking may have made him some cruel ironic version of himself in recent years, but the guy is an insanely good player. He's only 32, and has 85.5 sacks so he has the opportunity to crack the 100 sack platuea. He has 12 career ints (a good number for a pass-rushing LB). He is the Kevin Greene of the next decade, and is a more inspirational player. Some of his best football may still be left, as he had 17.5 sacks last year, and seems energized for the future. LBs have not been the all-time greats they were in past generations (as Derrick Brooks retired last year, so I did not include him, although he is a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer), so the standards are a little down. Either way, Canton should be ready for his eras best pass-rushing LB.
Ray Lewis
Probably the easiest, most obvious selection on defense. He is the Peyton Manning of defense. He has had great years now, but people forget just how good he was at the beginning of the decade and the end of last decade. He was superman in a Raven uniform, racking up tackles at record pace. He is 2 ints away from the rare 30 sack - 30 int club (members: 1 - Rodney Harrison). He is a two-time defensive player of the year. Above everything, he is the main reason (along with Ed Reed recently) that Baltimore is one of the model franchises in the NFL. He is the heart and soul of that defense. Everyone plays through him, feeds off of his passion and intensity. He is the reason Mike Nolan and Marvin Lewis were thought of as defensive genius's (Nolan may still be one after what he is now doing in Denver - although he has the second most inspiring defensive player there in Dawkins), and the main reason a laundry list of LBs were considered good players (Jamie Sharper, Peter Boulware, Ed Hartwell, Adalius Thomas). Most of those are bit-players, but became pro-bowlers next to the brilliance that is Ray Lewis. He was a hall-of-famer 5 years ago, but his recent run of newfound success is now making one of the all-time greats. Singletary to Taylor to Lewis. That is his company.
Defensive Line
Tier 3
Jared Allen - He is just 26, and he is racking up numbers like no one else active. Now, that may be due to the fact that he gets to play with the Williams wall next to him, but he did it in Kansas City, a black-hole of suck when it comes to pass rushing. He has 65.5 sacks in 71 starts which is a staggering number. He has, and I know this will sound eternally cliched, a "motor that never stops" but it is true. He is one of the premier pass rushers and is one of the best at stripping the ball. His numbers are scary and he is getting better. If he continues what he has done in two plus years in Minnesota (37.5 sacks in 37 games) he will be a lock. He probably will not continue at that pace, but anything close and he is in.
Haloti Ngata - He is the most athletic 340 lb nosetackle in football, as evidenced by his three career ints, including one he returned 60 yards. However it is his massive frame and great disrupting skills that make him arguably the best nose tackle in the game today at just 25. He gets pressure, he eats up blockers and he inflicts major, major pain on running backs, and sometimes quarterbacks. He is a great player, is improving and will be a fixture in Hawaii for years to come.
Tier 2
Julius Peppers - It all depends on if he wants to play. If he does, he is the most athletic dynamic D-Lineman in football. For all the flak he is taking this year, he has 6 sacks in 6 games and is well on his way to his sixth double digit sack year in 8 seasons. He is also freakishly athletic, shown by his 60 yard fumble return and 97 yard int return for touchdowns. There is nothing he cannot do with his athleticism and ability. If he stays focused and motivated, he will rack up sacks and make this a shoo-in, but that fire is not always there.
Tier 1
Dwight Freeney - He is the most dominating end since the moment he entered the NFL. He had a bit of a sack lull in 2006-2007, where he had only 9 sacks in 27 games, but he still led the NFL in hurries and hits in that span, showing that he was still a terror. He basically patented the spin-move, and used it to spin by and embarras first-ballot hall of famer Jonathan Ogden, like he has never been embarrased before. He is now playing the best football of his career, with 7 sacks, 5 hits and 12 hurries in 6 games, which means he is on pace for career highs in all three. What can he not do? He is the key of that defense, a defense that has been the NFL's second most consistent the last five years after Pittsburgh's.
Jason Taylor - He may care more about his looks (and definitely cares more about his dancing) than he does about football, but that only makes his scary numbers more fearsome. He has been the best pass-rusher since the day he entered the NFL. He is the premeir of this generation of players. He has 8 years with at least 9 sacks. He has 8 career TDs, a ridiculous amount for a defensive lineman. He is the best at what he did for his career, and deserves a first-ballot enshrinement. Now, the standards are lower, since lineman and QBs have never been better at minimizing sacks, but he is the best of this era (I cannot stress that enough).
So, there is the defense and the coaches. The offense and the special teams come next.
