Former Tide players that deserve to be in the NFL HOF

DzynKingRTR · Aug 5, 2017

With the Hall of Fame inductions tonight, it got me thinking about some former players who currently are not in that should be. I can think of 3 right away

Leeroy Jordon - it really is a mystery why he isn't in. I am too young to have seen him play but my dad raved about him all my childhood. That really stuck with me

Cornelius Bennett - Should be in. I think he had an off the field incident that is keeping him out

Shaun Alexander - If he had a Super Bowl ring he would be in already. Plus he had a relatively short career.

What do you guys think? I would especially want to hear from some of the older folks

I am not asking about any current players that might get there.

BamaBoySince89 · Aug 5, 2017

Chris Samuels???

Roll Tide...that is all

TIDE-HSV · Aug 6, 2017

DzynKingRTR said:
With the Hall of Fame inductions tonight, it got me thinking about some former players who currently are not in that should be. I can think of 3 right away

Leeroy Jordon - it really is a mystery why he isn't in. I am too young to have seen him play but my dad raved about him all my childhood. That really stuck with me

Cornelius Bennett - Should be in. I think he had an off the field incident that is keeping him out

Shaun Alexander - If he had a Super Bowl ring he would be in already. Plus he had a relatively short career.

What do you guys think? I would especially want to hear from some of the older folks

I am not asking about any current players that might get there.

All three of those. CS is still a bit young, IMO. Leeroy is the biggest mystery. He played at the end of the two-way era, center and LB. Watching replays, I still remember CPB saying "If they stay inbounds, ole LeeRoy will get them...

CB4 · Aug 6, 2017

I often wonder if the fact that others from that era of Cowboys being in the Hall take away from the credit that Leeroy deserved for making those teams as successful as they were? Lilly, Renfro, Hayes, Staubach, Wright, etc could have "overshadowed" him?

I know that I have felt for years he needed to be there. I also know when I watched the Cowboys on defense in those days, I watched Leeroy. You knew he would be where the ball was.

CrimsonSEC · Aug 6, 2017

I'm old enough to have watched Leeroy in Dallas and it always looked like he was the best player on a good Cowboy defense.

B1GTide · Aug 6, 2017

I agree with Jordan, Bennett and Samuels. They will all get in eventually. Not sure that I agree with Alexander, though he is one of my favorite Alabama players for the things that he has done off the field. His career was great, but too short to get in without a ring.

Crimson1967 · Aug 6, 2017

CrimsonSEC said:
I'm old enough to have watched Leeroy in Dallas and it always looked like he was the best player on a good Cowboy defense.

He was my mother's favorite player.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

JaxTider · Aug 6, 2017

Leroy is way overdue. Just like Stabler was.

81usaf92 · Aug 6, 2017

B1GTide said:
I agree with Jordan, Bennett and Samuels. They will all get in eventually. Not sure that I agree with Alexander, though he is one of my favorite Alabama players for the things that he has done off the field. His career was great, but too short to get in without a ring.

I tend to think Bettis being passed over for 5 cycles really makes you think it can be another 10 years or a real down pool of HOF potential players for a particular year for Shaun to get in. I think he gets in, but I think he isn't one that should be in now.

BigGunn · Aug 6, 2017

Number 55 was indeed one of the best in the era of nfl LBs that had a lot of good ones. Most under rated players in the history of the league were him and the Snake. I can still hear Pat Summerall calling his name many times whenever the cowboys played on tv and they played on tv often. Plus he had a ring or two. He played on great defenses as well. Took him an inordinate amount of time to make the ring of honor too. I really never understood that, either.

CajunCrimson · Aug 6, 2017

Shaun has more years, yards, TDs than Terrell Davis. He deserves to be in. MVP, 100 TDs.....

81usaf92 · Aug 7, 2017

CajunCrimson said:
Shaun has more years, yards, TDs than Terrell Davis. He deserves to be in. MVP, 100 TDs.....

Yeah, but TD also has 2 rings. Granted rings aren't everything, but consider the Elway narrative that plays into it. Elway was 0-3 in SBs, and was blown out badly in all 3. All of the sudden he wins 2 in a row with TD and Sharpe. Also consider TD got out while the championship run was still in everyone's mind. Shaun and TD both got hurt the year after their last SB appearance. The difference is still winning it compared to losing it. And again something was very different about the Broncos in 97 and 98 than the other 4 times prior to 97 ( 3 with Elway), and many still believe it was TD and Sharpe. Remember going into SB 32 many believed that the Packers were about to be the team that shared the 90's with the Cowboys. TD was Super Bowl MVP in that game. SB 33 I still believe the Broncos dodged the best team in the SB (Vikings) and it was pretty much a give me type game, but winning the big game makes a huge impact on legacy, and the HOF voting is based upon perception. Ask a Broncos fan about who is the best Rb in their Franchise's history and 99.9% of them will say TD, but ask a Seahawks fan the same question and I guarantee you most will say Lynch over SA.

Also consider that Jerome Bettis only just in the last few years got inducted. Jerome was far more well known than Shaun around the nation. So it's not very surprising that he isn't in. I would say he should be in either the next 4 years or within the next 10-15.

B1GTide · Aug 7, 2017

CajunCrimson said:
Shaun has more years, yards, TDs than Terrell Davis. He deserves to be in. MVP, 100 TDs.....

TD has 2 championships - SA has zero. I'm not saying that it is impossible since Gale Sayers is in, but it will be tough.

RollTide_HTTR · Aug 7, 2017

BamaBoySince89 said:
Chris Samuels???

Roll Tide...that is all

As both a Redskins fan and an Alabama fan I love Chris Samuels and I would love for him to make the HOF but idk if he ever will. He never was super high profile and wasn't really considered a top 2 tackle in his time but more of a top 5 guy. He has 6 probowls but only 1 All Pro. He was great but idk if he will be considered HOF worthy. Either way I I think he will have to wait.

RollTide_HTTR · Aug 7, 2017

B1GTide said:
TD has 2 championships - SA has zero. I'm not saying that it is impossible since Gale Sayers is in, but it will be tough.

I HATE that people count championships for individual awards. I agree with what you are saying but I just wanted to throw it out there that the fact that Championships plays any part in a player being worthy of the HOF is infuriating to me.

TIDE-HSV · Aug 7, 2017

One thing which will hurt Shaun is the market he played in, long after EST writers were in bed asleep. It's a shame that it's a factor...

TideEngineer08 · Aug 7, 2017

Super Bowls should not be a requisite at all. This is an individual honor. Hell, it shouldn't even be considered as a tie breaker between two similar players. It takes a team to win a championship, in every way. JMO on that topic.

Anyway, I don't keep up with this very closely, and I am stunned to learn Leeroy Jordan is not in the HOF. He certainly deserves it. The others mentioned certainly do as well. But I'm really surprised Jordan is not already there.

B1GTide · Aug 7, 2017

RollTide_HTTR said:
I HATE that people count championships for individual awards. I agree with what you are saying but I just wanted to throw it out there that the fact that Championships plays any part in a player being worthy of the HOF is infuriating to me.

Agreed, but only to a point. TD got in because of his 2 championships. When you are so good that you take a team to that level (and he did), it should be considered a factor. But, IMO, SA was also that good. The Seahawks were robbed of a championship by the officials during SA's time there. That likely is what decides this for him. Sad.

81usaf92 · Aug 7, 2017

RollTide_HTTR said:
I HATE that people count championships for individual awards. I agree with what you are saying but I just wanted to throw it out there that the fact that Championships plays any part in a player being worthy of the HOF is infuriating to me.

I does and it doesn't. It's basically what story you can tell with it. Marino and Derrick Thomas didn't have championships, but they are in. Dilfer has a SB but I highly doubt he ever makes it in. Heck even Doug Williams isn't in after winning one, and he was the first African American qb to start and win a SB

Championships help, but they aren't a deciding factor. The thing about Shaun is he wasn't regarded as the best back of his decade nor was he a household name like Jerome Bettis or TD. He has better numbers than Marshawn Lynch, but Lynch is regarded as the best Seahawks rb.

Al A Bama · Aug 7, 2017

TIDE-HSV said:
All three of those. CS is still a bit young, IMO. Leeroy is the biggest mystery. He played at the end of the two-way era, center and LB. Watching replays, I still remember CPB saying "If they stay inbounds, ole LeeRoy will get them...

A good example of this is when Bama played Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in the 1960's. How many individual tackles did he have in that game in front of JFK?

Former Tide players that deserve to be in the NFL HOF

TideFans Legend

All-American

Senior Administrator

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

TideFans Legend

Hall of Fame

Suspended

TideFans Legend

1st Team

Moderator (FB,BB) and Vinyl Enthusiast

TideFans Legend

TideFans Legend

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

Senior Administrator

TideFans Legend

TideFans Legend

TideFans Legend

Hall of Fame

TideFans.shop - NEW Stuff!