Pro Football Hall of Fame votes are in!

[Bloodline666]

As of yesterday, there will be six new members of the Pro Football Hall Of Fame, out of 17 finalists, to be inducted sometime in August. They are, in alphabetical order:

• Gene Hickerson - Guard, Cleveland Browns
• Michael Irvin - Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys
• Bruce Matthews - Offensive Lineman (played all 5 positions on OL), Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans
• Charlie Sanders - Tight End, Detroit Lions
• Thurman Thomas - Running Back, Buffalo Bills (plus one season with the Miami Dolphins)
• Roger Wehrli - Cornerback, St. Louis Cardinals

Notable snubs in the finalist voting include Redskins WR Art Monk, Bills WR Andre Reed, and the recently retired NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

This in particular has me excited, because one of my favorite WRs growing up, Michael Irvin, is finally getting in after getting snubbed twice, whether due to his off-field bull, anti-Cowboys media bias, or a voting jam at the Wide Receiver position; the third possibility seems more likely, since Art Monk got snubbed in favor of Lynn Swann, and this WR jam may prevent Jerry Rice, who I think is the greatest WR of all-time, from getting a first-ballot entry to the Hall of Fame.

[El Bandito]

Eh, there's no WR snub. They just wanted to put some heat on Irving. Goddamn Lawrence Thomas wasn't voted in his first year of eligibility because of off-field issues. They just want him to sweat a little.

Now there is a snub that's put on Monk. Art Monk deserves to get in and I never really understood why people are so insistent he stays out. Also, one of these down years I hope that Ray Guy gets in. That way every position is covered.

[Raistlin]

There is no way Jerry Rice can be snubbed. Who the hell <i>wouldn't</i> vote for Rice?

Irvin deserved to get in numbers-wise, but his off-field issues definitely made it tougher to get the votes.

[Kirobaito]

There is no way Jerry Rice will not get in on the first ballot. He's the best player in the history of football.

I also thought that Paul Tagliabue should have made it. Comparing the NFL before him and now is just unbelievable. He's done so much for football that he deserves to go in on his first ballot.

[DK]

Kyle Boller will be in the hall of fame one day, mark my words.

[escobert]

Jerry Rice will go in on his first try. And if he doesn't then the hall of fame voters are all a joke.

[Bloodline666]

I honestly can't find any other explanation for Art Monk getting snubbed other than competition within his position for Hall of Fame induction. In fact, he's been snubbed three times in favor of another Wide Receiver who's been eligible longer than he was; Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and James Lofton. His snub in favor of Michael Irvin is an exception to that rule, being that this is Irvin's third year of eligibility. However, also note that last year, Troy Aikman was inducted, so my only explanation for Irvin's nod over Monk is that the HoF voters were probably thinking, "since one of the "Triplets" of the Dallas Cowboys is in, let's get the other two in as soon as possible, since they played almost their entire careers together in Dallas"; obviously, the only one of those three who's not eligible yet is Emmitt Smith.

Now since Art Monk continues to wait to be immortalized in Canton due to other Wide Receivers competing each year for the same induction spot, chances are, Jerry Rice may unfortunately have to wait because of it. I have an interesting link for the case for Art Monk, with regards to the WR competition he's going to be up against in the Hall of Fame voting in the future. Here's a list of WRs with impressive numbers who have not yet been elected to the Hall of Fame. (the only WR on that list that was not in the NFL during Monk's career is Marvin Harrison) Obviously, the only way this list is not up to date is the fact that Michael Irvin's name is still on it, but nevertheless, pay very close attention to the list; that list is long enough to cause a traffic jam in the Hall of Fame voting at the Wide Receiver position for a long time.

[escobert]

Yeah but Rice has better stats then any of them, and is up in 2 years? so Art if he is currently up could get in next year.

[DK]

Henry Ellard is a badass. I got so many points with him on Temco Super Bowl. <3

[Madame Adequate]

Roger Wehrli - Cornerback, St. Louis Cardinals

That's of considerable interest to me, because whilst St. Louis is the greatest baseball city in the world, I'm not sure they're quite good enough to get into the NFL.

[Kirobaito]

Roger Wehrli - Cornerback, St. Louis Cardinals

That's of considerable interest to me, because whilst St. Louis is the greatest baseball city in the world, I'm not sure they're quite good enough to get into the NFL.

I'm not sure how to interpret this. You ARE aware that before the Rams came from LA, the AZ Cardinals played in St. Louis, and moved there from Chicago, right?