With the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame class just recently inducted into Canton, attention turns to the start of the 2014 season. Despite the urge to live in the moment, it makes sense to look to the past and check in one some of the greats who are primary reasons the NFL is what it is today.
While there are a ton of deserving candidates to find themselves on the podium in Canton next August, we decided to look at five former NFL standouts who should be enshrined into the elusive club next year.
Here are our predictions for the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Charles Haley, Defensive End/Linebacker, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers
Courtesy of 49ers.com: Haley should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer
Haley racked up six double-digit sack seasons and is still the only player in NFL history to win six Super Bowls. Granted Haley played for the 49ers dynasty teams of the 80’s and Cowboys teams of the 90’s, but that’s still an amazing feat. He earned four trips to the Pro Bowl and redefined how defenses utilized the pass-rush outside linebacker position in the league. Not just a trendsetter, Haley was a winner pure and simple. Now 15 years removed from playing his final down in the NFL, Haley deserves to see his bust erected in Canton. It’s hard to deny that.
Orlando Pace, Offensive Tackle, St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears
Courtesy of The Sun Times
When Pace entered the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 draft, he was considered one of the top offensive tackle prospects in recent league history. And boy did Pace live up to those high expectations. From 1999-2005, the Ohio State product earned seven consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl. During that very same span, he acted as a franchise protector for the likes of Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger at a time when the Rams offense was almost literally “The Greatest Show on Turf.”
During Warner’s heyday from 1999-2001, he was sacked a total of 87 times or once every 17 times he attempted a pass. Considering that Warner was one of the least mobile quarterbacks to ever have success in the NFL, that’s a testament to what Pace was able to do in pass protection. A first ballot Hall of Famer if I have ever seen one.
Junior Seau, Linebacker, San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots
Courtesy of CBS Sports: Hard to argue against Seau as a top-10 LB of all-time.
The late Junior Seau is among the best inside linebackers to ever suit up in the NFL. From his days as a leader for the USC Trojans to being the face of the San Diego Chargers and eventually earning his second career trip to the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots following the 2007 season, Seau had the ability to rise up against all challenges and come out on top. Outside of the passion Seau displayed on the field, his achievements are well worth noting. He made 12 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1991-2001, earning All-Pro honors a whopping six times during that span.
The accolades don’t stop there. Seau was named both the Walter Payton Man of the Year and AFC Player of the Year in 1994, the very same year San Diego earned a trip to the Super Bowl. He was also a member of the NFL 1990’s All-Decade team. If Seau is inducted into the Hall of Fame next August, the emotion that it will bring is real. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest in May of 2012. Seau’s story is embedded within the vast and complex question surrounding former NFL players who suffer from CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). And last year, findings from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders indicated that Seau had suffered from CTE prior to taking his own life.
Tim Brown, Wide Receiver, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Courtesy of Raiders.com: It’s a shame that one of the greatest WRs of all-time has had to wait so long.
Some will indicate that Torry Holt, Marvin Harrison and Issac Bruce are more deserving of induction into the Hall of Fame. While strong cases can be made for all three, I was torn between two former Raiders receivers…Cliff Branch and Brown. In the end, my prediction is that Brown will make it into Canton 11 years after his retirement from the NFL, which is far too long for my taste. Brown put up nine consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, catching a minimum of 80 passes and scoring seven-plus touchdowns eight times. His ability to make the big play simply cannot be questioned. And that’s what should earn him enshrinement into the Hall of Fame.
At the time of Brown’s retirement, he ranked third on the all-time NFL list in receptions (1,094), second in receiving yards (14,924) and tied for third with 100 touchdown receptions. The simple fact that he’s been passed over every time since becoming Hall of Fame eligible in 2010 is absolutely ridiculous.
Kurt Warner, Quarterback, St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals
Courtesy of NFLfemale.com: When enshrined in 2015, Warner will become the least likely Hall of Famer ever.
When Warner was released by the Green Bay Packers during training camp in 1994 in lieu of Ty Detmer and Mark Brunell, the idea that he would one day be enshrined in Canton (let alone play a single NFL game) was reserved for those who should have been confined in padded rooms. Warner was undrafted out of the University of Northern Iowa and simply didn’t even make it on the radar of teams around the league. After his release from the Packers, Warner got a job at a grocery store in Cedar Falls, Iowa, stocking shelves overnight. The following year, Warner signed on with the Arena Football League. And the rest is pretty much history.
When then starter Trent Green went down to injury for the St. Louis Rams during the 1999 preseason, Warner got his chance to shine. And he never gave up that spotlight. As a starter, he earned a Super Bowl championship against the Tennessee Titans that season after throwing for 4,353 yards and a NFL-high 41 touchdowns during the regular year. The following season saw Warner fall back to Earth a little bit, as he threw just 21 touchdowns compared to 18 interceptions. At that point, many were writing him off as a one-year wonder. Warner responded in 2001 by leading the NFL in completions (375), yards (4,830) and touchdowns (36), among seven other major statistical categories.
After struggling horrendously the following two seasons in St. Louis and eventually being replaced by Marc Bulger following a six-fumble performance against the New York Giants in the 2003 season Opener. Warner signed on with the Giants. But his struggles continued in his only season in New Jersey. For about the 10th time in his career, Warner was written off by the league and many in the media.
And in a shocking turn of events, he resurfaced with the previously downtrodden Arizona Cardinals. After acting as Matt Leinart’s backup for the majority of his first two seasons in Arizona, Warner again showed domination on the football field. In 2008, Warner led Arizona to a 9-7 record and a spot in the playoffs. What followed was a performance of epic proportions in the playoffs. He tallied 11 touchdowns compared to three interceptions in four playoff games that season, the Cardinals Super Bowl XLIII loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers included. It was this one season that enables many, myself included, to indicate Warner should be a first ballot Hall of Famer.