Another Hall of Fame Saturday … Cup O’Super Bowl

From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Saturday morning, 44 men and women will enter a meeting room at the Broward County Convention Center and decide on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2010.

I have a seat at the table and have had since January of 1997. I’m asked generally two questions about the Hall of Fame process: how does the voting work and does this committee have any idea what it’s doing?

Here’s a quick explanation of how it works. The Board of Selectors is made up of members of the media; one for each franchise city in the NFL, including two for New York. There is a representative from the Pro Football Writers of America and then there are 11 at-large voters. Among that group are 30 newspaper writers, 10 writers for sites on the Internet, two magazine writers and two television reporters. There are 42 men and two women.

This group elects each year a class of between four and seven new members. After mail-in preliminary votes, a group of 15 finalists is reached. There are two others put up for nomination by the Board’s Seniors Committee, made up of the more veteran members of the committee.

On Saturday morning, the first bit of business is the senior candidates, this year they are former DB Dick LeBeau and RB Floyd Little. Each candidate will be discussed and then the vote will be yes/no on each man. To gain election, there must be 80 percent yes votes.

The meeting then moves on to the 15 other finalists. Each one is discussed by the group. Sometimes that discussion can lasts for just a few seconds. That will be the case this year with WR Jerry Rice and RB Emmitt Smith; no discussion is needed. The leading receiver and rusher in NFL history are automatic first-ballot Hall of Famers.

That leaves 13 others fighting for what amounts to three spots. If LeBeau, Little, Rice and Smith are in, that’s four of what could be the largest class of seven.

After discussion, there is a vote from 15 to 10. Then there’s a vote from 10 to five players. At that point the board votes yes/no. All of the voting is down secretly, and never are their vote totals released to the committee or the public.

Now, let me answer the other question: does this committee have any idea of what it’s doing?

Yes, it does. Like any group that large, there are members who spend little time studying and researching the players and trends. But the vast majority of members come prepared each year, with support, or evidence against the nominees. The discussion can sometimes become heated and emotional.

But it’s never unreasonable. There are legitimate differences of opinion about what constitutes great and what constitutes a good career.

So here are the final 13, arranged in my opinion with how I will vote and what their chances are for election on Saturday. Understand that everyone on this ballot is worthy. Their election is so often based on timing. Here are those other 13 nominees for election to the Hall of Fame Class of 2010; I’ve arranged them in three groups: A/B/C, based on worthiness for the Hall this year. Within their group they are ranked alphabetically:

OPPORTUNITY: Good

WR Cris Carter: at some point the log jam at receiver must be broken. Carter’s numbers are pretty damn good; however, he’s missing a championship. He’ll get in and this year could be his time.

C Dermonti Dawson: has been eligible for five years and this is his second year as a finalist. His seven consecutive Pro Bowls and six straight years as first-team All-Pro made him the game’s best for much of the 1990s.

DE Richard Dent: has come close before and has been a finalist six times in the last seven years. There’s support for him among the voters and with Derrick Thomas out of the way, Dent is the logical next pass rusher to gain enshrinement.

G Russ Grimm: is now a finalist for the last six straight seasons. This could be the year that Grimm gets honored. It’s either Dawson or Grimm; it would be hard to believe both making the class.

TE Shannon Sharpe: is considered by many of the voters as a wide receiver. Certainly, Sharpe did not do a lot of blocking in his day. Sharpe will get in at some point, and whether that’s this year is a flip of the coin. It would be hard to see both Carter and Sharpe making the induction class that will be led by Rice.

OPPORTUNITY: Average

DE/LB Charles Haley: He played on five Super Bowl winning teams during his time with the 49ers and Cowboys

LB Ricky Jackson: His name is being talked about more and more this year; it should be. He was one of the most complete linebackers to play in the last 20 years.

DT Cortez Kennedy: There was a lot of obvious support last year for Kennedy, but the question is whether he can grow that support.

DT John Randle: It’s now two years in the finals for Randle, who drew a lot of support last year. He figures to do so again.

OPPORTUNITY: Poor

WR Tim Brown: Is in his first year of eligibility, Brown is going to have a hard time getting in as a rookie on the ballot. His numbers are impressive, but there are some talented people ahead of him.

Head Coach Don Coryell: There is no question about Coryell and his offensive contributions to the game. But there are more than a handful of voters who want to know this: where are his championship teams? He’s been eligible for the last 23 years.

RB Roger Craig: his 11-year career with the Niners, Raiders and Vikings featured his overall skills as a runner and receiver. In 1985, Craig was the first NFL player to rush and catch passes for over 1,000 yards each. His candidacy has never gained any traction, as he’s been eligible for 12 years and made the final group only once before.

WR Andre Reed: has been a finalist for the last four years, but seldom advances in the Saturday voting. He’s been eligible for the last five years. In what is only going to become a very crowded receiver market. It’s hard to see Reed cracking the ice.

That’s all one man’s opinion. I have not finalized my vote; there is discussion on a number of candidates – Coryell, Craig, Kennedy and Randle – that I wish to hear and digest.

I do know this – it’s going to be tough to decide on the Hall’s Class of 2010, and that’s as it should be.

FROM THE PAGES OF SUPER BOWL HISTORY

On February 6, 2005, the New England Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville. It was the Patriots third championship in four seasons and saw the end of the coaching triumvirate of head coach Bill Belichick and coordinators Charlie Weis (offense) and Romeo Crennel (defense). Weis and Crennel left for head coaching jobs at Notre Dame and with the Cleveland Browns.

The Eagles grabbed t he early lead as QB Donovan McNabb connected on a six-yard TD pass to TE L.J. Smith. The next two scores went to the Patriots, as QB Tom Brady hit WR David Givens for a four yard TD and OLB-Goal Line TE Mike Vrabel.

Philadelphia tied the score when McNabb threw a 10-yard scoring pass to RB Brian Westbrook. The Patriots wrapped the game up, scoring the next 10 points, as RB Corey Dillon hit the end zone for a two-yard run and K Adam Vinatieri nailed a 22-yard FG to give New England a 24-12 margin in the fourth quarter. McNabb added another late score, a 30-yard pass to TE Greg Lewis, but it wasn’t enough to catch the now three-time champion Patriots.

Brady hit 23 of 33 passes for 236 yards and two TD passes. McNabb completed 30 of 51 throws for 357 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. WR Terrell Owens had nine catches for 122 yards. Patriots WR Deion Branch did not see the end zone, but he caught 11 passes for 133 yards and was named the game’s MVP.

The national anthem was sung by the combined choirs of the U.S. Military, Naval, Air Force and Coast Guard Academies. The half-time entertainment was Paul McCartney. Fox handled the television broadcast, with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Cris Collinsworth. Advertisers paid $2.4 million for a 30-second commercial in the game; an estimated 86 million people watched the game.

SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY …

Born on February 6, 1983 in Rainbow City, Alabama was QB Brodie Croyle (right). He was selected in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of the University of Alabama. Croyle has spent four seasons with the Chiefs (2006-09), appearing in 16 games with nine starts. Injuries have really kept him from fulfilling his potential, especially in 2008 when he played in just two games, missing the other 14 because of injury. Overall, Croyle has completed 173 of 300 passes for 1,631 yards, with eight TDs.

Born on February 6, 1977 in Miami was WR Marvin “Snoop” Minnis. He was selected in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of Florida State. Minnis played two seasons with the Chiefs (2001-02), appearing in 15 games in a career that was shortened by injury and started 11 times. He caught 34 passes for 515 yards and one touchdown.