Denver Broncos 2012 Hall of Fame nominees

WHERE IS GRADISHAR!?!?!?!?!?! I think it is still a travesty to not have this man in the Hall.

It’s also worth noting that of the five Denver Broncos up for enshrinement this year, Reeves is the only one who is eligible for Ring of Fame induction that has so far been overlooked. If Red Miller can be forever revered for for his accomplishments in 1977, it’s time that Reeves get his orange and blue due.

There’s some resentment toward Reeves because his offense didn’t suit John Elway…its funny though that Elway as an executive has sounded more Reeves like than say… Mike Shanahan.

Reeves deserves Ring of Fame induction before Hall of Fame induction

the only reason he and other defenders aren’t in the hall is the super bowl blowouts, and the nagging question-where were ya then? unfortunately, i don’t see these guys getting past that in the minds of some voters. shame. big fish/small pond(afc) syndrome.

rod is in my personal hof, but does he have the numbers when you brush aside the undrafted part-which doesn’t matter now. i hope so, he was the heart and voice of this team for years. go rod! dan reeves is very underrated, i’m happy for his consideration.

they should all be in, shocked a few aren’t already

anyway you can take down this post and repost it now that the daily is done? This probably won’t get as much attention as it deserves since it was posted first.

Just a thought :)

Generally the HOF lets in 5 players a year + seniors (give or take) – so over the next 5 years only 25 can get in. And ask any fan of any team and they will jump all over their supposed injustices. I don’t buy the East Coast bias argument.

The biggest issue I have with the HOF is not any East Coast bias, rather its the bias towards QBs and RBs. Its grossly unfair on safeties, defensive linemen etc and has caused a logjam at various other positions as well.

Safeties have had a particulary rough time and that hurts Atwater a lot. he deserves a spot but so do Kenny Easley and Leroy Butler. Darren Woodson and Joey Browner are strong cases also, although Easley, Atwater and Butler are stronger imo. We also have John Lynch coming up in a few years time. No way do 4 safeties get into the HOF in 5 years and by then Brian Dawkins and Ed Reed may well be up for consideration as well.

See the problem?

It’s not much better elsewhere. Mecklenburg is going to wait a long time behind the likes of Cornelius Bennett, Kevin Greene, and soon Derrick Brooks. ByY 2015 we will have Junior Seau and Zach Thomas to worry about as well. Again 5 LBs in 5 years is unlikey to happen.

The logjam at WR means Rod Smith has no chance. Seriously guys do not get any hope as up at all regarding Smith. Chris Carter & Tim Brown have better numbers and more Pro Bowls and All Pros as well as All-Decade selections. If you think we’re cross at not getting more HOF’s think how cross Vikings fans are over Carter…again we have more receivers on their way in the next few years – Marvin Harrison, TO and Moss will all likely be knocking by 2016.

TD still has a shot I feel because the HOF like RB’s – he was an All-Decade selection and he directly and obviously was a key factor in winning 2 SB’s. But his short career really hurts and he will have to get past Bettis and Curtis Martin first. The days when Gayle Sayers could get in on a short career span appear to be over.

Of all of them I would like to see Atwater get it the most. It would be good to see a Broncos defender in there. Grandishar meanwhile still has a shot as a senior – hopefully the likes of Legwold can continue to fight for his cause.

In the meantime I see the following players/coaches making it over the next few years in no particular order.

Dermonti Dawson
Chris Carter
Willie Roaf
Cortez Kennedy
Will Shields
Kevin Greene
Chris Doleman
Warren Sapp
Michael Strahan
Larry Allen
Derrick Brooks
Tim Brown
Tony Dungy
Bill Parcells
Kurt Warner
Andre Reed
Jerome Bettis
Curtis Martin
Charles Haley
Cornelius Bennett

(Not saying that I like all those entries but that’s the way I see the voters voting.)

With 25 players roughly to go in I think there is a window therefore for Terrell Davis. But I just can’t see it happening for the rest which is a shame especially for Atwater. My only hope here is that the HOF recognise the injustices against defensive players and start pushing through more defenders. That might allow Atwater a shot.

Rod would do everything(wr,punt ret, etc.) He would always be every QB’s safety net, as well as their deep threat. He would run reverses, wr screens, was the team captain(which is rare, its always the QB.) He encouraged the other WR’ers to NOT go out of bounds. Instead they would hit someone and fight for more yardage. He would make everyone around him a better FOOTBALL PLAYER. He to top it all off….being undrafted, he wasn’t even supposed to make the roster!

If you look at the numbers and listen to those who played with him and against him, there is no doubt of his greatness. He was smart, fast, and hit like a ton of bricks. But he wasnt flashy. He did notting to call attention to himself except make plays.. all the time.. throughout the game.

He was kknocked by the writers of the time because no one ran the 3-4 defense back then and it was assumed Randy’s numbers were somehow inflated because of that. The 3-4 makes stars out of the outside rushers for their sack potential and its left to the middle linebackers to clean up the run game. But Gradishar did it all, He made sacks, stuffed the run, covered recievers and was a monster to run against on the goal line. He was perhaps the best goal line linebacker to ever play the game.

And all though I like Meck alot as a player, he doesnt come close to Gradisahr as an every down force on the defense. I would say he is the least likely of this group to get in and perhaps is the least deserving of this particular honor.

So Randy Gradishar remains the biggest snub in sports hall of fame history. I just don’t get it. Honestly, I don’t. Did the majority of the voters, and now the senior committee, just never see the guy play?