According to Andrew Mason, there are exactly 43 players eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame who played nine or more years and had Pro Bowl nods at least 70% of the time. 39 of those players are in, four are not.
43 players eligible for @ProFootballHOF induction played 9+ yrs. & had Pro Bowl/AFL All-Star nods > 70% of the time.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) February 1, 2019
39 are in. 4 are not. All 4 are finalists: @TonyGonzalez88 (14 PBs in 17 yrs., 82%)@champbailey (12/15, 80%)@TwentyEr (9/12, 75%)@SteveAtwater27 (8/11, 73%)
This is the only stat that matters when it comes to Steve Atwater. You can talk until you’re blue in the face about the big hits, the stats, the championships, his character, and all of the other reasons Atwater was a Hall of Fame talent in the NFL. However, when you see a stat like this that shows a near 100% induction rate then it should all but seal the deal.
If he does not get in this year and those other three (who have all been mentioned as locks to get in this year) then there will be FORTY-SIX players in the Hall of Fame who have reached the Pro Bowl 70% of the time in their career and one who is not. Oh man, that will piss me off if it happens.
Tweet this stat out to every voter you can think of. Let’s give Steve Atwater the proper Broncos Country sendoff as voters prepare to cast their votes on Saturday.