The 2016 Hall Of Fame induction ceremony takes place tonight, which means it's the official return of football as we usher in some of the best players in the history of the NFL. Sunday night sees the Packers take on the Colts in the first NFL preseason game of 2016, which will be played at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
This year's inductees include Brett Favre, Kevin Greene, Marvin Harrison, Orlando Pace, the late Ken Stabler, Dick Stanfel, Tony Dungy, and 49ers owner Ed DeBartolo, Jr. It's an impressive list, and all of these men are clearly worthy of football's highest honor, but every year at this time we debate what current players may be headed to Canton when they retire so let's take a look at the likelihood of some of today's best NFL players entering the halls of football glory.
QUARTERBACKS
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Tom Brady - In. No question about this. He's got 4 Super Bowl rings with 6 appearances and tons of passing stats. He's a 1st ballot HOFer and will likely go down as the best QB ever.
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Drew Brees - In. Again, I don't think this even debatable. If he's not a 1st ballot guy, it's a travesty. He's basically Dan Marino with a Super Bowl ring. He's got 9 Pro Bowls, 2 times he's been NFL Offensive POY, he led the NFL in passing yards 6 times, TDs 4 times, he threw 7 TDs in 1 game, and had 54 consecutive games with a TD pass. He could retire today and he'd have a bust in 5 years.
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Carson Palmer - Out. He's had a good career, but he falls short of being legendary. He was AFC player of the year in 2005 and is a 3 time pro bowler, but that's about where his numbers stop. He's played well for both Cincy and Arizona, and he may very well get a ring before his career ends but at 36, his window is closing fast.
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Tony Romo - Out. He's in the Hall of Very Good, but right now I don't see how you can put him in the Hall of Fame. He could have been a HOFer but he's largely been plagued by injuries and miscues in big spots. Like Palmer, he's 36 and Dallas would love to get to the big game before he retires.
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Eli Manning - In. This one is probably the biggest debate for QBs, and you hear it a lot. So let's take a look at the facts. 2 time Super Bowl Champion and 2 time Super Bowl MVP. 4 Pro Bowls. He has just under a 60% completion ratio though, and has trouble with interceptions. If he didn't already have 2 rings, I'd say he'd be left out, but being that he not only won 2 Super Bowls but beat Tom Brady in both of them, along with putting up respectable numbers, I think he gets in. It may take some time, but he plays in the largest media market in the country and I think he'll eventually be welcomed into Canton.
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Philip Rivers - Out. Eli and Rivers will forever be linked based on the draft which saw San Diego swap picks with the Giants, and then the fallout from those decisions. Rivers has a had a very very good career, but history usually shows, if you don't at least make it to the Super Bowl, you have to have a phenomenal career to get into the hall. Rivers is a 5 time Pro Bowler with nearly a 65% completion ratio, but he never got to the big game even with LT as his running back and with the way the Chargers are going it doesn't look like he'll ever make it. Again, he's in the Hall of Very Good, but outside of multiple years with passing titles and a Most Valuable Player award he's likely not getting a bust in Ohio.
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Ben Roethlisbeger - In. He's got 2 rings and 3 Super Bowl appearances. Big Ben is also a 4 time Pro Bowler while completing 64% of his passes. He's been hobbled by injuries throughout his career, but it's nearly impossible to imagine a guy with 2 rings and 3 SB appearances along with his passing stats to not get in.
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Jay Cutler - Out. Not getting in. He's had a decent career, but nothing really noteworthy. He's made 1 Pro Bowl and 1 NFC Championship game, but that's about it.
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Aaron Rodgers - In. He's arguably the best QB in football right now. He's a Super Bowl Champion, with 5 Pro Bowls, and 2 MVPs. I'm somewhat surprised he hasn't been to more than one Super Bowl, but he's clearly been a top 3 QB in the league for some time.
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Alex Smith - Out. He's been the blueprint of consistency, but nothing flashy. He doesn't turn the ball over, but he also doesn't wow you in any area. He's a very good check down QB, and he does have a Pro Bowl to his credit, but he's not in the discussion for the HOF.
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Joe Flacco - Out. Flacco does have a Super Bowl title and a Super Bowl MVP along with a Rookie of the Year title. But, he doesn't have a Pro Bowl to his name and he's been in the league since 2008. If he gets another title under his belt, then we can revisit the discussion, but with only 1 ring, you historically have to put up big stats and Flacco hasn't done that so far.
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Matt Ryan - Out. Matty Ice does have 3 Pro Bowls to his credit, along with a Rookie of the Year award, and a strong 64% completion percentage. But, he's only made it as far as the NFC Championship game once, losing to the 49ers in 2012. If he's able to grab himself a ring and pad some more stats, he could work his way into the conversation, but right now he's on the outside looking in.
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Andy Dalton - Leaning towards Out. Dalton has put up decent numbers in his first 5 seasons, making 2 Pro Bowls. He's made the playoffs every single year, but yet to win a playoff game and his INT ratio in the playoffs is 1 TD to 6 INTs. Ouch. Still, his passer rating increased significantly last year, and if he can translate his regular season success to the playoffs, he could become one of the top QBs in the league.
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Matt Stafford - Out. Stafford will always be a gunslinger. He's got a top level arm and has already thrown for over 25,000 yards in 7 seasons. However, he's 42-51 overall and 0-2 in the playoffs. Add that to the fact that he doesn't have Megatron to throw to anymore and it would take a big turnaround for Stafford to get to Canton.
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Russell Wilson - Leaning towards In. Had it not been for a late interception in Super Bowl 49, Wilson would have 2 rings before the age of 26, and he'd be well on his way to Canton. Still, he's developed into a excellent signal caller and his ability to throw through passing lanes rather than over them is extremely impressive. At 27, he has 3 Pro Bowls already and led the NFL in passer rating in 2015. It'll be interesting to see if Wilson and the Seahawks can maintain their dominance with Lynch retiring, but the first half of Wilson's career has been extraordinary.
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Cam Newton - Leaning towards In. 3 Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl appearance with a 15-1 regular season record, Rookie of the Year, NFL MVP, and countless other awards at age 27 have put Newton on the path to immortality. He's hovered right around a 60% completion ratio his entire career, but his ability to hurt you with his arm and his legs is well documented.
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Andrew Luck - Jury still out. The anointed future of NFL QBs has had some success in his first 4 seasons, making an AFC title game in 2014 and 3 Pro Bowls (2012, 2013, 2014), but 2015 saw an injury plagued season, and Luck has struggled his entire career with INTs. His yards passing is impressive, when you discount 2015 due to injury, as he's averaging over 4,000 yards a season, but if he doesn't get some help with his offensive line and defense, he's going to struggle to make it to a Super Bowl.
RUNNING BACKS
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Adrian Peterson - In. Not up for discussion. 7 Pro Bowls (5 of them 1st team All Pro), 2012 MVP, 3 Rushing titles, Rookie of the Year, a 2,000 yard season, and a bunch of other stats pretty much guarantee Peterson a place in the Hall of Fame.
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Frank Gore - In. 5 Pro Bowls, 8 1,000 yard seasons, 4.5 yards per carry, and he's currently 15th on the all-time rushing yards list, just behind Thurman Thomas. He may not be a 1st ballot guy, but if he just rushes for 500 yards this year he'll pass Thurman Thomas and Franco Harris, and the top 10 is not out of reach if he has the type of season he had last year.
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Matt Forte - Out. Hall of Very Good worthy, but not HOF worthy. He's a 2 time Pro Bowler, and he's been consistent his entire career, playing no less than 12 games a year, and rushing for at least 900 yards a season, except for 2015, when he rushed for 898. However, his numbers aren't enough to put him over the top.
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Jamaal Charles - Leaning towards Out. This one is probably the hardest one to pick, because Charles could still very well get in. He's got 4 Pro Bowls, 2 first team All Pros, and 5 1,000 yard seasons. What's really hurt his chances though is injury, as he basically missed 2 seasons in his prime due to injury; 2 seasons in which he likely would have totaled another 1,000 yard season and possibly another pro bowl. He's 29 right now, so you figure he's probably got a minimum of 3 years left, and if he gets over 10,000 career total yards, he may have done enough to convince the voters to get in.
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LeSean McCoy - Leaning towards Out. Similar to Charles, McCoy is still young enough to up his stats to get in. He has 7,687 career yards, with 4.6 yards per carry, 4 1,000 yard seasons, and 4 Pro Bowls to his credit. McCoy just turned 28 so he likely has 4-5 more years in the league, and if he averages close to a 1,000 yards per year, he could make it.
WIDE RECEIVERS
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Andre Johnson - In. 7 Pro Bowls, twice he was the NFL season receiving yards leader, and he's currently 9th all time in receiving yards. Personally, I think he could have retired this year and still been a Hall of Famer, but in a year in which he'll largely pad his stats as Tennessee has too many holes to make a major run in 2016, he should finish ahead of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne by the end of his career.
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Steve Smith, Sr. - In. Steve Smith, Sr. is right behind Andre Johnson in his number of receiving yards, sitting at 11th on the all time list. He has 5 Pro Bowls and 8 1,000 yard seasons and if Flacco and Smitty are both healthy this year, it's likely that he'll break into the top 10 in all time receiving yards along with Andre Johnson.
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Larry Fitzgerald - In. Fitzgerald just signed an extension this week, that will prolong his career in Arizona. He's an astounding 9 time Pro Bowler, with 7 seasons of 1,000 yards or more. He's No. 15 on the all time list, and at 32 if he likely has at least 2 more seasons of top quality performance, he'd easily finish in the top 10 in all time receiving yards.
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Anquan Boldin - Jury still out. Boldin has very similar numbers to Fitzgerald in terms of receiving yards. Additionally, he has 3 Pro Bowls, a Rookie of the Year award, and being that he's playing in Detroit, he's going to get the ball thrown to him a lot, because that's what Matt Stafford does. Right now he sits at 13,195 yards for 17th all time, and while he may retire at the end of this year, if he gets 700 yards receiving which he has for the last decade, he'll break into the top 15. That usually would get you into the hall, but with the passing era being in full swing you're going to see a ton of guys break records, so the voters are going to have to take into account more than just yards.
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Brandon Marshall - Jury still out. This comes down to how long Brandon Marshall plays. If Fitzpatrick gets a multi-year deal after 2016, and Marshall stays in New York for another 3-4 years, I think he's clearly in. He has 11,273 career yards right now, which is good for 31st overall. However, he has 6 Pro Bowls and 8 out of the last 9 years he's had 1,000 yards receiving. If he keeps that average and plays for another 3 years he'll finish with close to 15,000 yards which will absolutely get him into Canton. However, production often falls off after 32, and it's questionable if he'll play for another 3 years.
Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, A.J. Green, and Dez Bryant are all off to great starts, but with the number of seasons they all have left to play, it's far too early to start predicting whether or not they enter the hall.
TIGHT ENDS
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Jason Witten - In. 10 Pro Bowls! Unreal. He's also 32nd all time on the receiving yards list, and with at least 2 more years left on his deal in Dallas, he's going to probably climb a lot higher. He's the all time leading receiver for the Dallas Cowboys and has over 1,000 reception for his career. He's in.
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Antonio Gates - In. Other than Tony Gonzales and the next guy on our list, Antonio Gates stands out as one of the best Tight Ends in recent years. He's 38th all time right now on the receiving yards list, but for a TE that's pretty impressive. He has over 100 touchdowns and 10,000 receiving yards. Additionally, he has 8 Pro Bowls, and 3 first team All Pros. The voters aren't usually letting in TEs on the first ballot, but it would be hard to keep him out of Canton.
Rob Gronkowski - In. Unless Gronk falls of the face of the earth between now and the next 5 years, he's going to be in the Hall of Fame. Objectively, he's the best Tight End I've ever seen. He's a total mismatch for every single defensive player in football, and he's a 4 time 1st team All Pro player. While I don't expect him to keep putting up the numbers he has been for the next 7-8 years, he's way ahead of the curve so far.
OFFENSIVE LINE
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Joe Thomas - In. While it's hard to gauge stats for offensive linemen, Thomas has played 9 years in the league and made the Pro Bowl every year. He's been the 1st team All Pro LT for the AFC 6 out of those 9 years, and doesn't look to be slowing down. He's signed through 2018, and should receive a bust in Canton once he hangs up his cleats.
DEFENSE & SPECIAL TEAMS
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Adam Vinatieri - In. 4 time Super Bowl Champion, 3 1st team All Pros, he's 3rd all time in Field Goals made, and he's probably going to go down as the most decorated kicker in NFL History based on the kicks he made and when he made them.
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Devin Hester - In. He's the all time leader in total returns for TDs with 20. Hester has 4 Pro Bowls, and while Special Teams isn't a position where a lot of good players wind up, Hester has made a career out of making sure that if teams kick it to him, they'll pay for it.
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Darrelle Revis - In. Revis has been a complete shutdown corner for some time, and has been a perennial Pro Bowler with 7 Pro Bowls in 9 seasons, and one of those seasons he only played 2 games, and the other season he was a rookie. He's made an absolute fortune by completely closing off half the field and making the best Wide Receivers in the NFL useless whenever they face him.
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Julius Peppers - Leaning towards In. 9 Pro Bowls, 3 1st team All Pros, Defensive Player of the Year 2004, 11 INTs for a DE, 48 Forced Fumbles, and he's 9th all time in Sacks. He'll be an undrafted free agent at the end of 2016, and may call it a career, but he's had quite an impressive career and I think he's headed towards Canton.
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Demarcus Ware - Leaning towards In. 9 Pro Bowls, 4 1st team All Pros, Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, 35 Forced Fumbles, and he's 11th all time in Sacks. Ware's numbers are almost identical to those of Julius Peppers, and the fact he's a year younger means he'll likely post similar or better stats.
As is the case with the Wide Receivers, there are a number of defensive players off to Hall of Fame-type careers, J.J. Watt, Von Miller, Luke Kuechly, Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman, the list goes on, but it's still early to determine if they are HOFers, but so far it sure looks like they are headed that way.
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Football is officially back underway in America. Rejoice in the fact we'll have football every weekend from now until February. Cheers!
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