NFL Top 2013 Hall Of Fame Candidates

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Top 2013 Hall of Fame candidates

Sapp, Bettis, Carter, Parcells and others measure up to tough standard


By KC Joyner | ESPN Insider
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This weekend's Hall of Fame ceremonies will mark the celebratory end to a lifelong journey for six men, but it will also mark the beginning of the ruminations on who should receive a Hall of Fame nomination in 2013.

In reviewing the candidates, it is helpful to remember one of the suggestions Bill James made in regard to gauging Hall of Fame worthiness. James surmised that most of the best contenders for induction into a Hall of Fame would have at least one rare or unique identifier that separated them from most or all of the other candidates. Examples of this from James' sport of choice, baseball, could include Hank Aaron's 755 home runs (unique) or a pitcher notching 300 wins (rare).

There is a glut of candidates from previous Hall of Fame classes who just missed the cut, and that's before you consider the players eligible for the first time in 2013 -- a list that includes Larry Allen, Jonathan Ogden, Michael Strahan, Warren Sapp and Priest Holmes. But using that above criterion, we can sift through the lists to find eight Hall of Fame candidates with rare or unique identifiers that place them ahead of their competition.

Larry Allen, OG, Dallas Cowboys (1994-2005), San Francisco 49ers (2006-07)
Warren Sapp, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995-2003), Oakland Raiders (2004-07)

Rare/unique identifier: Named to two All-Decade teams

There have been 17 non-specialist players (i.e. not including kickers and punters) who have been named to two separate All-Decade teams. All 15 players from that group who are eligible for the Hall of Fame have been inducted into Canton. Allen and Sapp are the only two who have not been inducted, and they are both in their first year of eligibility and thus will get a shot at making it 17-for-17.

Jerome Bettis, RB, Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams (1993-95), Pittsburgh Steelers (1996-2005)

Rare/unique identifier: Broke the Jim Brown rushing yardage barrier

Prior to the advent of the 16-game schedule, the benchmark for elite career success among running backs was reaching the 10,000-yard mark.

The longer schedule made achieving that goal not quite the highlight that it had been prior to that point, so a new benchmark needs to be set. The suggestion here is to use the mark that was for a long time the Mount Everest of rushing statistics: Jim Brown's career rushing total of 12,312 yards.

Only eight backs have found their way past that total, and six of them (Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin, Eric Dickerson and Tony Dorsett) have been inducted into Canton. The only two who haven't been are LaDainian Tomlinson (who just retired and thus isn't eligible) and Bettis.

Cris Carter, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (1987-89), Minnesota Vikings (1990-2001), Miami Dolphins (2002)

Rare/unique identifier: A possession receiver who can also compete statistically with vertical threats

The Hall of Fame case for most possession receivers is typically centered around the volume of their statistics, not the quality.

In Carter's case, he has the volume (1,101 receptions, 130 receiving touchdowns, 13,899 receiving yards), but as noted in this Insider article, his best eight-year stretch can go toe-to-toe with just about any wide receiver in NFL history -- including 2007 Hall of Fame inductee Michael Irvin -- and shows his stats are just as strong in the quality category.

Bill Parcells, coach, New York Giants (1983-90), New England Patriots (1993-96), New York Jets (1997-99), Dallas Cowboys (2003-06)

Rare/unique identifier: Only coach to lead four different teams to the playoffs

Parcells is unique in that he is the only coach to lead four different teams to the playoffs, but he is also unique in that all of the other coaches in NFL history who turned around more than two NFL franchises (e.g. Chuck Knox, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer) did so without winning a Super Bowl. Put the volume of franchise turnarounds with the ability to post two wins in the biggest game the league has to offer and it gives Parcells' Hall of Fame resume an exclusive niche.

Will Shields, OG, Kansas City Chiefs (1993-2006)
Jonathan Ogden, OT, Baltimore Ravens (1996-2007)

Rare/unique identifier: Double-digit Pro Bowl nominations
The value of a Pro Bowl nomination has been diluted over the years by the volume of players who end up skipping the game (and thus opening a roster spot for another player) and its frequent use as a gold watch type of honor at or near the end of a player's career.

Having said that, it is still rare to rack up a double-digit number of Pro Bowl berths, and every player who has done this and is eligible for the Hall of Fame has been inducted into Canton with the exception of Shields (this will be Ogden's first year of eligibility).

Senior candidate suggestion

Jerry Kramer, OG, Green Bay Packers (1958-1968)

Rare/unique identifier: Member of NFL's 50th Anniversary All-Time team

The NFL has named an All-Time team two times in its history, the first being the 50th anniversary team in 1969 and the second being the 75th Anniversary team in 1994.

Only three players on those two teams are not in the Hall of Fame: Kramer, Ray Guy and Billy "White Shoes" Johnson. Guy and Johnson certainly have strong cases for induction, but they were special teams players and thus have to deal with the long-standing hesitance by Hall of Fame voters to induct players of that nature.

That leaves Kramer as the only non-specialist on these two teams to not be inducted and thus offers a very strong case for his inclusion as the senior candidate.
 

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