Congrats to the HOF Class of 2022

[RRMarshall]

Finally Raiders WR Cliff Branch is in the Hall! 3 SBs to his credit and a consistent performer year-in and year-out. Sorry you were overlooked for so long. Congrats to Richard Seymour, Dick Vermeil and the rest of the new class.

[Brian wolf]

Congratulations to the Class Of 2022 !

What a journey for Sam Mills, from the USFL to the HOF ... amazing two interior defensive linemen made this Hall, though Seymour also played DE ...

A Defensive Class Indeed ...

[JuggernautJ]

Class of 2022:
Tony Boselli
LeRoy Butler
Sam Mills
Richard Seymour
Bryant Young
Cliff Branch
Art McNally
Dick Vermeil

https://www.nfl.com/news/pro-football-h ... nfl-honors

[sluggermatt15]

^Thanks, Jay!

[Hail Casares]

This feels like a really weak class to me. Young might be one of the worst DT's in the HOF now(especially one that made it through via standard balloting.) Sam Mills making it is, I guess questionable, especially over Zach Thomas.

Hester not making it seems like a bad sign for his future candidacy. This was the type of class he had to get through on. He has a shot next year, I suppose, with Joe Thomas being the only "no duh" first timer coming onto the ballot. I'm a bit torn on Hester getting into the HOF, but I mainly lean "no"

[Brian wolf]

I agree about Joe Thomas ...

I dont believe Revis or Freeney will be first ballot. Mathis might cancel out Freeney, while I believe Allen and Ware will get in next year. I think Ronde Barber will get in before Revis, though Revis wowed a lot of writers and voters. The receivers are log-jammed but no one stands out until Fitzgerald. Zack Thomas will make it next year I believe

2023 Wishlist

Howley
Parker
Vainisi

Woodson
Z Thomas
Ware
Nalen
Lewis

2023 Prediction

Gradishar
Parker
Kraft

Z Thomas
J Thomas
Ware
Allen
R Barber

[Andy Piascik]

Very well said, Hail Casares. I think Branch is a weak Hall of Famer whose election seems to have come about because the guy who ran the HOF up until recently was determined to get every single member of the all-1970s team in. In Mills's case, I think they justifiably gave some weight to his USFL accomplishments and that may have put him over the top.

I like Boselli but even his election comes with a question mark: he only played seven seasons that are really more like six (and only 3-4 of those at a really high level) because he only played three games in his final season. In e-mail exchanges I've had with several members of the Selection Committee about Dick Barwegan and Jim Ray Smith, two Seniors who are among the top five of the most deserving of enshrinement, the response was that the Committee said their careers were too short. Yet both played longer than Boselli and both have seriously better credentials.

The real mind-boggling one, like you said, is Young. Whoever the San Francisco voter is must have done a terrific sales job because there's nothing in Young's credentials that says Hall of Famer. I know John Turney supported him and, knowing John, I'm sure a lot of the reason was because he spent hours studying Young on film. But from what I'm told, HOF voters are disinclined to study film or to pay much attention to those who do.

The bottom line is that Young's election lowers the bar considerably. He goes in with exactly one consensus first team all-pro and four Pro Bowl selections. I don't know how many players there are on the outside looking in who have similar or better credentials but it must be at least 50 and probably more like 100. Included among them are all-time greats that we talk about all the time like Wistert, Dilweg, Barwegan, Gradishar, Jim Ray Smith, etc., whose resumes are off the charts compared to Young's.

Just think if we now begin to hear from supporters of every player whose credentials are the same as or better than Young's. The HOF would have to erect a whole new wing just to accommodate them all.

[Brian wolf]

In your opinion Andy, when or how soon will the HOF start to consider two seniors per year again ?
Could it start with the Class Of 2024 ?

[Andy Piascik]

I'm not sure. I think they're supposed to go back to the format they had been using in a few years: one Senior nominee one year, two Senior nominees the year after that, then one the following year, then two, etc.

[Ness]

I'm a 49ers fan so upcoming biased take, but obviously I'm glad to see Bryant Young make the HOF, and I think he deserves it. Bryant Young was on the 1990's All Decade team along with Warren Sapp, John Randle, and Cortez Kennedy, which like it or not seems to hold weight with the voting. He was certainly in the discussion at times from the mid to late 1990's to being the best defensive tackle in the game. He was even able to stand out during, and after his teammate Dana Stubblefield left who was also the in the same talks for best DT in the league for a hot minute. In addition to being an elite run defender Young has nearly 90 sacks from the interior position, and that just doesn't happen for most players at that spot. Some folks have already chimed in that this will lower the standards for other guys moving forward, but I don't think so at all. The HOF inductee process has always been a nutty odyssey, and even perceived "lesser" candidates has never opened the floodgates for others of the same ilk. To me that's like saying Andre Reed or Tim Brown, neither whom were ever in the discussion for best ever at their position nor won anything, was going to bring in a bunch of other receivers that never got a 1st Team All Pro selection like Carl Pickens or Irving Fryar. That hasn't been the case, and not likely to be moving forward. Also, I know Michael Dean Perry was a menace at DT, and could have, maybe should made the All Decade 90's team over Young, but he didn't. Young probably did get more recognition being on TV a lot more in addition to winning a Super Bowl. He also was able to play longer starting nearly every game until he retired after age 35. Anyway, glad it all worked out in the end for this fan. Sucks that Willis didn't get in, but he already had a better chance than Bryant Young so it will happen sooner than later. Go squad, and cheers to all of the other inductees.