Who do you consider to be the players least deserving to be in the HoF (that are already in of course)?
I have a few who I don't believe should b in the HoF, or at least should not have gone in ahead of other, more deserving players. I believe it was because of the hype surrounding them or the effective campaign to get them in.
Here we go:
CB Emmitt Thomas - class of 2008 - played from 1966-78 - was named to 5 Pro-Bowls and 1 time 1st team All Pro. He did have 58 INTs in his career but so did a lot of other guys from that era. A couple of more deserving candidates would be:
FS Johhny Robinson - Played from 1960-71 - named to 7 Pro-Bowls and 1st team All-Pro 6 times - 57 INTs. Was Thomas' teammate with the Chiefs from 66-71.
FS Jimmy Patton - Played from 1955-66 - named to 5 Pro-Bowls and 1st team All-Pro 5 times - 52 INTs. Played on great Giants teams of the late 50s - early 60s an was considered the best Safety in the game for 5 straight years from 1958-62.
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Next is DE/DT Dan Hampton AKA "Danimal" from the 80s Bears, inducted in 2002. Played from 1979-90 - named to 4 Pro-Bowls and 1 time a 1st team All-Pro. Credited with 2 sacks (unofficially). His claim to fame was his ferocity and that he played on a great Bears' defense. A couple of others I think were more deserving are:
DE Claude Humphrey - Played from 1968-81 for the Falcons & Eagles - named to the Pro-Bowl 6 times and named 1st team All-Pro 2 times - unofficially credited with 126.5 sacks.
DE George Andrie - Played for the Cowboys from 1962-72 - was named to the Pro-Bowl 5 consecutive years and named to the 1st team All-Pro once - unofficially credited with 97 sacks.
Hampton was the product of the hype surrounding the Bears in the mid-80s but he was nowhere near as dominant a player as the media made him out to be. Andrie had more success than he did but gets no recognition. Humphries is overlooked because he played most of his career on a lousy team, the Falcons. He, C Jeff Van Note, and LB Tommy Nobis were great players but will never get the recognition they deserve because they were on a lame team.
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OLB Andre Tippett - Class of 2008 - Played from 1982-93 for the Patriots - named to 5 Pro-Bowls and 1st team All-Pro 2 times - credited with 100 sacks and 1 INT. Was an outstanding pass-rusher but was considered a liability in coverage and not a great run stopper. He was made famous by his involvement in martial arts which helped to hype him up with the media.
A couple of guys I feel are more deserving are:
ILB Karl Mecklenberg - Played for the Broncos from 1983-94 - named to the Pro-Bowl 6 times and 1st team All-Pro 3 times - credited with 79 sacks, 1104 tackles and 5 INTs. Getting 79 sacks from the inside LB position is quite a feat!
OLB Chuck Howley - Played from 1958-1973 - named to 6 Pro-Bowls and 1st team All-Pro 5 times - 25 INTs. Named MVP of SBV, the only time a player from the losing team has won it.
Tippett was a very good player but he was limited in what he could do. His involvement in martial arts made him a cult figure, which is fine but it shouldn't get you into the NFL HoF IMO. Mecklenberg is much more deserving IMO and Howley was a better all-around player and had more recognition for his football playing than Tippett. Yet another reason why the mediots shouldn't make up the selection committee.
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OK two more quick ones...
RB John Henry Johnson - inducted in 1987 - played from 1954-66 for the 49ERs, Lions, Stealers, & his final season with the Oilers. Named to the Pro-Bowl 4 times, was never named 1st team All-Pro. For the first 8 years of his career he didn't do much but then at 33 years old he ripped off an 1141-yard season in 1962. He had another 1000+ year in 1964 at 35 years old! That's an amazing feat but it isn't HoF worthy IMO. Two great years out of 13 is not a HoF career, even if they did come so late. He gained 6803 yards and 48 TDs rushing.
There are probably a lot of guys more deserving but I'll just throw out one...
RB Don Perkins - Played for the Cowboys from 1961-68 - named to the Pro-Bowl 6 times and 1st team All-Pro once. 6 PBs in 8 seasons is a pretty darn good career! Even though he never had a 1000+ yard season he was very consistent. Also, the offense Landry used did not have a feature RB but used at least 2 primary backs that were essentially interchangeable.
Considering he played 5 fewer seasons that Johnson his stats are pretty close: 6217 yards - 42 TDs rushing. neither guy was used as a receiver much and their stats there are very close as well: JHJ 186-1478, DP 146-1310.
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Last one for now...
WR Lynn Swann - inducted in 2001 - played from 1974-82 - named to the Pro-Bowl 3 times and 1st team All Pro once. His stats are pathetic and he is in SOLELY based on his circus catches in big games. Well, that and he played for the Stealers. He caught 336 passes for 5462 yards and 51 TDs. He never had a 1000+ yard season and he wasn't even the best WR on his team (Stallworth was) but he has been in every highlight reel from the late 70s onwards. The media loved this guy, particularly after he became one of them.
Definitely not deserving and there were a lot better WRs around back then. One was:
WR Drew Pearson - played for the Cowboys from 1973-83 - named to 3 Pro-Bowls and 1st team All-Pro 3 times. Drew also had his share of great catches in big games, none bigger than the "Hail Mary" play. Pearson caught 489 passes for 7822 yards and 48 TDs. How Swann is in and Pearson isn't is a travesty!
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So who are your picks for HoFers that should be?
