NFL 100: At No. 29, Emmitt Smith did what he did for longer and better than anyone

 Welcome to the NFL 100, The Athletic's endeavor to identify the 100 best players in football history. Every day until the season begins, we'll unveil new members of the list, with the No. 1 player to be crowned on Wednesday, Sept. 8. 

Any time you talk about someone with all of the records in their given pursuit, there is an instinctive reaction from those who back others in the conversation to try to cheapen those records by saying it is merely a product of longevity.

https://theathletic.com/2757539/2021/08/13/nfl-100-at-no-29-emmitt-smith-did-what-he-did-for-longer-and-better-than-anyone/

NFL 100: At No. 45, Larry Allen lives in mythological lore, but he was real and spectacular

 Welcome to the NFL 100, The Athletic's endeavor to identify the 100 best players in football history. Every day until the season begins, we'll unveil new members of the list, with the No. 1 player to be crowned on Wednesday, Sept. 8. 

To properly express Larry Allen's legend amongst those who played with him, against him and viewed him from close range, we must enter into evidence that routinely his ability was discussed in terms that made comparisons somewhat pointless.

https://theathletic.com/2743769/2021/08/05/nfl-100-at-no-45-larry-allen-lives-in-mythological-lore-but-he-was-real-and-spectacular/

NFL 100: At No. 47, Cowboys’ Randy White terrified opponents unlike any undersized DT in history

 Welcome to the NFL 100, The Athletic’s endeavor to identify the 100 best players in football history. Every day until the season begins, we’ll unveil new members of the list, with the No. 1 player to be crowned on Wednesday, Sept. 8.

It has been a long time since he played in the NFL, so memories of the Manster on the football field will belong only to those at least 40 years of age.

https://theathletic.com/2723624/2021/08/04/nfl-100-at-no-47-cowboys-randy-white-terrified-opponents-unlike-any-undersized-dt-in-history/

Watching history unfold with Drew Pearson: Cowboys’ Hall of Fame receiver details ‘the catch’ vs. the Vikings

 It started with an email to the man who is about to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after waiting patiently and then impatiently for 33 years to get his moment of football immortality.

https://theathletic.com/2716252/2021/07/31/watching-history-unfold-with-drew-pearson-cowboys-hall-of-fame-receiver-details-the-catch-vs-the-vikings/

Those who know Jimmy Johnson best tell stories about the Hall of Fame coach

 On Aug. 7, Jimmy Johnson will be properly inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I have written plenty over the years about his credentials and his clear-cut case for football immortality with a bust in Canton.

https://theathletic.com/2696024/2021/07/27/that-was-just-jimmy-those-who-know-jimmy-johnson-best-tell-stories-about-the-hall-of-fame-coach/

Offseason Digest - Paul Dawson, Hall of Fame, Claiborne

If you want to start a fight, talk about the pro football hall of fame.  This is a great interest of mine (not fighting, but the hall of fame) and I love talking about it every year at this time. I certainly regret not writing more about it before the induction announcements were made, but surely you are quite aware of the new class that was announced on Saturday from Phoenix.

Junior Seau, Jerome Bettis, Charles Haley, Tim Brown, Will Shields, Mick Tingelhoff, Ron Wolf and Bill Polian will receive their bust sculptures and gold jackets in Canton next summer.

Obviously, it is locally a huge story to get Charles Haley into the Hall - a huge pillar of the Cowboys defense from 1992-1996 - and Dallas' own Tim Brown who never played here beyond high school, but absolutely put up a career of numbers that required a spot in football's hall.

The reason fights always break out when discussing the Hall of Fame is not because those inducted are not worthy.  But rather, because those who are not inducted, those who are forced to wait when others go right in, and what role being part of a special team or being on television have to do with expediting one's process over someone who just merely played football on an excellent individual basis and then retired to anonymity.

These issues all lead to frustration and it is interesting to see how the arguments are never consistent from person to person.  In fact, they often go off the rails because you apply one argument for one of your sacred sons, but then ignore the same logic when it works against another local guy.  Basically, everyone wants their guys rightfully honored, and nobody wants to wait.  Thus, the arguments.

Charles Haley is a very interesting case.  I should disclose that I have gotten to know him over the years and find him a fascinating human being and thus, the personal connection makes me want to rubber-stamp his place in Canton.  Yet, that whole "brother-in-law" idea is the very essence of what is wrong with the process and has been working against Haley - a guy who certainly did not endear himself to the media - for his whole career.

He was not on the 1980s or 1990s All-Decade teams.  Perhaps because his prime was half in the 1980s and half in the 1990s, or perhaps because those who covered the NFL felt he was a slight rung down from Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Chris Doleman, Howie Long, and even Neil Smith.

2 years ago, when the Haley discussion was really heating up, I wrote about his Hall of Fame case in the following manner:

His notable talking point is that he has 5 Super Bowl victories: 23, 24, 27, 28, and 30.  That is fantastic, and he was in on at least one sack in 4 of those Super Bowls.  He also has 100.5 sacks and although 100 seems like a magic number for Hall of Fame consideration, don't be so sure.

Leslie O'Neal has 132, Simeon Rice has 122, Sean Jones 113, Greg Townsend 109, Trace Armstrong 106, and yes, even Jim Jeffcoat has 102.5.  And if you knew that Jeffcoat had more career sacks than Charles Haley, then I congratulate you.  Because that surprised me.

Now, guys like Howie Long (84) have fewer sacks than Haley and are in the Hall of Fame, but Greg Ellis also has 84, so we must assume that sack totals do not tell all.  Which likely lead us back to 7 championship games and 5 Super Bowl rings.

The other oddity of Haley's career was that on those 1992 and 1993 Cowboys teams that are considered amongst the greatest single-season teams of this lifetime, he only finished 3rd and 4th in sacks.  In 1992, Jeffcoat had 10.5, Tony Tolbert 8.5, and Haley had 6.  In 1993, Tolbert had 7.5, Jeffcoat 6, Jimmie Jones 5.5, and Haley just 4.  Those numbers are hard to process. (Yes, he was double-teamed constantly making opportunities for others, but we can rest easy knowing White, Smith, and Doleman were constantly schemed against as well).

Now, having just viewed Super Bowl 27, I will attest to the fact that Haley was a monster that day and All-Pro tackle Will Wolford was beaten badly.  So, when the chips were down, he performed, but there are some production numbers that are problematic.

Meanwhile, for all of Howie Long's points earned as a personality who endeared himself to the public with smiles and television time, Haley will have a hill to overcome in that department as well.  As we know, the media votes, so if you spent most of your career trying to scare the media or at least be difficult, then hopefully the media is not vindictive (lol).

I want to be clear:  Haley is a hall of famer, no doubt.  But to those who still are not, Harvey Martin, Drew Pearson, Cliff Harris all come quickly to mind in Dallas alone, the criteria of what gets somebody in is very unclear.

Take the great pass rusher Kevin Greene.  With 160 sacks on some very good teams, Greene is the 3rd best pass rusher since the sack total has been tabulated starting in 1982.  Only Bruce Smith and Reggie White have more in the modern history of the sport.  And yet, I assume because he doesn't have Super Bowl titles, he is not in with nearly 60 more sacks than Haley.  But, 5 fewer rings.

So, where is the line?  Is it personal accomplishments?  Yes, sort of.  Or is it team accomplishments?  It sure seems that if you were part of a dynasty - or in Haley's case, 2 dynasties - that we put you in quicker and with less hesitation.  Look at all of the 1960s Packers and 1970s Steelers who are in.  It seems the same great fortune that allowed these guys to play with other special players and therefore win titles during their career continues to give them a huge advantage after their careers, as well.

You can't tell me Drew Pearson doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame, especially when Lynn Swann is already there.  But, Swann had a real difficult time getting in and you might be shocked to know that Dez Bryant is basically 1 catch from passing Swann's career yardage totals.  But, he won those Super Bowls against Pearson's team and maybe that is why he is in Canton and we wonder if Drew ever will be.

The bottom line is that in football, we just have a hard time identifying how to quantify a player's contribution that led to the wins his team enjoyed.  Quarterbacks are the easiest, but how do we know a guard or a defensive tackle's net contribution to his team's wins?  And should a team's wins be a major requirement for a Hall that tries to recognize individual excellence?

If only players who have sturdy post-season accomplishments have a spot in Canton, I wonder how we will argue differently when it is time to honor Jason Witten or DeMarcus Ware around here.  Both were amongst the best in their era.  But, both, to this point, are much more Kevin Greene than Charles Haley.

Greene is currently wondering if he will ever get in.

I love this topic, but at the end of the proverbial day, everybody wants "their guys" in and don't care who gets left behind from some other franchise.  It is simply the nature of the Hall of Fame and the starter of many a fight.

TODAY'S DRAFT PROFILE:

(Each issue of S.O.D., we shall tackle another draft prospect.  No, I have never been a scout or a NFL General Manager, but I am willing to watch a ton of football.  By watching about 200 snaps of each prospect, we can really get a feel for a player and then know what we are talking about a bit better.  It is no exact science, but the NFL hasn't quite figured out drafting either, so we are going to do the best we can.)

Find all the profiles here.

Paul Dawson, LB, TCU - 6'2, 230 - Senior

Linebacker Paul Dawson #47 of the TCU Horned Frogs warms up before the Big 12 college football game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Amon G. Carter Stadium on December 6, 2014 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Some positions are premium in the draft, but that means others contain very good players that simply are not valued at the same level of currency in the modern NFL.  Non-pass rushing linebackers are certainly in the latter category (but, then again so are guards and centers and the Cowboys have selected one of each in the last 2 1st rounds and they seem quite pleased with the results).  Dawson is another from the defensive football factory in Fort Worth where Gary Patterson employs a 4-2-5 defense and has his 2 linebackers running around destroying everything and being prepared for the NFL in the process.  Dawson was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and grew into a spot where he became the talk of the draft as the Bowl season developed.  For his profile, I looked at Oklahoma State, Texas, and Ole Miss to see what he was all about.

What I liked:  Pop on one of his games and it becomes clear very quickly that he runs very well and has no problem in space against running backs in routes.  To play the position he was asked to play, he has to pick through traffic and seek and destroy guys in the open field, and he does it with great explosiveness.  Maybe his best attribute is how he can take on blockers and still make the stop.  Pulling guards or lead full backs have a heck of a time keeping their ball carrier clean with Dawson flying around them with his athleticism and still racking up another tackle for loss.  His closing speed is amazing and panic inducing to a QB who is trying to find a solution to this on the fly.  He shoots gaps so well and has a real knack for blitzing off the edge when it is called for.  He really plays linebacker like a safety with his fluid ability and his heat-seeking missile style.

What I did not like:  Sometimes, he gets going a bit too fast and will over-run plays and miss an opportunity.  I am sure he is taught to err on the side of going too fast, but you don't want to leave plays unmade out there.  He also has pretty much just 2014 of production as he was a JUCO transfer and a wide receiver out of high school.  What you have to ask yourself is how much do you invest in a player like this who appears to be a perfect "Will" Linebacker candidate in Rod Marinelli's 4-3.

Summary:  This is absolutely the type of player that would fit wonderfully into the Cowboys' plans, but there are many mitigating circumstances to consider.  The biggest is that they really only have Sean Lee and Anthony Hitchens under contract in 2015, while Justin Durant, Bruce Carter, and Rolando McClain are all free.  Surely, those decisions are tied together.  But, also, Dawson was the type of kid that just 60 days ago seemed like a reasonable 2nd or 3rd round idea, and now he may, with a great spring, be the type of guy to work his way into the 1st round if a team wants this type of talent.  He is very good, the question is whether a team like the Cowboys should allocate resources here when they really want to address the sack issue and the potential replacement for DeMarco Murray.  Complicated, but Dawson is exceptional at what he does, which is to cause major chaos on a regular basis.

You can view plenty of his tape here at Draftbreakdown.com.

=====

Today's Email/Tweet Of The Day:

Rich-  First and foremost, I really appreciate your email.  This is the type of conversation I love because there are many examples of corners converting to safety (especially free safety) that turn out very well.  The question is should the Cowboys undertake that experiment with a guy who was compared to Deion Sanders just 32 months ago by the franchise and is still a very young and talented player.

My personal feelings are that they should try to continue down the corner road for the current time being.  He is just too much of an investment to walk away from and they have a defensive coach in Rod Marinelli that has shown again and again that he can handle reclamation projects.  I don't know if Claiborne has ever seen himself as that type of guy in his whole career, but we are now at a pivotal spot for the kid.  If the Cowboys decide to pick up his 2016 option or not (and I think that is nearly impossible - despite what Jerry has said), he is now at a spot where his career can go in 2 directions.  1) he can step up and show why he was a top 10 pick quickly or 2) he will be just another guy taking what is available to prove himself as he enters his career.  The difference in those 2 paths is often the difference between $10m a year and $1m for a 1-year deal.

So, there is a huge financial component to all of this and time is running very short for a guy trying to rally from an ACL, too.  The player is stuck between wanting to get that next deal and doing whatever the team wants.  The only proper way to convert a guy is when he believes it is the best chance for him to stay in the league and I am going to guess Claiborne still isn't feeling desperate yet.  He likely still believes that he can turn this around at corner.

But, if your larger point is that the Cowboys don't have a very good free safety right now, I will agree.  I think with JJ Wilcox and Barry Church, the Cowboys are getting by with two natural box safeties.  I think Wilcox is fine and developing, but we see that at times his angles and instincts lead you to believe that they could upgrade there.  I have been hoping for a Calvin Pryor-type to fix this in previous years, but it certainly has never appeared the Cowboys consider safety a position worth major investment.

Could they fix 2 issues with one move?  Claiborne to safety?  It would be a fun experiment, but it would have high stakes and would require his complete buy-in.  Which, I don't know is to be expected at this juncture in what will certainly be a contract year.

Next Draft Profile:  Shaq Thompson, LB, Washington

One More Thing...The Hall of Fame

You are going to hear quite a few media types using cliches today - as they are wont to do - and one will be along of lines of saying, "now that all the hype is behind us, all we have left is the football game."

And they would be forgetting one very important item that must be covered in this space.  At least, one of my favorite portions of Super Bowl week every year and something that I never get tired of discussing; Hall of Fame induction Day.

I feel like the other sports have rather random ways of announcing their hall of fame inductees and they often announce them in their offseason on a day when you aren't really thinking about that sport.  But, not my football.  Oh, no.  Football properly takes advantage of having its universe all located in the same city for the Super Bowl and makes the day before the big game the day where they ask their exclusive voters to assemble for an all-morning and much of the afternoon voting session that will end in that year's class.  They will be inducted at the dawn of the next season in Canton for the first preseason game, but the year ends as the new class is announced.  It is perfect in its symmetry if you ask me.

So, while many are typing up their game previews (I certainly feel this is the 49ers game to lose.  And it is not about Kaepernick as much as it is about the team concept is where San Francisco has consistently been the best team in football this year.  That is not to say that their QB doesn't matter, it is just that it doesn't matter AS MUCH as other teams.  They are loaded everywhere and have two more important things that teams like the Cowboys can only dream about: health and depth.  They were the single healthiest team in the league this year which only amplifies the talent discrepancies it enjoys at so many positions.  Then, in the rare cases where they did need a proper backup, they were able to use their very high draft picks to solidify their openings.  The Ravens are built much the same way, but as we did see many moons ago when the Cowboys had them beat in Baltimore, they are just not that solid on the defense as we are led to believe by the media.  They are a team that is on a very nice run and they also do have the feel as the annual "hot team in the playoffs", but I will resist the urge to fall for the Ray Lewis narrative and stick with my eyeballs and take San Francisco, 24-20.  It should be an excellent game that pretty much nobody predicted this year.  And just so you take my prediction no more seriously than you should, I had New England beating Green Bay in this game back in August when we had to file our season picks.), I will get after this year's Hall of Fame vote.

There was a time from a Cowboys perspective that Dallas was wildly under-represented in Canton.  Sure, there were some players who were in the Hall of Fame who played a small portion of their career in Dallas like Lance Alworth, Herb Adderley, Forrest Gregg, Tommy McDonald, Mike Ditka, and Jackie Smith.  But, none of those guys were guys who would be considered Cowboys by visitors of the Hall.  Jackie may have had his biggest moment with the Cowboys, but he only played one season here and had such a bigger career than that one moment in the end-zone of Super Bowl 13 would suggest.  Google him and be impressed.

But, for a team that had such a great track record of success, as of 2004, the only actual Cowboys' players who were in the Hall of Fame were: Bob Lilly (inducted in 1980), Roger Staubach (1985), Tony Dorsett (1994), Randy White (1994), and Mel Renfro (1996).

That number was nice, but frankly, when the Houston Oilers could boast a similar number, it did not seem to properly reflect the amount of winning the franchise had done over the years.  Look at Pittsburgh and Oakland - these are teams who were able to get way more players in from those dominant teams of the 1970's and 1980's.  But, the Cowboys hit a wall for almost a decade.

Then, in 2006, in Miami, the wall came tumbling down.  That year, it was Troy Aikman and Rayfield Wright.  In 2007, Michael Irvin got the call.  In 2009, Bob Hayes was honored.  In 2010, it was Emmitt Smith and in 2011, Deion Sanders was inducted.  Sanders, of course, is likely remembered more for playing with several teams, but everyone else were clear Cowboys.  So, in just a handful of years, the number of Cowboys went from 5 to 10.  Things seemed to be equalized.  The cries of the "Anti-Cowboys bias" have been quieted quite a bit.

That doesn't mean that all of the cases are closed.  There are still many around here - including me as I have written several times - who believe Drew Pearson needs to be in.  At this point, he will need to go the route of Bob Hayes with the senior committee, but I still can't believe that a guy with moments as big as his would not eventually get in.

Harvey Martin also seems like a worthy inductee and we could actually make quite a list of others while we are at it that, but there are two more who might get in tomorrow when the committee convenes for the 2013 session.

The first is one of those no-brainers who will be in either this year or next year.  He is one of those "it is simply a matter of time" guys because in the last 20 years, nobody has been a better offensive lineman than Larry Allen.  A giant human with even larger feats of strength than guys his size, Allen dominated his opponents with great ease and routine.  Having played left tackle, left guard, right guard, and right tackle, it was pretty clear that Allen could fix any positional issue the Cowboys had over his long career, and in his prime was the best of the best.

He was named to both the all-decade team of the 1990s and the all decade team of the 2000s.  At the end of his stay in Dallas he wasn't at his peak, but if you consider his 14 years as a whole, Allen is exceeded at guard only by one player - John Hannah - for All-Pro teams.  Hannah made 10, whereas Allen was on 7 which tied him with Gene Upshaw (Jim Parker had 8 as a tackle/guard).

This season, 3 offensive linemen are up for induction.  Will Shields is in his 2nd year of eligibility and has credentials that indicate his wait won't be long, too, and Jonathan Ogden is in his 1st year.  The believe is that 2 get in, so while I feel Allen is in this class, there is no predicting the voters choice.

The other Cowboys interest is for Charles Haley.  His notable talking point is that he has 5 Super Bowl victories: 23, 24, 27, 28, and 30.  That is fantastic, and he was in on at least one sack in 4 of those Super Bowls.  He also has 100.5 sacks and although 100 seems like a magic number for Hall of Fame consideration, don't be so sure.

Leslie O'Neal has 132, Simeon Rice has 122, Sean Jones 113, Greg Townsend 109, Trace Armstrong 106, and yes, even Jim Jeffcoat has 102.5.  And if you knew that Jeffcoat had more career sacks than Charles Haley, then I congratulate you.  Because that surprised me.

Now, guys like Howie Long (84) have fewer sacks than Haley and are in the Hall of Fame, but Greg Ellis also has 84, so we must assume that sack totals do not tell all.  Which likely lead us back to 7 championship games and 5 Super Bowl rings.

The other oddity of Haley's career was that on those 1992 and 1993 Cowboys teams that are considered amongst the greatest single-season teams of this lifetime, he only finished 3rd and 4th in sacks.  In 1992, Jeffcoat had 10.5, Tony Tolbert 8.5, and Haley had 6.  In 1993, Tolbert had 7.5, Jeffcoat 6, Jimmie Jones 5.5, and Haley just 4.  Those numbers are hard to process.

Now, having just viewed Super Bowl 27, I will attest to the fact that Haley was a monster that day and All-Pro tackle Will Wolford was beaten badly.  So, when the chips were down, he performed, but there are some production numbers that are problematic.

Meanwhile, for all of Howie Long's points earned as a personality who endeared himself to the public with smiles and television time, Haley will have a hill to overcome in that department as well.  As we know, the media votes, so if you spent most of your career trying to scare the media or at least be difficult, then hopefully the media is not vindictive (lol).

My best guess at the class - which means who I expect to get in, not who I believe SHOULD be voted in is likely to be: Larry Allen, Cris Carter, Art Modell, Jonathan Ogden, Dave Robinson, and Michael Strahan.

I figure that this prediction will be about as reliable as the Patriots beating the Packers on Sunday, but just know that I will be locked in on Saturday as the new class is announced.  I personally hope Charles Haley gets the call, but I assume that Strahan will vault past with his 141 sacks, New York personality, and big Super Bowl moment.  But, perhaps I am wrong.  And that doesn't even consider Bill Parcells, Warren Sapp, Tim Brown, or Andre Reed.

As you can see, there are more worthy candidates than there are spaces available.  And that won't change as a new crop is eligible every year.

I still look forward to the day where this process is fully televised, but the voters think this would irreparably damage the ability for voters to speak freely.  That may be the case, but it sure seems like transparency is one way to take away vendettas or at least make people with them be accountable.

Either way, the discussion are fun for those of us who are not hanging on every vote.  Pity the players who must, until their day arrives - if, in fact, it does.

On the 2012 Hall of Fame Class

On Saturday, the Hall of Fame class for Canton in 2012 was announced, and great news was delivered to Curtis Martin, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy, Dermontti Dawson, Willie Roaf, and veteran's committee candidate Jack Butler.

These 6 men will be proudly inducted in the late summer in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and be honored along side the greatest who have ever played the game.

It is atypical Hall of Fame class, because there is not a particularly huge "superstar" in this class, and yet all are quite deserving. A brief look at the bios of each player reveal that there is a strong case to be made here with the induction of each of the 5 modern players, and in the case of the Jack Butler, if the veteran's committee feels strongly, that is usually enough to earn the trust of the public given how few of us would have seen Butler play.

The problems exist based on who doesn't make it each year. There are calls of injustice and a flawed system. 17 players are declared finalists before the committee meets in the Super Bowl city the day before the game, and give that between 5-7 are going to get the green light, there will always be those on the outside looking in.

This happens every year and honestly, the reasons are quite justified. Locally, there are 3 names of players that seem assured to be Hall of Fame players some day, but did not get the call on Saturday. We will touch on each of the 3 in a few moments, but first, allow us to examine the credentials of each player that is going into the hall.

Dermontti Dawson: Dawson was largely regarded as the center of the 1990's across the NFL. Anchoring the Pittsburgh Steelers line from 1988 until 2000, he was the All-Pro Center (which means he was voted the #1 player at his position across the entire NFL) for 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998. Any time you play a position and those who observe the game closely suggest you were the single best player at your position for 6 consecutive seasons, there is going to be a rather quick not of approval into the Hall. Not many were thought of as locks from this class of 2012, but Dawson was the exception. 170 consecutive games at the position certainly did not hurt his case either and he blocked for some pretty potent running games along the way.

Chris Doleman: Doleman enters the hall after a 15 year career in which he started as a linebacker before being moved to a defensive end edge rusher who would always get to the QB. He was one of the elite pass rushers of his era, with a 21 sack season in 1989, and 8 seasons in all where he achieved double-digits. Further, he had another 5 seasons with between 7 and 9. What may be his most impressive resume point (aside from 150 career sacks) is that he played for the team that led the league in sacks in '87, '88, '89, '90, '92, '93, '95, and '98. His 15 sacks at the age of 37 in San Francisco was one of his best accomplishments and had a slew of forced fumbles (44), fumble recoveries (24, and interceptions (8) to go with his sack totals to push his "big plays" well over 200 in his career.

Cortez Kennedy: Kennedy came into the league in 1990 as the #3 pick and instantly became one of the most dominant players in the interior of the defensive line in the entire league. In 1992, he won the defensive player of the year honors while playing for a 2-14 Seahawks team, something that is an extreme rarity. First Team NFL in 1992, 1993, and 1994, and a member of the all-decade team, Kennedy never had the benefit of playing on a team that ever won anything nor played in a high profile situation. His best Seattle teams were in 1990 and 1999 when they had 9-7 records, but otherwise, he offered his excellence on poor teams. Consistently a focus of double teams, he was durable and excelled, and becomes the 4th member of the All-Decade defensive line to be inducted with his fellow DT John Randle, and DEs Reggie White and Bruce Smith.

Curtis Martin: Only Barry Sanders can duplicate Martin's mark of 10 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons to start a career. By the end of his 11 years, he had amassed 14,000 rushing yards and trails only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, and Sanders in the books. He had the 3rd most carries in the history of pro football (3,518) and added nearly another 500 receptions and 3,300 yards through the air. He scored 100 touchdowns over his career and is basically among the greats at his position based on any metric. And yet, while he was playing, he seemed to anonymously go about his business for the most part, being a soldier of many Bill Parcells teams along the way.

Willie Roaf: If ever there was a fixture on the annual All-Pro teams that feature the best player in the league at his position, it is Willie Roaf. Playing tackle for the Saints for 9 seasons and the Chiefs for 4 more, Roaf was a player who was thought of as one of the very best to play the game. There were but 2 years in which he did not receive league honors, after his rookie season and after his injury plagued final year in New Orleans in 2001. Playing left tackle for 12 of his 13 seasons, he was yet another member of the 1990's all-decade team and another sure-thing member of this Hall of Fame class.

These are the 5 players who will fill the maximum number of slots for modern-day players going through the traditional process. As we mentioned earlier, Butler was on the seniors-committee, and therefore, did not occupy a spot that someone else would have taken. Butler was added on without keeping anyone else off.

Which brings us back to the outrage from Saturday. My personal, very unofficial ballot contained Dawson, Martin, Cris Carter, Bill Parcells, and Charles Haley. And based on the feedback from many locals, the absence of Haley, Tim Brown, and Parcells seemed to really annoy many locals in North Texas who have local ties to one or all three of those left out in 2012.

All of the names left off can have a compelling case for inclusion, or they wouldn't be on the list to begin with. I made a case last week for Drew Pearson, who joins Harvey Martin as one of the more convincing cases of any Dallas Cowboys not in Canton.

The fact is that I believe Bill Parcells and Charles Haley are sure Hall of Famers. Just not this year. Parcells is an accomplished and iconic coach in this league and it would seem foolish to make him wait. On the other hand, many on the committee might still anticipate him accepting a GM job at some point soon. Haley belongs in with his contemporaries, and his 5 Super Bowl rings and 100 sacks seem to make a rather strong case. However, it would seem a bit of a stretch to suggest that he was wronged by Doleman getting the nod. Doleman individually has statistics that dwarf many of Haley's, so if we put Haley in first, it is all based on Super Bowls. While that is not a bad way to break ties, I am not sure this is a tie.

As for the Brown, Carter, Andre Reed log jam at wide receiver, it seems that we have the committee trying to figure out how to calibrate the new receiving yard totals that are rushing into the record books with the era. They were all wonderful players, and I personally found Carter to have the most singular ability set, but to measure one against the others seems like a difficult task.

It always comes down to the following. If you want Player A in, which of the 5 are you pulling out? If honesty is included, then it is tough to say those in are undeserving in exchange for your guy who was not included.

A few things are clear: The hall of fame voters are concerned about the under-representation of linemen in the hall, and this class seems to look to address that with 2 OL and 2 DL players. Also, they seem concerned about the Hall honoring just those who were a part of dynasties, so this class has 6 players who were not part of dynasties at all. A member of the Seahawks, Saints, Vikings, and Jets reveals this initiative. In fact, the 6 players going in have 0 rings among them. This will upset fans of the heavyweights, but we should be careful to honor those who were not lucky enough to be a part of the super powers, too.

Next year, Larry Allen, Warren Sapp, Jonathan Ogden, Morten Anderson, and Michael Strahan will be among the 2013 1st-year eligibles, and we will begin the process all over again.

It is an event that I love and one that should be televised, but every year there is plenty of debate to follow the results.

Congrats to those who made this year's cut. And best wishes to those who must continue to wait.

How Long Must Drew Pearson Wait?

Coming to the Super Bowl every year is a real pleasure for a football junkie. It is a chance to see the meeting place of everyone who is anyone in the NFL historical archives mixing with the present day stars. It can be a bit much, but I never get tired of celebrating the greatest sport of them all one more week before we send it away on its offseason vacation for several months before it starts again in the late summer.

As everyone jokes, there is actually a game at the end of the long week (which we will get to soon enough), but along the way there are several items of business that must be conducted. Easily the most interesting item to me is the annual Hall of Fame selection meetings, where new players are selected to be enshrined in to the hallowed hall in Canton, Ohio.

This year, 15 finalists will be considered as well as 2 additional senior committee finalists. These 17 names will be broken down and carefully examined over the course of many hours on the day before Super Bowl 46. Those with local ties include Charles Haley, Tim Brown, and the legendary coach, Bill Parcells. It will be interesting to see if any or all of those 3 can run the gauntlet to the finish line, as the pro football HOF continues to pride itself on being a very difficult building to enter for a candidate.

But, every time I see another year come and go in the hall of fame selections, it makes me wonder about another Cowboys' great that I have a hard time understanding why he is absent from the yellow jacket club.

Up through 2005, there was a woeful under-representation of Dallas Cowboys in Canton. One of the most prolific franchises in the history of the sport had only 5 players who played the majority of their careers in Dallas. Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, Randy White, Tony Dorsett, and Mel Renfro.

Then, in 2006, those many arguments of an "Anti-Cowboys Bias" began to melt away as 6 Cowboys were added in the next 6 seasons. Troy Aikman, Rayfield Wright, Michael Irvin, Bob Hayes, Emmitt Smith, and last season, Deion Sanders were all put into the Hall. 11 primary Cowboys now move the franchise way closer to being properly represented with Haley certainly soon behind and Larry Allen a short distance down the road.

There are certainly others who time is getting closer to forgetting, and one in particular that really bothers me: The absence of Drew Pearson.

Pearson's career speaks for itself if you have even the slightest grasp of NFL history. Hardly a NFL Films reel can be shown without Pearson's greatness spilling onto the screen. He made plays. Historic plays. Plays in historic games that will never be forgotten by those who witnessed them.

And yet, he has not been inducted. The Senior Committee could right this wrong down the road, so Drew must wait - like he did for the Cowboys Ring of Honor for so many years, but it is imperative for those of us in the media that feel this is a severe oversight to not let the issue die until he is in.

Many will tell you it is simply a raw numbers issue, and in fairness to those who may have that argument, his numbers are exceeded by several from his era. If it is simply a question of total receptions or yards, Charlie Joiner, Steve Largent, and James Lofton will have quite an advantage over Pearson. On the other hand, you can put all of their post season numbers together and Pearson could measure right up.

What makes Pearson a legend was simply knowing the league. Knowing the most dangerous receivers on the most dangerous teams and seeing that Drew Pearson was always a factor. 22 playoff games in his 11 seasons attests that he played in games that mattered when the world was watching. And the fact that you can picture many of his playoff moments of greatness right now as you read this suggest that this shouldn't be too complicated to consider.

And yet, here we sit. He is out, while those with similar resumes - Lynn Swann and John Stallworth are both in. It has been said a million times "to the victors go the spoils", and I get that. But, that would seem to suggest that the Cowboys never had their day. This isn't an Andre Reed (0 rings in 4 Super Bowls) vs Michael Irvin (3 rings in 3 tries) case. Reed never won the big game. Pearson was a part of Super Bowl 12's celebration. Reed belongs in the hall, too, but the fact that he will likely get in this week and Pearson may have to wait much longer is just not right to me.

If Jackie Smith makes the catch in the end zone or the Benny Barnes pass interference is called differently, is Pearson in and some guy in Pittsburgh is still petitioning to get Swann in the Hall? Is that how we measure decade long careers?

Swann is in the HOF for reasons that numbers cannot justify. Here are the 3 receivers from the two rivals of the 1970s:

WR	Games	Recepts	Yards	TDs
Stallworth	165	537	8723	63
Swann	115	336	5462	51
Pearson	156	489	7822	48

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Quite comparable, right? Stallworth and Swann have both been inducted. Pearson is no longer even a finalist. The numbers will look quite pedestrian to those who are playing today. Tim Brown and Cris Carter dominate these numbers and Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson will have no problem blowing by them all. But this is about era-context. In 1977, Pearson led the NFL with 870 receiving yards. 870 yards in 2011 would have ranked Drew 35th in the NFL. Behind Michael Crabtree (874) and in front of Jeremy Maclin (859) and Laurent Robinson (858). The game is played quite differently today, so we must simply compare players to those in their era and in similar situations. That is why this 3-man comparison seems proper.

Here is the same chart, but just playoff numbers:

WR	Games	Recepts	Yards	TDs
Stallworth	17	57	1054	12
Swann	16	48	907	9
Pearson	22	67	1105	8

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Again, I feel that Drew Pearson needs no defense with these numbers. Those guys were in - not because of their raw stats that Steve Largent could mock. Instead, they are in because they were who they were on teams that were outstanding. Nobody would take that away from the Steelers any more than someone would try to say Joe Namath doesn't belong in the HOF because he has thrown 47 more interceptions than touchdowns. The Hall is not just about numbers. It is about players that made the league what the league is today. Legends who made memories.

And yet, the guy who caught the original "Hail Mary", the guy who wore 88 as the #1 receiver for Roger Staubach, the guy who was a one-handed tackle from rendering "the Catch" meaningless is not in the Hall.

At some point, #88 will hopefully be no longer overlooked. But in a hall where Lynn Swann was recognized for being more than just a numbers account, I have to believe that it is a shame that Drew Pearson is not afforded the same respect.

Let's hope that gets fixed soon.