The 39 member selection committee is comprised of sports journalists throughout the nation....a minimum of three and a maximum of six former players/coaches could be inducted....a candidate must get 80 percent of the vote and must be judged by what they did on the playing field and not off it....
If I were a voting member, to start out with, there are three obvious choices – Troy Aikman, Regg
ie White and John Madden.....both Aikman and White are eligible for the first time....Aikman quarte
rbacked Dallas to three Super Bowl titles in a four year period.....White, who died last year of sleep apnea, was the most dominant defensive player during his prime.....and yes kids, there is more to John Madden than just video games....Madden was one of the finest coaches during the 1970s as he led Oakland to a Super Bowl and numerous divisional titles.....Madden should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame at least 15-20 years ago....this is long overdue....That leaves at least three more openings left....and this year, I believe there are at least six more players who are worthy of filling those three spots: Carson, Greenwood, Grimm, Irvin, Moon, and D. Thomas.....
Let’s get Irvin out of the way first....is he worthy of being in the Hall based on what he did on the playing field – yes!!.....however, as much as it is preached, the voters will take into consideration his recent issue with a crackpipe found in his car....eventually Irvin will get into the Hall, but not this year....
I like to re
cognize the old-timers who have waited each year for the call, letting them know they have been selected.....and the first one on that list is Harry Carson.....Lawrence Taylor was the force behind those great NY Giants defenses in the mid to late 1980s....but it was Carson who was the anchor of those defenses....Carson did not get the media attention, but he was one of the most solid linebackers during his playing time (1976-88)....
My second vote would go to another player who was very similar to Carson – L.C. Greenwood....Greenwood is easily forgotten among those great players, Greene, Lambert, Ham, Blount, etc, that comprised the Steelers Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s.....from 1969-81, Greenwood was an exceptional talent at the defensive end position....
My last choice comes down among Grimm, Moon, and Derrick Thomas.....as most know, Thomas
would be the sentimental choice after dying of a stroke due to complications from an automobile accident.....and Moon has the an impressive loot of quarterbacking numbers.....but if I had to choose, the only choice should be Russ Grimm.....during the 1980s the Washington Redskin offensive line was known as The Hogs – and Grimm was the leader of this group....this was the first time the NFL saw offensive linemen who were just flat out big.....In the end, players like Moon, Thomas, Irvin, Zimmerman, Wright, etc all should eventually be in the Hall of Fame....but this year my nod goes to these six: Aikman, White, Madden, Carson, Greenwood, and Grimm
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