HOFame aftermath: More changes?
We will examine the unusual and dramatic circumstances and results … and a few ideas we have been percolating that might improve the process and outcome.
Before proceeding, let’s pay homage to the Class of 2025: Eric Allen, cornerback; Jared Allen, defensive end; Antonio Gates, tight end; and Sterling Sharpe, Senior wide receiver. We will have more about them leading up to their August induction ceremony in Canton.
Moving on ….
Without admitting there is a problem after only one year of a new approach, the Hall continues to pursue ideas to achieve the best possible results. That is why selectors had a lengthy Zoom meeting with Hall officials on Tuesday, and several more are planned for the near future.
Interest in the 2025 class initially piqued last August when the Hall announced a “significant series of changes” in the selection process and personnel. It was the second series of changes in two-plus years, with some of the 2025 changes almost nullifying those from 2022. Many have pointed to the latest alterations as the reason for the 2025 Small Hall, but that may be a convenient or simplistic perspective.
The Hall stated in other forums that a class of five or six would be a more likely outcome based on calculations by mathematicians. According to my official NFL abacus, it is likely that at least one or two more prospects may have been close this year. We will never know.
There were other reasons that this year’s selection process was under intense scrutiny. Two key characters in this melodrama were Senior offensive tackle Jim Tyrer and first-year-eligible quarterback Eli Manning. They are at opposite ends of the selection spectrum in more ways than one.
To me, the key difference is this:
Tyrer’s play on the field was Hall of Fame-worthy as one of the best tackles in the 1960s and ‘70s, while Manning’s play on the field was not HOF-worthy, despite winning two Super Bowls.
However …
In 1980, Tyrer was on the doorstep of the Hall as a probable first-ballot inductee. But even as he was being discussed, Tyrer killed his wife and himself and disappeared from HOF consideration until last year. His candidacy was resurrected when it was generally accepted that he was a victim of CTE, incurred playing football.
Meantime, Manning’s candidacy was sure to cause a ruckus because he played in New York, quarterbacked two Super Bowl Champion teams, and is, after all, a Manning. But, unlike Tyrer, the more you look at his body of work, the less HOF-worthy Manning appears. In both cases, the rule that selectors must consider ONLY their play on the field seems to have been ignored.
If given the opportunity, before I cast my vote for Eli, I would give it to his father, Archie, whose extraordinary abilities were wasted during his imprisonment with the horrific New Orleans Saints franchise. I am not kidding. The Manning patriarch was probably the most gifted athlete in the family, although his grandson, Arch (Texas), will be interesting to watch this year. But I digress.
Another sensitive issue among selectors has been the ability to prevent worthy players from falling into the Seniors Abyss after their 20 years of modern-era eligibility or, for those who do go over the cliff, a decent opportunity to be inducted as Seniors. In 2022, the chance for Seniors to make it was enhanced by the possibility of three being in the hunt.
But the new rules in August resulted in three Senior players, a Coach, and a Contributor vying for three spots, with all five going head-to-head — what Jethro from Beverly Hillbillies called a classic “Gizinta” problem. Induction mandates 80 percent of the vote. Only wide receiver Sterling Sharpe made it. Fellow seniors Maxie Baughan and Tyrer, coach Mike Holmgren, and contributor Ralph Haye didn’t muster 80 percent.
There was a similar hurdle for Modern-Era prospects. Once the field was cut to seven, selectors voted for five, and only those with 80 percent of the vote were inducted. Trimmed in that cutdown were tackle Willie Anderson, wide receiver Torry Holt, linebacker Luke Kuechly and kicker Adam Vinatieri. The last two were first-year eligibles.
In previous years, the finalists from each group (as many as three senior players, selected separately from coaches and contributors) required 80 percent thumbs up for admission, a much easier row to hoe.
So that’s how the process selected a class of four for 2025.
As the time to reveal the class grew near, several selectors noted breaches in confidentiality as word spread about a player who made the Hall or failed to do so. This was especially disconcerting, considering the heightened interest in this class. But leaks are hardly new.
Dan Fouts is a Hall of Fame quarterback and respected selection committee member, with whom I go back more than six decades when I covered him as an outstanding prep player at St. Ignatius of San Francisco under Coach Vince Tringali, a nose tackle for the undefeated 1951 USF team and a local legend.
That was before Dan threw 655 completions and 279 touchdown passes at Oregon and with the San Diego Chargers. I also knew his father, Bob Fouts, a Bay Area Hall of Fame broadcaster.
Dan tells the story of how he learned he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1993. His sister phoned him to say she heard it on the radio, on KNBR in the Bay Area. Fouts was in Oregon, awaiting a possible call from then-HOF president Pete Elliott. Fouts quickly hung up on his sister and, within five minutes, got the official call from the Hall.
But that is an example of how intense this 2025 selection process was.
At one point, ongoing concerns about recency bias were heightened when five of the 16 first-year eligibles were among the 15 finalists. However, Manning and Terrell Suggs didn’t make the cut to 10, and guard Marshal Yanda was eliminated in the cut to seven. That left linebacker Luke Kuechly and kicker Adam Vinatieri as the only first-year candidates among the final seven, and they were dropped in the cut to five.
So, concerns about recency bias were allayed for a while, and it was good to see eminently qualified defensive back Eric Allen make it with only one more year of Modern-Era eligibility remaining.
That said, three outstanding players—each an All-Decade star—fell into the Seniors Abyss this year without ever being officially discussed (as finalists): linebacker Cornelius Bennett, defensive end Neil Smith and tight end Ben Coates.
Now former Raiders guard Steve Wisniewski, who received vociferous backing from numerous players and coaches this year, and prolific running back Ricky Watters have only one year left of Modern-Era eligibility. It would be nice at least to discuss them officially.
But nothing comes easy.
Those who made it to seven but were not inducted will automatically be included among the 15 finalists for the Class of 2026 next year. They are Anderson, Holt, Kuechly and Vinatieri.
That leaves only 11 spots open and squeezes out other modern returnees hoping for a shot, such as Wisniewski, Watters and Dallas tackle Erik Williams. Those who did not make the cut from 10 to seven will probably be strong return candidates — guards Jahri Evans and Marshal Yanda, and safety Darren Woodson. Is there room for them?
And this is before we meet the first-year eligibles for the Class of 2026, including quarterbacks Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, running backs Frank Gore and LeSean McCoy and wide receiver Julian Edelman … among others.
So now take another look at who you think will make the final 25, 15, or 10 next year.
But wait, there’s more.
The newcomers for the Class of 2027 include Adrian Peterson, Rob Gronkowski, Ben Roethlisberger, Richard Sherman, Antonio Brown and Cam Newton …
It is a non-stop traffic jam.
🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈
One selector’s suggestions
Pick and choose — or leave a comment with your input
Overall
—Rather than a mandate of 80 percent of the vote, in both categories (Senior, etc., and Modern-Era), lower the barrier to 75 percent … and/or
—Increase the minimum to four for the Seniors/Coach/Contributor category (so four out of five) and increase the minimum to four for the Modern-Era category (so four out of seven)
Addressing recency bias
I believe many or most selectors are not giving due attention to older Modern-Era players and are drawn to more recent players with whom they are more familiar.
To address that …
—Make it mandatory to include two (or pick a number) players with fewer than five years of remaining Modern-Era eligibility in the cutdown to 25, or maybe even 15. We sent three All-Decade players to the Seniors Abyss this year without ever officially discussing them. We now discuss them “in the room (albeit a Zoom room)” only after they make the 15, or …
—Start the cutdown process earlier and discuss players who make the 25, even if it takes two sessions.
Maintaining the integrity of Hall of Fame announcements
Rather than revealing the Hall of Fame class as a small part of a two-hour NFL Honors show, produce a one-hour Hall of Fame announcement program that allows appropriate presentation of the inductees, including “The Knock.”
If you have other ideas, share them in comments.