NFL Wild Card Round: Browns picked to finish last in AL Central in 2016.

[Kalbear]

I'm still shocked Warner wasn't a first ballot HOF. The hall is for fame, no? Arguably he's the second most  famous on that list. Great backstory, incredible peak stats, took two different teams to a superbowl. 

[Maithanet]

The fifteen up for the Hall of Fame this year.

Brett Farve, Alan Faneca, Terrell Owens, Morten Andersen, Steve Atwater, Don Coryell, Terrell Davis, Tony Dungy, Keven Green, Marvin Harrison, Joe Jacoby, Edgerrin James, John Lynch, Orlando Pace and Kurt Warner.

I would say Farve, Pace and Harrison are the no brainers on this one.  Up to eight can make it according to the article (I thought it was five for some reason).

Owens probably should make it.  If Davis is kept out again I may cry.  I am kinda a fan of Warner getting in, but if he gets in over Davis I would suddenly not be a fan of his.  As a Bronco fan I think Atwater should be in, he was the leading charge of these hard hitting 'enforcer' type safeties but I know he doesn't have a shot in hell.

Of those I would say:

Yes:  Favre, Pace, Harrison, Coryell (seriously, he should have been in long ago)

I think Owens should probably not make it.  Yes, his numbers are great, but this is a guy who got dumped by three different teams while he could still play.  At times he made it virtually impossible for his team to win.  That's not a hall of famer.

Kurt Warner...I could go either way with it.  He was a great quarterback two different times, but it just seems so weird that his physical prime was so unproductive.  Terrell Davis would be fine too, he was still the best of Shanahan's many solid running backs. 

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Of those I would say:

Yes:  Favre, Pace, Harrison, Coryell (seriously, he should have been in long ago)

 

Absolutely. Way overdue. I'd say the only other name that really sticks out for me is Davis. I know his career was a bit short, but did that guy ever have a bad season? Dungy kind of feels like an outlier to me. One really successful run buoyed by some amazing talent. 

[Kalbear]

Davis was great, but between his short career and the success that Shanahan had in plugging in basically any back off the street for yards, it kind of diminishes his shine. 

[Tywin et al.]

Picks Time:

Pittsburgh 27 - Cincy 13

There is no way you can pick a two time Super Bowl Champion QB over a QB making his 4th start. I feel bad for Cincy fans, because if Dalton was healthy I think your team would have won the AFC. Still, I'll be rooting for your team.

KC 23 - Texans 17

I really don't know what to make of this game, but I'll take the team with 10 straight wins.

The Washington Racist Names 34 - Green Bay 24

This will probably be the most entertaining game. It feels wrong to pick Captain Kirk over A.A. Ron, but the Packers are a mess right now. Washington is 0-3 vs teams with winning records, and have a negative 59 point differrental in those games, but they get their first and only win this weekend.

Minnesota 20 - Seattle 17

Picking with my heart, not my head. Minnesota will most likely lose, but the weather helps us more, and with a healthy defense we can shut down Wilson. The Seahawks bench will be in the shade, making it even colder. The ball will have to bounce our way to win, so please Football Gods, favor us for playing outside at home in January!

Also predicting that a fan will die because of this game. That stadium is brutal to sit in when it's really cold.

[Jaime L]

I'm still shocked Warner wasn't a first ballot HOF. The hall is for fame, no? Arguably he's the second most  famous on that list. Great backstory, incredible peak stats, took two different teams to a superbowl. 

Plus twice reaching the kind of rock bottom you just generally don't see among elite QBs and climbing out each time. I'm surprised as well - IIRC he wasn't particularly close to getting in last time.

Schilling not getting into baseball's HoF feels similar. Usually having a great story to tell is like catnip for voters.

[Rhom]

This is a tragic day for football. Former 49ers coach Jim Tomsula, possibly despondent over his recent dismissal, sadly decided to end it all. At home, with family members in the house, he locked himself in a bathroom and shaved his moustache. My condolences to his family.

 

http://www.knbr.com/2016/01/07/jim-tomsula-shaved-his-mustache/[/http]

Saw that picture the other day... didn't even look like him.  Honestly, I think without the stache I might not have found him so ridiculous looking at press conferences!

With the news that the Niners have had discussions with Chip Kelly, I guess I need to prep myself for another ego war with the front office. 

[Joe Pesci]

Not HoFers (IMO):Greene, Dungy, James, Andersen

Kevin Greene is 3rd on the sack list with 160. If Strahan got in with less sacks and tackles in the same amount of seasons, Greene should be in. I know they played different positions, but they were mostly known as pass rushers.

And don't forget to add in Kenny Stabler off of the Vet Committee, he is a shoe in for the Hall this year due to him passing away (morbid I know but true).

 

[Red Tiger]

Jerry Kramer, for fucks sake give the man his due.

[SkynJay]

Davis was great, but between his short career and the success that Shanahan had in plugging in basically any back off the street for yards, it kind of diminishes his shine. 

I know that is how the voters are probably thinking.  But in that short career

- 4 straight 1000 yards season including a 2000 yard season and two straight seasons with 2000 all purpose yards.

- An average of 142 yards a game  and 1.5 touch downs in the playoffs.

- 1 Superbowl MVP and in all honesty was the best player on the second run as well. 

If you are the best player in the game for a three year stretch, and I think there is a strong argument he was, you should be in.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

I know that is how the voters are probably thinking.  But in that short career

- 4 straight 1000 yards season including a 2000 yard season and two straight seasons with 2000 all purpose yards.

- An average of 142 yards a game  and 1.5 touch downs in the playoffs.

- 1 Superbowl MVP and in all honesty was the best player on the second run as well. 

If you are the best player in the game for a three year stretch, and I think there is a strong argument he was, you should be in.

Seconded. That guy was unstoppable. Crazy weapon. 

[sperry]

Plus twice reaching the kind of rock bottom you just generally don't see among elite QBs and climbing out each time. I'm surprised as well - IIRC he wasn't particularly close to getting in last time.

Schilling not getting into baseball's HoF feels similar. Usually having a great story to tell is like catnip for voters.

Think Schilling is being kept out by being such a colossal douche. That's not an issue with Warner though.

 

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

 Fred Smoot would appreciate it if ya'll stopped talking about Sex Boat...

 http://deadspin.com/fred-smoot-the-sex-boat-wasnt-even-that-cool-1751711676?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link

 

Highlight Q&A from the article:  

Q: Who was the best receiver you ever had to cover?

Smoot: ya moms

Q: What is Kirk’s view on immigration, gun control and the redskins winning the Super Bowl

Smoot: kirk has a cannon attached to him. he loves mexicans and he believes the redskins are going to win the bowl

 

[Maithanet]

I know that is how the voters are probably thinking.  But in that short career

- 4 straight 1000 yards season including a 2000 yard season and two straight seasons with 2000 all purpose yards.

- An average of 142 yards a game  and 1.5 touch downs in the playoffs.

- 1 Superbowl MVP and in all honesty was the best player on the second run as well. 

If you are the best player in the game for a three year stretch, and I think there is a strong argument he was, you should be in.

Four 1,000 yards seasons, for a hall of famer, is nothing.  Curtis Martin had 10 1,000 yard seasons, and he isn't a hall of famer.  Yes, Davis was awesome for 3 years.  And if he'd added another 4 years of good but not great play, he'd be a lock for the HoF.  But he didn't last. 

Bo Jackson averaged an astonishing 5.4 y/c for his career, and was clearly better than Marcus Allen, even though Allen was a Hall of Famer in the prime of his career on the same team.  But Jackson isn't in the Hall of Fame, because he couldn't do it for long enough. 

I understand the logic of saying "what matters is your peak", but to me you have to have some longevity too.

[Howdyphillip]

 Numbers are a decent metric to determine HoF eligibility, but I think it was Steve Sabol that talked about that the final criteria should be whether we can talk about the era they played without mentioning them or not. For these reasons, I think Davis, TO, and Warner all should be let in.

[Red Tiger]

I'm still shocked Warner wasn't a first ballot HOF. The hall is for fame, no? Arguably he's the second most  famous on that list. Great backstory, incredible peak stats, took two different teams to a superbowl. 

It's the middle of his career that held him back, most first ballot guys just don't have that donut hole in their body of work.

I agree that he should have gone in on the first try.

[Jaime L]

Four 1,000 yards seasons, for a hall of famer, is nothing.  Curtis Martin had 10 1,000 yard seasons, and he isn't a hall of famer.  Yes, Davis was awesome for 3 years.  And if he'd added another 4 years of good but not great play, he'd be a lock for the HoF.  But he didn't last. 

Bo Jackson averaged an astonishing 5.4 y/c for his career, and was clearly better than Marcus Allen, even though Allen was a Hall of Famer in the prime of his career on the same team.  But Jackson isn't in the Hall of Fame, because he couldn't do it for long enough. 

I understand the logic of saying "what matters is your peak", but to me you have to have some longevity too.

Curtis Martin is a Hall of Famer. IMO, he's the anti Terrell Davis in every way - long career, consistently very good RB. But I'll never be thinking back on that time I watched Curtis Martin play. Same with Jerome Bettis.  

Terrell Davis' career lasted half that. But his peak was so much more spectacular.

Agree a line has to be drawn somewhere and that despite being memorable Bo Jackson obviously comes up short. But he only had 2,700 yards rushing for his career. TD had 7,000.

 

 

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

I understand the logic of saying "what matters is your peak", but to me you have to have some longevity too.

I get that longevity matters, and I agree, but I think outstanding exceptions should be made. 

[Maithanet]

Curtis Martin is a Hall of Famer. IMO, he's the anti Terrell Davis in every way - long career, consistently very good RB. But I'll never be thinking back on that time I watched Curtis Martin play. Same with Jerome Bettis.  

Terrell Davis' career lasted half that. But his peak was so much more spectacular.

Agree a line has to be drawn somewhere and that despite being memorable Bo Jackson obviously comes up short. But he only had 2,700 yards rushing for his career. TD had 7,000.

Curtis Martin is in the HoF?  That was generous. 

I included Davis in the maybe pile for Hall of Fame, I can see it either way.  He was clearly the best of all of Shanahan's running backs, but how much better?  That Denver team was really stacked with talent. 

[Maithanet]

Just as a thought exercise, if JJ Watt were to get injured this weekend and never play again, would he be a hall of famer?  He's only played 5 years, but he was arguably the best defender in the league for four of them.  Is that enough?  By Howdy's metric, you could certainly describe this era without mentioning Watt since the Texans have varied between terrible and divisional round losers.  But his peak is really impressive...

EDIT:  And for the record, I do not think Davis is as dominant as Watt, and I am in no way hoping anyone gets injured this weekend.