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 The 2008 Hall of Fame Enshrinement
by Sam Monson
23/12/2007
The selection process for the 2008 Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame is underway. The list has been narrowed down to 17 finalists, and a board of selectors will meet on Feb 2nd to debate those 17, whittling the list down to an eventual induction class of between 4 and 7. Well we here at the Diner have taken note of some of the dodgy decisions made by this selection committee in the past, so we’ve decided to do it ourselves.
This is the Diner’s Hall of Fame induction class of 2008. Hall selection committee take notes!
Cris Carter
Carter always had undeniable talent, but like certain other WRs he also had his demons, an attitude and alcohol/drug issues. In what is looked back on as a lacklustre few years at Philadelphia he still put up huge TD figures, 11 in his last year, 3rd in the NFC that year.
 His problems became too much for the Philly coaching staff and Buddy Ryan chose to release him. In 1990 the Minnesota Vikings claimed him off waivers for the cost of $100. Carter began to get himself in order and showed Philadelphia what they let go when he caught 6 passes for 151 yards and a TD against them in his first season in Minnesota. His career didn’t really begin to take off until his 5th year in the league, when Denny Green took over the Vikings and cleaned house.
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In 93 with Carter firmly entrenched as the Vikings primary receiver he went to his first pro-bowl.
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In 1994 he set a single season receptions record at 122 (later eclipsed only twice), en route to becoming an all-pro.
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In 1995 Carter again caught 122 passes, 17 of them for TDs, getting 2nd team (must have been some year for WRs…) All-pro honours.
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In 1996 he went to his 4th straight pro-bowl despite a mid-season change in QB.
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1997 saw his 5th consecutive pro-bowl appearance, and Carter leading the league in TD receptions.
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1998 saw his 6th consecutive pro-bowl and saw him acting as mentor to the new troubled WR on campus, one Randy Moss.
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1999 saw him again lead the league in TD receptions. He finished the decade second in receptions in 835, second only to Jerry Rice’s 860, and was named to the all-decade team.
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2000 saw him reach his 8th pro-bowl with another 1200+ yard season. It also saw him become only the second player in history to reach 1,000 receptions.
Carter was known for one handed circus catches and has arguably the best hands the game’s ever seen, nobody – including Jerry Rice – has had the production that Carter had over an 8 season spell, and he retired second on all major all-time reception marks.
Perhaps his finest work though was in defeating his demons, getting his own life and career back on track, and then passing that on to Randy Moss when he was first drafted. For a guy with as many character questions as he had coming out of College, Randy Moss’ professional career has been remarkably restrained. He’s never been suspended, never had any problems with alcohol, and never had drug issues.
Darrell Green
 Whilst the 1983 draft was revered as the “Quarterback Class Of 1983” but the final pick of that famous first round outlasted them all. Cornerback Darrell Green from Texas A&I; University would go on to spend his entire 20 year career with the team that drafted him, the Washington Redskins. The pure length of Green’s career alone is a significant achievement – only Rams Tackle Jackie Slater has also spend 20 years as a player with the same team.
But Darrell Green was more than just a player who hung around a long time. He was one of the greatest cover corners of all time, one of (maybe the) fastest man ever to step onto a football field (four times the NFL’s fastest man) and a player who managed to keep those amazing abilities intact and effective for a great length of time.
He first got noticed for running down Cowboys Running Back Tony Dorsett from behind in a Monday Night clash. He would repeat the trick soon after by chasing Rams burner Eric Dickerson from behind but whilst those runners had to be chased down, not many receivers got behind Darrell Green who was nearly always charged with taking out the opponents best receiver. It was a ploy that often worked.
Green had 54 career interceptions and for the first 19 seasons of his 20 year career, managed at least one interception every season. He also managed ten trips to pay dirt (eight times in the regular season, twice in post season) and one of those journeys to the end zone features Green’s “signature play”. In the 1987 Divisional Play-Offs against the Bears, Green was back to return a punt. Fielding it at his own 48 yard line, he would dodge a couple of guys before hurdling a would-be tackler, damaging rib cartilage and dashing the rest of the way for 6 points.
Green could have been a superior return man had he been allowed to be, but the flashy play didn’t matter to Green. Winning was more important and he made a valuable contribution to two Championship teams and many a Redskins victory. Just like the blur he could be on the field, Green should be on the fast track to election to the Hall Of Fame.
Randall McDaniel
 These days in the NFL that’s a phrase that seems to be used a lot. The future Hall of Famer, or a lock for the Hall of Fame, certain first ballot Hall of Famer… 2007 made you wonder if there is such a thing when it comes to O-Linemen. That was the first year that Guard, Randall McDaniel was eligible for the Hall of Fame, and the lock for the hall, the certain first ballot guy, got snubbed.
We’re talking about a man who holds the NFL record for consecutive Pro-Bowls with 12, was a 10 time All-Pro, started 202 consecutive games, changed his stance in order to play through a knee injury, and dominated from the beginning to the end of his career. In short, there’s a reason people referred to him as a sure fire Hall of Famer.
Mike Tice was McDaniel’s line coach in 1999 when he said: “Randall was passed over by a lot of teams. He came in and started dominating. The only difference between McDaniel then and Moss now is that Randall plays an unglorified position.” QB Brad Johnson agreed, saying “He’s the best to ever play that position,” “Best ever … all-time,” he said. “Couldn’t have been anyone this good.”
Long-time NFL Teammate and 7 year room-mate of McDaniel’s’, Mike Morris had this to say about him: “I’ve been around the NFL a long time, in my eyes, only John Hannah played offensive guard with the effectiveness and longevity of McDaniel. He’s so smart. So good. Plays hurt. Always shows up. Randall is a long-running wonder who’s lost almost nothing.”
Not only was he a great player, and a reliable rock in the Minnesota offence for all those years, but he did it his own way. McDaniel’s stance is from no football textbook you’ll ever see, but it worked. In 1989 he tweaked his knee after being run into by a teammate, and he manipulated his stance so as to take the pressure off it. He found it worked so well, that he stuck with it throughout his career.
Another quirk to the McDaniel portrait was when he lined up for the Vikings as a FB in short yardage packages. If it was scary enough for opposing D-linemen to take on the man as a Guard, spare a thought for the poor Linebackers or Safeties trying to fill the hole to seal up the run with big Randall steaming through it leading the way…
Though the Hall of Fame aren’t supposed to take personality or off-field issues into consideration, they selected Harry Carson based largely on the leadership and the man he was, on top of the football player. In this respect McDaniel was a silent leader of the Vikings teams he was on. A far cry from the media-hungry players of today, McDaniel never sought the spotlight, and avoided it when he could. He never bad-mouthed the team, believing firmly in his mother’s words when she told him that if he can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
McDaniel can still be seen driving the Mercedes he got for his first pro-bowl trip as he works with kids in his retirement.
One has to ask questions about the Hall of Fame selection process when someone like McDaniel, as dominant a Guard as has ever played the game, a leader on and off the field, and a great man on top of it all, gets snubbed in his first year of eligibility. How many more worthy people can there be, and what extra is the man supposed to have in order to qualify?
Perhaps it’s time to recognise that NFL Guards, whilst they may not be the most crucial position in the game, deserve a spot in the Hall when they’ve been dominant from the first play of their careers to the last.
Randall missed out in 2007, but is a finalist again in 2008, and the Diner’s not going to let him be passed over again!
Randy Gradishar
 Randy Gradishar was a Linebacker for the Denver Broncos, and a foundation of the famous ‘Orange Crush’ Defense. Gradishar was once referred to as ‘the best linebacker I ever coached’ by legendary Ohio State coach, Woody Hayes, and to this day the name of the award given to outstanding Ohio St. Linebackers is known as the Randy Gradishar award.
Gradishar was a tackling machine for the Broncos, finishing his career with 2,049 tackles over his 10 year career. For anybody particularly good at maths, that’s over 200 a year! Considering he only notched 51 as a rookie in his 4 starts, it brings the next 9 years into sharp focus. Gradishar led his team from example, and would be the key to the Orange Crush Defense for years.
In 1977, years before John Elway was getting credit for dragging the Broncos to Superbowls, Gradishar led the team to the Superbowl. In 1978 he was named Defensive MVP of the league after an astounding 286 tackles over the 16 game season, not to mention chipping in with 4 interceptions. Gradishar was selected to 7 Pro Bowls over his career, and was a 5-time All-Pro selection.
Gradishar became famous for stuffing short yardage plays by the opposition, where he would line up away from the line of scrimmage, and charge towards the emerging hole, meeting the ball-carrier and driving them back. In this way he was able to repel many goal-line plays, and allowed the Broncos to stand firm.
Gradishar’s statistical achievements are monumental, but his legacy can best be understood when he is talked about by other past greats. Ex Seattle QB Jim Zorn had this to say about Gradishar: Randy deserves the highest honour awarded to an NFL player because of the impact he had on his team and those he played against. I had to play against Randy twice a year and I can tell you he always had his defense ready to play. We always had to look for mismatches in other areas on the field. I call him the friendly bully. He was very pleasant to be around until the ball was snapped. Then he became the neighbourhood bully, always looking to put someone on the ground. He was a great playmaker, and when he got to the point of attack, he brought the right attitude with him.
Hall of Fame Head Coach Joe Gibbs remembered Gradishar as one of those players that you had to spend extra time preparing for. He made Denver’s 3-4 defense a very successful defense.
Gradishar is one of the best linebackers to take the field in the NFL. Gradishar and Jack Lambert were the embodiment of the dominant inside linebacker during their era, yet one remains on the outside of the Hall looking in. The Diner has had enough of it; Randy Gradishar belongs in the Hall of Fame.
Derrick Thomas
 Derrick Thomas is one of the most dominant defensive players to play the game. He is a guy that forced teams to change the way they played, and he changed games on a regular basis. He dragged a basement dwelling Chiefs franchise back up to rub shoulders with division winning elite teams. In short, what more is the Hall of Fame selection committee looking for from a player than Thomas?
Thomas was drafted by the Chiefs 4th overall in the 1989 Draft. The linebacker had been at Alabama, and obliterated most of the Crimson Tide records for his position, including sacks in a single season. In his final season he won the Butkus award for the nation’s top linebacker, was named All-American, and recorded a staggering 27 sacks.
As a rookie he picked up where he left off in college, recording 10 sacks, being named Rookie of the Year, and earning a spot in the Pro Bowl, his first of 9. Thomas was also a 3 time All-Pro, and is a member of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team. Thomas still holds the NFL record for most sacks in a single game, when he sacked Seattle QB David Krieg 7 times during a November game in the 1990 season.
During the 1990s nobody recorded more sacks than Derrick Thomas, which means that during the course of his career, nobody recorded more sacks than Derrick Thomas. Thomas was a pass rusher as good as there has ever been, and his impact on the Chiefs was visible from the moment he arrived. Before his arrival, Kansas City had made just one playoff appearance since 1971, but in the 11 years that Thomas led the charge, the Chiefs made the playoffs 7 times, and won 3 division titles.
He finished his career with 126.5 sacks, just 1.5 back from Ricky Jackson, and 4th amongst LBs all-time. Not only was Thomas adept at getting to the QB, but he was better than anybody at forcing the fumble once he got there. Thomas used a ‘sack and strip’ manoeuvre to force 45 fumbles during his career, another Chiefs record, and the Chiefs’ MVP award now bears his name.
Derrick Thomas was one of a select few players who changed the way teams prepared for games. His ferocious skill as a pass rusher caused teams to adjust their game-plan to try and deal with him, and he still amassed sack totals like no other player during his career. He dominated the gridiron throughout his career and he belongs to be in the Hall of Fame, the Diner thinks there’s no sense in waiting.
Emmitt Thomas
 Emmitt Thomas was a defensive back for the Kansas City Chiefs, but he might be best known to some recently as the interim Head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons, after Bobby Petrino jumped ship back to the College ranks after less than a season of making a mess of the Falcons.
Thomas joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, and was an AFL All-Star in 1968. He would be named to the Pro-Bowl 5 times in his career, and after the Chiefs joined the NFL in 1970, became an All-Pro another 2 times. In 1969 he led both the AFL and NFL in interceptions, with 9, and helped the Chiefs all the way to the Superbowl, where they defeated the heavily favoured NFL Champion Minnesota Vikings, 23-7. Thomas had an interception in that game.
Thomas finished his playing career with 58 interceptions, a Chiefs record, a mark good for 9th All-time, and retired with a reputation of one of the finest cornerbacks of his era. After his 13 seasons in the league he moved into the coaching ranks, where he has earned himself a further 2 Superbowl rings.
Thomas was as good as cornerbacks came during his prime, and shone on the highest stage. He is a Hall of Fame player. He also had a Hall of Fame calibre beard!
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