2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists
Who’s All But Guaranteed To Get In?
Terrell Owens of the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and Cincinnati Bengals might be the most polarizing player that the league has ever seen. That takes nothing away from how excellent of a player he was during his career, though. Owens is currently second all-time in receiving yards with 15,934.
He trails only Jerry Rice who is considered by many to be the greatest receiver of all-time. His 1,078 receptions are sixth all-time and fifth all-time among wide receivers and his 153 receiving touchdowns are third all-time. The only thing that might keep him out? His personality, which ought to have no bearing on what kind of player he was.
Orlando Pace of the St. Louis Rams was a finalist in 2015 but was likely a victim of a numbers game. This year, he should get in. Pace led the Rams to the lone Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl 34. The first overall pick of the 1997 NFL Draft was a huge reason for the Rams’ success. It’s telling that Rams quarterbacks threw for at least 3,000 passing yards in each of his seasons as a starter. He also played for the Chicago Bears for one season in 2009. Pace isn’t at the level of Jonathan Ogden, which is why Orlando wasn’t a first ballot Hall of Famer. On this ballot, there’s no reason he shouldn’t get in.
Kevin Greene has a great shot of getting in, though the NFL does have a rule that only five players from the Modern Era are allowed in per year. Should Pace or Owens get shut out from the Hall this season, Greene is the most likely guy to replace them, as the NFL has recently started to let in more players from Greene’s era (the 1990’s). That began last season with Charles Haley. Greene was a player who had very few contemporaries and tallied 160 career sacks. He might be the victim of a numbers game, but he should get enshrined this year and he certainly would be getting enshrined if it weren’t for the five player limit.
Next: The Non-Modern Era Figures