Each NFL team’s biggest Hall of Fame omission

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is closing in on 400 members but there are still plenty of deserving players who haven't yet made it. Here is the biggest omission for every team.

Jan 28, 1990; New Orleans, LA, USA; FILE PHOTO; San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig (33) / USA TODAY Sports

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New England Patriots: WR/DB/PK Gino Cappelletti

In recent years, a number of performers who contributed to the team’s Super Bowl championships in the early 2000s have been enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Ball-hawking cornerback Ty Law and multi-faceted defensive linemen were key figures in the Patriots’ victories in Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX.

When it comes to this exercise, let’s go back to the early years of the franchise. The choice is the kind of player that current New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would certainly make use of because of his versatility.

Gino Cappelletti could catch the football, play a little defense, and would also do some kicking in 11 seasons with the then-Boston Patriots from 1960-70. During his rookie season, he picked off four passes. Over his stay with the franchise, he finished with 4,595 yards from scrimmage and scored 42 touchdowns. On special teams, he hit on 343-of-353 PATs but he was a very modest 176-of-336 on field goal attempts. Throw in four successful two-point conversions and Cappelletti finished his career with 1,130 points. He also threw a 27-yard touchdown pass vs. the New York Titans (Jets) in 1961.

Cappelletti would spend his entire 11-year career with the franchise (which would change its name to the New England Patriots in 1971). He was named to five Pro Bowls and earned AFL Player of the Year honors in 1964 by the Associated Press. Is there room for him in Canton, Ohio?

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