As most fans know, this year was the first year of Hall of Fame eligibility for former Seahawks Warren Moon and Cortez Kennedy, with Warren Moon making it to the final ballot.
With Moon's stats, and his success in Canada and Houston, he's got the best chance of the two. Cortez was the heart and soul of an overacheiving defense that unfortunately got no help from some pretty pathetic offensives, which will probably hurt his chances.
However, now that Seattle has FINALLY wrestled the attention of the entire NFL with their first Superbowl berth in their 30 year history, I'm wondering if there could be some residual "halo effect" on these guys, whose accomplishments as Seahawks is probably not well known outside the 206 area code.
With two weeks of hype to fill leading up to the Seahawks, there will undoubtedly be a lot of coverage surrounding the long suffering history of the franchise, including the contributions made by these guys and our other former greats.
Warren will also get additional exposure being the play-by-play guy for the team, so the HOF voters will have a lot of fresh images and information when it comes time to cast their ballots.So while we're all excited for the current roster of players and coaches for acheiving what no other Seahawks team has ever done in the past, they may have also unknowingly given a little boost to those former greats who were never able to bring a championship to this organization.
For the sake of Warren Moon and Cortez Kennedy, I hope I'm right.
GO SEAHAWKS!!!
good points all AH. the sad fact of the matter is that the NFL hall of fame selection process is in some respects a complete joke. the league makes tracking the impact of certain players (e.g., offensive guards) almost impossible simply because it refuses to update its approach to advanced metrics. consequently, macho bluster, hidden agendas, and competitive rivalries often define the hall selection process. (almost no one i've heard interviewed about the selection process even bothers to deny this anymore.)
ReplyDeleteas you lay out, this may be one set of circumstances where these biases assist the hawks rather than hurt them. moon, who should/would go in as an oiler if he is elected, could actually be an even tougher sell than 'tez. it's easiest to compare qb's from the same era. having never gone to the superbowl is always a minus, but perhaps more damaging is many people's viceral dislike for the run-n-shoot offense. although, if you base things on longevity, it was no more of a "gimmick" than buddy ryan's "46 defense." still, many football writers would rather be dead than vote for a run-n-shoot qb-one who put up killer numbers but never made the big game.
defensive tackle has far less competition, and by rights should have lower expectations. tez isn't a first ballot guy because he was dominant for only a short stretch. still, he was quite good throughout his career. so, he could get in on the second or third ballot because after reggie white how many two way (run and pass) tackles were ever dominant? not many, but tez was one.
Posted by dave crockett
Thanks for the feedback DC
ReplyDeleteHowever, the Football HOF doesn't induct guys based on Team, like baseball does. It's just the guy and his stats. That way, Seattle gets to claim Franco Harris as one of their HOFers too!
(and I did a doubletake when you referred to me as AH...I though I said something to pizz you off!)
Posted by alba
lmao @ AH...
ReplyDeleteDr. A...H
anyways...the media is a joke these days, as noted from Baseball inducting noone from the late 80s-early 90s era that has been elgible (Mattingly, Clark, Dawson)...in basketball DOMINQUE WILKINS...not a Hall Of Famer?!?!?! That is the worst snub of all time, BAR NONE...not only does he get robbed out of a slam dunk contest by Michael Jorden (they kept getting 50s until Wilkins landed an emphatic great one, only to get snubbed...keep in mind this took place in CHICAGO that year)...
So I would expect Tez not to get in. Football is biased and a popularity contest regarding the Hall Of Fame...I mean they say 3 things can get you in:
Perennial Pro Bowler (or calibur)
Suber Bowls
Stats...
...um, Tez has been to 8 Pro Bowls...I would bet thats one of the top 10 most PB appearances on defense, maybe even all time...
I don't see how Warren Moon doesn't get in...the man had a season with almost 5000 passing yards...BUT if you make a case for him...what about David Krieg (when or if hes elgible)?
Krieg is easily the greatest QB you never heard of...hes the one guy people look at all time top 10s in stats, and asks 'Whos that guy?'
Even Kenny Easley should of made it, but I will say he ended his career early, and maybe that hurt him.
The Super Bowl appearance really would only help HOF candidates from THIS team...I don't think it helps players from our past at all...
With the NBA's HOF being weird, and with the MLB's HOF tainted with steroids (McGwire was and never will be a better player then Griffey was...neither is Sosa)...the NFL is the only one with a shot of making things right. They just need to open their eyes.
Unfortunately I think its too late for our past.
Posted by adp
Yes this success will help them get in. When lookin at the hall of fame people ususally look at who they played at and a person is regarded as better when they play for a winning team rather than a bad team. Now people see Seattle as a winner so by changing the face of the franchise you might just be changing the face of a player
ReplyDeletePosted by o-meezy
Warren Moon will get in, but mostly for what he did in Houston. If he doesn't get in this ballot, it will not be long.
ReplyDeleteCortez Kennedy should make the Hall of Fame. He made defensive player of the year on a 2-14 team once. He was the face of the team for so many years. Its a shame he isn't in the Seahawks Ring of Honor.
This Super Bowl will probably remind the voters that the Seahawks exist. People, whether it be casual fans or even the media sometimes joke that the Seahawks aren't a "real" football team. I don't know what exactly that means, but it is disrespect.
I hope both get in, but especially Taz. He was, without a doubt, one of the greatest defensive lineman ever. He should take his place in Canton.
Posted by Alan