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The field of candidates for the 's Cla s of 2015 was narrowed from to . NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison takes a look at five former players who deserve to Skylar Mays Jersey be enshrined someday despite mi sing the latest cut.Tony Boselli, offensive tackle, 1995-2001Is it better to be really good for a long time or great for a short period of time? It's an age-old debate among voters for the and arm-chair voters alike. Boselli certainly fits in the latter category. The best left tackle of the late 1990s had his career cut short by shoulder problems at age 29. Despite playing le s than seven full seasons (just like rs Gale Sayers and Doak Walker, mind you), Boselli made five s and wasfirst-team All-Pro three times. Just consider what recently minted first-ballot r Walter Jones told me: "You know ... when I first got into the league, you had Tony Boselli. I think that was the guy that I said, 'Man, that's the way I want to play left tackle ... when I was coming through (the NFL), that was the guy. I remember the game against Bruce Smith (the 1996 AFC wild-card round matchup between Boselli's and Smith's ) ... I think Tony Boselli was Spud Webb Jersey the, you know ... the premier technician." That's a large stamp of approval. Literally.Tim McDonald, safetySt. Louis/Phoenix , 1987-1992; , 1993-99I always thought McDonald and Steve Atwater took the mantle of "best safety in pro football" from Ronnie Lott in the early part of the 1990s. And while Atwater was a fierce hitter, McDonald was the most complete package in the game. He was fantastic in run support. He intercepted 40 pa ses. He forced 10 fumbles. He ama sed more than 1,000 tackles in his career -- including an incredible 155 in 1989. "He was the smartest guy I ever played with," said former teammate Eric Davis. And while Davis extolled the virtue of McDonald's football IQ, let's not forget about McDonald's six s and one ring. Side note: I still think there aren't enough safeties in Canton. I would put John Lynch, Darren Woodson and McDonald all in tomorrow.Steve Tasker, special teams/wide receiverHouston Oilers, 1985-86; , 1986-1997If Ray Bogdan Bogdanovic Jersey Guy made it in last year and fellow kicker Morten Andersen is worthy of the semifinalist list again this year, why can't the premier special teams coverage guy of all time get a bronze bust? Tasker could also block punts and was -- as Jim Kelly has pointed out many times -- a reliable wideout when called upon. I asked -- another former wideout who also had to cover kicks early in his career -- about the viability of putting a special teamer like Tasker in the , and this is what he said: "He impacted the game. And if he was the best at what he did, he should make it." On that note, the special teams dynamo was impactful enough to make seven s.Herschel Walker, running back/kick returner, 1986-89, 1996-97; , 1989-1991 Trae Young Jersey ; , 1992-94; , 1995Short and sweet: If it's the Pro Football -- and not the NFL -- shouldn't Walker be a shoo-in? In three USFL seasons, No. 34 put up well over 5,000 yards rushing, and he was arguably the top-flight performer in a league that also included Jim Kelly, Reggie White and Steve Young, all of whom have since made the hall. And in case you think Walker wasn't anything in the big leagues, consider that he ama sed 18,168 all-purpose yards (ninth all time) and topped 25,000 in both leagues combined (that's ridiculous).Ricky Watters, running back, 1991-94; , 1995-97; , 1998-2001Not sure I've ever discu sed a player whose legacy people are more divided about. Watters was the consummate producer. Wherever he went, his teams put up numbers and generally won. Watters made the postseason six times and played on just two losing squads in his 11-year career. He rushed for more than 10,000 yards while totaling a healthy 14,891 yards from scrimmage. Watters would, at the very least, have topped 11,000 yards if not for an injury-shortened final season. Detractors could point to a career per-carry mark of 4.1 yards, along with several seasons under 4 -- Dewayne Dedmon Jersey and the incident -- as indicators of Hall-of-Very-Good status. That said, this guy was as versatile as it got early in his career, and he made hay behind some so-so lines late in a brilliant, if not forgotten, tenure in the NFL.Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter .
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发表于 2024-11-22 20:54:29