The NFL Hall Of Fame System Is Flawed

This post originally debuted at the Cooley Zone
I was at a Super Bowl party at a friend's house back in Feb. 2004. Joe Jacoby was at the party, and I kinda know Joe from being in the same line of business. So I'm saddled up next to him at the buffet line when I strike up a conversation.

Fatpickle: "Our boy Art got F'd again, huh?"

Joe Jacoby (all 6 foot 6 inches of him, glares down at me and says):

"He's not the only one."

I quietly grabbed a few more bacon wrapped scallops and retreated to a quiet place. And I realized, yeah, he's not the only one. The Redskins had a dynasty from 1982-1991, and until last year only one player was in the Hall of Fame? How about Jacoby, Mosely, Grimm, Bostic, Clark, Mann, and Manley. The HOF system is flawed!

How else can Art Monk be denied 7 times? I don't need to get into the reasons why Art should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer, anyone who knows anything about football would have voted him in first ballot. The ultimate slap in the face was voting Michael Irvin into the Hall before Monk. I guess when considering a Wide Receiver, pushing off gives you extra points? Is there a special wing in the Hall for offensive pass interference?

The Hall of Fame balloting is like some super secret club. Secret ballots, secret meetings. This much we do know, the wizards behind the curtain are Peter King and Dr. Z. They single handily kept Monk out of the Hall all those years. And with all due respect to Dr. Z, who is recovering from a series of strokes (get well soon), these guys piss me off to no end. What we have is a bunch of sportswriters who have never played football, who are voting players in or out. So, if you blew off Peter King a couple times for an interview 10 years ago, it's probably going to come back to F you in the long run. However, if you text him inside info, or grab a bite to eat with him, your getting in the Hall. And since I've got a sports blog, why can't I vote? Chris, your good to go since you granted me this interview. If you had blown me off, LJ Smith would be in the Hall before you are!

All of that brings me to Russ Grimm, Mr. Hog. Russ is the one thing left this year for Redskin's fans to cheer for. He's a finalist for the Hall of Fame for the 5th consecutive season. He's also a coach for the Arizona Cardinals, and is a candidate for head coaching positions. He could possibly have the greatest week of his life next week. Hall of Fame on Saturday, Super Bowl win on Sunday, Head Coach on Monday. I'm pulling for you Russ.

Here's my choices for the NFL Hall of Fame 2009

Shannon Sharpe - He retired with every TE record you could have. That didn't mean anything for Art Monk, but I hope it does for Shannon. I'm assuming he was one of Chris's idols?

Bruce Smith - One of the greatest of all-time. Not so much with the Redskins.

Rod Woodson - Simply one of the best ever at the Cornerback position. Also a game changer on special teams.

Chris Carter - Now that Art is in, you can put Carter in. All he does is catch touchdowns. Nope, if he did, he'd have over 1,100!

Russ Grimm - 4 time All-Pro and Pro Bowler. 3 Super Bowl rings. The best offensive lineman for the most well-known offensive line in NFL history. Mr. Hog

Cheers and Hail