2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

Re: Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

If you put Dungy in for his contributions to the game and the impact he had on race in the NFL, then fine....

If you try to argue that he's a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer based on what he did as coach in Tampa and Indianapolis, you can't do it.

 

Re: Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

Nobody made more "contributions to the game" than John Madden, and it took him at least 10 years longer than it should have to make the Hall of Fame.

 

Re: Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

It's because Dungy was the "first" of something. Madden wasn't, as far as I recall.

IMO, it's like the reason Jackie Robinson sailed into the HOF and Larry Doby had to wait for the Veterans Committee.

 

Re: Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

Yeah, let's not start comparing Dungy to Jackie Robinson.

Even taking everything into consideration, Dungy should not be a HOF finalist this year, much less a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

 

Re: Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

I wasn't comparing them. I was just thinking out loud - Mike Tomlin is a better coach than Dungy was, and he won't sail into the HOF like Dungy will, because Dungy was first, and Tomlin second.

Doby, depending on who you believe, was every bit as good as Robinson, and dealt with the same barriers, yet he had to wait 36 years until he joined Robinson in the Hall.

 

Re: Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

Dungy wasn't the first black head coach of the modern era, he wasn't even the first successful black head coach (that was Dennis Green). He was just the first one who took over an already loaded team with Peyton Manning at quarterback.

 

Re: Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

I know. I was using "first black coach to win a Super Bowl." Dungy was first, Tomlin was second.

And, if that's the criteria used to elect Dungy, where's the groundswell of support for Doug Williams?

 

Re: Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

I get what you're saying and I agree. I just hate the Robinson comparison to anything. I remember someone asking Sylvester Croom about him being the Jackie Robinson of the SEC and he said something like, "I'm not even going to go there. I'm now the answer to a trivia question and that's great, but becoming the first of anything in 2003 should not be compared to anything Robinson did."

I know he went on to be a shitty head coach, but I really liked what he said.

 

Re: Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

Yeah, Croom wasn't much of a coach, but in terms of honesty and integrity, it's hard to find a better guy than him.

 

Re: Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

Completely agree.

 

Re: Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

Holmgren was said to have taken the front office job in Cleveland so he could polish his credentials for Canton. Bzzzt.
I have stated this before on these related threads, but the PFHoF needs an official.
Jim Tunney was a sort of Forrest Gump for remarkable moments in NFL history.
Also a very good referee.