Predicting the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class is not easy
By George Keim
On Saturday, February 1st the Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce their class of 2020. While many are deserving, we give our predictions here.
A handful of people will get the call that they’ve been invited to Canton, Ohio in August to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This is the ultimate honor bestowed on a former player or contributor to the National Football League.
It’s not often someone gets in that isn’t deserving. More often than not though the debate is whether someone should get in over someone else. To me, the Hall of Fame means the best of the best. When you hear a Hall of Famers name you think, “yea that guy was one of the best at his position.”
This year’s class will be different. In an effort to honor the league’s centennial celebration the 2020 Hall of Fame class will feature 20 people. Five (5) will come from the Modern-Era Players list, ten (10) Senior Players (retired more than 25 years), three (3) contributors (non-coach or player) and two (2) coaches.
Modern-Era Players – Five (5) modern-era players will be elected through the normal selection committee process. This list started with 122 nominees. In September it was winnowed down to 25 semi-finalists. On January 2nd the 15 finalists were named. The five 5 modern-era players will come from this list. The 15 finalists are:
- Troy Polamalu – S – Pittsburgh Steelers – 2003 – 2014 (first time eligible)
- Edgerrin James – RB – 1999 – 2009 – Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks
- Zach Thomas – LB – 1996 – 2008 – Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys
- Bryant Young – DT – 1994-2007 – San Francisco 49ers
- Richard Seymour – DT/DE – 2001 – 2012 – New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders
- John Lynch – FS – 1993 – 2007 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos
- Steve Atwater – S – 1989 – 1999 – Denver Broncos
- LeRoy Butler – S – 1990 – 2001 – Green Bay Packers
- Reggie Wayne – WR – 2001 – 2014 – Indianapolis Colts (first time eligible)
- Torry Holt – WR – 1999 – 2009 – St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars
- Isaac Bruce – WR – 1994 – 2009 – St. Louis & Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers
- Sam Mills – LB – 1986 – 1997 – New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers
- Tony Bosselli – T – 1995 – 2002 – Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans
- Alan Faneca – G – 1998 – 2010 – Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals
- Steve Hutchinson – G – 2001 – 2012 – Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, and Tennessee Titans.
It’s a tough ask to try and predict all 20 of this year’s enshrinees so I’m going to focus on the five (5) modern-era players. If I were on the Hall of Fame Selection Committee my ballot would look like this.
Zach Thomas – LB – 1996 – 2008 – Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys – Now some may think there’s a bias here, and you may well be correct, but I would put Zach Thomas’ numbers up against anyone. Thomas played 13 years in the league and was a Pro Bowler eight times and voted an All-Pro in 5 seasons. He amassed 1734 (1107 solo) tackles with 20.5 sacks, 17 interceptions and 4 defensive touchdowns. Thomas was also selected to the 2000’s All Decade team. When I think of a middle linebacker there are a few names that immediately come to mind, Butkus, Singletary, Lambert, Bednarik and yes, Zach Thomas.
Troy Polamalu – S – Pittsburgh Steelers – 2003 – 2014 – Polamalu was as dominant a safety as there was during his 12 seasons with the Steelers. He was an 8 time pro bowler and 4 time All-Pro. He had 32 career interceptions and 5 defensive touchdowns. Troy Polamalu was also selected to the 2000’s All Decade Team. Every week the opposing team’s offensive coordinator had to game planned around Troy Polamalu.
Alan Faneca – G – 1998 – 2010 – Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. Alan Faneca was a mainstay on the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line from 1998 to 2007. During his 10 years with the Steelers he was selected to the Pro Bowl 7 times and named 1st team All Pro 6 times. Faneca would make the Pro Bowl 2 more times while with the Jets. Faneca played in 204 out of 206 games in his career while starting 201 of them. Faneca was a model of consistency and was a player the Steelers plugged in the lineup each and every week. During his 13 year career, teams he was on finished the season in the top 10 for rushing yards 11 times.
Steve Atwater – S – 1989 – 1999 – Denver Broncos. Steve Atwater was a bad man. I remember as thinking he was the last guy that wide receivers wanted to see when running a crossing pattern. Atwater would have had a tough time playing in the league today with how the rules have evolved. Atwater played 11 seasons in the NFL. Eight (8) times he was selected to the Pro Bowl while earning All Pro honors in two (2) of those seasons. Atwater garnered 1188 tackles during his career to go with his 24 interceptions. Atwater was a true enforcer in the defensive backfield.
Reggie Wayne – WR – 2001 – 2014 – Indianapolis Colts (first time eligible). Reggie Wayne was often overshadowed during his career by Marvin Harrison, but Wayne’s numbers are Hall of Fame worthy. Wayne spent all 14 years of his career with the Indianapolis Colts. Upon retirement, Wayne ranked 10th overall in both receptions and yards with 1,070 and 14,345 respectively. Wayne is tied for 24th with 82 touchdowns. Only 14 receivers in the history of the league have broken the 1000 reception mark. Reggie Wayne made 6 Pro Bowls including 1 All-Pro selection.
You could make an argument for any of the other ten (10) nominees as they are all well-deserving having had distinguished careers, but in my opinion, these five (5) were some of the best of the best at their positions.