The NFL was finally smart enough to get rid of the laughable Pro Bowl Games. It was an unnecessary, season-ending show that was watered down to nothing. Now the Pro Football Hall of Fame is making major and sweeping changes to their election process that will likely leave three former Miami Dolphins out of the Hall for good.
With these changes, many Dolphins fans may never see a player go into the Hall of Fame. Over the last 20 years, no one has stood out as a future HOF'er, so we dig further back into the 70s, 80s, and 90s. And it will likely end there.
Since Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas hung up their cleats, there hasn't been anyone on the roster who has had a Hall of Fame career, at least not while they were in Miami. The new rule changes are going to make it a lot harder for those who have been waiting.
New Hall of Fame rules put former Miami Dolphins potential additions' chances on ice
The rules changes
- Selection committee reduced to 28 voters — it was 50
- Modern-Era players and seniors will no longer be separated
- Finalists will drop from 15 moderns, 3 seniors, a coach, and a contributor to 13 total players, 1 coach, and one contributor
- Mandatory seniors are no longer required
- No automatic rollover for players reaching the top 7 into the finalists group
Why this hurts
With no seniors and a reduction of finalists to 13 players total, many seniors will find themselves no longer on the ballot. The Pro Football HOF has turned into a name game. Players may have one or two good seasons, but if they have the right name, they are enshrined.
This has been a huge problem for years. The HOF is watering itself down, but even if this changes, some deserving players will never get the opportunity because it will no longer be provided to them.
With players playing shorter careers and still being rewarded for their play on the field, those seniors who played by different rules will be saddled with comparisons to modern-era rules that will skew stats away from them.
Dolphins players in trouble
- Bob Kuechenberg
Kooch was an old curmudgeon who rubbed the media the wrong way. He may very well be one of the most absolutely deserving players not in the Hall of Fame. A 14-year career that put him on the field in nearly every Super Bowl Miami played in has never been enough. The six Pro Bowls, two coming in back-to-back seasons to finish his career, were not enough.
Kuechenberg will never get it without the senior committee voting him in. That won't happen now. Kuechenberg never got to wear the Gold Jacket, and his family probably doesn't care at this point. It would have mattered before he died, not so much now. He does, however, have a dedicated fan base that reminds the HOF every year how wrong they are about him.
- Mark Clayton
It was always going to be hard for Clayton to make the Hall. His numbers are good and comparable to other WRs who are in the Hall, but Clayton's career wasn't highlighted by Super Bowl rings or a loaded resume with playoff victories.
Clayton has five Pro Bowl nods and 11 seasons in the league, but his stats pale in comparison to the numbers being put up in this era of football. Under different rules, Clayton may have ended up with a much higher HOF outlook.
- Richmond Webb
Webb is still the most likely candidate to get into the Hall of Fame. The question is whether or not the 28 members of the voting committee were on his side or if he lost support when they trimmed it down.
Webb has come close, but not close enough. There is a lot of support for him, but it's hard to know now whether his chances have improved or dropped.
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