Secret's out on Fame game

[dragondawg]

Secret's out on Fame game
By Woody Paige
Denver Post Staff Columnist


The White House Situation Room, beneath the West Wing, looks like a typical boardroom at a major corporation, with a long, mahogany table surrounded by a dozen leather chairs - one at the head reserved for the president - and flat-screen TVs lining the walls. When national and international crises develop, this is where they are discussed and dealt with. Secret Service agents and military attachés stand inside and outside of the door.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame committee selection room is a typical "Salon B" meeting room at a major hotel - located in a city where the Super Bowl is held. On the day before the game, a four-sided set of tables is assembled, with 40 plain chairs on three sides and a half dozen reserved at the head table for officials from the shrine in Canton, Ohio. Outside the door are NFL security guards and employees of a national accounting firm. Inside is a table loaded with coffee, juice, fruit and pastries. Here, voters from the 32 league cities (two from the New York area because of the Jets and the Giants), seven at-large selectors and one person representing the Pro Football Writers of America decide the fate of the finalists for the Hall of Fame.

I have been in both rooms, one as a touring guest, the other as a full-fledged participant for 14 years.

I know nothing about what goes on in the Situation Room, but I am an inside source about what goes on in the HOF room.

In 2003, I called in every favor, pleaded with every voter and attempted to orchestrate a plan to get Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar, who retired after the 1983 season, into the Hall of Fame. He made the list of the final 15, from which three to seven candidates would be chosen. As the rep from Denver, I was to start the debate on Gradishar. In the most impassioned speech of my life, I said: "Gradishar is the only NFL player in history to record 100 tackles a year for 10 consecutive years. He finished with more than 2,000 and had 20 interceptions. For a 10-year period he was one of the best inside linebackers in the game and was the established leader of the famed 'Orange Crush' defense that reached the Super Bowl."

I raved on.

"He was the greatest linebacker on third- and fourth-and-1 anyone watched in the 1970s and '80s. He stuffed quarterback sneaks, tailback runs and fullback dives by lining up 10 yards back and racing to the spot before the back arrived. He was a true student and gentleman of the game, an all-pro and a winner."

I quoted his coaches and teammates and opposing coaches and offensive players. And I closed by saying, "The Denver Broncos don't have one player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Honor the players who have passed through Denver over 40 years by recognizing Randy Gradishar as their first inductee, the heart and soul of all of those before him."

Adam Schefter, then the pro football writer for The Post and the president of the writers association, followed up powerfully.

A writer from an Eastern city, sitting next to me, said before the proceedings: "I will support Gradishar."

He was one of only two electors to negatively cast Gradishar: "They always handed out too many tackles in Denver." (Gradishar began his career playing in 14 games, and half his games were on the road.)

Another voter, from a Midwestern town, said a (highly respected) NFL franchise executive told him Gradishar "is not a Hall of Famer."

Gradishar fell short and has not made it back to "The Room," as the selection meeting is called.

Blame me. Blame the NFL executive's unfair evaluation. Blame an influential writer. Blame Gradishar for retiring prematurely.

Blame the system, which is subjective, biased and weighed so heavily toward offensive players (2 to 1).

To misinterpret Winston Churchill, the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection process is the worst, until you consider all other forms.

I have a lifetime right to vote on Cooperstown candidates. You are sent a list, check 10 names and send it back. No discussion.

At least with professional football, experienced football observers confront each other in a room, argue and advocate and vote (with secret votes, unfortunately) on potential Hall of Famers. Eight of 40 voters can prevent the inclusion of an aspirant.

In 2004, the Broncos' superstar quarterback was eligible for induction. I uttered the shortest speech in the committee's history: "Gentlemen, I give you John Elway."

There was applause, as much for brevity as for Elway.

I'm no longer on the committee- because I was working in New York in 2006 (and there was a sentiment among HOF officials that there would be too many voters from New York) and because when I returned from New York, The Post had instituted a policy prohibiting writers from serving on Hall of Fame committees, and a Rocky Mountain News reporter replaced me.

But I still get e-mails about contenders, and more about Art Monk than anybody else. He retired with what were then the most receptions (940) in league history. Monk is always close, but not in. (Some claim he was Washington's third most effective receiver.)

In regard to other former and current Denver players and the owner, these are my objective opinions:

Floyd Little: He played on losing teams and did not have gaudy numbers or regular appearances in the Pro Bowl. The late Dick Connor was on the committee then, so I can't tell you what happened. Little is considered by the nine-person senior panel (all of whom saw him play), but he is up against hundreds of other quality players who didn't reach Canton. He has almost no chance.

Gary Zimmerman: Should have been in before now. Named to the all-decade team twice by many of the same HOF voters. I believed I could help push him in the year after Elway, but it didn't work out. There are virtually no negatives about Zimmerman. He just has been pushed behind others, and there are no definite gauges for tackles. He will make it in the next few years.

Terrell Davis: Deserves it. Two thousand yards rushing in a season, MVP in the regular season and the Super Bowl. Member of two Super Bowl championship teams. Career cut short by injury. I would fight long and hard for Davis. We put in Miami's Dwight Stephenson, the premier center in football until his career was ended by a knee injury in his seventh season. Gale Sayers is a legitimate Hall of Famer who had to leave prematurely. Davis eventually will get in.

Shannon Sharpe: Lock.

Dennis Smith and Steve Atwater: Two exceptional safeties, but safeties rarely are invited. Not a chance for either. Louis Wright was the No. 1 defensive back in Broncos history, and he was snubbed because people can be stupid.

John Lynch: Maybe, if the Broncos win a Super Bowl.

Bill Romanowski: His Super Bowl rings will be deliberated, but his other activities - which aren't supposed to be a topic of conversation - will keep him out.

Rod Smith: Don't count on it. Complain all you want, but there have been many fantastic receivers, and Rod didn't get the national attention or the Pro Bowl nods by his peers or the gigantic catches in Super Bowls (read: Lynn Swann).

Mike Shanahan: Needs to win one more Super Bowl.

Pat Bowlen: Needs to win a couple more Super Bowls and get more national credit for his league work in TV. But his outspoken criticism of the Eastern bias on the committee is totally unfounded. Bowlen should not rail about the HOF until he corrects the glaring omissions (Dan Reeves, Red Miller, Rick Upchurch, Steve Watson) by the Ring of Fame committee he dominates.

That's the situation in The Room.

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_6546517


One is the loneliest number
By Joel A. Erickson
Denver Post Staff Writer




Broncos fans know one thing: One Hall of Famer, John Elway, isn't enough.
But the conversation really begins when it comes time to decide which Broncos should join Elway in Canton, Ohio.
It's a perfect topic for fans watching practice at Dove Valley. Watch Champ Bailey intercept a pass, then debate his potential for immortality.
And if an informal poll conducted at training camp is any indication, Bailey has a pretty good shot.
"Champ Bailey is a shutdown corner," John Porter, a 20-year-old from Highlands Ranch, said. "Teams have to build a game plan around him."


But most fans agreed that other than Mike Shanahan, Jason Elam and Tom Nalen, most of the current Broncos don't have the tenure to be included in the discussion. It's the Broncos from days gone by that really get fans talking. Not a guy like Shannon Sharpe. Sharpe's numbers speak for themselves.Guys like Terrell Davis and Randy Gradishar generate a lot more discussion.



Take Gradishar, a member of the "Orange Crush" and Denver's leading tackler for nine consecutive seasons.
"The Orange Crush defense should be represented," Kevin Klatt, 42, of Littleton, said.
Gradishar, probably the best defensive candidate, routinely makes the Hall of Fame committee's list of 25 semifinalists, but doesn't get past the round of 15.


"Gradishar has deserved to go for a long time," Scott Harris, 48, of Denver, said.
And then there's Davis. Some say the running back's career was too short. Not in Dove Valley, where two Super Bowls in six years carry a lot of weight.
"Don't judge him on length of career," Ian Wells, 37, of Highlands Ranch, said. "Judge him on quality of years played."
To Broncos fans, quality means one thing: wins. Ask Elway.

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_6547904

[Blueflame]

From my pov, the HOF has no credibility whatsoever....

[Vegas_Bronco]

Listening to Bruce Matthews today go on and on about Clay Matthews (his brother) stating that 'Clay should have been in the HOF years before his Bruce...he was a much better player....one of the best linebackers the team ever had to prepare for' just makes me a bit sick. The HOF should just come out with a HOF point system - you get enough points and your in period! I'm sure it would need to be a weighted system, but at least there will be some kind of consistency to the selection process and instead of excluding great players, they should allow all of them in with different rated honors. The HOF has become an inconsistent joke in most NFL fans minds when it has the potential to be a wonderful measuring tool of career successes that transcends generations.

[Bronco LB 59]

The real shame of reading Woody's column is finding out about the Denver Post's policy against writers serving on Hall of Fame committees. He's on our side and he's no longer there.

[maher_tyler]

"Rod Smith: Don't count on it. Complain all you want, but there have been many fantastic receivers, and Rod didn't get the national attention or the Pro Bowl nods by his peers or the gigantic catches in Super Bowls (read: Lynn Swann)."

What about the bomb across the middle he caught for a touchdown in SB XXXII?? Guess he forgot about that one!!!

[elsid13]

Smith won't get in, he was a great player for the team, but he wasn't one of the "WR" of his era. I am surprised about the Shanahan comment

[chickennob2]

I think Rod should get in for one reason. He was undrafted. In a time when the sports media, and therefore the majority of fans are focused solely on the big-ticket draft picks, the man came from a tiny school, went undrafted, and worked his ass off every single day to catch more balls than any other undrafted WR in history (I believe. maybe a fact check). Assuming he plays this season, he'll have over 850 catches, 70 touchdowns, and 11,500 yards. Plus two rings, maybe 3 (hopefully). When the league is trying to escape from the TO circus and the Vick scandal, I think that Rod Smith is the epitome of what the league is trying to do. A great leader, and a lunch pail guy who is no show and all class.

[spdirty]

hof is a joke, don't care.

[Archie]

Watched the beginning of the HOF inductions yesterday but didn't make it through Sanders before moving on to other things.... Anyway, I remember Elway's induction and it remains the only time that a team or individual has been overwhelmingly represented but their fans like that.

I can hardly wait for Zimmerman and Sharpe to make it in. Would be cool if it were the same year (Sharpe's up this year - isn't he?). We'll rock Canton again...

But... Gradishar and TD should both be locks for the hall and they are not. I won't be satisfied until they are in.

[Hogan11]

Originally Posted by spdirty

hof is a joke, don't care.

QFT

[Garcia Bronco]

"Rod Smith: Don't count on it. Complain all you want, but there have been many fantastic receivers, and Rod didn't get the national attention or the Pro Bowl nods by his peers or the gigantic catches in Super Bowls (read: Lynn Swann).:

And this is why Woody Paige is a effing idiot. No wonder he couldn't get anybody in.,

[Meck77]

Originally Posted by Archie

Watched the beginning of the HOF inductions yesterday but didn't make it through Sanders before moving on to other things.... Anyway, I remember Elway's induction and it remains the only time that a team or individual has been overwhelmingly represented but their fans like that.

It looked like Elway was the only guy getting in that weekend. There was a small contingency of Lions and Vikings fans that I can remember but the ratio had to be 20 to 1. I believe there was an estimate of 20k-25k Broncos fans.

[CBF1]

Originally Posted by Meck77

It looked like Elway was the only guy getting in that weekend. There was a small contingency of Lions and Vikings fans that I can remember but the ratio had to be 20 to 1. I believe there was an estimate of 20k-25k Broncos fans.

While we were doing the tailgate and the HOF employee's stopped by (remember the lady that we got to do a keg stand) Anyway, we were talking and they all agreed that the fan support that Denver fans showed was the most overwhelming they had ever seen..... by a long shot. Made me proud to be part of it.

Now I can not stand the place for the continual snubbing of Bronco players

[Meck77]

Originally Posted by CBF1

While we were doing the tailgate and the HOF employee's stopped by (remember the lady that we got to do a keg stand) Anyway, we were talking and they all agreed that the fan support that Denver fans showed was the most overwhelming they had ever seen..... by a long shot. Made me proud to be part of it.

Now I can not stand the place for the continual snubbing of Bronco players

I hear you CBF1. I'd have a hard time going back also if some of our old timers continue to get snubbed over the next few years. We know Shannon is a lock but honestly I can't see Broncos fans mobilizing like they did for John. He wasn't exactly gracious on his way out the door IMO. If a Gradishar or a Zimm get in I think we could rival what we pulled off for Elway especially with all the overlapping of all the Broncos boards/tailgating these days.

BTW..I still am in contact with the man with the land if we ever need it. I hope so and I hope it's next year.

[Drek]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

"Rod Smith: Don't count on it. Complain all you want, but there have been many fantastic receivers, and Rod didn't get the national attention or the Pro Bowl nods by his peers or the gigantic catches in Super Bowls (read: Lynn Swann).:

And this is why Woody Paige is a effing idiot. No wonder he couldn't get anybody in.,

Dead on. It seems to me like Paige just rubs his fellow writers the wrong way, and as a result he makes a horrible representative at something that he even says is as much politicking and back room deals as it is a judgment on a player's merits. We'll see how the old timers fair now that they have a less polarizing personality campaigning for them.

[That One Guy]

Originally Posted by Drek

Dead on. It seems to me like Paige just rubs his fellow writers the wrong way, and as a result he makes a horrible representative at something that he even says is as much politicking and back room deals as it is a judgment on a player's merits. We'll see how the old timers fair now that they have a less polarizing personality campaigning for them.

I'd like to see how many other Broncos writers have as much Broncos knowledge and pure knowledge of football as Woody has. If anyone says Williamson...

[Elway148]

How is John Lynch a "maybe," but Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith are a "not a chance?'

I like John Lynch, but Steve Atwater would have the same number of rings (if Lynch wins another) and was the better player of the two. Dennis Smith, IMO, was also a better safety than Lynch.

[Broncos_OTM]

the process of getting into the hall is a joke. the hall itself is great

[That One Guy]

When I went a few months ago they still had a Mike Anderson set up. At least he's kinda representing us there.

[Bronco Billy]

I'm still kicking myself for not going to Elway's enshrinement as my wife and I just got back from our honeymoon in Aruba. We'll be there for the next one... Sharpe? Davis?

[kmartin575]

Originally Posted by dragondawg

In 2003, I called in every favor, pleaded with every voter and attempted to orchestrate a plan to get Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar, who retired after the 1983 season, into the Hall of Fame. He made the list of the final 15, from which three to seven candidates would be chosen. As the rep from Denver, I was to start the debate on Gradishar. In the most impassioned speech of my life, I said: "Gradishar is the only NFL player in history to record 100 tackles a year for 10 consecutive years. He finished with more than 2,000 and had 20 interceptions. For a 10-year period he was one of the best inside linebackers in the game and was the established leader of the famed 'Orange Crush' defense that reached the Super Bowl."

Donnie Edwards now has 10 straight years with 100+ tackles so I guess Gradishar isn't all that impressive anymore. Edwards also has 27 interceptions.