2012 26 HOF semi-finalists

[Hammer]

Steve Atwater, S – 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets
Jerome Bettis, RB – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
Tim Brown, WR/KR – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cris Carter, WR – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
Don Coryell, Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers
Roger Craig, RB – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings
Terrell Davis, RB – 1995-2001 Denver Broncos
Dermontti Dawson, C – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
Edward DeBartolo, Jr., Owner – 1979-2000 San Francisco 49ers
Chris Doleman, DE/LB – 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers
Kevin Greene, LB/DE – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers
Charles Haley, DE/LB – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
Cortez Kennedy, DT – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
Curtis Martin, RB – 1995-97 New England Patriots, 1998-2005 New York Jets
Clay Matthews, LB – 1978-1993 Cleveland Browns, 1994-96 Atlanta Falcons
Karl Mecklenburg, LB – 1983-1994 Denver Broncos
Bill Parcells, Coach – 1983-1990 New York Giants, 1993-96 New England Patriots, 1997-99 New York Jets, 2003-06 Dallas Cowboys
Andre Reed, WR – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
Willie Roaf, T – 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs
Donnie Shell, S – 1974-1987 Pittsburgh Steelers
Will Shields, G – 1993-2006 Kansas City Chiefs
Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner – 1989-2006 National Football League
Steve Tasker, ST/WR – 1985-86 Houston Oilers, 1986-1997 Buffalo Bills
Aeneas Williams, CB/S – 1991-2000 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 2001-04 St. Louis Rams
Ron Wolf, Contributor – 1963-1974, 1978-1990 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1975-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1990 New York Jets, 1991 -2001 Green Bay Packers
George Young, Contributor – 1968-1974 Baltimore Colts, 1975-78 Miami Dolphins, 1979-1997 New York Giants, 1998-2001 National Football League

[Hornsby]

Ahhhh, hopefully, another year tacked on to the annual Cris Carter heartbreak.

[Judge Jude]

The top RBs are stuck in a knot, but maybe they all go eventually.

Whatever one thinks of Parcells, seems undeniable.

Tagliabue a boring pick but not a bad one.

Dawson seems legit, but the Steelers are not exactly lacking in electees, which may not help his cause for the moment...

[umjewman]

Chris Doleman, if only because of how dominant he was in the original Tecmo Bowl. Not quite Bo Jackson or Ronnie Lott territory, but he could wreak havoc.

[Erik]

My ballot would be:

Chris Doleman, DE/LB – 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers
Clay Matthews, LB – 1978-1993 Cleveland Browns, 1994-96 Atlanta Falcons
Bill Parcells, Coach – 1983-1990 New York Giants, 1993-96 New England Patriots, 1997-99 New York Jets, 2003-06 Dallas Cowboys
Willie Roaf, T – 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs
Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner – 1989-2006 National Football League
Ron Wolf, Contributor – 1963-1974, 1978-1990 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1975-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1990 New York Jets, 1991 -2001 Green Bay Packers
George Young, Contributor – 1968-1974 Baltimore Colts, 1975-78 Miami Dolphins, 1979-1997 New York Giants, 1998-2001 National Football League

[revo]

Jerome Bettis, RB – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
Tim Brown, WR/KR – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dermontti Dawson, C – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
Cortez Kennedy, DT – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
Curtis Martin, RB – 1995-97 New England Patriots, 1998-2005 New York Jets
Bill Parcells, Coach – 1983-1990 New York Giants, 1993-96 New England Patriots, 1997-99 New York Jets, 2003-06 Dallas Cowboys
Andre Reed, WR – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins

My guess on who's elected. The Parcells vote assumes voters believe he's actually retired for good. Otherwise, replace him with Shields or Roaf.

[Erik]

Parcells would have been in long ago, but voters (correctly) assumed he would come out of retirement, because he always did.

[chancellor]

It'd be year of the linemen on my ballot:

Dermontti Dawson, C – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
Cortez Kennedy, DT – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
Bill Parcells, Coach – 1983-1990 New York Giants, 1993-96 New England Patriots, 1997-99 New York Jets, 2003-06 Dallas Cowboys
Willie Roaf, T – 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs
Will Shields, G – 1993-2006 Kansas City Chiefs
Ron Wolf, Contributor – 1963-1974, 1978-1990 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1975-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1990 New York Jets, 1991 -2001 Green Bay Packers

I'd think long and hard about Cris Carter, Tagliabue, and Doleman, too.

[Mithrandir]

Any list without Dawson is a joke. He dominated his position like no others. He was a combination of Mike Webster and Dwight Stephenson.

[onejayhawk]

You know I'm on the Shields and Roaf wagon. If Will Shields does not get in, they should close the museum. Roaf is nearly that good. I can see Dawson, but he does not compare with these two.

Coaches and execs are usually something I dont care about, but Parcells is too obvious to miss. Besides he coached at one of my Alma Maters, and married a hometown girl.

The rest of the list does not impress me. Terrell Davis deserves to be in IMO because of his dominance in the playoffs, but otherwise the resume is too thin. Chris Carter does not deserve to be enshrined anywhere but his own ego. Greene, Kennedy, Craig, Bettis, Atwater, Martin etc. are all a rung (or two) short, ie undisputed excellence, but not greatness.

J

[Mithrandir]

You know I'm on the Shields and Roaf wagon. If Will Shields does not get in, they should close the museum. Roaf is nearly that good. I can see Dawson, but he does not compare with these two.

Coaches and execs are usually something I dont care about, but Parcells is too obvious to miss. Besides he coached at one of my Alma Maters, and married a hometown girl.

The rest of the list does not impress me. Terrell Davis deserves to be in IMO because of his dominance in the playoffs, but otherwise the resume is too thin. Chris Carter does not deserve to be enshrined anywhere but his own ego. Greene, Kennedy, Craig, Bettis, Atwater, Martin etc. are all a rung (or two) short, ie undisputed excellence, but not greatness.

J

Dawson is the best player on this list. Hands down.

"He's not the quickest center in the league, he's the quickest lineman in the league," says Steelers running back Jerome (the Bus) Bettis, the chief beneficiary of Dawson's exertions. "He has the ability to snap the ball, pull and lead a sweep."

"Other guys snap, then move; Dermontti snaps and moves," says Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, who doesn't hesitate to pull Dawson on screens and counters. "He gets out in space, and he's as nimble as a defensive back," says Steelers offensive lineman Roger Duffy, a nine-year veteran. "I've played center, but when I watch Dermontti, it's like the tape's on a different speed."

[onejayhawk]

Dawson is the best player on this list. Hands down.

"He's not the quickest center in the league, he's the quickest lineman in the league," says Steelers running back Jerome (the Bus) Bettis, the chief beneficiary of Dawson's exertions. "He has the ability to snap the ball, pull and lead a sweep."

"Other guys snap, then move; Dermontti snaps and moves," says Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, who doesn't hesitate to pull Dawson on screens and counters. "He gets out in space, and he's as nimble as a defensive back," says Steelers offensive lineman Roger Duffy, a nine-year veteran. "I've played center, but when I watch Dermontti, it's like the tape's on a different speed."

Dawson is very good, but that goes with saying in this discussion. He is not even the best Steeler C, though I grant that is a tall standard. Will Shields is arguably the best ever to play his position.

J

[Mithrandir]

Dawson is very good, but that goes with saying in this discussion. He is not even the best Steeler C, though I grant that is a tall standard. Will Shields is arguably the best ever to play his position.

J

Not saying he isn't the best Steeler center makes absolutely no sense in this discussion or in his HOF merit discussion.

That's like saying Mickey Mantle wasn't the best Yankee CF.

I would say Dawson is arguably the greatest Center to play in the NFL. Do some reading on his ability.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5468724/dermontti_dawson_should_be_in_the_nfl.html?cat=14

[onejayhawk]

Not saying he isn't the best Steeler center makes absolutely no sense in this discussion or in his HOF merit discussion.

That's like saying Mickey Mantle wasn't the best Yankee CF.

I would say Dawson is arguably the greatest Center to play in the NFL. Do some reading on his ability.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...fl.html?cat=14

I dont get your point. Mickey Mantle is the best CF in baseball history, on any team, not just the Yankees. It would make perfect sense to say that Joe Dimaggio was not the best CF ever, because he was not the best CF in the history of his own team.

I saw Webster and Dawson play extensively. The styles are very different, bu I would take Webster head to head. Another factor is that he does not separate from a contemporary, Tom Nalen. Dawson is elite, but not head above the competition.

However Will Shields is head above the rest. The only recent OG that compares is Larry Allen, and they play opposite sides. Shields is the most deserving in this class, and it is not close.

J

[Mithrandir]

What about John Hannah?

But that doesn't mean DiMaggio shouldn't be in the HOF. We have to agree to diagree. I feel Dawson IS heads above the competition. and i saw both play extensively too.