Tag: John Madden

Bowlen wouldn’t even be sniffing the HOF if he hadn’t inherited Elway

When the contributors’ committee met last week to select a candidate to be voted on at the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame selection meeting next February, they were looking at a strong field.

It included Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, former general managers Bobby Beathard and George Young and scouting pioneer Gil Brandt of the Dallas Cowboys.

They could have easily just picked a name out of a hat.

Since there aren’t a lot of other slam-dunk contributor candidates at the moment, all four figure to be selected in the next three years.

There will be two nominated in 2019, then one a year after that.

Continue reading “Bowlen wouldn’t even be sniffing the HOF if he hadn’t inherited Elway”

Fitzgerald just biding time before his inevitable Hall of Fame date

When the Arizona Cardinals played in the Hall of Fame game in Canton a week ago, it was a special moment for wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

At age 33 as he begins his 14th season in the NFL, Fitzgerald has already punched his ticket to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This past weekend won’t be his last visit.

Fitzgerald already is third all-time in catches with 1,125 and ninth in yards with 14,389, so there won’t be much debate about his qualifications.

His induction will likely happen five years after he retires because he figures to be a first-ballot selection.

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Where have all the (great) coaches gone?

When the AFL-NFL merger was finalized in 1970, the NFL featured nine Hall of Fame head coaches and would have had a tenth if Vince Lombardi hadn’t died that year.

The nine were Paul Brown, Chuck Noll, Tom Landry, Bud Grant, Don Shula, Weeb Ewbank, John Madden, Hank Stram and George Allen.

Flash forward to the upcoming NFL season.

At the moment, there is one sure fire Hall of Famer on the sidelines – Bill Belichick – although there’s always a chance a younger coach may emerge.

The league doesn’t have the larger-than-life figures who were great leaders on the sidelines. They have too many play-callers who don’t know how to manage the game.

Continue reading “Where have all the (great) coaches gone?”