One of the most gratifying moments of Super Bowl week for fans of the Denver Broncos was the announcement that tackle Gary Zimmerman had been selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Zim is absolutely one of the greatest offensive linemen in pro football history, as his selection to the all-decade teams of both the 1980′s and the 1990′s clearly attests.
He had to wait a couple of years longer even than he should have, but there is no question that the voters got it right in naming him to the game’s most hallowed halls.
As great as the news was about Zimmerman, it was just as disappointing that all-time great Randy Gradishar did not get selected.
Obviously, it is very difficult for any selection process to take place, and two players from one team in one year is quite uncommon.
However, I think a look at the really big picture suggests that all those years in which the Broncos wandered in the vast wasteland of being ignored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame are over, and we are embarking on a new era, one in which Denver is slowly getting its due.
As Zimmerman joins John Elway in the Hall, he marks the second Bronco to be inducted in five years, and it would appear that a couple of others will get very, very strong consideration shortly.
Next year Shannon Sharpe is up for induction, and he strikes many observers as a strong candidate for first ballot induction.
Sharpe retired as pro football’s all-time leader at tight end in receptions, yardage, and touchdowns. Since there are tight ends in the hall with lesser stats, it stands to reason that the player with greater stats would go in soon.
To top it off, he was one of the leaders and strongest locker room voices on the world championship teams, two here in Denver and one in Baltimore.
So, something must matter. Either stats matter, or winning matters. If either matters he goes in right away. If they both batter he goes in faster than right away.
In addition, there is a very valid argument which suggests that Randy Gradishar becomes one of the most glamorous of the veteran candidates.
A quick look at the stats shows that Gradishar becomes the only seven-time Pro Bowl player to be considered by the veterans committee, and also the only veterans candidate who was among the final 15 twice in the last five years.
Creating an analogy with Randy’s occupation in the automobile business, his Hall of Fame vehicle has been moved onto another lot, but it is the shiniest car on that lot.
And the shiniest car sells a lot faster than many others.
Hence, it is very reasonable to suggest that in the next few years of induction, Elway and Zimmerman will have some Bronco company in the Hall of Fame.
And it’s about time.
Tags: Alumni, Gary Zimmerman, Hall of Fame, History, John Elway, Randy Gradishar, Shannon Sharpe
Until TD gets in, the hall to me is a joke. Not to mention the other potential guys that should be in like Gradishar Louis Wright, Tombstone Jackson, Flyod Little, Steve Atwater, and if Sannon Sharpe does not get in next year the NFL needs to change the way they are selecting guys because they have yet to get it right as far as Bronco Fans are concerned
i think they should select more players at a time. who do we have that should be goin in, td, sharpe, eddie mccaffery, lepsis, smith, nalen, wilson, atwater, and not to mention all the other guys. they need to fix the way they select the hof.
I was watching Inside the NFL on HBO last night and they brought up something interesting. Is a player less HOF worthy his first year than 5 years down the line. If he deserves to be in the HOF then vote him in right away and not years later.
It doesn’t surprise me that more Broncos are being looked at for the Hall of Fame. Most of these players that are eligible, or soon to be, were those who played Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII. Makes me believe that great teams make great players. Of course a player can make it through his own abilities, but the difficulty of achieving such a feat is elevated.
To: smithalltheway
As much as I would love to see that happen, I doubt it. Here’s to hoping!
smithalltheway
i would love for all those guys to get in, but i douby McCaffery, Lepsis, and Wlison get in.
but i think smith, nalen and td are HOF’s
lets be honest T.D. didnt play long enough to be a HOFer Smith, Nalen, Atwater, Sharpe, and Grandishar should all be in. i know T.D. was one of the few to get to 2000 yards and helped us win rings but he didnt last as long as the others and didnt affect the game enough just the Broncos.
I express misteznprince’s sentiments wholeheartedly. The true sticking point to me is Rod Smith’s worthiness. If he doesn’t make it, then the selection process truly is a bunch of crap.
TD did play long enough, he played longer than gayle sayers and had better stats and had 2000 yard season a superbowl mvp a league mvp. bottom line, if sayers is in (on 1st ballot by the way) then TD should be in
“2 players from one team is uncommon”
Tell that to the redskins who saw THREE inductees this year who were associated with the franchise. Also, take issue with the fact that Tippet got in because of political backscratching because some of the voters thought it would be such a “great story” that a former Patriot got in the year that the Pats went 19-0….so much for that plan.
Bottom line, they are penalizing the Broncos for not winning championships in the past. To the voters, the broncos weren’t “legitimate” until the 97-98 Super Bowl team, and many players from that team will definitely be in the hall of fame, even some that aren’t as deserving as Little, Gradishar, etc.
The HOF isn’t about “remembering history”, or “enshrining the best.” It is about a handful of elite voters filling canton’s halls the way THEY want it to be filled, whatever whim of the moment they happen to be following.
The first step to fixing it is to get rid of the arbitrary designation that their is a limit to the number of players per year that get inducted. They say that it would dilute the quality of the entrants, but they do that just fine with their voting practices. If a serious case is made (somehow. I have no idea how they determine the rules for Canton voting) then they would at least have to address the issue of what the hall of fame is really about. The purpose of the HOF is described in such wishy-washy generalized terms that NO ONE really knows what it means to be inducted, or means to be left out.
Make no mistake, the HOF induction process is going according to plan, or it would have changed long ago.
The question is what in the heck that plan is…
styg50
http://www.Milehighreport.com
well when sharpe gets in maybe he will have enough brass to mention T.D. unlike john, cuz like i have always said no T.D. = no rings for john, period. and i think its a true sign of elways character to not mention T.D. at his induction, like look at me im john elway what a prick i am to not mention the running back that ran for a superbowl win for me…complete crap. so shannon if you read this PLEASE say something to the effect of if we wouldnt of had T.D. i would not have a championship as a bronco.
WOW! I’m shocked to see someone rip on John Elway like that and call himself/herself a Broncos fan. Dangerous ground my friend.
He does have a point. TD won it for them, not Elway. So it’s a little bit arrogant not to even mention someone who you relied on the entire game.
Elway played for 16 years, only 3 with TD. He led the Broncos to 5 Super Bowls, only 2 with TD. He played with many different backs. He doesn’t owe his HOF career to TD or anyone else.
skivett how many superbowls did elway win without davis? zero you idiot and im a die hard bronco fan always have been always will be but do you honestly think they would have one either of those without davis?(especially the XXXII) when davis went out in the end of the first quarter how many first downs did the broncos get without him? zero how many yards did they rush for? zero that tells me that they wouldnt have been able to score a single touchdown (which they didnt) without davis in the game. hell the only reason why they scored any points at all without out davis is cuz they got the ball in greenbay territory cuz of a good special teams play.(the fumble on kickoff) and even with that they gained like a yard and a half and elam kicked a 51 yarder. no davis = zero superbowls in denver. and you may not be an idiot but that sh!? pisses me of when davis gets no love from his teamates nationally. thats all and correct me if im wrong but elway didnt lead the broncos to their last two superbowls davis did he ran them to victory, and as for all those other backs if they were as good as davis we wouldnt be having this debate, if they were so good why didnt elway win at least one before davis? so ya i tkae that back you really are an idiot.
Only one man won the superbowls? OH my!
no it wasnt just one man it was the running game mainly T.D.
TRADE OTHER GARY ZIMMERMAN AND BRIAN HABIB
i sorry that super bowl belonged to Davis except getting the 1st down on that helecopter tackle Elway didnt really do anything in XXXII but if u could put those calliber of line-men and Olandis Gary Elway comes away with at least 1 ring during the 80s thats waht hurt the broncos against the Giants they couldnt run so that freed LT to go after the QB….and if the D played like that in the 80s and we have the O-Line and Gary then he gets 2 rings….we’d need that D and T.D. and even that might not have been enough to stop Montana to Rice cuz i really dont think we’d have the CBs needed to cover Jerry Rice in a super bowl.
Elway, in his HOF speech said:
“I’d also like to thank my many teammates – Granada Hills, Stanford University and the Denver Broncos. I’d like to name every one of you here today, but time won’t allow. Just know that I’m proud to have called you my friends and my teammates. This bust here would not be here, and neither would I, if it weren’t for you guys. People sometimes don’t realize how dependent the quarterback is on his teammates to do their jobs. For every guy that ever stepped onto a field with me, I accept this honor today on behalf of all of you. Thanks for protecting me, catching my passes, defending our goal line, for sharing my highs and lows. And more than anything, thanks for not losing confidence in me when I lined up for a snap as a rookie behind the left guard.”
That includes TD.
Obviously, misteznprince didn’t listen to Elway’s induction speech. Elway would have gone into the Hall even if the Broncos didn’t win SB XXXII and XXXIII. The wins just guaranteed him getting in on the first ballot.
I think he earned it and there’s no doubt in my mind he will be in the hall of fame next year.
tomjonesrocks, with all due respect, when he thanked the broncos organization does that mean he was thanking dan reeves for holding him back all those years? just a thought, all i was tryin to say was he should have mentioned T.D. man, at least thats what i think. ya know?
Mad respect for TD, but you have to argue that he wouldn’t have any rings had it not been for Elway… and it is rare to find an elite quarterback as great as he was, they don’t come around but once every 10+ years….
I really do hope so that its Denver’s HOF era!
Shannon Sharpe definitely should get in the HoF, but it will likely not be in his first eligible year. Note well that no TE has ever been elected his first eligible year.
Randy Gradishar sits at 3/7 in his “1st team all pro/pro bowl” numbers, but he’s got plenty of similar Senior Candidate company at LB in such folks as Chris Hanburger (3/9), Maxie Baughan (3/9), Les Richter (1/8), Chuck Howley (5/6), Joe Fortunato (3/5), Isiah Robertson (3/6), and Andy Russell (1/7). Fortunato is helped further by being a member of the all-50s decade team; none of the rest of these LBs are on one. I think Gradishar belongs in, but he’s got more competition than one may think.