The NFL has officially announced they cut down the 15 modern era finalists to ten individuals for consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This is not the actual class of 2011, but rather the group that will be considered for the final class that I believe will be announced a little bit later today. The most notable individuals that did not make this first cut from 15 to 10 include Oakland Raiders all-time great WR Tim Brown, Steelers RB Jerome Bettis, and former 49ers Chris Doleman and Charles Haley.
The ten finalists still remaining for consideration include:
Dermontti Dawson
Richard Dent
Marshall Faulk
Cortez Kennedy
Curtis Martin
Andre Reed
Willie Road
Ed Sabol
Deion Sanders
Shannon Sharpe
I have to say I’m stunned that Andre Reed warranted consideration over the likes of Chris Carter and Tim Brown. It blows my mind, particularly if you compare the numbers. Andre Reed put up monster numbers, but he was dwarfed by both Carter and Brown. I’ve never understood how a player can become more Hall of Fame worthy as time passes when his numbers won’t change. Furthermore, guys like Carter and Brown will see their ranking on all-time lists potentially drop as younger players pass them. The geniuses in the media will see that and decide player X is not worthy. Just a bizarre, Byzantine process.