February 4, 2009 12:13 AM
Broncos Inbox -- Feb. 4
Welcome, the Broncos Inbox is open and it was an avalanche of e-mails this week regarding the Hall of Fame selection process, so with that off we go . . .
Dr. Curt Stonecipher leads the way . . .
Q: I'm sure you cast a vote for Shannon Sharpe to be inducted in to the NFL Hall of Fame, but what the heck is going on with the rest of the panel? This guy changed the position forever. This should have been a no-brainer vote. Is it just because he played the majority of his career with the Broncos and the voters on the panel seem to consistently overlook the talent that organization has produced over the years? This really makes true NFL fans take a step back and wonder what merits are used to induct members into the hall. Don't tell me something as important as this is still a popularity contest. Steve Atwater should have been in years ago. I like John Lynch as a player but if he gets in before Atwater, the whole thing is a joke.
And Dennis Smythe . . .
Q: Why, in your opinion, was Shannon Sharpe not voted into the Hall of Fame this year, and what do you think are his chances next year?
And almost a triple-digit showing of others like John Bena, who operates a popular fan forum, and Joe Logsdon, who presented his detailed case for the Broncos to have far more representation in the Hall, and B. Scott . . .
A: The short answer is it's the Hall of Fame and it's difficult to get in. And it's why it means so much to those who eventually make it.
I don't think there is any question Sharpe has Hall of Fame credentials - I presented each and every one of them to the voters - but I also don't think there's any question that when we made the first cut from 15 modern-era candidates to 10 - the two seniors candidates are voted on separately - it presented the most difficult list to get to five that the committee has encountered in my time (10 years) in the room.
The class that was voted in -- Bob Hayes (seniors candidate), Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Ralph Wilson and Rod Woodson -- is a quality class.
Of that group Woodson and Smith were in their first year of eligibility. Sharpe would have been the third first-year candidate and with just five slots maximum for modern-era candidate to have three of those go to first-year players would be extremely rare, especially when you consider at least five players who made the final 10 roll over from the previous year as well.
This year the eligible class was so deep that the five that were turned away this year in the cut to 10 - Sharpe, Richard Dent, Russ Grimm, John Randle and Cris Carter - would have also been a quality class.
So you see how difficult it is to get in. But if Sharpe gets in on his second, third or fourth try he is still a Hall of Famer. It doesn't mean more to Bruce Smith to make it on his first try than it did for Rayfield Wright, who was deserving and waited 29 years to hear his name called.
Most of the e-mails expressed anger that McDaniel and Wilson went in ahead of Sharpe. All I can say is both were deserving candidates as well.
McDaniel was selected to 14 Pro Bowls in a row and was an All Pro selection nine years in a row. Only Merlin Olson and Bruce Matthews, also Hall of Famers, were selected to that many Pro Bowls in a career.
The guy dominated his era at his position and excelled in the eyes of his peers.
And none other than Gary Zimmerman, who played alongside McDaniel before coming to the Broncos, was stunned that McDaniel did not go in the Hall of Fame before he did. In fact when I called Gary last year to congratulate him on his induction he said McDaniel was every bit the Hall of Famer as well.
Wilson was instrumental in the AFL-NFL merger, which led to a little thing we call the Super Bowl, he helped keep the AFL afloat and was also one of the biggest voices when the AFL, not the NFL, decided that teams sharing revenue would be the best way to keep the league competitive and growing.
It was an idea the NFL adopted the next year and one the league is still using today to rule the sports landscape.
Again almost any combination of the 10 players left after the first cut Saturday would have made a tremendous class.
Sharpe is very deserving, his career accomplishments are both rare and easy to see, and I will present him as such every time I have the opportunity. However, no tight end has ever gone in during the first year of eligibility and some positions just take a little longer.
Overall the Broncos are certainly under-represented - just Zimmerman and John Elway -- for a team that has been to six Super Bowls and won two. That is no question as well and all of that information is part of any presentation, every time.
Reminders are given, the stats are discussed. A lot of it is timing and getting more former Broncos into the discussion in the room.
That's the start and we've had a little more success getting closer to that in the past few years. Terrell Davis has made the cut to 25 a couple times and Floyd Little continues to get plenty of discussion in the seniors committee.
And in essence every team in the league, at least the established ones that were in business before 1995, believes it has at least three players who should be in the Hall of Fame and aren't.
That presents a pool of 80 or so players right out of the gate. Add in the fact you have new candidates eligible every year and you see the challenge in all of this.
It's not easy, in fact it's agonizing most years knowing you only get to pick five modern-era guys, and when you're part of it you kind of accept that most years plenty of people aren't going to be happy with the outcome.
Next year Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith and Tim Brown will be eligible for the first time so it figures to be another difficult year for decisions to be made.
Chris Boyle in Los Angeles asked . . .
Q: I was wondering who really "owns" an offense? When we hear that Josh McDaniels is bringing "his" offense with him, what does that mean? The Patriots aren't going to let him walk out of the building with playbooks, right? So does he have it all memorized? Does he just copy down as much as he can remember? How much is lost in the re-teaching? Or does he have to dictate a 500-page book to his interns to produce? Does he get to take computer files with him, and if so, why would a team allow that? Or is it understood and accepted that he's already made plenty of copies at home to take with him?
A: Teams are careful about what coaches, especially assistant coaches, take with them when they leave. I know of head coaches who have stayed in the room and watched some of their coordinators pack when they got new jobs just to make sure too much didn't go out the door with them.
Coaches usually can't take playbooks with them. But most coaches I know also usually have a copy somewhere else in case they do get a head coaching or coordinator job. They consider it part of their preparation for the promotion.
So most guys have it ready to go even though they aren't allowed to take most of what's in their offices with them.
Most coaches like McDaniels, who have called plays, have plenty memorized as well and that's part of settling in on the new job, getting a lot of that on paper as well.
But the Broncos offense will be what McDaniels ran in New England with much of the terminology, etc... he used there as well. He said last week he has spent plenty of time already teaching the offense to the other coaches so they can teach it to the players.
So basically you own what you can remember when you move on.
And finally, Chris Depew in Westminster wondered . . .
Q: Quick question regarding Coach Josh McDaniels' new staff...it's been reported that assistants Rick Dennison and Bobby Turner will be back next season as offensive line coach and running backs coach respectively, yet there has been so official announcement by the team. Why the delay?
A: Just depends on the team as to what gets announced when. Sometimes it means the details of the actual contract are still being typed out and it hasn't actually been signed despite the fact the terms were already agreed to.
Or because they are under contract for at least another year - all of Shanahan's assistants had at least one year left on their contracts when he was fired - the team may just believe the two are simply back to work and there's no need for an announcement.
Either way Dennison and Turner are working and have been meeting regularly with McDaniels as they install the offense and get it ready in playbook fashion to give to the players in the coming weeks.
That's it and thanks.
--Jeff Legwold
February 4, 2009
4:36 AM
T.Y.W.Kent writes:
Hi guys, we don't give the credence to Halls of Fame, Oscars etc. that you do. Be grateful that we had the likes of Sharpe, Davis et al playing for us. Also, I don't see the point of the Pro Bowl which just seems like an end of season beano in Hawaii for the great and the good. I enjoyed this year's Superbowl. What a finish. It probably ranks second to our win over Green Bay in which we were by no means favorites. Meanwhile, back to the claymores of Scottish football. The gap has narrowed again to 2 points behind Celtic. The next few months are going to be interesting. Enjoy the speculation re Denver. Tom.
February 4, 2009
7:19 AM
TXBRONC writes:
With all due respect Jeff it doesn't look like talking is getting any results. I respect the fact that guys like Sharpe and Davis have made it deep into the process that's but it's a hollow victory. It's like wins and loses. If win by one point or a hundred points its still a win and obviously the reverse it true as well.
Not when guys like Floyd Little, Randy Gradishar, Tom Jackson, Louis Wright, Terrell Davis, and Shannon Sharpe are still not in. From this end it sure looks like the panel will always find some reason NOT to select former Broncos greats into the Hall of Fame.
February 4, 2009
7:25 AM
TXBRONC writes:
Someone I forgot to add to the list was Ruben Carter. The guy defined the position of nose tackle yet he's not the Hall of Fame.
February 4, 2009
11:36 AM
Ken Kooiman writes:
I feel that non-players such as Ralph Wilson and Paul Tagliablue this year should be separate from the actual voting of players. Not that coaches, owners, announcers, refs, ect. shouldn't be in the Hall Of Fame, it's just that they should be voted in separate just as the senior candidates are. With only 5 going in a year and one going to an owner the Hall is getting further and further behind on voting in worthy players. What would be wrong with increasing the # until they catch back up? Or, better yet, vote in one senior, one non-player, two players who are not seniors, but retired more than ten years ago, and three modern players.
February 4, 2009
12:32 PM
Jayson writes:
Will Denver still run their zone blocking scheme? With the offensive linemen they have would it be difficult for them to switch to a straight up blocking scheme? They are slightly undersized but quick which will work much better for the zone scheme than something else.
February 4, 2009
2:32 PM
Scott S writes:
Which one of these guys represents Denver with a HOF vote, Lee Rasizer, or Jeff Legwold? Either way, I now understand why the Broncos do not have more players in the HOF. The representation from Denver is soft! That weak justification of why Sharpe did not make it into the HOF made me sick. Sharpe belongs in the HOF end of story! It is your job to stand up and sell it! Don't come back to Denver trying to convince us of how you tried hard. You got bulled over by other voters. Do we have you to thank for the Davis, and Gradishar not getting in too? If you aren't the one standing up and fighting like heck for our Broncos than who is?
Six AFC Championships
Two Super Bowl victories
1.5 Players in the HOF (Zimmerman spen half his time with the Vikings).
We need a strong voice to represent Denver.
February 4, 2009
3:03 PM
TXBRONC writes:
Scott,
Jeff Legwold is the one who is on the Hall of Fame selection committee.
February 4, 2009
3:29 PM
Scott S writes:
Thanks TXBRONC,
I guess Jeff is the guy that needs to take the heat then. And again, it's not personal, we live in a results driven world, and the results speak for themselves. And the Broncos, and the Bronco fans are the ones who suffer from the lack of Jeff's results.
February 5, 2009
4:13 PM
T.Y.W.Kent writes:
Hi guys, You can't blame Jeff for not getting players into the Hall of Fame. No matter what eloqence you have you cannot outvote the opposition. What matters is the future. We will become a fine side again. Remember past players with affection but a HOF means nothing. SBs do and we have been in 6. Leave poor Jeff alone. Tom (Scotland). My football team (Rangers), a world record of 51 national championships, even against the corrupt Eastern European army teams. Prepare for the new era. Tom.
February 6, 2009
4:52 PM
Vegas Dan Myers writes:
Jeff/Lee, it may be too early for the new coaches to say but are any of the current defensive players able to play the 3-4?
These are pro football players that do adjust to coaching right? Yes I do know that Elvis is not a good choice for DE (too small or slow like Robertson) but why can't he learn OLB (unless he is too slow). IMO Clemons and Shaw would make good candidates for DE, along with Thomas.
I think that I found a steal DT FA, Gabe Watson AZ.
Sorry I got off track. Another question is that the 3-4 usually has the bigger LB's on the outside with quicker LB's on the inside, WHY?
February 11, 2009
6:14 PM
tomk writes:
Ref.my blog about our major soccer teams having their own hall of fame to supplement the Scottish football HOF for which you automatically qualify after playing 50 times for Scotland no votes needed. The major club HOF's are elected by supporters and officials of the club concerned. Very few are inducted. Today Rangers announced only 3 new inductees. An Irishman from the 30's, A Scot from the 50's and a German from the 90's. The honour is greater since so few are chosen. The earliest is one Moses McNeil who founded the club in about 1879. I think this works as you have no club or region bias. I recognise your problem in having no national team, therefore I am not sure that you can have an unbiased national HOF.
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