Five Quick Hits
* Freddie Mitchell's pre-Super Bowl comments were blown way out of proportion. His post-Super Bowl comments set a new standard for stupidity.
* The Lions have been hesitant to cut ties with Joey Harrington. One possible reason: Drew Brees. San Diego's patience with Brees paid off in the form of a division title last year.
* It's too early to give up on Jeff Garcia. He didn't have a lot to work with in Cleveland, and he plays with a lot of heart. If Garcia lands with the right team and stays healthy, he'll have a shot at Comeback Player of the Year.
* Why is it such big news that the NHL season is cancelled? Haven't we pretty much known this for the last six months? Suspected it for more than a year?
* Romeo Crennel is the only new head coach I think much of, but he and Mike Nolan step into really dismal situations. I expect Nick Saban's Dolphins to put together the best turnaround next season.
I watched the first quarter of the Pro Bowl. By accident. I sat on my couch to have a snack, turned on the TV, and flipped to ESPN to see what was on. Oh, yeah. The game is a farce, of course, but my one comment is that Walter Jones either was trying even less than everyone else, or was totally caught off-guard by Donovan McNabb's mobility. Jones got beaten on a play, but McNabb eluded the sack and scrambled in Jones' direction. Unfortunately, Jones hadn't moved. McNabb eventually got sacked when Jones wasn't in position to pick up John Henderson's pursuit.
Hall Pass
Benny Friedman, Dan Marino, Fritz Pollard, and Steve Young are the newest additions to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Harry Carson, Michael Irvin, and Art Monk are among those who didn't make the cut this year.
Were all the new inductees deserving?
Sweet heaven, yes. This was the strongest class in at least five years, and the complaint I've been hearing is that not enough people got in, rather than the other way around. Last year, I thought Boomer Brown and Carl Eller were borderline candidates who could have been left out, but this year's finalists were a very strong class. Marino and Young are no-brainers, for reasons I probably don't need to explain.
Friedman was the NFL's first great passer, completing 50% of his passes in an era when 35% was good, and regularly leading the league in touchdown passes. His 1929 record of 20 TD passes stood for over a decade, after substantial rules changes to accomodate passers, including legalized passing from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage. It's a shame that Friedman wasn't enshrined long ago.
I know very little about Pollard, so I'm not in a position to argue for or against his induction. Pollard was the first African-American head coach in league history, and although statistics were kept loosely or not at all, contemporary accounts single him out as the most feared back in the league. If someone like Pollard is the weakest member of the class, you've clearly got a high-quality group.
Who got snubbed?
First and foremost, Monk, who was turned away for the fifth time. Playing with average quarterbacks for most of his career, Monk set NFL records for career receptions, single-season receptions, and consecutive games with a reception. He is the only eligible player ever to hold the career receptions record, but not have a bust in Canton.
Carson and Irvin also belong on this list. Both players made it to the final round of voting, where only a yea or nay is required, and failed to get enough votes for entry. I'm lukewarm on Irvin, whose prime was pretty limited, but when you get to the end of the line and can't get over the hump, that's gotta be a bummer.
This was a very strong group of finalists, so other worthy candidates were passed over as well, but those are the really big ones.
Who's Next?
Next year's first-time eligible list is pretty daunting: Troy Aikman, Dermontti Dawson, Warren Moon, Andre Reed, Andre Rison, Thurman Thomas, and Reggie White will all be nominated. Squeeze those guys in with Carson, Irvin, Monk, Derrick Thomas, and two Seniors candidates, and you've got an awfully crowded pool.
Among that group, Rison is the easiest to dismiss. Against that kind of competition, Dawson and Reed can be counted out of the running next year, too. White is the only mortal lock, with Thurman Thomas probably just ahead of Aikman. I'd guess all three of them make the cut, with Moon the most likely to join them. Next year is probably Carson's last realistic chance to get in, but I doubt it will happen.
The All-Loser Team
It's easy to reward players whose teams do well, but what about the ones who never win? All six quarterbacks in last week's Pro Bowl made the playoffs, including both Super Bowl QBs. For a bit of fun now that the season's over, allow me to present the third annual All-Loser Team, an all-star team composed entirely of players whose teams missed the postseason.
QB Trent Green, KC
RB Tiki Barber, NYG
FB Tony Richardson, KC
WR Muhsin Muhammad, CAR
WR Chad Johnson, CIN
TE Tony Gonzalez, KC
C Casey Wiegmann, KC
G Brian Waters, KC
G Will Shields, KC
OT Willie Roaf, KC
OT Willie Anderson, CIN
DT Cornelius Griffin, WAS
DT Kelly Gregg, BAL
DE Julius Peppers, CAR
DE Aaron Schobel, BUF
OLB Takeo Spikes, BUF
OLB Derrick Brooks, TB
ILB Antonio Pierce, WAS
ILB Al Wilson, DEN
CB Ronde Barber, TB
CB Chris McAlister, BAL
FS Deon Grant, JAC
SS Ed Reed, BAL
K Shayne Graham, CIN
P Shane Lechler, OAK
KR Dante Hall, KC
Honorable Mentions: Randy McMichael (TE, MIA); Bertrand Berry (DE, ARI); Terrell Suggs (OLB, BAL); Marcus Washington (OLB, WAS); Fred Smoot (CB, WAS); Shawn Springs (CB, WAS)
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