It’s up to Mr. Elfin, now…

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http://video1.washingtontimes.com/redskins/2008/01/make_it_a_triple_david_elfin.html
Make it a Triple
The Washington Times
January 15, 2008
David Elfin

Yours truly will be talked out by noon the day before the Super Bowl. That’s because as the Washington selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I have to present three of the 17 finalists who were announced this afternoon: receiver Art Monk, cornerback Darrell Green and Russ Grimm.

I have been unsuccessful the past two years in getting Monk and Grimm elected. Maybe the third time’s the charm. Or maybe I should have followed all of my male first cousins and gone to law school where I could have learned how to win an argument.

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17 Finalists for Hall of Fame election

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http://www.profootballhof.com/enshrinement/story.jsp?story_id=2640
17 Finalists for Hall of Fame election
Pro Football Hall of Fame
January 15, 2008

Two first-year eligible players, wide receiver Cris Carter and cornerback Darrell Green are among the 17 finalists who will be considered for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when the Hall’s Board of Selectors meets in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, February 2, 2008.

Joining the two first-year eligible players, are 12 other modern-era players, one contributor and two players nominated earlier by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee. The contributor finalist is former National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. The Senior Committee nominees, announced in August 2007, are Chicago Cardinals back Marshall Goldberg and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Emmitt Thomas. The other modern-era player finalists include defensive ends Fred Dean and Richard Dent; linebackers Randy Gradishar, Derrick Thomas and Andre Tippett; guards Russ Grimm, Bob Kuechenberg and Randall McDaniel; punter Ray Guy; wide receivers Art Monk and Andre Reed; and tackle Gary Zimmerman.

To be elected, a finalist must receive a minimum positive vote of 80 percent.

Listed alphabetically, the 17 finalists with their positions, teams, and years active follow:

Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
Fred Dean – Defensive End – 1975-1981 San Diego Chargers, 1981-85 San Francisco 49ers
Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles
Marshall Goldberg – Back – 1939-1943, 1946-48 Chicago Cardinals
Randy Gradishar – Linebacker – 1974-1983 Denver Broncos
Darrell Green – Cornerback – 1983-2002 Washington Redskins
Russ Grimm – Guard – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins
Ray Guy – Punter – 1973-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Bob Kuechenberg – Guard – 1970-1984 Miami Dolphins
Randall McDaniel – Guard – 1988-1999 Minnesota Vikings, 2000-2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Art Monk – Wide Receiver – 1980-1993 Washington Redskins, 1994 New York Jets, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles
Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
Paul Tagliabue – Commissioner – 1989-2006 National Football League
Derrick Thomas – Linebacker – 1989-1999 Kansas City Chiefs
Emmitt Thomas – Cornerback – 1966-1978 Kansas City Chiefs
Andre Tippett – Linebacker – 1982-1993 New England Patriots
Gary Zimmerman – Tackle – 1986-1992 Minnesota Vikings, 1993-97 Denver Broncos

Dean, Dent, Goldberg, Gradishar, Grimm, Guy, Kuechenberg, Monk, Reed, Tagliabue, Derrick Thomas, Tippett, and Zimmerman have all been finalists in previous years. Although they have been previously eligible, this is the first time Emmitt Thomas and McDaniel have made the finalist list.

From this year’s list, nine players – Goldberg, Gradishar, Green, Grimm, Guy, Kuechenberg, Derrick Thomas, Emmitt Thomas, and Tippett – spent their entire NFL career with just one team.

Goldberg and Emmitt Thomas were selected as senior candidates by the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee at their August 2007 meeting. The Seniors Committee reviews the qualifications of those players whose careers took place more than 25 years ago. The remaining 15 modern-era finalists were determined by a vote of the Hall’s 44-member Board of Selectors from a list of 124 preliminary nominees that earlier was reduced to a list of 26 semifinalists (that included a tie for the 25th semifinalist position). To be eligible for election, modern-era players and coaches must be retired at least five years while a contributor need not be retired.

The Board of Selectors will meet in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, February 2, 2008, to elect the Hall of Fame Class of 2008.

At the 2008 election meeting, the selectors will thoroughly discuss the careers of each finalist before narrowing the field to seven candidates. At least four candidates must be elected but the total class cannot number more than seven.

Of the 2008 finalists, Goldberg has been eligible for 46 years (the Hall of Fame opened in 1963, at which time Goldberg would have been first eligible), Emmitt Thomas 25 years, Gradishar 20, Kuechenberg 19, Dean 18 years, Guy 17, Grimm 12, Tippett 10, Monk eight years, Dent and Zimmerman six years, Derrick Thomas four years, Reed three years, McDaniel two years, and Carter and Green are in their first year of eligibility. Contributors, such as Tagliabue, need not to be retired to be considered for Hall of Fame election. Therefore there is no specific year at which he first became “eligible” for consideration. The Class of 2008 will be announced at a press conference at 2:30 p.m. (MT) on Saturday, February 2, at the Super Bowl media center in the Phoenix Convention Center.

Representatives of the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche will tabulate all votes during the meeting. At the press conference, they will present Hall of Fame President/Executive Director Steve Perry with an envelope containing the names of the nominees elected. The Hall will contact each new member immediately after the announcement. Members of the Class of 2008 in Phoenix for the Super Bowl will be invited to the press conference. Those not able to attend will be asked to join via teleconference.

The Enshrinement of the Class of 2008 will take place at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, on Saturday, August 2, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. ET. The Enshrinement Ceremony will be televised live by both ESPN and the NFL Network. The annual Hall of Fame Game will be played on Sunday, August 3, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. and broadcast live by NBC. Teams have not yet been announced.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival, designated by The American Bus Association as one of the Top 100 Events in North America in 2008, is a multi-day celebration of the enshrinement of the newest Hall of Fame Class. Held in Canton each year, the festival includes 15 special public events and culminates with the Enshrinement Ceremony and NFL Hall of Fame Game. Two other major events are the Enshrinees Dinner (Friday, August 1), and the Enshrinees GameDay Roundtable (Sunday, August 3). It is at the Enshrinees Dinner where each member of the Class of 2008 will be presented his gold Pro Football Hall of Fame Jacket. At the GameDay Roundtable, the members of the Class of 2008 will be featured center stage to share memories of the game and their personal feelings about being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Modern era semi-finalists for Class of 2008

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http://www.profootballhof.com/enshrinement/story.jsp?story_id=2607
Modern era semi-finalists for Class of 2008
Pro Football Hall of Fame
November 28, 2007

Wide receiver Cris Carter and cornerback Darrell Green are the only first-year eligible players to make the list of 26 semi-finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008. The Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors chose the 26 semi-finalists from the recently announced list of 124 preliminary nominees. The list includes one more than the required 25 since there was a tie for the twenty-fifth position.

The list of 26 semi-finalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 modern-era candidates. That list will increase to 17 finalist nominees with the inclusion of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee. The Seniors Committee nominees, who were announced in August, are Marshall Goldberg and Emmitt Thomas.

Cris Carter, WR – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
Terrell Davis, RB – 1995-2001 Denver Broncos
Dermontti Dawson, C – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
Fred Dean, DE – 1975-1981 San Diego Chargers, 1981-85 San Francisco 49ers
Richard Dent, DE – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles
Randy Gradishar, LB – 1974-1983 Denver Broncos
Darrell Green, CB – 1983-2002 Washington Redskins
Kevin Greene, LB/DE – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers
Russ Grimm, G – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins
Ray Guy, P – 1973-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Charles Haley, DE/LB – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
Lester Hayes, CB – 1977-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Rickey Jackson, LB – 1981-1993 New Orleans Saints, 1994-95 San Francisco 49ers
Joe Jacoby, T – 1981-1993 Washington Redskins
Cortez Kennedy, DT – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
Bob Kuechenberg, G – 1970-1984 Miami Dolphins
Randall McDaniel, G – 1988-1999 Minnesota Vikings, 2000-01 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Art Monk, WR – 1980-1993 Washington Redskins, 1994 New York Jets, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles
Andre Reed, WR –1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
Ken Stabler, QB – 1970-79 Oakland Raiders, 1980-81 Houston Oilers, 1982-84 New Orleans Saints
Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner – 1989-2006 National Football League
Steve Tasker, Special Teams/WR – 1985-1986 Houston Oilers, 1986-1997 Buffalo Bills
Derrick Thomas, LB – 1989-1999 Kansas City Chiefs
Andre Tippett, LB – 1982-1993 New England Patriots
George Young, GM/Administrator – 1968-1974 Baltimore Colts, 1975-78 Miami Dolphins, 1979-1997 New York Giants, 1998-2001 National Football League
Gary Zimmerman, T – 1986-1992 Minnesota Vikings, 1993-97 Denver Broncos

Hall Voters on T.O. and Art Monk

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http://www.star-telegram.com/332/story/303777.html
Hall voters have their say
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Wed, Nov. 14, 2007
By CLARENCE E. HILL Jr.

John McClain, Houston Chronicle

“Right now, the jury is still out on T.O. There are a lot of great receivers with impressive numbers still deserving of the Hall of Fame. Art Monk, Andre Reed and Cris Carter, for instance. Others from TO’s era — Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison, Isaac Bruce, Rod Smith — have posted big numbers, too. Like T.O., they’re outstanding receivers with impressive credentials. The bottom line on T.O. and all of the others is that there’s going to be a lot of stiff competition from a lot of deserving candidates, so the jury is still out.”

Jarrett Bell, USA Today

“Here’s my take on Terrell Owens: Still undetermined. It is tough to merely glance at numbers as the determining factor. If so, Art Monk, Andre Reed and even Andre Rison would be in the Hall. The passing game numbers have become so inflated as the NFL has evolved, and that makes it difficult to rate receivers and quarterbacks from different eras by the same standards. I mean, Drew Pearson is Hall of Fame-worthy in my book, and he had 261 fewer career catches than Michael Irvin did. And I think Bob Hayes, who helped write the history of the receiver position in the NFL, deserves to be in the Hall, regardless of his numbers. Still, in Owens’ case, the career touchdowns are the numbers that support his case.

“Now, what’s the intangible? That whole T.O. persona. The bylaws state that we are to consider players based on what happens between the lines. But that can be interpreted in different ways. So, just as you might view Ray Lewis more favorably for his leadership, an argument might be made that Owens’ track record over the years for, well, events — with all the antics and selfish showboating, sideline blowups, in-house spats — should be weighed for whatever negative impact he might have had on his teams from a chemistry standpoint. Obviously, that’s a lot tougher to quantify than TDs or dropped passes.

“Still, when you get back to productivity and impact as a player, I don’t see where Terrell Owens brings anything less to the wide receiver position than Hall of Famers like Steve Largent, Tommy McDonald and James Lofton did when they played.”

Dr. Z sees the light

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/dr_z/11/07/hof/1.html
Early Call for the Hall
Sports Illustrated SI.com
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Dr. Z

I’m tired of being a negative. I’m tired of all the impassioned letters asking me what did he ever do to me. I’ve been thinking long and hard about this. OK, he caught a lot of short passes but he also bought a lot of first downs, and he was a terrific team guy, well-respected and a pleasure from whom to borrow money. Why must I continue to pound a shoe on the table?“Because the heel is falling off,” says The Flaming Redhead. Hey, can’t you see this is serious? What’s the matter with you?

Where was I? Oh yeah, Art Monk. OK. He’s got my vote. D.C. e-mailers can mail their contributions to me, care of the office.

Preliminary Nominees for 2008

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http://www.profootballhof.com/enshrinement/story.jsp?story_id=2586
124 make up list of preliminary nominees for Hall’s Class of 2008
Pro Football Hall of Fame
October 30, 2007

Wide receivers Cris Carter and Herman Moore and cornerback Darrell Green are first-year eligible candidates among a list of 124 modern-era players, coaches, and contributors who make up the preliminary list of nominees for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008.

From this preliminary list of modern-era nominees, Hall of Fame selectors will choose 25 candidates who will advance as semifinalist nominees.  The list of 25 modern-era semifinalists will be announced later next month.The 25 modern-era semifinalists list will be reduced by a mail ballot to 15 modern-era finalists.
 
The final list for Hall of Fame consideration will consist of those 15 modern-era nominees plus two previously announced senior nominees, Marshall Goldberg and Emmitt Thomas.  Goldberg, a multi-purpose back was a two-way star with the Chicago Cardinals from 1939-1943 and following World War II from 1946 to 1948.  Thomas, an all-league cornerback, starred for 13 seasons (1966-1978) for the Kansas City Chiefs.  The two senior nominees were selected this past August by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Selection Committee.

This is the first year that coaches are affected by the mandatory five-year waiting period; one of three significant changes to the selection process by-laws approved by the Hall of Fame’s Board of Trustees this year.  The other major changes include increasing the minimum and maximum number of nominees that can be elected from a minimum of three and a maximum of six, to a minimum of four and a maximum of seven.  The Board of Trustees also approved an increase in the number of selectors on the Selection Committee from 40 to 44.

Art Monk* WR 1980-1993 Washington Redskins, 1994 New York Jets, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles

Gosselin and Dr. Z answer questions about Monk

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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/101907dnsponflchat.18231e5fc.html
dallasnews.com
October 17, 2007
NFL chat: Giant hurdle remains for Cowboys
Rick Gosselin

From e-mail: In your recent From the 50, you wrote how Shannon Sharpe might no longer be a lock for the Hall of Fame because by the time he’s eligible, his stats won’t look as impressive when compared to other TEs (like Tony Gonzalez, etc.). I think that’s unfair because you shouldn’t compare stats from different eras. A player should be judged statistically based on the era he played in. And Art Monk should be in the HOF. Period.

Chuck

Rick Gosselin: That’s your opinion on Monk, and it’s not shared by the voters. Seven times he’s been a finalist and seven times he has missed the cut. With the explosion of statistics on offense, I think the voters are taking a longer, harder look at the stats and trying to determine if the player was all about numbers or impact. That’s why it’s been so hard for wide outs to get in lately. If the Buffalo Bills had won one Super Bowl, I think Andre Reed would have been in by now. And this committee has only voted to enshrine seven tight ends in the game’s history. In the end, I think Sharpe gets in. The Broncos are underrepresented as it is. They’ve been to six Super Bowls in their history and have just one player enshrined (John Elway). When they get a quality candidate, he should get in. Sharpe is a quality candidate.

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/dr_z/10/18/mailbag/1.html
Sports Illustrated SI.com
October 18, 2007
NFL Mailbag
Dr. Z

Frank of Bel Air, Md. — “I’m not an old fogy and I want those lineups, too. Now, if we could just get you to come around on Art Monk for the Hall of Fame, you’d be 100 percent.”

Take heart. I’m softening my position on Art.

Hall of Fame window can slam shut

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http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/nwsltr/sports/fromthe50/stories/101707dnspofromthe50.1774a170f.html
Dallas Morning News
October 16, 2007
Hall of Fame window can slam shut
By Rick Gosselin

When tight end Shannon Sharpe retired after the 2003 season, I assumed he’d be a slam dunk for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Sharpe left the game with the triple crown for tight ends – most career receptions, yards and touchdowns. Statistically, there had never been anyone better at the position.

But that’s what we thought about Art Monk, too. When he retired after the 1995 season, he was the NFL’s all-time leading receiver with 940 catches. Being the best at what you do logically would qualify you for Canton.

But by the time Monk became eligible for the Hall of Fame, Jerry Rice had motored past him on the all-time receiving list. Rice became the new standard – and Monk was passed over by the Hall of Fame selection panel in his first year of eligibility in 2001. And every year thereafter – seven years up, seven years down.

Now five players are ahead of Monk on the all-time receiving list: Rice, Cris Carter, Tim Brown, Marvin Harrison and Andre Reed. It’s tougher to sell the sixth all-time leading receiver as a profile in greatness than it is the first.

And as offensive statistics continue to explode in the pass-happy NFL, Monk will continue his slide down the receiving chart. Every year that passes makes it more difficult for him to secure a bust in Canton.

And that’s the potential pitfall facing Sharpe. By the time he’s eligible in 2009, he will not be the all-time leading receiver for his position. Here comes Tony Gonzalez.

This Day in NFL History

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http://www.nfl.com/history/1012-1018
NFL.com
October 12, 2007
This Day in NFL History

October 12

1992 — Washington wide receiver Art Monk becomes the NFL’s all-time leading receiver when he makes his 820th career reception in a 34-3 victory over the Broncos.

Cris Carter on Monk

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http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cc-askcris101007&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Yahoo! Sports
October 10, 2007
Ask Cris: Strategic Move
Cris Carter

“I’m a huge Washington Redskins fan and I cannot understand why Art Monk has not been selected for the Hall of Fame. Art was the all-time leading receiver (940 receptions) at one time in his career and won a couple of Super Bowls. Michael Irvin was inducted last year. Why do you think they keep passing Art by?”

Joel Shuster
Randolph, N.J.

The No. 1 argument I hear against Monk is the lack of Pro Bowl appearances. He only made it three times. When you look at the amount of time he played – 16 years – and in his conference, he was only among the top four receivers three times, then how could he be a Hall of Famer? And keep in mind here: we’re just talking about within his conference, not the whole league. And people say, if they were only going to take one receiver away from the Redskins offense, they would try to slow down Gary Clark. When you take all of that into consideration, there’s a very strong case to keep him out of Canton.