Sharpe Falls Short In Bid For Hall Of Fame

February 8, 2010 by mindpinball · 1 Comment
Filed under: NFL, football, sports 

For the second year in a row, former Baltimore Raven and Denver Bronco tight end Shannon Sharpe was denied election into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame. Sharpe made the first cut from 15 to 10, but was not in the final cutdown from 10 to 5 among the modern-era players who were eligible.

The news that Sharpe fell short was somewhat surprising, but when looking at the list of candidates who were eligible for this year’s class, not overwhelmingly so. Everyone knew that Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith were locks to be inducted in the first year of eligibility for each. Also, Sharpe is in a pool of pass catchers that are also in line for induction: Andre Reed, Cris Carter and Tim Brown. Brown and Carter failed to make the first cut, while Reed fell short with Sharpe.

In addition, the Hall had a backlog of candidates that have been on the list for years and have been denied by candidates who were deemed more deserving. Some of those candidates finally were elected on Saturday. Russ Grimm had been eligible for years, and becomes the first member of the famed “Hogs” offensive line of the Washington Redskins of the ’80s and early ’90s to get into the Hall. Rickey Jackson, for years one of the best pass rushing linebackers for the New Orleans Saints and later the San Francisco 49ers had also been on the line for a few years. The same can also be said for the two senior candidates who were elected: Floyd Little and Dick LeBeau. With only a maximum of seven slots, there are going to be a number of candidates who are going to have to wait their turn. Sharpe just happens to be one of them.

I have no doubt that Sharpe, as well as Carter and Tim Brown, and perhaps even Reed will all eventually get in. It’s just going to take some time, particularly with a lot of deserving players on the list now and in years to come. Remember, in a few years Jonathan Ogden will be eligible. Will he have to wait a few years, or is he a first year lock to get in? Time will tell.

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Ravens Review: The Defense Shows Up

October 16, 2007 by mindpinball · Leave a Comment
Filed under: football, ravens review, sports 

Ok, it was the winless St. Louis Rams, and Gus Frerotte gets the lion’s share of the credit for the defense’s great day (5 interceptions!). Yet I don’t see this team improving yet. Yes, they scored 22 points, but Matt Stover was again the man, hitting 5 field goals, while the Ravens could only punch the ball in the end zone once. That kind of production won’t get it done when the real teams come to play.

Since I hadn’t heard much Ravens news in the last week, I was surprised to see Kyle Boller under center to start the game. It now appears that Coach Billick has decided to let Steve McNair rest up and come back after the bye week. Either that, or he doesn’t want McNair to get killed behind the youthful offensive line for the next two weeks. At any rate, Boller has done a good job when he has been summoned to play. The Ravens are able to move the ball between the 20 yard lines, but can’t get touchdowns, no matter who is playing quarterback.

Now word comes that Chris McAlister is doubtful for the Buffalo game on Sunday. The injuries keep piling up, so the bye week couldn’t come at a better time. Also on the bad news meter, Jonathan Ogden’s return is not certain and may be placed on injured reserve if he can’t go after the bye week. Jared Gaither may have a large burden placed on him if Ogden and Adam Terry aren’t available the rest of the way.

On to Buffalo to play the Bills, who when last seen were thisclose to upsetting the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. I’m sure they are eager to get back out there on the field and try to get a much needed win against a Ravens squad that isn’t exactly dominating the NFL at the moment.

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