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Sorry, Warren Sapp: Michael Strahan makes Hall of Fame

February 1, 2014
by Larry Brown
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Michael Strahan

Michael StrahanThe Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2014 was announced on Saturday night, and Michael Strahan was one of the big names who got in, much to Warren Sapp’s disapproval.

The class includes Strahan, Derrick Brooks, Aeneas Williams, Walter Jones and Andre Reed among modern players. Ray Guy and Claude Humphrey were elected by the Veterans Committee.

Strahan, Brooks and Williams were all defensive wizards, with them playing the line, linebacker and cornerback, respectively. Relative to position all-time, I’m inclined to say Brooks is the best of that group. He made 11 Pro Bowls and was a five-time All-Pro, and he won Defensive Player of the Year in the 2002 season, when he had five interceptions and returned three of them for touchdowns. He was a big part of the defense that won the Super Bowl that season. Williams was a shutdown corner who racked up 55 interceptions during his career spent with the Cardinals and then Rams. Strahan had the single-season sack record and was great at rushing the quarterback, but as Sapp has pointed out, he does have a few shortcomings.

Reed finally gets into the Hall of Fame after being a finalist every year since 2007. He was one of the best offensive weapons on the Buffalo Bills teams of the ’90s that made four straight Super Bowls. Though he only had three seasons statistically that stood out (1989, ’91 and ’94), he certainly had consistency and longevity.

Among the five modern players to get in, I believe Walter Jones was the best relative to position. He played 12 seasons with the Seahawks all at left tackle and was voted to nine Pro Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro.

We also have a huge congratulations to Ray Guy, who (finally) became the first punter to make it into the Hall of Fame. Nobody in the history of the game punted the ball better than he did, and it was a crime not to have him in Canton for so long. At long last he’s been recognized, and I feel like Chris Kluwe did have something to do with it.

One surprise I had was that Marvin Harrison did not get in. He was better than Andre Reed and deserved to make it based on what he did on the field. Did the murder case have anything to do with it?