While being one of the Hall of Fame finalists, former Saint Willie Roaf was shut out of the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Elected instead were: New Orleanian Marshall Faulk, Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, Richard Dent, Shannon Sharper, Ed Sabol, Les Richter, and Chris Hanburger. My opinion? Omitting Roaf compared to those guys is almost criminal. Sure, I’m biased, but Roaf was selected to 11 Pro Bowls, and no one that made it to the Hall of Fame this year went to the Pro Bowl more than 8 times.
I was fortunate enough to see Faulk, Sanders, Dent and Sharpe all play. Richter and Hanburger were before my time. Sabol is some NFL films guy, so he never even played the game. I’m not going to debate the merits of Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders. Those two guys were elite players that changed the game every time they stepped on the field. Their talents were unparalleled, and they were always much better than their competition. There is no cornerback in the game today that is as electrifying as Sanders was. Charles Woodson and Champ Bailey are nowhere near the level Sanders was. Sanders was the player I disliked the most in NFL history. With the Falcons he always found a way to burn the Saints. Faulk, while undersized, was the perfect dual threat. He was as good receiving as he was running. The most apt comparison these days would maybe be Brian Westbrook, except Faulk was unstoppable. I have issues with the rest of the guys making it over Roaf.
Shannon Sharpe over Roaf: This one is borderline. Sharpe was a dominant receiving tight end, and he was also a solid blocker. Sharpe did win a Super Bowl, and he got better with age. My guess is the ring is what got him in over Roaf. Roaf was a victim of playing on some terrible teams. Here’s the main reason I think Roaf deserves it more: ask yourself the question if there is someone in the game today better than him. I say no. In Sharpe’s case, Tony Gonzalez is better.
Richard Dent over Roaf: This one is inexcusable. Dent was never dominant, he was just a solid pass rusher. He went to the Pro Bowl 4 times. He was a Super Bowl winner, though, and he got the MVP in that game. I guess winning again swayed the voters here. They must weigh team success higher than individual accomplishments, even though it’s an individual award. Dent had a huge game on the biggest stage, so I’ll acknowledge that. There is no way you can say he was consistently good over a career like Roaf, though. Not even close. That’s like saying Bobby McCray is better than Jammal Brown because he knocked a couple QB’s out of the playoffs and Brown almost never played in the playoffs. I’m not saying Dent deserves to be there, he was obviously a great player. But over Roaf? I’m sorry, no, hardly.
Ed Sabol over Roaf: Are you kidding me? An NFL films dude? I’m sure his contributions deserved recognition, but I’m sorry, this one is ridiculous. How you select him over an 11 time Pro Bowler who was the best left tackle of all time, the most important position on the offensive line, is beyond me.
Richter and Hanburger, again, were before my time. I can’t speak for their impact on the league. I will say it’s been this long since they got it, so why now? Les Richter died at the age of 79 this past year, so he didn’t even get to enjoy it. If he was that good, I’m sure he would have appreciated getting that recognition while he was still around.
It’s clear the Hall of Fame committee is holding Willie Roaf’s lack of winning against him. We’ll see how long it takes for him to get in, but I personally believe it’s only a matter of time. Say what you will about the teams he played on, he was the best left tackle of all time. Period, end of story. Put him in the Hall of Fame already, right next to Rickey Jackson.
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