Top 10 NFL Players Not in the Hall of Fame

The Top Ten
1 Ken Anderson

Great quarterback, who played on a team with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the same division, who led the league in passing for four different years. The Dan Foutz of his era. Put him in.

One of the top three QBs pretty much every year he played. Had the stats and the records, but played in a small market and in the shadow of others like Staubach, Stabler, young Montana, Fouts, Griese, and more. Anderson may only have the one MVP but was consistently great and played for some bad Bengals teams while still showing greatness.

2 Ottis Anderson

Ottis Anderson was actually pretty good. He got over 10,000 yards. I think anyone with over 10,000 yards should one day get enshrined to Canton

One of my favorite players, but is only in the Hall of Very Good!

3 Sterling Sharpe

The only player I know of who was All-Pro 3 or more times that isn't in the Hall of Fame. The Gayle Sayers of WRs, he was the best WR in the league for several years in the early-mid 90s. Consider that this period coincides with the latter half of Jerry Rice's prime, and you have a solid case for induction. If Sayers is a Hall of Famer, then surely Sharpe is.

Sharpe also achieved in spite of playing with a terrible crop of QBs. Everyone remembers him playing with Favre starting part-way through the '92 season, but that was an outlier. Here was the norm--starting QBs for the Packers during Sharpe's pre-Favre tenure ('88-'92): Randy Wright, Don Majkowski, Anthony Delwig, Blair Kiel, and Mike Tomczak. Majkowski had one Cinderella season, but apart from that was a very average QB. The rest are worse. One more compelling reason to put the man in Canton.

4 Randy Gradishar

Lesser LB's are in the HOF. If he wasn't making the tackle, he was nearby, when the play wasn't downfield. It took Ray Lewis 17 seasons to pass Gradishar's tackles... in 10 seasons. Some say he wasn't a hard hitter, but Dorsett and Payton said he gave them the hardest hits ever. Regardless, he was the best ever at bringing the opponent down.

He was an amazing player but unfortunately the Broncos inflated Gradishar's statistics and there's no way to calculate how many tackles he actually had. The Broncos once tallied that he had 350 tackles in a season. Deserves HoF but I can see why the committee hasnt voted him in already

5 Ricky Watters

Career was marred by selfishness and inability to stay in one place any length of time. Stats did not always translate to wins for his franchises.

I feel he is underrated because of the teams he played for.

One of the best all around running backs of all time.

6 Lester Hayes

If you have any doubts watch the two Super Bowl winning teams that he played on. He was more than the "stick-um guy." He could flat out cover and when he was partnered with Mike Haynes, team had to rely on screens and the TE to move the ball vs the Raiders.

A true shutdown corner. Only he's not inducted is because he used Stickum.

Man I'm mad. I thought he was already in.

7 Stanley Morgan

How many people remember Stanley Morgan. For years the the best downfield threat in the national football league. His numbers were better than Swann, Stallworth or Bob Hayes but because he played for a team that didn't win Super Bowls he has been largely forgotten. Some day should at lest get A seniors nominee. Averaged 20 yards per catch for his career!

Better Stats than most that are in the HOF. Someone dropped the ball on this guy

8 Steve Tasker

I will agree that he was exceptional at his position, but there have been other special team performers that have been pretty good themselves. In fact two current players Matt Slater of the Patriots and Kenyon Rambo are both really good. Having said that Steve Tasker was close to HOF level.

Simply the BEST player ever at his position! He took special teams play to a different level. Just ask the guys that played against him.

9 Tony Boselli

Dominant for a short period of time. I'm against putting Boselli in but Terrell Davis, Gale Says, Bob Waterfield, and Arnie Weinmeister have already been enshrined so its only fair Boselli gets in to.

Was a dominating period for a short time. Tackle version of Sterling Sharpe and Terrell Davis.

I understand his career was cut short by injury... Anyone who saw him just toy with and completely shut down HOF DEs like bruce smith and future hof like jason taylor know that if he had styed healthy he probably would have gone down as the BEST OT in the history of football.

10 Jim Marshall

An iron man leader of one of the great defenses in league history: the Purple People Eaters. No doubt Jim Marshall should be in Canton

Plain and simple either record, starts or fumble recoveries, is enough in and of itself. When I found out he wasn't in; my first thought was what did he do wrong besides the wrong way run? It is insane to believe that one incident is the reason and if there is something other than that I surly can't find it.

He started over 270 straight games and was an expert fumble recoverer, yet he only made 2 Pro Bowls and will never live down the safety against the 49er's.

The Contenders
11 Roger Craig

Was one of the keys to the 49ers dominance during the eighties and still played well with Raiders and Vikings in spot duty at the end of his career. Is a hall of famer in my book. He was Marshall Faulk of the eighties.

Craig was a true pioneer of the game and was the first running back who was a threat in the passing and rushing game. With no Craig there's no Faulk, Tomlinson, McCaffrey, and Matt Forte.

Revolutionized the position. His stats would have been greater had he been on a team without so many incredible offensive weapons.

12 Daunte Culpepper Daunte Rachard Culpepper is a former American football quarterback. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League.

No chance of him in hall. He just wasn't good enough. Simms has a ring and isn't in and was a better qb but isn't in either. Culpepper can get in line behind Simms and about 30 other qbs.

No, I would put Randall Cunningham in before Culpepper.

13 Neil Smith

Neil Smith has many DE's in line before he gets considered.

Yes! Neil smith Deserve to go in the Hall of Fame! Hands Down!

Without a doubt, probably being discriminated because of his concussion statements

14 Joe Klecko

Gastineau would have been just an above average DE if Klecko wasn't on same line. Joe Klecko dominated offensive linemen, ask the men who went up against him.

Has to share spotlight with Gastineau but was far the superior player. Could do everything that Suh does today. Klecko was versatile and dominant.

Joe Klecko may have been good but he is going to have a lonng wait. I predict he will get in in 2034. (that is a long wait)

15 Harvey Martin

Harvey Martin retired with the eighth most sacks (unofficial) in NFL history when he retired. Has over 25 more sacks than L.C. Greenwood. NFL defensive player of the year in 1977 and the Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XII. 23 sacks in a fourteen game season in 1977, which would be a league record had quarterback sacks been a statistic in that era. The Dallas Cowboys made the playoffs every year he played except for one. Harvey Martin deserves to be in Canton NOW!

Until DeMarcus Ware broke The Cowboys sack record, Harvey Martin held the mark. He was a dominating DE during the Cowboys of the seventies and early eighties. He had the goods to be considered for the HOF.

16 Cornelius Bennett

I wonder if the bills had one even one of the four Super Bowls they were in if they would have had better representation. One of the players that I feel have suffered is Bennett. He was a dominating linebacker for an extended period of time. Hall worthy in my opinion.

17 Ken Riley

Ken Riley is one of the best players not in. I believe Ken Riley should get into the Hall before Ken Anderson. He is the fourth best senior canindate right now behind Randy Gradishar, Jerry Kramer, and Tommy Nobis.

If he and Lamar Parrish played for Lions, Steelers or Packers, they are both in the hall of fame.

One team 15 years all at corner number 4 All time at the time of his retirement.

18 Eddie George Edward Nathan George Jr. is a former college and professional American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for nine seasons.

Eddie George ran against 8 & 9 guys in the box his entire career because the Titans couldn't through the ball, and he still put up great numbers. That's HOF stuff!

Yards per carry was not great and his career came to a sudden halt. Not a hall of famer.

I liked his playing style. He would just go strait through defenders

19 L.C. Greenwood

If it were not for so many Steelers he would have already been elected. He and Donnie Shell get the shaft as a result.

It's been long enough, he deserves a spot in Canton.

Greenwood and Lyle Alzado were the best at there positions when they played. How is he not yet in

20 Cliff Branch

Cliff Branch was the big play receiver for two Super Bowl Champion Raider teams. It is long past due for Branch to join the elite fraternity that is the HOF.

The best deep threat in the 1970s. At the time of his retirement he was the post season yardage leader.

#37? Should be in top three. More anti-Raider bias.

21 Chuck Howley

This guy defined the weak side linebacker! 6 time pro bowler, 5 time first team all pro! Not a good linebacker, a great one!

The greatest cowboys linebacker ever. he was on the doomsday defense with Darren Woodson, who also should get inducted soon

Maybe the biggest Hall of Fame snub in the four major professional sports (Rogie Vachon and Maurice Cheeks could lay stake to the claim as well.) HOF linebackers are the greatest who's who in the HOF and it seems incomplete without Howley.

22 Jerry Smith

Jerry Smith helped put Sonny Jurgenson in Canton. Ran routes like a wide receiver. He was the Travis Kelce of the 1960's and early 1970's. He belongs in Canton.

Jerry Smith definitely belongs in the HOF. I was never a Skins fan, but this guy's record on the field cannot be dismissed, and that's supposed to count for something...

Worthy candidate who belongs in the Hall.

23 Jimmy Smith

Too much wide receiver competition. Will always be lumped together with receivers like, Irving Fryar, Henry Ellard and Mushin Muhammed.

24 Randall Cunningham Randall W. Cunningham is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League and current football coach and pastor.

People voting obviously don't know too much about old NFL players, learn your history children.

Cunningham was a great player to watch. I liked him best on the Vikings

25 Torry Holt

I like his teammate Isaac Bruce as a better candidate. That Rams group is not getting a lot of love currently for HOF with only Faulk and Aneas Williams. Pace, Warner, Holt and Bruce have all been on the outside looking in.

Not as consistent as Isaac Bruce but had a higher peak than Bruce. Holt will get in soon and probably before guys like Hines Ward and Andre Johnson because he's been waiting longer

He was apart of the G.S.O.T (greatest show on turf).

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