Top 10 NFL Players Not in the Hall of Fame

1. Ken Anderson

   

   One of the top three QBs pretty much every year he played. He 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.

   He was a terrific QB and leader.

   He has waited in line long enough. I've always felt that once Stabler is elected, he would be nominated from the Senior Pool shortly thereafter.

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 in Canton.

3. Jim Marshall

   

   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 surely can't find it.

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

   127 (unofficial) sacks would rank him 23rd all-time. He had the 4th most sacks in the NFL from 1967-1971.

   He was a 3-time 2nd-team All-Pro from a small market in a pre-internet age.

4. Ricky Watters

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

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

5. Lester Hayes

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

   A true shutdown corner. The only reason he's not inducted is because he used Stickum.

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

6. Roger Craig

   He was one of the keys to the 49ers' dominance during the eighties and still played well with the Raiders and Vikings in spot duty at the end of his career. He is a Hall of Famer in my book. He was the 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. Without Craig, there's no Faulk, Tomlinson, McCaffrey, or Matt Forte.

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

7. Stanley Morgan

   How many people remember Stanley Morgan? For years, 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. He should at least get a seniors nominee. He 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

   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. Harvey Martin

   Harvey Martin retired with the eighth-most sacks (unofficial) in NFL history when he retired. He 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. He had 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' run in the seventies and early eighties. He had the goods to be considered for the Hall of Fame.

10. Neil Smith

    Yes! Neil Smith deserves to go in the Hall of Fame! Hands down!

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

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Jerry Smith

    Jerry Smith definitely belongs in the Hall of Fame. 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.

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

    Worthy candidate who belongs in the Hall.

12. ?

    Rick Upchurch

    Somewhere in the Hall of Fame, there must be room for the greatest punt returner ever.

The Contenders

13. Daunte Culpepper

    

    Daunte Rachard Culpepper is a former American football quarterback. He played in the National Football League for several teams, most notably the Minnesota Vikings. Culpepper last played professionally for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League.

14. Cornelius Bennett

    I wonder if the Bills had won 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.

15. 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. He spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans. George won the Heisman Trophy in 1995 while playing for Ohio State University... read more

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

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

16. 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 their positions when they played. How is he not yet in?

17. Irving Fryar

    Had a great second act in his career. He may have been more of a threat in his thirties than in his twenties. I never see him getting the love for the HOF unless the senior committee sees his career differently when he gets on that ballot years from now.

18. Jimmy Smith

19. Randall Cunningham

    

    Randall W. Cunningham is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League and is now a football coach and pastor. He played from 1985 to 2000, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles, earning four Pro Bowl selections. After retiring, Cunningham served as a coach at the high school... read more

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

20. Torry Holt

    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 a part of the G.S.O.T. (Greatest Show on Turf).

21. Jevon Kearse

    Jevon Kearse had 14.5 sacks in his rookie season. That is a record that still stands today.

22. Tommy Nobis

    Nobis was on the All-Decade Team of the 1960s. Enough said.

    He was also Rookie of the Year in 1966 and made five Pro Bowls, including both a First Team and Second Team All-Pro, on a horrid Falcons football team. Some folks need to get their facts straight. Nobis should have been in the Hall of Fame years ago.

    Tommy was a big-time linebacker for the Falcons during an era when linebackers were the face of football.

    He was a big-time hitter who covered ground from sideline to sideline. He should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame years ago.

23. Henry Ellard

    If Lynn Swann is in, Henry should have gone in a long time ago!

    Henry Ellard has 13,777 career yards to Lynn's mediocre 5,462 career yards. Henry has seven 1,000-plus yard seasons. Lynn Swann has none. How did Lynn Swann get in the Hall of Fame?

    Henry Ellard was very, very good, but like Irving Fryar, it may take the Seniors pool to get him elected a long way down the road.

24. Otis Taylor

    In 1971, Otis Taylor was the only receiver to catch passes for over 1,000 yards in a time when wide receiver Hall of Famers such as Lance Alworth, Paul Warfield, Bob Hayes, Charley Taylor, and Don Maynard were also playing.

    Taylor, playing on a Kansas City Chiefs team that was heavily run-oriented, was a combination of Bob Hayes and Terrell Owens. He almost single-handedly led the Chiefs to Super Bowl IV in the playoff game against the world champion New York Jets in 1969, and in the AFL Championship game against the Oakland Raiders.

    Taylor put the dagger into the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV and scored the touchdown that put the game permanently out of reach. A great AFL and NFL wide receiver. Effective and punishing blocker. He should be in Canton.

25. Clay Matthews Jr.

    Played 19 years and played right outside linebacker in 4-3 and 3-4, and left outside linebacker in 3-4.

    Considered by Marty Schottenheimer and Bud Carson, both defensive-minded coaches, as the best linebacker they ever coached. Also said to have won most of his battles when he played for Bill Belichick. Was a blitz linebacker some years and a cover linebacker in other years.

26. Leslie O'Neal

    A very specialized pass rusher. Not great against the run, but I would say he compares favorably to Fred Dean and Richard Dent, and they are both in the Hall of Fame.

    Leslie O'Neal is very underrated. He has as many sacks as Lawrence Taylor.

27. Brian Mitchell

    Special teamers have found tough sledding when it comes to the HOF. Not sure he ever gets there, but I would vote for him before Steve Tasker.