Football Hall Makes Call

Football fans make yearly trips to Canton, Oho, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Every year, the Hall enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coaches, franchise owners, and front-office personnel, almost all of whom made their primary contributions to the game of Football. This year, nine people will get the ultimate honor of going into the Hall. Tony Gonzalez, Ed Reed, Champ Bailey, Ty Law, Kevin Mawae, Pat Bowlen, Gil Brandt and Johnny Robinson all got the call any football player dreams of.

We'll start with Tony Gonzales, easiest selection of the bunch to get induction. He has gone down in a lot of people's eyes as one of the greatest tight ends to ever play in the NFL He was a first round choice by the Chiefs in 1997, a career that spanned 12 years in Kansas City and another five years in Atlanta. He was a 14 time Pro Bowler, a six time first team all pro and a eight time second team all pro. By the time he hung up his pads, Gonzales had made 1,325 catches, which was good for 15,127 yards and 111 touchdowns. He had a level of athleticism that not a lot of guys that played the position. It really was a joy watching him catch passes from the tight end spot.

The biggest name on the defensive side of things to get in this year was safety Ed Reed. Drafted 23rd overall in 2002, Reed spent his first ten years in the league in Baltimore. Ed followed that up splitting the final year of his career between Houston and New York with the Jets. Reed was known for his playmaking ability on defense, recording 64 interceptions in his career(61 with the Ravens). What's even more awesome to think about is he returned a ridiculous seven of them for touchdowns. Ed led the league in picks three different times and led the league in interception yards twice. He was a five-time All-Pro and a nine-time Pro Bowler who also finished with an absurd nine playoff interceptions in just 15 games. Those are eye popping numbers and make you realize just how insanely good Ed Reed truely was.

Next up is Cornerback Champ Bailey. Drafted 7th overall in 1999, spending the first five years of his career in Washington. He was then dealt in a blockbuster trade to the Broncos for Clinton Portis. From 2004 to 2013 Bailey's career really hit its stride with the Broncos. Champ was a twelve time pro bowler, made the all pro first team three times and the second team twice. His talent rose to another game in Denver, as evidence by the ten picks he had for the Broncos in 2006. When he was on his game, Champ Bailey was considered one of the best, if not the best, corner to ever play the game.

Then we have Linebacker Ty Law. Selected by the Patriots 23rd overall in 1995, Law was a force for that Patriots defense. He played in New England for nine years, then spent two years (in two different stints) with the Jets, two years with the Chiefs, before spending his final year as a player with the Broncos. He started in four AFC Championship Games and had the famous score against the Rams to help kick off the Patriots dynasty during the 2002 Super Bowl. He started for the Patriots in three Super Bowls all told, winning two. Law was a two-time All Pro and made the Pro Bowl five. He was the unquestioned leader on those Patriots defenses, helping firmly establish what we see with the Patriots today.

Kevin Mawae closes out the player category, being drafted 36th overall in 1994. Mawae played for the Seahawks from 1994-1997, but his career took off from 1998-2005 with the Jets. Mawae finished his career from 2006-2009 with the Titans. He was a eight time pro bowler and seven time first team all pro during his eighteen year career in the NFL. He will go down in the books as one of the greatest blockers in NFL history and look no further than his time here in New York. Under Bill Parcells's guidance, Mawae helped to block for an absurd seven 1,000-yard rushers during his eight seasons with New York. It's an insane number to think about when you read it. An even more eye popping number is that Mawae blocked for 13 1,000-yard rushers during his sixteen seasons. Its unreal to think about.

Everybody getting induction to the hall this year is very well deserving. But one name that is still left off the list, which is slightly shocking, is Isaac Bruce. In his sixteen year career, Bruce had 15,280 receiving yards, which is 5th most in league history. Of the other guys in the top five, the only one who isn't in the Hall of Fame is Larry Fitzgerald, and he's still playing with the Cardinals. Bruce not being in the hall is the biggest glaring omission at the moment.

Congratulations to all those getting inducted into Canton on August 4th!