Mario Lemieux once dispensed these words of wisdom: “I judge myself by Stanley Cups and scoring titles, because nobody votes on those.”
Lemieux has again been proven correct in the wake of the Pro Football Hall of Fame having announced its latest class.
The primary conversation is about who didn’t get in, thereby negating any hall of fame’s purpose. The idea is to honor, not create fodder for debate.
Why not Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft?
That’s simple. They cheated. (But both will ultimately get in.)
Why not Ken Anderson and L.C. Greenwood?
Anderson has been eligible since 1992, Greenwood since ‘87. If they haven’t been good enough since then, why now? What have they done to improve? Not everybody gets in. Anderson and Greenwood couldn’t even make it in 2020, the catch-up year that saw 20 elected.
Why not Eli Manning?
His career record was 117-117. But don’t worry, he’ll get in: He’s a Manning, he won two Super Bowls, he beat Tom Brady in both of those and he ended New England’s perfect season in the 2008 Super Bowl.
Manning’s omission, in his second attempt, has helped spark debate regarding Ben Roethlisberger, who is eligible for the first time next year.
Will Roethlisberger make it on the first ballot? (As if not doing so is some sort of insult or black mark.)
Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls and played in another. His lifetime record is 165-81-1. He’s seventh in career passing yards, ninth in career touchdown passes, third in career game-winning drives, third in career comebacks. (Those last two figures exemplify Roethlisberger’s clutch factor, as do his game-deciding drive and touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLIII.)
Roethlisberger should be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
But if he’s not, it just isn’t a big deal. Roethlisberger’s tangible accomplishments stand. They are many, and they are great.
Nobody voted on those.