National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Sitting here at my Media Work Room desk inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame — post Enshrinement — I’m really in awe as I think about the whole event I’ve just been privileged to be so close to. It really is an honor to be involved with the greatest players in the history of professional football, a game I have enjoyed almost my entire life. In the room next to me are the busts of the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hall closed it’s doors to fans at 5 p.m. this afternoon, but because we (the media) are still in here working, it’s like we have the whole place to ourselves. When I step out into the hallway to use the restroom or whatever (too much information, I know), many of the exhibits with audio are still playing but nobody is anywhere to be seen. It’s kind of funny. If, as John Madden says, the busts talk to each other at night, they might have to speak up to hear over the recordings and videos. Yes, I caught them in the act. I love this place.

Photos David Kindervater

A boisterous crowd of 16,654 inside Fawcett Stadium made it feel like a Skins home game. Washington Redskins jerseys were everywhere. If I had to sum up my thoughts from this day, though, it wouldn’t be about what anyone was wearing. It would be about what an honorable group of guys the Class of 2008 is. It’s clear these six men are Hall of Famers in the game of professional football and life.

The themes that ran though each speech were centered around dreams, faith and family. Here are some of my favorite moments from the speeches that gave each player’s story of their journey to where they are today.

Andre Tippett – Andre spent most of his acceptance speech thanking the many people who helped him in his career, but he closed with a message to young people everywhere: “I am proof you should do everything you can to live your dream. Whatever that may be. I did not have the material advantages, but through commitment to achieving my goals, using the advantages that I did have and listening to the wise men and women who offered their support, I was able to live my dream. This was my dream.”

Emmitt Thomas – Emmitt gave God all the honor and praise for letting an undrafted, free agent, country boy from little Angleton, Texas enter the hallowed grounds of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I played the game with a lot of respect, honor that the game so very much deserved, from everyone who has ever had the privilege of strapping on a shoulder pad or buckling up a chin strap. It’s simple, ladies and gentlemen. I respected it and I still respect the American values that our great game stands for.”

Fred Dean – Fred was more humorous than I had imagined he would be after having a pretty serious conversation with him on the telephone a couple weeks ago. As a pastor, I can imagine his services must be a lot of fun. But he shared the story of how he started his days as a defensive end: “I wanted to be a defensive end. You know, when you get used to it, you get used to getting down in the dirt, getting your clothes dirty and wallowing a little bit, it makes everything come out right when you can stand up out of the mud and feel comfortable. So I said to myself, ‘Hmm, I like the dirt.’ And if I can beat somebody in this dirt, it’s going to be a good thing. And another thing that I knew is that when you tried to talk about me, when I was coming up, I was small in size, but I tell you dirt can’t talk about dirt. So we need to understand that out of all of that I ended up with the San Francisco 49ers. And to me that was a dream come true.”

Darrell Green – As predicted, Darrell delivered what was my favorite speech of the evening. He made so many humorous and touching comments, but I was especially moved when he spoke of his father: “My dad, my dad, Leonard Green, Sr., everybody said you’re too little, you can’t do it. He said, boy, you can run that ball. They said no. And he said go. The most encouragement you can ever get in life is when a dad encourages his son. Encourage your son, that’s what he did for us.”

Gary Zimmerman – Gary rarely talked with the media during his playing days so I know this was especially awkward for him, but he spoke well and even shared this funny moment from his career as the Denver Broncos left tackle: “When I began playing in Denver, I came to know the curse. The curse happens to tackles that have an amazingly talented quarterback, like John Elway. And you are responsible for protecting his blind side. What happens is, the night before the game, you get little or no sleep knowing that if you screw up you will forever be known as the guy who lost the franchise.”

Art Monk – Art really seemed to soak up the moment of a four-minute standing ovation. After waiting eight years as a finalist before being elected into the Hall, this was perfectly symbolic. The response was overwhelming. What Redskins fans didn’t get out of their system during Darrell Green’s speech, they made up for here. Art spoke eloquently about his faith. And his humility for the award he was receiving: “Being included into this fraternity is a pretty humbling experience for me. I always grew up seeing these guys as giants and legends who make significant contributions to the game of football. And it’s pretty hard for me to believe that I’ve now been included as part of them. Growing up I was never voted the most likely to succeed. And there was never anything about me that would have given anyone the impression that I would have played in the NFL let alone to be standing here.”

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Pro Football HOF Class of 2008

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

I arrived at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio about half an hour ago. The weather is typically beautiful (78 degrees and mostly sunny today). After parking and getting through security and all that stuff, I took the long way around Fawcett Stadium where this evening’s Enshrinement Ceremony will take place. Almost all of the seats were empty with about three hours to go before things get started. I’m headquartered here in the Media Work Room inside the Hall. There were two lines, each of about 50 fans deep to get inside the Hall of Fame from the front entrance. This is my 5th straight year covering this event and I’ve never seen anything like that. Luckily I have access from the inside because it looks like a long wait out front. Obviously, with Art Monk and Darrell Green being inducted today, the crowd is predominantly adorned in maroon and gold Washington Redskins gear.

The order in which this year’s inductees are scheduled to appear are Andre Tippett, Emmitt Thomas, Fred Dean, Darrell Green, Gary Zimmerman and Art Monk. Hopefully you caught my pre-Enshrinement conference call interviews with each player (except Emmitt Thomas who did not participate in the program). I’m looking forward to their words of wisdom tonight.

This is one of my favorite weekends on the National Football League calendar. Every first weekend in August, a visit to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the enjoyment of the annual Enshrinement Festival is the perfect way to start another National Football League season. I’m thankful to have this inside access to the event. Even though it took me 30 years to get started as an NFL writer, I guess I’ve always felt like I would be doing this someday. I’m now entering my 10th season as a credentialed member of NFL Media. I’m off to take my annual tour of the Hall now so I’ll catch up with you later.

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Pro Football HOF Enshrinement 2008

Former Washington Redskins wide receiver Art Monk waited a long time to become a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For the past seven years, the honor was within his grasp as a finalist, but the door would always close. I agreed with the many who felt Art should have been inducted with a class long before 2008. He was an early prototype for today’s bigger, stronger receivers, never hesitating to run patterns across the middle of the field. And he was a master of yards after the catch. Art was a major part of the powerful Redskins teams that were dominant during the 1980s. In his 14 seasons with the Skins, the team won three Super Bowls (XVII, XXII, and XXVI) and had just three losing seasons. Art had his finest season in 1984 when he caught eight or more passes in six games, had five games of 100 yards or more and in a game against the San Francisco 49ers, caught 10 passes for 200 yards. His outstanding play earned him team MVP honors and his first Pro Bowl selection (the first of three). His season totals of 106 catches for 1,372 yards were career highs. Washington coach Joe Gibbs claimed his star receiver was the complete package. He called him the strongest outside receiver he’d ever coached. I spoke with Art on a national conference call today. He will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this Saturday evening. Here is my part of the interview.

DAVID: Seven years as a finalist, Art. Why do you think it took so long?

ART: I’ve heard all kinds of reasons why it took so long — that I was quiet; I wasn’t a very outspoken person; I didn’t speak to the media; I wasn’t good enough. There were a lot of different reasons. Whether they’re valid or not, again, it was what it was. So there wasn’t really much I could do about it.

DAVID: Does it have more meaning to you to have waited so long?

ART: You know what I really think about it? I think I’m sort of glad it took longer. I can appreciate it more. You know, these past seven, eight years — there’s been so much, it just set people in an uproar in this community, you know. Why not? What’s the problem? How come you’re not in? Really, when I think back and just sit down and think about it, I’m glad it didn’t happen right away. Otherwise I would never have gone through all of these years just kind of really getting more of an appreciation for it.

DAVID: Being able to share this experience with Darrell Green — a teammate and friend — has to be extra special.

ART: Well, I mean, the past several months, there’s just been a lot of activity, a lot of hoopla, a lot of excitement. We’ve been so involved in this “Route 281 Tour” and doing things, trying to get ready for this day that, you know, I really haven’t had a chance to kind of digest it all. You really kind of sit back and think about what’s really about to happen. But it’s great. I mean, what makes this even more significant than just being in the Hall of Fame is that we’re going in together. He wasn’t just a teammate of mine, he’s a great friend. Our families are like real family. His kids call me uncle. My kids called him uncle. We do those things together. This makes it just that much more of a special event for both of us.

DAVID: You’re just a couple days away now, Art. What are your emotions like? What are you feeling?

ART: It’s almost like before I got married. I was fine until a couple days before the actual wedding. Not that I was getting cold feet, but I just woke up one day and I was terrified. Not in the sense of being scared, but just the reality of what was about to happen. You know, the past five months or six months, however long it’s been, I’ve been fine. I talk about it and everything. But now, as you say, we’re just a few days away. I’m not scared. But, it’s just kind of the reality of, okay, this thing is real ‑‑ this is for real, you know, it’s really happening. So there are butterflies and being nervous. But, I think once I get there, hopefully I’ll calm down a little bit and that will go away.

DAVID: Art, you obviously were a great receiver and you made a lot of clutch catches. But you were on a lot of teams that predominantly ran the ball. So you were a player who blocked very well. Did you have a special sense of pride in being a complete player?

ART: Yes. I mean, most receivers are just — you know — they’re great at running timing routes, catching the ball, being well‑known for those things. But when it comes more to the physical end of things like blocking and really getting involved in a lot of traffic, most will kind of shy away from that or don’t do as good of a job. I don’t know if I necessarily took pride in it, but I felt good about being able to not just be a good receiver down field, but also to be a good blocker and being able to operate in traffic as well.

DAVID: How is the “Route 281: Road to Canton Tour” coming along with Darrell Green and how did the whole idea for the tour develop?

ART: Well, it came about with both of us being inducted into the Hall of Fame. We also both have foundations that work with youth in the City of Washington DC’s metropolitan area. A lot of athletes kind of take advantage of the Hall of Fame to benefit themselves, but we decided to use this opportunity to benefit our organizations and raise money for our organizations that serve our youth. So in just brainstorming the idea of his number (28) and my number (81) — our jersey numbers being combined together — we had 281. Then we just kind of put Route 281 to the Hall of Fame as a means of a marketing scheme to help raise money for our causes. That entailed us going around to various cities locally and remotely to speak, to do autographs, signings, different activities — like punt, pass and kick contests — to really engage those communities to come together. You buy tickets and we would sell paraphernalia, hats, T‑shirts, and all of that money would go to our foundations.

Special thanks to Saleem Choudhry at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Check out my other Class of 2008 interviews: Andre Tippett, Darrell Green, Gary Zimmerman, Fred Dean.

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EMQB Interview: Art Monk

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

Gary Zimmerman will be inducted as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008 on August 2. Since the announcement of this honor was made back in early February, the media attention has probably been something of a nightmare for Gary. You see, he quit talking to writers and radio and TV people while he was still in Minnesota. I guess he had a bad experience. So when he became a member of the Denver Broncos, he fit right in with the offensive linemen there who never spoke with the media. Eleven years later, he really doesn’t have much choice. “Yeah, it’s definitely different,” he told me on a national conference call today. “It’s been a little stressful, all the coverage with the media.” He also said he was in the process of trimming his acceptance speech to a more suitable length and noted “For the first time in my life, I have too much to say.” Gary is one of just a handful of players to earn the honor of being named to two National Football League All-Decade Teams (in the 80s and 90s). He played in seven Pro Bowls and is considered by many to be one of the best left tackles to ever play the game.

DAVID: You actually played more years in Minnesota than Denver. Do you feel more loyalty to the Broncos since you ended your career there?
GARY: Yeah, my loyalty is to the Denver Broncos. What I’ve been telling people is when I went to Denver it’s like the dog who gets put to the pound and you get a new owner and the loyalty is to that new owner and the owner treats you well. I guess that’s the easiest way to explain it. The way Mr. Bowlen treated everybody in the organization was unbelievable. Coming from where I came from, they didn’t treat people quite as well, so you know, I thought it was that way across the league. And then to go to Denver and to have my eyes opened like that, it was just unbelievable, the respect and dignity. It just made me want to stay there and it made me want to win for the man.

DAVID: Is this award going to change your life? Or do you still feel pretty much like the same guy you were before the announcement?
GARY: I hope it doesn’t change me. It’s a great honor, but I still want to be the same guy when it’s over, so that’s the goal. I’ve got more friends and associations now, but I’m still going to be the same blue‑collar guy. You’re not going to see a big flip‑flop on my part.

DAVID: What are your emotions with this whole process?
GARY: I don’t know. When they brought that blob of clay (the beginnings of his Hall of Fame bust), that was pretty powerful. They set it on the counter and that’s when it first hit me. That was pretty powerful. And I’ve been told when you get to the podium it’s going to hit you. First seeing that blob of clay is when it first hit me that it was pretty powerful, and I’m sure getting back to Canton there it’s going to really hit me, and hopefully my knees will hold up.

I also talked with Gary about his days playing the left tackle position (he protected John Elway’s blind side) and whether or not he felt he helped to redefine that position. I was interviewing Gary on my BlackBerry and not recording (I count on other people for that) so unfortunately, this question never showed up in the final transcript for some reason. There were a lot of sound problems on the line that delayed the interview, so I can’t really share his answer with you in its entirety other than to say he did feel some sense of helping to make that position the high-profile position it is today. On several occasions, however, he did emphasize his role as a team player saying, “I always felt I didn’t want to let my buddies down. I didn’t want to let my teammates down. I didn’t want to let my coaches down. I don’t know, some people say I’m just old school.”

Photo: Newscom

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EMQB Interview: Gary Zimmerman

Defensive end Fred Dean, cornerback Darrell Green, wide receiver Art Monk, cornerback Emmitt Thomas, linebacker Andre Tippett, and tackle Gary Zimmerman make up the Class of 2008 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees. The final group of six was announced yesterday. I could go into great detail about how deserving these new members are. And I could go on and on about the great people who didn’t make it this year (especially Cris Carter and Paul Tagliabue). But I’m going to leave that up to you. The Pro Football Hall of Fame has become one of the hottest topics of discussion here at EMQB. And I’m sure you’ll continue to have your say on this and other HOF posts. In the meantime, here are quick bios for each new inductee:

• Fred Dean, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, was one of the league’s most feared pass rushers during his 11-season career with the San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers.
• Darrell Green was known for his great speed during his 20 seasons with the Washington Redskins from 1983-2002. He intercepted a pass in 19 straight seasons and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s.
• Art Monk accumulated 940 receptions for 12,721 yards and 68 touchdowns during his 16-season career. His career-high 106 catches in 1984 was a NFL record at the time. He was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1980s.
• Emmitt Thomas, an undrafted free agent, became one of the finest cornerbacks of his era. He ranks fourth all-time in interceptions by a cornerback with 58 picks during his career with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1966-1978.
• Andre Tippett starred at linebacker for 11 playing seasons for the New England Patriots and amassed 100 career sacks. A member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1980s, he earned five straight Pro Bowl berths.
• Gary Zimmerman earned the rare distinction of being named to two NFL All-Decade Teams (1980s and 1990s). A strong and versatile tackle who split his career with Minnesota and Denver, he was elected to seven Pro Bowls.

The 2008 class will increase to 247 the number of all-time greats permanently honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Enshrinement of the Class of 2008 will take place at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, on Saturday, August 2, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. ET. The Enshrinement Ceremony will be televised live by both ESPN and the NFL Network.

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Pro Football HOF Announces Class of 2008, Darrell Green and Art Monk Lead Group

Two first-year eligible players, wide receiver Cris Carter and cornerback Darrell Green, are among the 17 finalists who will be considered for election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when the Hall’s Board of Selectors meets in Phoenix, AZ during Super Bowl XLII week on Saturday, February 2.

Joining the two first-year eligible players are 12 other modern-era players, one contributor and two players nominated earlier by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee. The contributor finalist is former National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. The Senior Committee nominees, announced in August 2007, are Chicago Cardinals back Marshall Goldberg and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Emmitt Thomas. The other modern-era player finalists include defensive ends Fred Dean and Richard Dent; linebackers Randy Gradishar, Derrick Thomas and Andre Tippett; guards Russ Grimm, Bob Kuechenberg and Randall McDaniel; punter Ray Guy; wide receivers Art Monk and Andre Reed; and tackle Gary Zimmerman.

Dean, Dent, Goldberg, Gradishar, Grimm, Guy, Kuechenberg, Monk, Reed, Tagliabue, Derrick Thomas, Tippett, and Zimmerman have all been finalists in previous years. Although they have been previously eligible, this is the first time Emmitt Thomas and McDaniel have made the finalist list.

Of course, Marshall Goldberg and Emmitt Thomas were selected as senior candidates by the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee at their August 2007 meeting. The Seniors Committee reviews the qualifications of those players whose careers took place more than 25 years ago. The remaining 15 modern-era finalists were determined by a vote of the Hall’s 44-member Board of Selectors from a list of 124 preliminary nominees that earlier was reduced to a list of 26 semifinalists (that included a tie for the 25th semifinalist position). To be eligible for election, modern-era players and coaches must be retired at least five years while a contributor need not be retired.

Of the 2008 finalists, Goldberg has been eligible for 46 years (the Hall of Fame opened in 1963, at which time Goldberg would have been first eligible), Emmitt Thomas 25 years, Gradishar 20, Kuechenberg 19, Dean 18 years, Guy 17, Grimm 12, Tippett 10, Monk eight years, Dent and Zimmerman six years, Derrick Thomas four years, Reed three years, McDaniel two years, and Carter and Green are in their first year of eligibility. Contributors, such as Commissioner Tagliabue, need not to be retired to be considered for Hall of Fame election. Therefore there is no specific year at which he first became “eligible” for consideration.

This has been a hotly contested issue here at EMQB and I look forward to more of your comments and opinions about these final 17 names. All of these men had great careers and all are deserving of entry into the Hall. But obviously, not all of them will make it. Which of these players are on your final list?

Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

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Finalists For Hall Of Fame Election at 17

Wide receiver Cris Carter and cornerback Darrell Green are the only first-year eligible players to make the list of 26 semi-finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008. The Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors chose the 26 semi-finalists from the recently announced list of 124 preliminary nominees today. The list includes one more than the required 25 nominees since there was a tie for the twenty-fifth position. Hall of Fame selection by-laws provide for the inclusion of all ties for the twenty-fifth position on the ballot.

Nominees included on the semi-finalist list for the first time, although eligible prior to this year, include linebacker Rickey Jackson and defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy. Each of the remaining 22 nominees has been on the semi-finalist list at least once prior to this year. The complete list of 26 modern-era semi-finalists is as follows:

Cris Carter, Terrell Davis, Dermontti Dawson, Fred Dean, Richard Dent, Randy Gradishar, Darrell Green, Kevin Greene, Russ Grimm, Ray Guy, Lester Hayes, Rickey Jackson, Joe Jacoby, Cortez Kennedy, Bob Kuechenberg, Randall McDaniel, Art Monk, Andre Reed, Ken Stabler, Paul Tagliabue, Steve Tasker, Derrick Thomas, Andre Tippett, George Young, and Gary Zimmerman.

I know some of you have had very strong opinions about who should be in the 2008 class. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this latest round of finalists. The list of 26 semi-finalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 modern-era candidates (announced in mid-January). That list will increase to 17 finalist nominees with the inclusion of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee. The Seniors Committee nominees, who were announced in August, are Marshall Goldberg and Emmitt Thomas. The Class of 2008 will be determined at the Selection Committee’s annual meeting on Saturday, February 2, 2008, in Phoenix, AZ the day before Super Bowl XLII.

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Pro Football Hall of Fame Board Selects Semi-Finalists for Class of 2008