My 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class

Now that the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2014 has received its honor, I would like to take a second to look ahead to next summer, and share with you whom I believe should be the next group of gridiron greats to don the gold jackets.

Photo from Packers Insider

1. Jerry (freakin') Kramer, Guard
Green Bay Packers

Kramer's continual omission is an outright embarrassment to the Hall year after year. Jerry Kramer should have been enshrined four decades ago. I don't know what kind of vendetta the writers/voters have against the man, but for whatever reason, Kramer is ignored every single year. His name was nowhere to be seen among even the first round of finalists this past year. It's not right. It is a disgrace. Shame on the Pro Football Hall of Fame and those who vote on its inductees.

Jerry Kramer is the reason that Vince Lombardi's Power Sweep won the franchise five championships and two Super Bowls in the 1960s. Alongside fellow offensive lineman Forrest Gregg (in the Hall of Fame), the man laid down highways for Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung (both in the Hall of Fame). You could make an argument that Jerry Kramer is the greatest pulling guard of all time. In his 11-year career, Jerry was an All Pro eight times. In the 1962 and ‘63 seasons, Jerry not only played guard at his usual all-pro level, but also placekicker, and in the 1962 championship game he provided the nine points that proved to be the difference in a victory against The New York Giants. In the 1967 NFL championship--AKA the Ice Bowl--Jerry threw the most famous block in the history of the NFL, paving the way for Bart Starr (in the Hall of Fame) to score the winning touchdown in one of the NFL’s most storied games. From 1960 to 1967 The Packers appeared in six NFL championship games, five of which they won; and the first two Super Bowls, both of which they won. Jerry played every single offensive down of each of them. He is the only member of the NFL's 50th Anniversary Team to not be in the Hall of Fame. Somewhat recently, the NFL Network series "Top Ten" ranked Jerry Kramer No. 1 on their list of players not in the Hall of Fame.

What is this conspiracy against an old man and great athlete who deserves the honor due to him? I hope to God that the Hall of Fame corrects this egregious, despicable error before Kramer passes away. This is an outrage.

Petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/kramerhof/

2. Kevin Greene, Outside Linebacker
Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers

Photo: from NewsObserver, Christopher A. Record

Next is the great Kevin Greene, who is riding a four-year streak as a HOF finalist, and an eight-year streak as a semi-finalist. Greene was kind of a journeyman in the NFL, spending time with four different organizations over his 15-year career. His best years came in the mid-'90s when Greene led the NFL in sacks as a Steeler in 1994, and as a Panther in 1996. Greene tallied double-digit sacks in ten different seasons (one of only three players to accomplish this), including four times past the age of 34. In all, Greene's 160 career sacks place him third on the all-time career sacks list behind only the great Bruce Smith, and the Minister of Defense Reggie White. This makes Kevin Greene tops in career sacks among linebackers, placing him above Lawrence Taylor, even. Eleven out of 15 years, Greene led his team in sacks, but KG was no one-trick pony; Greene's presence often resulted in his defense ranking among the top of the league in run defense. And when Jeff Fisher became the defensive coordinator in Los Angeles, Greene had to make the switch from 3-4 linebacker, to 4-3 defensive end (which didn't work so well due to Greene's size), then to 4-3 linebacker, a position in which blitz-specialist Greene was expected to drop into coverage every so often. And wouldn't you know it? Greene was good at that too!

Kevin Greene is a member of the NFL 1990's All-Decade Team, and now only awaits immortality as a bust in Canton. Most recently you have probably seen him on the sideline in Green Bay, coaching his mini-me Clay Matthews to similar greatness. Before Matthews made his game-changing forced fumble in Super Bowl XLV, Kevin Greene got in his grill, and told him simply, "It's time." Well, now it's Greene's time.

3. Jerome Bettis, Running Back
Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers

Photo from Pittsburgh Sports Report

In his fifth year of eligibility, "The Bus" is deserving of a stop in Canton. Jerome Bettis was a breakout rookie in Los Angeles for the Rams in 1993. He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and All Pro right off the bat. A change in coaching philosophy resulted in Bettis being traded to the Steelers prior to the 1996 season, where Bettis continued his greatness, rushing for over 1,000 yards each season from 1996 until 2001. He was atop the league rushing list in 2001, when the first of a string of injuries sidelined him for the better part of two seasons. When Bettis finally regained his health, he returned to the Steelers a backup. For most running backs, this lot would spell doom, but Bettis not only won his starting job back, he came up just short of 1,000 yards in 2004, and earned his sixth Pro Bowl selection.

After the 15-1 Steelers suffered a disappointing loss in the 2004 AFC Championship Game, Bettis announced that he was considering retirement, but the lure of playing in the Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit the next season was too much to pass up. Bettis returned for one more season, and sure enough, won a Super Bowl.

Bettis was also recognized for his greatness off the field, as he was the recipient of the 2001 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. In retirement, the Bus continues to provide aid to children in the Detroit area by providing them with sports equipment, and his Bus Stops Here Foundation benefits children with asthma.

4. Orlando Pace, Tackle
St. Louis Rams, Chicago Bears

Photo from Rams Talk

My first of two first-ballot HOFers, Orlando Pace was as essential to the success of the Greatest Show on Turf as any of the dynamic skill players that played in St. Louis during the glory days of Dick Vermeil and Mike Martz. Pace's first year of candidacy corresponds with the first year of eligibility for Rams teammates Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt, but I believe Pace is most deserving of all. Warner--though great, no doubt--spent his years throwing to Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Larry Fitzgerald; when he didn't have All-Pro wideouts, he became tactless--see his disappointing stint in New York. Holt and Bruce will get in--maybe in 2015--but it would be a travesty if either of them went in before Tim Brown (luckily he is the last overdue '90's receiver left waiting now that Cris Carter and Andre Reed finally got their honors); so for now, I'm putting them in the "out" column.

Anyway, Pace was a seven-time Pro Bowler, and five-time All Pro. He was named to the NFL 2000's All-Decade Team and is the only one of the four tackles on that prestigious team not yet in the Hall of Fame (though he only just became eligible). Pace was an all-around stud on the end of the line, excelling as both a pass- and run-blocker. He provided the protection for Kurt Warner and Marc Bolger to make their marks through the air. More magnificently, he also paved the way for Marshall Faulk's Hall of Fame career, and played a pivotal part in Steven Jackson's early-career rushing success. Pace was a crucial ingredient in the potent offensive attack that took the Rams to Super Bowls in 1999 and 2001.

5. Junior Seau, Inside Linebacker
San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots

Photo from San Diego Chargers

This one is the only sure deal of the bunch. Seau is one of those players who was assured a first-ballot spot in the Hall of Fame the moment he retired. Seau was drafted by his hometown San Diego Chargers with the fifth pick of the 1990 NFL Draft. Beginning in 1991, Seau initiated a streak of consecutive Pro Bowl selections that lasted until 2002, his final season with the Bolts. In that time, Seau was a first-team All-Pro selection eight times, and a second-team honoree twice. After injuring his ankle in 2002--his 13th season with the Chargers--San Diego traded Seau to the Miami Dolphins, where Junior would spend three injury-filled nondescript seasons before retiring.

...Temporarily. For three days, Seau was a happy retiree; on the fourth he was a New England Patriot. Had Seau stayed retired, he would already be a Hall of Famer just from his time in San Diego, but it was clear by Seau's signing with New England, he wanted a Super Bowl. Seau had led the Chargers to a Super Bowl berth in 1994, but the Bolts came up short against the high-octane San Francisco 49ers. In New England, Seau would see a lot of winning. He played a key defensive role in the Patriots' undefeated regular season of 2007, and an even bigger role in the two playoff victories that followed. New England, however, would fall to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl that season, leaving Seau ringless.

After two more seasons with the Patriots, Seau finally called it quits for good. His final stat line read 1,526 tackles and 56.5 sacks.

Tragedy struck the football world when Seau was found dead in his Oceanside, California home. Seau had taken his own life. For better or worse--hopefully better--Seau's death has become the emblem of the movement to decrease head trauma in football, as it was revealed that Seau had suffered brain damage from multiple head traumas during his playing career. Whether this was the direct cause of Seau's suicide or not is subject to some fairly unsavory debate, but there is no argument against the notion that Seau's legacy transcends the gridiron, and that he is among the greatest linebackers to ever wear a helmet and shoulderpads.

Maybe Next Year: Kurt Warner, Marvin Harrison, Tim Brown, Tony Dungy, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt