[ttwarrior1]

Jerome Bettis Snubbed While Seven Others Get Voted In
The 2011 inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame have just been announced. Headlining the class are Deion "Prime Time" Sanders and Marshall Faulk. Others getting the call are Shannon Sharpe, Richard Dent, Ed Sabol, Les Richter and Chris Hanburger.
Each of the seven new inductees are certainly deserving, but perhaps the person who is perhaps the most deserving of Canton has been snubbed outright.
That would be Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, who retired as the NFL's fifth all-time leading rusher with 13,662 yards.
To put that in perspective, Faulk is 10th on that same list with 12,279 rushing yards. He's obviously very deserving thanks to the fact that he's seventh on the all-time touchdown list with a total of 136, but you still have to question if he is really that much more deserving than The Bus.
Just a couple days ago, Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Gene Strother had the pleasure of talking one on one with bettis and one of the things that came up was Bettis' case for the Hall of Fame.
"I know it’s going to be tough," he said, "because I don’t think there is any way you’re going to get three running backs [himself, Faulk, and Curtis Martin] in by any stretch of the imagination. Somebody’s going to be left out and I have come to the realization that it could be me."
Speaking further about the issue, you could say that Bettis could almost see the snub coming.
“There are no locks in this business. But you know, I do understand that, if I don’t get in, it isn’t because I wasn’t worthy. It’s because there were five to seven other guys that were worthy," he said.
Indeed, this would certainly seem to be the case. However, you can bet that there is going to be a pretty harsh public outcry from the state of Pennsylvania over this (if there hasn't been already), and such a turn of the proverbial screw should only help Bettis' Hall of Fame push.
He's going to get in sooner or later. But all things considered, it probably should have been sooner.

[ttwarrior1]

DALLAS -- Deion Sanders and Marshall Faulk led a class of seven voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Joining them were Shannon Sharpe, Richard Dent, Ed Sabol, Les Richter and Chris Hanburger.
Sanders, the outstanding cornerback/kick returner and sometime wide receiver known as "Prime Time" with five teams, is a two-time Super Bowl winner and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1994.
Faulk won a Super Bowl with the 1999 Rams, was the 1994 Offensive Rookie of the Year, 2000 NFL MVP and a three-time Offensive Player of the Year (1999-2001). Faulk is the 10th leading career rusher with 12,279 yards.
Sharpe starred for Denver and Baltimore for 14 seasons and won three Super Bowls in a four-year span, two with Denver, one with Baltimore. He held league records for a tight end in receptions, yards and touchdowns when he retired in 2001.
Hall of Fame coverage


Bears defensive end Dent was the MVP of the 1986 Super Bowl and finished with 137½ career sacks. He was the top pass rusher on one of the NFL's greatest defensive units.
Richter played linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams from 1954-62. They traded 11 players for him and waited two years while he was in the military before he suited up. He made the wait worthwhile, going to eight straight Pro Bowls. He also was a center and kicker.
Richter died last June.
Hanburger spent all 14 pro seasons with the Redskins and played in nine Pro Bowls. He played from 1965-78 and was called "The Hangman."
"It's wonderful. I am just overwhelmed. It's such a tremendous honor to be nominated, let alone get in," Hanburger said. "Have to think of all the men who played before me and all the men I played with."
Sabol founded NFL Films.
The finalists who did not get in were Curtis martin Dermonte Dawson, Cortez Kennedy, Andre Reid and Willie roaf

[ttwarrior1]

Andre Reed has been a finalist five times. For the 2nd year in a row, he finished ahead of Cris Carter
and Tim Brown in the selection process which pares down the group of finalists from 15 to 10. Reed made the top 10, while Carter and Brown did not.

Reed made 951 catches for 13,198 yards and 87 touchdowns. He's known as one of the best yards-after-catch receivers in NFL history, perhaps second to only Jerry Rice and among the grittiest over-the-middle threats.

Reed was a seven-time Pro Bowler. He posted 13 seasons with at least 50 receptions, tied for second all-time. He's tied for third in postseason history with five 100-yard games. His 85 postseason receptions rank third.

[frostno98]

This guy was long over due.

[doublej95]

Prime Time Deion Sanders one of the best ever.

[Illusion]

Glad to see Richard Dent finally got the nod.

[whatsgood5]

Bout time Hanburger finally got it, now to get Gary Clark in...guy damn near has the same stats as Crackpipe Irvin

[ttwarrior1]

i think reed belongs in over half of these guys and c carter. I think c martin was an overrated system running back.
Dent had 2 good years

[vikings]

Deion couldn't tackle worth a damn, but was worth the price of admission because you knew he was going to do something special everytime he played.

[Brock Landers]

so few Tight End's in the HOF, no idea why

[Gilly86]

What an amazing hall of fame class. It is a shame some of these guys did not get in.

[pittmatt80]

It's a decent over all class. Faulk was definitely one of the all time great running backs, may only be tenth in rushing but his touchdown total helped carry him in. Deion was just a fun player to watch you never knew what would happen, couldn't tackle but solid defender of the pass. Congrats to all of these guys.