Which of the Colts' 8 nominees will make the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its initial list of nominees Thursday and it included eight players with significant ties to the Colts. IndyStar has written about many of them before, here's a look at each player's case:
Reggie Wayne
The case for Wayne: The former Indianapolis Colts' receiver has 1,070 receptions, 10th all-time, and all five eligible players ahead of him already are in the hall.
But the knock against Wayne's catch totals? He never led the league in that category and finished in the top five just twice.
Next, we move on to career yardage, where Wayne's 14,345 yards are 10th all-time and, again, the news is good when looking at the company he keeps. Five of the six eligible players ahead of him are enshrined, with the only exception being Isaac Bruce. Again, though, Wayne's single-season performances are arguably short of the hall of fame. He led the league in yardage just once and finished in the top five twice.
Touchdowns are another point against Wayne. With 82 receiving touchdowns, he’s No. 25 all-time and well behind the man who he’s been most associated with throughout his career: Marvin Harrison. Harrison's 128 scores dwarf his former teammate's and put Wayne in the company of Andre Rison, Irving Fryar, Mark Clayton and Joey Galloway. All the Hall of Fame receivers with fewer touchdowns had finished their careers before Wayne started his.
And finally, working against Wayne is a host of others receivers currently worthy of hall consideration, including Bruce, Torry Holt and many more to come (Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Smith and Calvin Johnson). An important consideration is how the inflation of passing statistics influences the view of Wayne.
While Wayne’s career numbers may be superior to most, he'll battle an over-saturated market of hall of fame-worthy wide receivers and the debate over the value of career statistics vs. single-season brilliance.
Should he make the hall of fame? Yes. Will he? It'll be an uphill battle.
Dallas Clark
Clark was an excellent tight end for many years but it's hard to see him making the hall of fame. He's 24th all-time in receiving yards by a tight end with six of the 14 eligible players ahead of him having been elected. Three players behind Clark on the list have been elected but each finished his career by 1984, long before the passing explosion.
Clark also made a single Pro Bowl. Jason Witten (No. 2 in yards, 11 Pro Bowls), Antonio Gates (No. 3, 8 Pro Bowls), Greg Olsen (No. 7, 3 Pro Bowls), Rob Gronkowski (No. 10, 4-time first-team All-Pro) and Jimmy Graham (No. 12, 5 Pro Bowls) all have better resumés than Clark.
Should Clark be in the Colts' Ring of Honor? Sure. Was he a great tight end? Absolutely. Will he make the hall of fame? No.
Chris Hinton
Hinton is best known for his connection to a Hall of Famer:
He was the centerpiece of the return in the trade of John Elway.
The story is well known but here is a brief recap: The Baltimore Colts went 0-8-1 in a strike-shortened 1982 season to earn the No. 1 pick. Elway was/is considered one of the best quarterback prospects of all time. But the Colts hadn’t made the playoffs since 1977 and Elway didn’t want to play for coach Frank Kush, who had a reputation as an autocrat.
Elways said he’d prefer to play baseball than play for the Colts. Though it was almost certainly a bluff, Elway was a second-round pick of the Yankees in 1981 and hit .318 with a .432 on-base average and .464 slugging percentage with 13 steals in 42 games in low-A ball.
So Robert Irsay dealt Elway to the Broncos for quarterback Mark Herrmann, the rights to Hinton (the fourth overall pick in the 1983 draft) and the Broncos’ first pick in the 1984 draft (19th overall, which was used to select guard Ron Solt). The Colts also received a guarantee of $500,000 in return for playing preseason games at Mile High Stadium in 1984 and ’85, according to a Denver Post article.
“We should have gotten more (for Elway), no question,” current Colts owner Jim Irsay, son of Robert and the team’s assistant general manager at the time of the trade, told the Denver Post. “But really, no compensation would have been enough for a player who became as great as John.”
That, however, shouldn't take away from the fact Hinton was one of the best offensive linemen of his generation and a worthy, though hardly guaranteed, Hall of Famer.
There are few statistics for offensive linemen, of course. Hinton played for poor teams throughout his career – as a primary starter his teams were 82-109 with three playoff appearances. But he was a seven-time Pro Bowler and the first offensive lineman to make the Pro Bowl at three positions: right guard, left tackle and right tackle. He was inducted into the Colts Ring of Honor in 2001.
There are 14 offensive linemen eligible for the Hall of Fame who have made seven Pro Bowls, 7 have been selected. There are three offensive linemen with eight or more Pro Bowl appearances who are not in the Hall of Fame and 23 with six or fewer Pro Bowl appearances in the Hall of Fame.
Making the Pro Bowl at three different positions is an impressive feat that may catch enough eyes to eventually lead to his induction. Hinton’s induction into the Hall of Fame would hardly lower the facility's standards but he’s almost certainly will have to wait.
Hinton was involved in another ill-fated trade for the Colts as well – being dealt with Andre Rison to the Falcons for the rights to Jeff George. And, as a final irony, here is what Hinton told Colts.com about playing for Kush: “Frank Kush, I’m glad I played for him as a rookie. I say that because as a rookie you are just trying to fit in. He was a hard-nosed coach who a lot of the older guys, the veterans, just couldn’t grasp his way of coaching. … He was tough.”
Edgerrin James
James' case shouldn't get any more complicated than this: Only 11 running backs in NFL history ran for more yards than James (12,246) — 10 are in the hall of fame. The 11th may not make it, but only because the hall of fame requires players to be retired and Frank Gore will never retire. Nos. 13, 14, 15 on the all-time rushing list — Marcus Allen, Franco Harris and Thurman Thomas — all have their busts in Canton.
So he's a sure-fire hall of famer, right? Not quite.
For James, perception is the enemy.
“Edgerrin was the best back in football for two years," former Colts coach Tony Dungy said of James' first two seasons. "Unbelievable numbers, great pass protector, caught the ball out of the backfield and then got hurt. After he got hurt, he came back and had (seven) more years of being a very good back. Not the best back in football, but excellent. His (seven)-year numbers, you’d even have to talk about being (Hall of Fame worthy). But when you combine the two – the longevity and what he did – I think he should be in.”
There's little James can do now, All he can do is sit back and rest on his rather impressive laurels.
Other than the rushing totals, James boasts some other incredible numbers. For instance, his 15,610 total yards from scrimmage rank 12th among backs.
He posted three seasons with more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage. The only other backs in NFL history to match that feat: Walter Payton, Priest Holmes, Marshall Faulk, Eric Dickerson, Tiki Barber and LaDanian Tomlinson.
Among backs, he is undeniably in rare air, and his numbers are those of a no-doubt hall of famer. Unfortunately for him, circumstances out of his control could keep him waiting awhile or worse, shunned entirely.
Bob Sanders
Is Bob Sanders a Hall-of-Famer?
No.
Don't misunderstand. Sanders was a great football player. Indianapolis almost certainly wouldn't have a Super Bowl title without him. He belongs in the Colts' Ring of Honor. He just won't make the Hall of Fame.
But in recognition of what he accomplished in Indy, here is his case for Canton:
>> For a three-year stretch, Sanders was as good as any safety in NFL history.
>> There are fewer safeties (eight) than any other non-special teams position in the Hall of Fame.
In 2005 and '07, Sanders was first-team Associated Press All-NFL. In 2006, he played in only four regular-season games but returned for the playoffs and turned around the Colts defense, leading the team to a Super Bowl title.
The Colts gave up 173 rushing yards per game in the 2006 regular season – including the memorable 375 in a 44-17 loss to Jacksonville in Week 14 – which was worst in the league; the team ranking 31st in allowing rushing yards averaged 145. When Sanders returned for the playoffs, that number dropped to 82.8. He also intercepted a pass in the first round and Super Bowl.
Here is what IndyStar Colts beat writer Phil Richards said about Sanders heading into those playoffs:
"Sanders is the defense's energizer, its fastest player, its biggest hitter and probably its surest tackler.
"He plays with passion, and when he's out there you definitely feel his presence," linebacker Gary Brackett said. "Some of those long runs wouldn't happen without him out there knocking them down."
In 2007, Sanders became just the third safety (after Dick Anderson and Kenny Easley) to be named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
So, Sanders was one of the top safeties in the NFL in each of three consecutive seasons, was Defensive Player of the Year and won a Super Bowl. Only two other players have done that and both will be Hall of Famers when eligible: Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed.
But there's one problem: That's all Bob Sanders did.
He played in a total of 17 games the rest of his career. He never played more than six in a season.
Sanders played in 50 total games.
The only player in the Hall of Fame with fewer games is Joe Guyon, a triple-threat halfback from the 1920s. The fewest games played by a Hall of Famer whose career was played primarily in the 1980s or after is Kellen Winslow, who appeared in 109. Even Gale Sayers appeared in 68.
Sanders would be an excellent choice for the Colts' Ring of Honor, recognizing his key role in the franchise's only Indianapolis Super Bowl.
But unfortunately, he couldn't stay healthy enough long enough to put together a Hall of Fame career.
Jeff Saturday
As an offensive lineman, Saturday's case is tough to quantify, but let's give it a shot. During his 13-year NFL career, he made six Pro Bowls — tied for 38th all-time among interior lineman — and was a first team all-pro selection twice. Among those post-merger (1970) guards and centers with more Pro Bowl appearances, seven have yet to be enshrined. That said, eight interior lineman with six or fewer Pro Bowl selections are in the hall, so there is precedent.
Longevity could help Saturday's case, as his 211 games played are 12th among interior lineman and his 202 games started, 11th. He also captained an offensive line that helped the Colts finish in the top three in total offense nine times during his career.
Saturday does have a feather in his cap that other hall candidates do not. As a member of the NFLPA, he played a crucial role in helping resolve the NFL lockout in 2011. The image of him hugging Patriots owner Robert Kraft is the one most associated with the conclusion of the hard-fought battle between players and owners.
"During the whole process, (NFL commissioner) Roger (Goodell) told me several times, he said if it wasn't for Jeff, sometimes I don't know where we'd be,'' Colts owner Jim Irsay told Sports Illustrated in 2011.
There is no guarantee voters take this into account, but if they do, Saturday will have a chance.
So, where does that put us?
Saturday has a shot, but if it's going to happen, it's going to be a while.
More:Former Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday is crushing it as a high school football coach
Ray Donaldson
Donaldson's case is almost identical to Saturday's, though give Saturday a slight edge. Donaldson, a second-round pick when the Colts were in Baltimore back in 1980, played his first four seasons there and the ensuing nine in Indianapolis. In his nine seasons here, Donaldson started all 16 games seven times before finishing off his 17-year career in Seattle and Dallas. Donaldson made six Pro Bowls and was second-team All-NFL in 1987 and 1988.
Donaldson played 244 games (fifth among interior linemen) and had 228 starts (fourth). He lacks Saturday's first team All-Pro appearances and the teams he played for weren't as successful as Saturday's. The Pro Football Hall of Fame would not be diminished if Donaldson were elected, but he has an uphill battle.
Rohn Stark
Stark was the Colts' punter for 13 years, making four Pro Bowls, a first-team All-Pro team and leading the NFL in punting average three times.
There's only one pure punter in the hall of fame: Ray Guy. He made seven Pro Bowls and was first time All-Pro three times. Shane Lechler (7 and 6), who is not eligible yet, should be the next. But Rich Camarillo (5 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro) and Dave Jennings have similar resumes to Stark and are still waiting for their elections.
Contact IndyStar Deputy Sports Editor Nat Newell at (317) 444-6182 or nat.newell@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NatJNewell.