By: Jeremy Trottier

The NFL Hall of Fame is one of the most prestigious places you can have your name placed, and is easily the biggest goal for all NFL players aside from potentially a Super Bowl MVP.  NaVorro Bowman is one such player who could make it into the hall, and enshrine his legacy in the NFL forever.  In this article, I will be going over whether or not he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible next year. 

Stats & Accolades

One of the most impressive numbers in Bowman’s career was his tackles, even more so his solo tackles.  In his career of 8 seasons, he racked up 798 tackles, and in this span he only played in 99 games, starting in 84.  This means he averaged just over 8 tackles in every game he played, which is extremely high efficiency.  Other than tackles, he had 5 interceptions, 30 pass deflections, 9 forced fumbles, 6 fumble recoveries, 14 sacks, 48 tackles for loss, and 30 QB hits.

In the accolades department, Bowman had 3 pro bowls, 4 first-team all-pro appearances, led the league in tackles in 2015, and was the reason for the NaVorro Bowman Rule.  This allowed officials to review the recovery of a loose ball. 

Should NaVorro make the Hall of Fame?

It is hard to truly make a case for Bowman looking at his production long term, as he did only play 7 seasons healthy, and only 5 of which did he play in all 16 games.  But his efficiency on the field and production when playing is what makes his case debatable, as it did with Calvin Johnson in his 9 seasons.  I would say, as of right now, with his impact made on the team, he should at least be considered for the Hall of Fame, but definitely not first ballot.  He is right on the border of what I tend to consider Hall of Fame level production, so I understand if he makes it in 2023 or onwards, but also if he does not make it at all. 

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By: Andy Davies

Clay Matthews, a player synonymous with the green and gold of Green Bay.

He spent nine of his 10 years in the league with the franchise and is a surety for the Packers’ Hall of Fame. But is he set for the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Let’s take a look at whether Clay Matthews is a future Hall of Famer.

The Stats

In his NFL career, Matthews has recorded 519 tackles, 91.5 sacks 200 quarterback hits, 130 tackles for loss, as well as six career interceptions and 17 forced fumbles. He is also a six-time Pro Bowler, 1 time All Pro and a one-time Super Bowl champion.

The former Packers linebacker has not yet officially retired, which means that he would need to wait a little bit longer before the five-year mandatory waiting period begins.

Reasons For And Against His Inclusion

* Started just 9 games

Matthews has six Pro Bowl appearances and in 2010, as can be seen in the above table, only three players recorded more than the 13.5 sacks he posted that season. This is a campaign that ultimately led to his one and only ring.

In Matthews’ career, only twice did he finish inside the top ten for tackles for loss (2010 and 2014). However, that is as good as it got with only two more seasons with double-digit sacks. Despite the 11 in 2014, there were still eleven players who recorded more than him.

Despite being a linebacker, a position that is meant to excel in tackles, he never once finished in the top 100. In fact, four of the ten leaders for career combined tackles are either inside or outside linebackers. 

Even in the 2015 campaign, where he recorded his best ever ranking for combined tackles, only three of the top 20 totals that seasons did not come from linebackers.

Matthews cannot even blame a lack of gametime for poor stats, with only one season where he started less than 10 games.

On the other hand, Matthews did lead the Packers in quarterback pressures and came third in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting as well as setting the Packers record for most sacks by a rookie in a season (10). He became the first Packers to record six sacks in their opening two games in 2010 as well as only being beaten by Troy Polamalu in the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards.

In the end, Matthews had a good career but certainly should not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

It is a different story for the Packers’ Hall of Fame. Matthews was part of the last team to win a Super Bowl, an integral cog also. He should be a no-brainer to receive such a honour.

Despite the lack of standouts from the above table, he has had an impact on the NFL in the aforementioned 2009 and 2010 seasons. It is some achievement to only have three players receive votes ahead of you across the 2009 and 2010 season for Defensive Player of the Year. However, it is questionable whether this is enough for Matthews to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

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By: Jake Rajala

The Los Angeles Chargers pass rusher Joey Bosa has proven to be one of the NFL’s top pass rushers at 26 years old. The older Bosa brother has won Defensive Rookie of The Year and made four Pro Bowl selections thus far.

There is a massive question that many Chargers/NFL fans have in regard to Bosa’s end-destination: Is Bosa on the path to becoming a Hall of Famer? It’s clear that Bosa’s new teammate Khalil Mack is a future Hall of Famer, but it’s less certain if the grandson of Joe “Batters” is headed to Canton. So, is Bosa’s path special enough to earn him a gold jacket.

With that said, here is the success of Bosa’s first six seasons in comparison to the statistics of the first six seasons of “Khalil Mack and J.J. Watt”.

Joey Bosa

• 58 sacks
• 129 QB hits
• 73 tackles for loss

J.J. Watt

• 74.5 sacks
• 214 QB hits
• 133 tackles for loss

Khalil Mack

• 61.5 sacks
• 116 QB hits
• 76 tackles for loss

It’s quite fascinating that the Chargers fierce pass-rushing duo have a very similar six-year outcome. Of course, Mack has won Defensive Player of The Year (2016) and he made three All-Pro teams (2015, 2016, and 2018). I believe that Bosa is on a terrific path of consistency and dominance, but I honestly believe he needs to have at least 60 more career sacks (with other very elite career stats) to crack a HOF spot. If Bosa can really crack a couple of All-Pro teams, while being dominant for five seasons, he should finish as a HOF player.

The Saints legend Rickey Jackson unveiled a very impressive 136 career sacks, but he didn’t win a DPOY award or make any All-Pro teams. He did make the HOF after retiring in 1995, but he didn’t obtain a gold jacket until 2010. If Bosa doesn’t earn an All-Pro nod, his childhood dream of making it into the HOF could come to fruition if he has a similar career output as Jackson.

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