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. 

The post Is Clay Matthews A Future Hall of Famer? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The New England Patriots legend Vince Wilfork was recently inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. The news of Wilfork’s announcement brought emotion to Pats nation and the entire NFL audience that has witnessed Wilfork consistently dismantle offensive lines with ease. Here is a closer look at Wilfork’s production in his career:

• 560 tackles
• 38 career TFLs
• Five-time Pro Bowl selection
• All-Pro in 2012
• Two-time Super Bowl champion

After Wilfork made it into Pats heaven, the next question unequivocally is: is Wilfork headed to Canton next? Well, it would seem to be hard to deny Wilfork’s case for the NFL Hall of Fame. He has many Pro Bowl nods, an All-Pro team, and SB rings.

Yet, it’s quite difficult for any superb noseguard to crack a spot in Canton. The legendary noseguard Fred Smerlas has five Pro Bowl selections, an All-Pro spot, and Pro Football Journal pens him as a Top-3 NG of all time. Yet, he has not made it into the Hall of Fame.

There have been other noseguard legends to make it into Canton. For example, Curley Culp and Bill Willis have made it into the HOF. Wilfork doesn’t have the sexiest career production, but he was a key member of a dynasty team in New England. It’s impossible to ignore Wilfork’s numerous SB rings, which should brush over any minor concern about his top-end success.

Noseguards are people, too, and Wilfork was a damn good NG. It will not be easy/short for Wilfork to hear his name selected for the NFL HOF, but I imagine that the football gods won’t leave the well-rounded Patriots DT out of the NFL HOF in the end.

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By: Jeremy Trottier

With early August only a few months away now, we are closer than ever to the 2022 NFL Hall of Fame induction. This year we will see Tony Boselli, Cliff Branch, Leroy Butler, Art McNally, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour, Dick Vermeil, and Bryant Young enshrined on August 6th. However, in the coming years, we will see even more all-time greats being enshrined. With the likes of Drew Brees, Joe Thomas, Jahri Evans, James Harrison, Shane Lechler, and more upcoming in the following years, we should see some great classes.

One player who falls into the 2024 eligibility will be Julius Peppers, 4th all-time in sacks and one of the greatest to do it of his generation. In this article, I will be breaking down if he is worthy of a first-ballot induction, which will include who could go ahead of him in 2024, as well as what he brought to the table as a player that made him worthy of such honors. Without further ado, let us start with the 2024 class.

2024 Hall of Fame eligible players & competition for ’24 ballot

There is a lot of talent coming up for the 2024 class. Keep in mind that there will be between 4-8 players per class that are enshrined (including coaches), so there would have to be at minimum 8 total players and coaches in a class that would definitely deserve it over Peppers to not give him a first-ballot induction. With that said, here are the headliners for the 2024 class:

• Antonio Gates – TE
• Eric Berry – S
• Haloti Ngata – DT
• Jamaal Charles – RB
• Brandon Marshall – WR
• Max Unger – C
• Jordy Nelson – WR
• Sebastian Janikowski – K
• Phil Dawson – K
• Josh Sitton – G

These are essentially the primary players that would even remotely have considerations above Peppers. On top of this, some players may sneak in from the 2023 class that are not inducted that year. Out of the group of 2024 members, I would say that Peppers had the most legacy and fulfillment in his career, aside from maybe Antonio Gates who could be debated. Based solely upon the other members of the 2024 class, Peppers would likely be a lock for a first-ballot election.

Statistical comparison to other first-ballot DL

The main thing you would want to look at for a defensive lineman is where he ranks among the other Hall of Famers of all time statistically, as well as among the other first-ballot players at his position. If we want to look at sacks first, the top 10 on the list all-time are almost all Hall of Famers, and many are the first ballot. As of this moment, here is the top 10 (11 as there is a tie for 10th) and their enshrinement status:

1. Bruce Smith (200 sacks) – First ballot HOF
2. Reggie White (198 sacks) – First ballot HOF
3. Kevin Greene (160 sacks) – 13th ballot HOF
4. Julius Peppers (159.5 sacks) – ’24 class eligible
5. Chris Doleman (150.5 sacks) – First ballot HOF
6. Michael Strahan (141.5 sacks) – First ballot HOF
7. Jason Taylor (139.5 sacks) – First ballot HOF
8. Terrell Suggs (139 sacks) – ’25 class eligible
9. DeMarcus Ware (138.5 sacks) – ’22 class eligible (not selected first-ballot)
10. Richard Dent/John Randle (137.5 sacks each) – 9th ballot HOF/First ballot HOF respectively

So, 6 out of the top 11 are first ballot hall of famers, and 2 more have not had their eligibility yet. To get a more precise number, 6 out of the 9 (66.7%) that have been eligible have been first ballot members. The 3 players lower in sacks than Peppers all made it first ballot, and 2 out of the 3 above him were as well (frankly Kevin Greene should have been inducted significantly sooner regardless of this concept.) However, obviously, sacks are not the only metric to go by, so let’s take a look at his career accomplishments.

Career accolades & acumen

A good metric of the legacy score for players and how much they have done in the game is created by futurefootballlegends.com, which they call their “legends score”. This combines and weights some of the most major achievements a player can get, such as pro bowl/all-pro selections, all-decade selections, the various MVP types (MVP, SB MVP), and various other accolades. While this is not a perfect system, as you can never really define someone’s legacy solely off a few achievements, it gives us an idea of how he stacks up against previous players. Peppers received a 54 in this grading system, which is similar to Joe Thomas (58), Charles Woodson (51), Luke Kuechly (50), and many other greats. Now, again, this is not perfect, as Drew Brees has a 37, which shows this cannot be the sole argument on to base his career on. This is mainly just to show how successful he was in his career, and how he was able to bring together some phenomenal seasons over the years.

In terms of his actual achievements, he has had:

• NFL DROY
• 3 first-team all-pro selections & 3 second-team all-pro selections
• 9 pro bowl selections
• NFL 2000s & 2010s all-decade team selections
• Tied for most different quarterbacks sacked with Bruce Smith (77)
• Sacks against 30 of 32 NFL teams
• 2nd all-time in forced fumbles (51), 2nd all-time in blocked kicks (13), 6th most games played defensively ever (266 of 272).
• Inducted into North Carolina sports HOF, and nominated for 2022 college football HOF (see below)
• On top of that, had 715 tackles, 21 fumble recoveries, 11 interceptions, 6 total touchdowns, and 240 games started.

Overall, I would say with all of this combined on top of him being one of them, if not the best player in his HOF class, he should see a first-ballot induction. As rare and prestigious as they are, and as hard as it is to accomplish such a feat, Peppers had an absolutely amazing career, and should most definitely be considered for this achievement.

The post Is Julius Peppers going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Adam Hulse (@AdamHulseSports)

Dick LeBeau is one of the greatest defensive minds in the history of the NFL. He had an excellent career as both a player and a coach but is definitely most known for his success as the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is one of the best of all time in this role for his contributions, innovations, and longevity. He was active in the NFL for 59 consecutive years as either a player or a coach and as of 2010 he is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame.

Career as a Player

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about LeBeau is his incredible success as a defensive coach, but before that he was actually a very good NFL defensive player first. After being drafted in 1959 out of The Ohio State University, he would eventually sign with Detroit Lions where he would spend his entire 14 year career as a player.

He contributed solid production, including 62 interceptions and four touchdowns, on his way to be selected to three Pro Bowls and three second-team All Pros in three consecutive seasons from 1964 to 1967. He is clearly one of the best defensive backs in the history of the Lions organization and still has the franchise record for most career interceptions.

Career as a Coach

After retiring from his playing career in 1972, he immediately took a coaching job as the special team’s coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973. He would then go on from there to be the defensive backs coach for the Green Bay Packers and then for the Cincinnati Bengals as well. In 1984 he was promoted by the Bengals to be the defensive coordinator before eventually accepting a job with the Pittsburgh Steelers to again be a defensive backs coach. In 1995 he would become the defensive coordinator for the Steelers until 1997 when he would go back to the Bengals to be their defensive coordinator as well as an assistant head coach.

In the year 2000 the Bengals promoted LeBeau to his first and only head coaching job. He would spend three years in this position where he would struggle to a disappointing 12-33 record before being fired. Not all great coordinators make good head coaches, and unfortunately LeBeau is an example of this concept. From there he was hired by the Buffalo Bills to be an assistant head coach the following season for one year before returning back to the Steelers in 2004 to once again be their defensive coordinator.

During his time in this position, which would last until 2014, is where he would find the most success. That’s not to say that his entire defensive coaching career was not filled success, but this long stretch would be the highlight of his career. This is where he would really solidify himself as one of the greatest defensive coaches in NFL history. The feared Steelers defense were consistently one of the best in the league for just about every year during this run, and the schemes and designs of Lebeau were a big part of the reason why. During this time, the Steelers appeared in three Super Bowls and won two of them with their defense being the biggest strength of the team.

He would make one more stop before retiring in 2017, serving as the defensive coordinator and an assistant head coach for the Tennessee Titans. This would end a legendary run of 45 consecutive seasons as a coach in the NFL without any breaks at all. This is a clear indicator of not just how good of a coach he was, but the massive level of respect he had around the league.

Innovations to the Game

Lebeau is widely accepted as an absolute genius when it comes to defensive schemes. He was well known for running a very creative and complex version of the 3-4 defense. He is credited with being the inventor, and the master, of the zone blitz. In this scheme, the pass rushers attack the quarterback from a wide variety of positions and angles while completely disguising the coverage format with an unconventional mix of zones and man, all within the same play. The goal was to create havoc while confusing the opposing offense and it was highly effective. This concept that he created is used across the entire league today in different forms, but nobody did it better than the great Dick LeBeau. His legacy will live on forever in NFL history.

The post The Legendary Career of Steelers Dick LeBeau appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Corey Hietpas

This coming August will mark two years since Andrew Luck announced his very surprising retirement. I can never fault players making the personal choice to walk away from the game on their terms, but I really want to see Andrew Luck playing again. He was easily one of my favorite players to watch on Sundays. Not only would I want this, but I also want to see the Captain Andrew Luck Twitter account back. If you’re unfamiliar, take a few minutes scrolling through some of the tweets from this account, they’re hysterical. Anyway, with Luck’s very early retirement came the obvious thoughts and questions of “Is Andrew Luck worthy of the Hall of Fame?”. It’s a great question and is one I want to attempt to answer by diving into the numbers more. First, it makes sense to look at Andrew Luck’s notable career stats. Then, the only way I know how to answer the Hall of Fame question is to compare his body of work to other Hall of Fame QBs that played during a similar or overlapping time as Luck.

Andrew Luck Notable Stats

Regular Season Stats:

86 games, 53 wins, 62% winning percentage

23,671 yards, 171 TDs, and 83 interceptions

89.5 Passer Rating, 61% completion percentage, and 7.2 yards per attempt

Awards and Accolades:

0 MVPs, 0 1st Team All-Pro Selections, 4 Pro Bowls

Playoff Stats:

4-4 record and 0-0 Super Bowl record

2,254 yards (282 per game), 12 TDs, 13 INTs, and a 73.4 Passer Rating

Hall of Fame QBs’ Notable Stats

The following Hall of Fame QBs played during a similar or overlapping time as Andrew Luck, so they are the most comparable due to the change in nature of the game from a run-heavy to a pass-heavy league.

1. Brett Favre (1991-2010)

Regular Season Stats:

302 games, 186 wins, 62% winning percentage

71,838 yards, 508 TDs, and 336 interceptions

86 Passer Rating, 62% completion percentage, 7.1 yards per attempt

Awards and Accolades:

3 MVPs, 3 1st Team All-Pro Selections, 11 Pro Bowls

13-11 Playoff record and 1-1 Super Bowl record

Playoff Stats: 

5,855 yards (244 per game), 7.4 YPA, 44 TDs, 30 INTs, 86.3 Passer Rating

13-11 Playoff record and 1-1 Super Bowl record

2. Peyton Manning (1998-2015)

Regular Season Stats:

266 games played, 186 wins, 70% winning percentage

71,940 yards, 539 TDs, 251 interceptions

96.5 Passer Rating 65% completion percentage, 7.7 yards per attempt

Awards and Accolades:

5 MVPs, 7 1st Team All-Pro Selections, 14 Pro Bowls

Playoff Stats:

14-13 Playoff record and 2-2 Super Bowl record

7,339 yards (272 per game), 7.1 YPA, 40 TDs, 25 INTs, 87.4 Passer Rating

3. Kurt Warner (1998-2009)

Regular Season Stats

124 games played, 67 wins, 54% winning percentage

32,344 yards, 208 TDs, 128 interceptions

93.7 Passer Rating, 66% completion percentage, 7.9 yards per attempt

Awards and Accolades:

2 MVPs, 2 1st Team All-Pro Selections, 4 Pro Bowls

Playoff Stats:

9-4 Playoff record and 1-2 Super Bowl record

3,952 yards (304 per game), 8.6 YPA, 31 TDs, 14 INTs, 102.8 Passer Rating

Decision

As much as I love Andrew Luck, he really doesn’t stack up to any of these recent QBs that were inducted into the Hall of Fame. The most comparable QB in terms of stats is Kurt Warner, but Luck doesn’t have as many MVPs or 1st team All-Pros, and he does not have the ridiculous postseason numbers that Warner does. Luck may have a case of bad luck in this scenario, as two of these QBs I’m comparing him to are considered top-10 all-time by most fans and analysts. Taking this into consideration, I still don’t think Luck has a good enough resume to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as his notable stats and awards come nowhere near these Hall of Fame QBs. He will always be one of my favorite QBs that I’ve had the pleasure of watching though.

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