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What's wrong with the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- and how to fix it - NF... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20130202/pro-football-hall-of-f...

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Posted: Sat February 2, 2013 10:53AM; Updated: Sat February 2, 2013 11:22AM Jim Trotter > INSIDE THE NFL

More Columns Email Jim Trotter Follow @si_jimtrotter What's wrong with the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- and how to fix it

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NFL Truth & Rumors Jets leave door open for trading Darrelle Revis Despite 100.5 career sacks, has been passed over in Hall voting for eight straight years. Denis Poroy/AP NFL exec: Union stalling H.G.H. testing Jets GM: Mark Sanchez will have competition at NEW ORLEANS -- The Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce its Class of 2013 this afternoon in a nationally QB televised program from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, and it wants fans to Tweet their thoughts about the selection process, with the hashtag #PFHOF13. NFL Video

Let me join the chorus who believes the process is broken.

Full disclosure: I'm one of 46 voters who will select this year's class, which can have a maximum of seven individuals. The modern-era list will be whittled from 15 to 10 to five, with each needing a minimum positive vote of 80 percent for induction. Two senior nominees will be voted on separately -- they do not take spots Sifting through the 2013 NFL Combine coach speak preview from the modern-era candidates -- and must receive a minimum positive vote of 80 percent, as well.

When the class is announced there will be as much grousing about who didn't get in as who did get in, which More from SI.com will come as no surprise because there are more deserving candidates than available spots. To date the Hall Latest News has been unwilling to increase the class size because, among other things, the limited spots gives it an Who won, who lost at NBA trade deadline increased air of exclusiveness. Judge says Pistorius not a flight risk, grants bail Fine. To each its own. But if the Hall isn't willing go larger, it needs to be smarter and tweak the selection Report: Smith highly unlikely to re-sign in Atlanta process. Take one spot from the senior nominees and use it to create a category for non-players; that way they won't have to compete against modern-era players. Video

Voters typically are reluctant to choose a coach or a contributor over a player, which could be daunting for

1 of 9 2/22/2013 11:18 AM What's wrong with the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- and how to fix it - NF... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20130202/pro-football-hall-of-f...

Eddie DeBartolo Jr., and , non-players on this year's list of modern-era finalists. They'll be competing against , Tim Brown, , Kevin Greene, Charles Haley, , , , and first-year candidates , , and .

I've always believed two spots for seniors is too many. They had 25 years to be considered as a modern-era Does NASCAR need Sifting through the Danica to win? coach speak nominee, and if the committee didn't deem them worthy of induction for a quarter century, there had to be compelling reasons. And if they did fall through the proverbial cracks, one seniors slot would be a remedy. SI Writers Lars Anderson: Dale Earnhardt Jr. confident in Joe Horrigan, a VP with the Hall, expressed concern that if a non-player category were created and the the speed, feel of the new car at Daytona candidate failed to receive an 80 percent vote, he or she might have a hard time being considered again. To Daytona Duels qualifiers featured few lead which I say, Oh well. The person would have had at least one chance. If deserving of another, the voters swaps would bring him or her up for consideration again. Don Banks: Eagles far from giving up on Foles; more combine Day 1 Snaps To have coaches, executives and owners competing against players -- at a time when retiring fantasy- football era players is only going to increase the backlog of deserving candidates -- is unfair to everyone SI Photos who hasn't worn shoulder pads or a helmet on an NFL field.

My issues with the selection process don't end there. I'm incredulous that there are no punters and only one kicker in the Hall of Fame; that the last true safety to be inducted was in 1986; that Don Coryell, the forefather of many of today's concepts, is not in the Hall and has only been a finalist once; that Charles Haley, the only player to win five Super Bowls and a two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Year with 100.5 sacks, has been passed over the last eight years; that , one of only seven 2,000 yard QBs Who Started Cheerleader of rushers and a winner of two Super Bowls and a MVP, is not a finalist despite owning three of the Over the Week top 18 rushing performances in playoff history while no other player appears more than once on that list.

Davis surpassed 100 yards rushing in seven playoff games and averaged 142.5 yards in eight career postseason games. Hall of Famer , for example, also has seven career 100-yard playoff games, but he needed 17 games to accomplish it He also averaged just 93.3 yards a game.

The knock on Davis is that a knee injury cut short his career to seven seasons and 78 games. Limited, no doubt. Yet that's 10 more games than , who is in the Hall of Fame. And if you insist on telling me that Mike Shanahan consistently churned out 1,000-yard rushers with the Broncos, please tell me why none of them but Davis reached the 1,800- and 2,000-yard plateaus. It's because Davis is special.

The most perplexing issue among fans entering today's vote is why (pick a name) Brown, Carter or Reed isn't in the Hall. The simple answer: The wide receivers repeatedly have split the vote among themselves, preventing each from garnering enough votes to make the cut to five. Will that change today? I doubt it. But that's getting ahead of myself.

Instead, let's focus on the matter at hand. The Hall wants your thoughts on the selection process. Mine is that the process will never be perfect; however, creating a separate category for non-players would be a step toward making it better.

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M as in Mancy Feb 7, 2013 Thank God the author mentioned a separate hall for non-players. I like lumping players and coaches together, but media people, NFL owners, commissioners? Is this a joke? The game and the men who played is what grew the game-not a bunch of rich businessmen, media/marketing personalities, or

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