It’s time. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen should be in Canton. By Nicki Jhabvala Denver Post Feb. 18, 2018

Pat Bowlen was the fastest NFL owner to reach 300 wins, is the only NFL owner to reach four Super Bowls with four different head coaches, owns the remarkable feat of having more Super Bowl appearances (seven) than losing seasons (six), also has 21 winning seasons, 18 playoff berths and a record that puts him in elite company.

But the Broncos’ owner of 34 years has built a legacy that extends far beyond the field.

On Sunday, Bowlen turns 74 and though he hasn’t roamed the hallways of the team’s Dove Valley headquarters and hasn’t stood on the sidelines for practices in nearly four years, that legacy continues to grow.

That legacy continues to be Hall of Fame-worthy.

“It’s in the stats, just look at the numbers,” said former Broncos Terrell Davis. “It’s one of the most successful, winning franchises in the NFL. He doesn’t get the credit, and a lot of it is because he didn’t want the credit.”

They don’t make ’em like Pat Bowlen anymore. They don’t make NFL owners with a devotion to his team, a success rate that is unmatched by most and a complete disinterest in attention.

Some owners may have one. The good ones might have two. But rarely do they possess all three. Bowlen does, and for proof just ask his players, coaches and those worked alongside him over the years.

“I was over there watching practice one day and, I can’t remember who it was, but he came over and said, ‘Hey, man. Pat wants to see you in his office,'” former Broncos receiver Rod Smith recalled. “I had been retired for a couple years at that point, so when I hear Pat wants to see me in his office, I’m like ‘Ah, man, what’d I do?’ I’m scared walking up there, like I’m going to the principal’s office. We sat there for like 45 minutes just talking — about life and kids and the team and how we’re doing as a company overall. It was the coolest 45 minutes. That will always be one of my fondest memory in the NFL, sitting down with the owner of the Broncos, having a family conversation.”

Listen to former Broncos defensive lineman Alfred Williams: “How he wanted to win and how everything was geared to just winning, no matter what it cost to make improvements to the facility, no matter what it cost to retain the best players. There was never a guy unhappy about contract situations when he was here. It was magical. It was great. If were a guy who wanted to know how to be a pro, all you had to do was look at him and look at how he approached his thing.”

Listen to Davis: “When I tore my ACL, Pat called me. And I didn’t expect the owner to call me after I tore my ACL. You expect the trainers, maybe a teammate, maybe a position coach to call you. He was the first one to call. That little gesture that he did, it meant the world to me. I’d run through a brick wall for that man.”

Listen to former receiver Ed McCaffrey, who has recounted time and time again of his early mornings in the Broncos’ training room where Bowlen cycled on a stationary bike next to him as McCaffrey rehabbed a broken leg.

“He really loved football, he loved the Broncos,” McCaffrey said. “And I appreciated that, as an owner, he took the time to hang out with me and train with me during a difficult time in my career.”

And listen to former coach Mike Shanahan, who was both hired and fired by Bowlen, and has told the tales of trips to Hawaii for the team’s staff, paid for by Bowlen.

“He was in the office everyday. There’s a lot of owners who aren’t around very much. Pat was around,” Shanahan said. “Pat would workout in the weight room every day and he would get on his elliptical and get a workout in. He was actually one of the guys.

“You know that’s the reason the organization is where it is, because of him. He gave you every chance to win, and was just a very unselfish guy.”

But Bowlen’s prints were found in nearly every facet of the game. As a member of nine NFL committees during his ownership, Bowlen, helped to broker a record TV contract in the late ‘90s, turned Sunday Night Football into the marquee night for watching football, pushed for international expansion and poured more than $30 million into the Denver community — often anonymously.

“If you looked at everything he’s done for the league and we had not been a winning team, he’d be a Hall of Famer,” said former Broncos vice president of corporate communications, Jim Saccomano. “If you ignore what he did for the league and just looked at being the first owner to have 300 wins and the record on the field and the Super Bowls, he’d still be a Hall of Fame.”

But that last piece, the pinnacle of any football career, has curiously alluded Bowlen.

As each year passes without Bowlen’s name being called, the push to get him to Canton grows stronger. And rightfully so.

The year of 2018 may be fit for Bowlen’s long-awaited induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor, and it could be made even sweeter. Former Champ Bailey will in his first year of eligibility and has the resume to be a first-ballot selection. A Bowlen-Bailey pairing to expand the Broncos’ Hall of Fame contingent to seven would undoubtedly seal the owner’s mark on the league, on the city, on his team.

In 2019, Bowlen’s legacy could grow even more should the Broncos and the city of Denver be appointed hosts of the NFL draft. Denver was named one of five finalists to host in either 2019 or 2020, and the team is confident it will be awarded one.

But Bowlen’s three-plus decades of leading the Broncos, expanding the league and contributing to Denver organizations more than suffice. Pat Bowlen should already be in Canton. Here’s an innovative idea to get Broncos safety Steve Atwater into the Pro Football Hall of Fame By Mark Kiszla Denver Post Feb. 18, 2018

Too many deserving NFL players are not getting in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while voters are busy inducting contributors (Washington Redskins general manager Bobby Beathard, for example). The Hall needs to create a very special “catch-up” year for players only. Maybe once a decade? The induction process is honored more than worthy players left on the outside looking in.

Gary, Broncos fan

Kiz: Like many august American institutions, the Pro Football Hall of Fame takes itself a wee bit too seriously. It’s a party. The more the merrier. So, if once a decade, Hall passes are given to players that have been overlooked, what would the harm be? It might be the only way to get Steve Atwater a much- deserved gold jacket.

I am an honorably discharged military veteran and an American sports fan that cheered for snowboarder Shaun White winning gold in the halfpipe, then watched in horror as this clueless hero dragged the United States flag around like it was some rag. White owes us all an apology. Should the U.S. Olympic Committee include some training on how to handle the flag?

Ric, Centennial

Kiz: White did apologize for letting the flag drag in the snow, when I asked him about it. We want the Olympics to stick to sports, until a U.S. athlete wins gold. Then, the first thing we want to do is wrap the happy medalist in the flag. The ritual has reduced the flag so many hold sacred into a mere prop for a photo opportunity.

Kiz, your columns on EagleVail skier Mikaela Shiffrin have been especially great. You are, without a doubt, the best sports writer ever! Your insights and writing skills are amazing, and you are able to capture our hearts and souls with the finest prose. May you keep writing forever.

Paul, world-traveling scientist

Kiz: Aw, shucks.

Kiz, I’ve read enough of your columns to assimilate the fact that you don’t know much about sports. We the American people deserve better than Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Would you want to comment on that? Maybe you know more about politics than sports.

Steve, Denver

Kiz: I know nothing about anything, as Broncos general manager John Elway be glad to tell you.

Do the Nuggets regret not holding onto Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, after taking him in the first round, then promptly trading him away?

Jon, amateur general manager

Kiz: Denver drafted Mitchell for the singular purpose of working a trade with Utah. So he was never going to wear a Nuggets uniform. With Gary Harris at guard, one could argue Denver didn’t need Mitchell. But here’s my draft philosophy: Take talent every time, and need will take care of itself.

And today’s parting shot advocates on behalf of a new television analyst for skiing at the Olympics.

Kiz, could you find Bode Miller, bind him and toss him in a closet, then take over commentating on the alpine events? Please. Miller is harshing my mellow big time! His every comment is negative. He would probably say Mikaela Shiffrin even vomits incorrectly.

Shantay, Brighton

Broncos , draft prospects fuel fan hysteria By Troy Renck KMGH Feb. 18, 2018

Friday night American skier Lindsey Vonn made a catastrophic mistake in the super-G at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

In the type of misstep that fells her competitors, Vonn went wide wide on a turn near the bottom of the slope, costing her valuable time. Vonn, one of the most decorated skiers in history, finished sixth. She knew. She immediately put her hands over her goggles, shook her head and mouthed the words, "I tried."

Nothing can diminish Vonn's legacy. And redemption remains possible in the downhill.

Watching Vonn's race, however, drove home how pressure and even the slightest gaffe can change fortunes at the top levels of sport. Like the Broncos, whom she is a fan, Vonn takes no consolation in doing well. She chases titles, not compliments for hard work.

The Broncos, like Vonn, understand disappointment. They trafficked in misery last season, losing eight straight games, winning once on the road before finishing an embarrassing 5-11 in coach Vance Joseph's first season.

The pressure to rebound is palpable at Dove Valley. Joseph works now on a one-year contract for all intents and purposes. Poor quarterback play doomed his inaugural year, but saved his job. General manager John Elway believes a fair evaluation of Joseph can only occur with competency at the position.

Can the Broncos land a player in free agency or the draft who can provide an offensive identity, while maintaining confidence in the face of adversity?

The possibilities fuel the passion, optimism and cynicism of fans. The Broncos own the fifth overall pick, creating the possibility of selecting a quarterback.

My Twitter pings when I bring up potential draft avenues. I have been consistent with this premise in recent weeks. I would prefer -- and believe me when I say the team could not care less what I think -- that Broncos sign Cousins and if not, go with a quarterback in the first round.

The case for Cousins remains easy to advance, save for the money against the salary cap (he figures to top Jimmy Garoppolo's five-year, $137.5 million contract). Since 2015, Cousins ranks third in completion percentage (67 percent), fifth in yards per attempt (7.8) and owns 11 game-winning, fourth-quarter drives. He is a top 10 quarterback. He might rank 10th, but he is solid and, at age 29, entering his prime when almost never hit the open market.

Barring a petty game of tag by Washington, Denver will be all in on Cousins. The Broncos' pitch centers on a history of success -- more Super Bowl berths (seven) over the last 34 seasons than losing seasons (six) -- and a template for reshaping a team around a free agent quarterback (See Peyton Manning in 2012).

Yet, no guarantees exist that Cousins picks Denver. He could go with the New York Jets, who have more money to offer and hired Jeremy Bates from the Shanahan coaching tree to run their offense. He could land with the Vikings, who can say with a straight face they are *this close* to reaching the Super Bowl.

To sign Cousins, the Broncos would need him to show flexibility in his salary the first few seasons. Even so, his addition could mean the subtraction of veterans like cornerback Aqib Talib (Bradley Roby appears ready to start) and Derek Wolfe (whose legendary toughness has been undermined by injuries).

If not Cousins, then what? Case Keenum is an option, though a Brock Osweiler contract for one productive season creates pause. Keep your eyes on Buffalo's Tyrod Taylor as a possible placeholder for a young quarterback. Taylor possesses two strengths: he takes care of the ball (he ranked fifth in TD/INT ratio last season) and shows mobility. An offense for him would feature more run-pass options that could help the transition of a drafted quarterback like Baker Mayfield or Paxton Lynch (keeping Lynch as a backup to a veteran is an option).

OK, let's say the Broncos whiff in free agency March 12-14. The draft arrives April 26-28. By any measure, it is the most important of Elway's tenure after the ghost 2017 class.

Mayfield creates the most buzz as the Heisman trophy winner. He brings an edge desperately needed for an offense with all the personality of Khaki Dockers. Mayfield shows accuracy, and in the right RPO system, should translate to the pro game. However, if forced under center, he will likely struggle given his height (6-foot and 3/8) and lack of experience in the system.

Mayfield talked on ESPN on Saturday morning about not worrying about critics, believing his style of play, confidence and "right attitude and mindset" will win out. The draft remains top heavy with QBs. Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Mayfield and Josh Allen are expected to be chosen in the first 13 picks. Rosen is a pure pocket passer, but his durability raises legitimate questions. Darnold and Allen feature blueprint arm and body types, but both struggled with turnovers and accuracy last season.

The Broncos do not shy away from the sobering reality. Without improvement at quarterback -- (it would help if they land left tackle Nate Solder in free agency and draft a starting guard) -- they will remain lost. One wrong turn, as Vonn revealed, can keep the Broncos zooming down the road to nowhere.

Get the right quarterback, and it not only restores hope, but puts the Broncos back in the race for a playoff berth.

Sacco Sez: The NFL Draft and TV By Jim Saccomano DenverBroncos.com Feb. 18, 2018

There can never be too much conversation about the Draft, and it can never start too early.

This year's draft will be held in Dallas, and it will run from April 26-28.

And recently the NFL announced that "Thursday Night Football" will now be a property of FOX, with games produced and televised by that network. Part of the agreement with FOX also gives the network the rights to show the NFL Draft as well.

FOX and the NFL Network will join forces to produce the telecast, and the resulting presentation will be shown on each network.

In addition, of course, ESPN will also televise the draft.

It is the greatest non-game, made-for-TV event in American sports history. Now a three-day affair due to television, the draft is complete with a red carpet, green rooms, innumerable behind-the-scenes shots. As a result, it is watched by many NFL fans.

Last year, more than 9.2 million viewers watched the opening round of the draft. And with today's technology, it is so easy to think that these things were always with us.

But not so fast. As always, there is history behind the present.

There have always been big cities and small ones, and so too was the NFL composed in the early years. And naturally the big cities got the best players, which was not ideal for competitive balance.

So at a league meting in May of 1935 commissioner Bert Bell proposed a draft to guarantee some degree of competitive parity. All teams agreed and the first draft was held in 1936, without much coverage.

When the American Football League came along in 1960, coincidentally the first year of play for this year's draft hosts in Dallas, the scramble for players became greater and even though technology was in its infancy it began to be utilized for scouting purposes.

The drafts from 1936 through the 1950's were largely "scouted" on he basis of hearsay and limited print media.

In fact, the first Denver Broncos' general manager, Dean Griffing, conducted Denver's first draft in 1960 largely on the basis of information from "Street and Smith's College Football" magazine.

George McFadden was public relations director of the San Francisco 49ers for 14 years in the 1960s and 1970s, and he once told me that, "We conducted the draft by telephone, with no media in attendance at all. When the draft was over I typed up a press release with all the names of the players we had taken and sent that out to the papers in hopes that they would a least print a listing of the guys."

I personally remember the first year when any draft reports were on the radio in Denver. It was 1967, the first year of the AFL-NFL common draft, when the Broncos selected Floyd Little. Broncos play-by-play man Bob Martin was at the Broncos headquarters and the radio station broke into their programming when the Broncos selected, so even that coverage was limited to a few minutes at a time and only when the Broncos chose a player.

When Bert Bell died and Pete Rozelle became commissioner — in my opinion, still the greatest commissioner in American team sports history — one of his first orders of business was to move the NFL headquarters from Philadelphia to New York City, the center of the advertising and television universe.

Starting in 1965, the draft was done out of New York.

Broadcasting pioneer Chet Simmons, was the man in charge of ESPN, which had not yet completed its first year on the air in 1980 when he approached Rozelle with the suggestion that his network televise the draft.

Rozelle was not convinced that people would watch in the millions, but he immediately gave the go- ahead to Simmons to put it on TV and find out.

Thus, from 1980 to the present, the NFL draft has been a television fixture and the single most watched non-game in American sports and television history.

Not only did TV bring the draft to the public, but the volume of reports on players aided teams in gathering information on prospects. There was no longer much speculation on how tall or fast someone rally was, as it is harder to hide the truth from the eyes of dozens of reporters watching every game.

But before the new deal with FOX, before it was on the NFL Network, ESPN and FOX, and before DenverBroncos.com covered it extensively, it once was almost completely ignored by the media.

In 2018 those days are long behind us, but they remain part of the foundation of how we watch the draft today.

2018 NFL franchise-tag primer: Eight most likely candidates By Gregg Rosenthal NFL.com Feb. 18, 2018

There is a surplus of NFL salary-cap space and a dearth of quality free agents for teams to spend their money on this offseason. Could that impact how teams use the franchise tag in the next few weeks?

While players like Panthers guard Andrew Norwell and Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller don't immediately leap off the page as "franchise" talents, a compelling case can be made to keep them around on ultra- expensive one-year contracts. With no long-term risk and enough cap space to handle big dollars, allowing any above-average starter to hit free agency feels foolish.

Teams can begin to use the franchise or transition tags on February 20, and must make their designations by March 6. I see eight players receiving the franchise tag this year, with a few wild cards in the mix.

(Before we get rolling: The franchise tag is a one-year, guaranteed contract offer that prevents a player from hitting unrestricted free agency. The salary is based on the five-year average cap percentage for the tag at each position. All cap figures and projected tag salaries come from Overthecap.com, unless otherwise noted. Giddy up.)

No-brainers 1) Le'Veon Bell, RB, : General manager Kevin Colbert's comments to NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala made the team's intentions clear: The Steelers expect to reach a long-term deal with Bell, although the most likely route to that goal would be to use the franchise tag in the meantime.

2) Demarcus Lawrence, DE, Dallas Cowboys: Lawrence had one of the most complete and surprising breakouts in a contract year in many moons. Considering Lawrence's rocky first three seasons, full of injuries and a suspension, the Cowboys might prefer a one-year deal for their former second-rounder. (Even if it costs a projected $17.5 million, according to OvertheCap.com.)

Say Yes These players are by no means guaranteed to get tagged, but I'm leaning yes that they will.

3) Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars: The torn ACL that Robinson suffered in Week 1 complicates any attempt at a long-term deal. His down year in 2016 doesn't help, either. Still, it would be strange for the free-spending Jaguars to allow one of their best offensive draft picks of the decade to leave with nothing coming back in return. It will be difficult to keep both Robinson and fellow free-agent receiver Marqise Lee, so look for the Jaguars to make Robinson the priority.

4) Sammy Watkins, WR, Los Angeles Rams: The Rams are one of the few teams with more than one quality franchise-tag candidate. I personally would prioritize keeping versatile safety Lamarcus Joyner over Watkins, but ESPN Rams reporter Alden Gonzalez expects the Rams to tag Watkins. The Rams invested a lot in their trade for the former first-round wideout, giving up a second-round pick and veteran cornerback E.J. Gaines. They want more in return than the 593 yards Watkins produced last season. One team source told me earlier this season that he expects quarterback Jared Goff to do a better job getting to Watkins in his progression as the quarterback continues to develop. The receiver tag is projected at $16.2 million, a hefty number for the team's fourth-leading receiver last season.

5) Kyle Fuller, CB, Chicago Bears: Fuller is the Doug Martin of , mixing in an eye-opening season every three years. Luckily for Fuller, his great years came as a rookie and in a contract season. A long-term deal here would be preferable, but it makes no sense for GM Ryan Pace to allow a young starter coming off an excellent campaign to leave, further weakening a position of need. Pace's decision not to use the fifth-year option in Fuller's rookie contract last May has come back to haunt the franchise, like a lot of Pace's decisions.

6) Andrew Norwell, OG, Carolina Panthers: The Panthers paid tackle Matt Kalil $25 million guaranteed last season. His older brother, Ryan, who will be 33 when the 2018 campaign kicks off, has a $9.5 million cap figure, is coming off an injury-plagued year and plans to retire after the upcoming season. It would be incongruous to pay all that money and then allow a 26-year-old second-team All-Pro to leave for nothing. The tag number is steep here, but the Panthers could use the tag as a bridge to a long-term contract with the former undrafted free-agent signee.

7) Ezekiel Ansah, DE, Detroit Lions: After two injury-plagued seasons with sporadic bouts of brilliant play, Ansah isn't quite the free-agent jewel he was expected to be. He might not make it to free agency anyhow. The Lions have more than $40 million in cap space, with room to clear the decks for more. Ansah, who turns 29 in May, closed out the 2017 season strong and provides a physical presence with a high ceiling. Keeping the former first-rounder would come at a monster price (roughly $17.5 million), but it's not like the Lions can easily find a better option.

8) Sheldon Richardson, DT, : Like the Rams with Sammy Watkins, the Seahawks could use the franchise tag to help justify a previous trade. Seattle gave up a second-round pick and receiver Jermaine Kearse to get 654 solid -- if unspectacular -- snaps out of Richardson. It's been three full seasons since Richardson has played his best, but coach Pete Carroll is already on the record about trying to keep him. The tag is the easiest way to accomplish that.

Big names, no projected tag 1) Jarvis Landry, WR, Miami Dolphins: Landry is the toughest player to predict on this list. His production and talent are worthy of beaucoup bucks, but the Dolphins' repeated public ambivalence about their slot receiver looms larger. Landry was reportedly dangled in a potential trade by Miami last offseason, a move that the Dolphins may now wish they had made.

2) Case Keenum, QB, : Coach Mike Zimmer has never expressed public belief that Keenum could be the team's long-term answer at quarterback. A deal between the two sides is still possible, but it doesn't make sense to tag Keenum before potentially going after free agent Kirk Cousins. Re-signing Teddy Bridgewater (who may not actually hit free agency if his contract is tolled for 2018) is a more likely scenario than reaching a new deal with Keenum.

3) Jimmy Graham, TE, Seattle Seahawks: He was great for fantasy leaguers, but there's virtually no chance the Seahawks will consider paying Graham more than $10 million again. Once the best at his position in football, Graham is more of a role player at this stage of his career.

No tag allowed Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints and Nate Solder, OT, New England Patriots: Both players would be prime candidates for the franchise tag, but clauses in their respective contracts prevent it from happening. Brees has said all the right things publicly, but he holds a lot of leverage with the Saints in a negotiation that could get thornier than most expect.

Solder has a chance to strike it rich. Even after two up-and-down seasons, he's the best tackle available in a thin market. The 29-year-old, who has said he wants to keep playing, already took one below- market deal to stay in New England.

CBA gives Kirk Cousins an immediate path to checkmate, if Washington tags him again By Mike Florio Pro Football Talk Feb. 18, 2018

A.J. McCarron may not be the only quarterback who secures his freedom via the NFL’s grievance process.

Albert Breer of SI.com reports that, if Washington applies the franchise tag to Kirk Cousins for a third straight year, “his camp will quickly file a grievance to block the tag, based on Washington violating the spirit of the rules, which dictate that players are tagged as a mechanism for teams to buy time in getting a long-term deal done.”

Actually, Cousins’ case would be far stronger than that, with the muscle coming not from the inherently ambiguous “spirit of the rules” but on the plain language of them. Article 4, Section 8, subsection (b) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement says this: “A Club extending a Required Tender must, for so long as that Tender is extended, have a good faith intention to employ the player receiving the Tender at the Tender compensation level during the upcoming season.”

In English, when a team applies the franchise tender, the team must intend to employ the player at the amount of the franchise tender for the upcoming season. With Washington already planning to trade for, and to extend the contract of, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, there’s no way that Washington intends to employ Cousins at $34.47 million for 2018.

This portion of the labor deal provides Cousins with a silver bullet to block either the franchise tag or the transition tag, which would require Washington to have a good-faith intent to employ Cousins at $28.7 million. The fact that the window for tagging players closes a week before the start of free agency means that Cousins will have seven days to secure a ruling before the market opens. Given the widespread reports of Washington’s plans to acquire and extend Alex Smith, it shouldn’t take seven minutes for an arbitrator to issue a ruling.

There’s also an argument to be made that Cousins shouldn’t wait for Washington to put him in check before declaring checkmate. Given the Super Sunday Splash Report! from ESPN that Washington is considering tagging Cousins so that it can trade him (a plan that on its face violates Article 4, Section 8, subsection (b)), Cousins could file his grievance now, forcing Washington to put its cards on the table well before March 7.

Hall of Fame voter criticizes other voters, exposing flaws in the process By Michael David Smith Pro Football Talk Feb. 18, 2018

The Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee meets every year on the day before the Super Bowl to select that year’s class. Fifteen modern-day players are chosen as finalists, and a maximum of five can be selected. At least 10 will be voted down.

This year, one of the 10 who was voted down was Edgerrin James. One of the members of the selection committee has a problem with that, and he published a column that reveals more about the problems with the selection committee than about James’s merits as a Hall of Famer.

The voter in question is Clark Judge, and he writes that James was left out because voters “ignored” James’ accomplishments. Judge uses the word “ignored” nine times in his argument against his fellow voters. He thinks he recognizes James’ greatness and too many of his fellow voters are ignorant of that greatness.

But Judge provides no evidence that any voter “ignored” James’ accomplishments at all. It’s entirely possible that most or even all of the Hall of Fame voters actually consider James a great player who’s worthy of Hall of Fame enshrinement. It’s just that they consider other candidates even more worthy.

And that’s one of the fundamental flaws with the way the Pro Football Hall of Fame selects its annual classes: It doesn’t matter if, in a given year, there are half a dozen or a dozen or two dozen worthy candidates. A maximum of five of those 15 modern-day finalists are getting in. If Judge is sure that James should have been one of those five this year, he also needs to name one of the five who got in this year who should have been left out in favor of James. Judge curiously fails to do that. Maybe he doesn’t want to anger fans of Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens or Brian Dawkins, but until he’s willing to name one of those five he’d leave out in favor of James, his insistence that James should have been voted in rings hollow.

Based on things Judge has said and written in the past, it’s likely that Judge would have chosen James over Owens. Judge has criticized Owens and defended the Hall of Fame selection committee when Owens was previously voted down. That’s fine. Judge is entitled to the opinion that James should be a Hall of Famer and Owens should not. But he should present that opinion in an intellectually honest fashion: It’s not that the voters “ignored” James’ accomplishments, it’s that voters thought other players were more accomplished. Judge was free to make his case for James at the selection committee meeting, other voters were free to make their case for Owens, and ultimately voters thought Owens was more worthy.

At least, that’s probably how it went down in the selection committee meeting. We don’t know for sure, because the bigger flaw in the process is its lack of transparency. The first rule of the Hall of Fame selection committee is, Don’t talk about what’s said in the committee room. Voters are sworn to secrecy about who said what. If you break that code of silence, you’re out of the club.

But why should that be the case? Journalists demand transparency of everyone else, so why, when journalists deliberate to make a decision, do they insist that their deliberations be shrouded in secrecy?

Because of that lack of transparency, we have no idea what the arguments were that led to James being excluded. It’s entirely possible that someone on the selection committee made a persuasive case against James, and other voters agreed with that case. Or it’s possible that everyone in the selection committee agreed that James is deserving, but when it came time to narrow down the list of 15 finalists, they decided that other candidates were more deserving.

For voters to insist on secrecy about their discussions, only to have individual voters then criticize other voters, only serves to undermine public trust in the Hall of Fame.