Last year, I unveiled the GridFe Hall of Fame, a group effort of football diehards dissatisfied with (and unencumbered by the logistical limitations of) the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ^[1]The GrideFe Hall of Fame Committee comprises research guru Topher Doll, standard human Bryan Frye, actual genius Adam Harstad, enigmatic fount of knowledge Raider Joe, potentate of … Continue reading This Hall of Fame has very few rules outside of a minimum five “yea” votes out of a possible six for enshrinement. We have no waiting period for induction. If it’s obvious that Tom Brady belongs, he’s in; if we need to take some time to put Julio Jones‘s stats into perspective, we will. We don’t have contribution silos. I didn’t vote for John Madden solely as a coach but as a coach, influential broadcaster, and video game pioneer.

This year, as before, voting consisted of three rounds. In round one, we each named the players we believed to be slam dunks. If anyone appeared on at least five lists, he was in. In round two, we voted on all players, giving us the opportunity to give further consideration to players we did not name on our own lists. Again, anyone with at least five votes made it through. In the final round, we presented cases for those in whom we strongly believed, and we voted after arguments were given. Anyone with five votes made the cut. When the dust settled, we welcomed eight new defenders to the GridFe Hall of Fame. ^[2]Others receiving votes: Andy Robustelli, John Randle*, Arnie Weinmeister*, Art Donovan, Henry Jordan, Brian Urlacher, Zach Thomas, Mel Renfro*, George Allen

GridFe Hall of Fame Defense

Doug Atkins (1953-1969)
Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns
8 First Team All Pros; 2 Second Team All Pros; 8 Pro Bowls; 2 Title Wins; 2 Title Losses; 2 GridFe Deacon Awards

Standing 6’8″ and weighing as much as 275 pounds, Atkins was an imposing figure who dwarfed 1950s offensive linemen. He possessed the power you’d expect from such a behemoth, often using brute force to dominate the line of scrimmage. One of his signature moves was tossing tackles to the side with an arm swipe reminiscent of a bear batting a salmon out of the air. Legend has it that offensive linemen were afraid to hold him because they didn’t want to incur his subsequent wrath. Unfortunately for offenses, Atkins wasn’t just a big man; he was also a terrific athlete with rare quickness and an impressive vertical leap. ^[3]At his size, he won the Southeastern Conference high jump title as a collegian. He also used his combination of height and jumping skill to be one of the better kick blockers in history. His most famous pass rush move involved him leaping right over offensive linemen who tried to cut block him. His ability to win with power or athleticism proved to be a nightmare for quarterbacks—historian Nick Webster estimates that Atkins could have notched more than 150 sacks in his career.

Lee Roy Selmon (1976-1984)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5 First Team All Pros, 2 Second Team All Pros, 6 Pro Bowls, 1 GridFe Godzilla Award, 1 GridFe Deacon Award

Selmon began his pro career as the first ever pick and lone bright spot for the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He ultimately became the cornerstone of the franchise as the team moved to respectability. Selmon is undoubtedly on Mount Rushmore of 3-4 ends, was arguably a top three player at the position in eight of his nine pro seasons. ^[4]The NFLPA named his the NFC’s best defensive lineman four times. That’s half of his healthy seasons. A size-speed freak with exceptional athletic gifts (and intelligence to match), Selmon could play both the pass and the run with aplomb. ^[5]He was also a superb kick blocker. While many today remember him for his elite run stuffing acumen, Selmon finished his brief career with 79 sacks. That’s an average of nine per year, including a strike-shortened 1982 and a rookie year that saw him miss six games to injury. He did this despite playing in a disadvantageous situation for accruing gaudy sack numbers: for most of his tenure, he was a 3-4 end with two gap responsibility and a generally average linebacking corps behind him. ^[6]This is after a rookie year that saw him play inside often in Tampa’s failed experiment with the 4-3 defense.

Howie Long (1981-1993)
Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
4 First Team All Pros, 2 Second Team All Pros, 8 Pro Bowls, 1 Title Win, 1 GridFe Godzilla Award, 2 GridFe Deacon Awards

Playing most of his prime as a 3-4 defensive end, Long joins Selmon on the position’s mountaintop. Explosive and stout, vicious and intelligent, excellent against the run and the pass, able to win from the inside or the outside, he had no holes in his game. Long didn’t always receive the acclaim of more heralded pass rushing ends, but the comparison isn’t necessarily apt: rather than rushing from the edge, he generally played inside in passing situations, and he never sacrificed his responsibility against the run in order to chase sacks. Despite committing to his run duties, playing inside often, and absorbing consistent double teams, Long was able to accumulate 91.5 sacks. His pass rushing prowess was on full display in 1983, when he notched five sacks in a single game against the mighty Hogs of Washington.

Julius Peppers (2002-2018)
Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers
4 First Team All Pros, 2 Second Team All Pros, 9 Pro Bowls, 1 Title Loss, 1 GridFe Deacon Award

One of the greatest athletes ever to play the position (or any position, for that matter), Peppers immediately made his presence felt on the field. He used his long arms to keep blockers at bay, his power to disengage them with apparent ease, and his speed to chase down backs or passers. Criticized early on for inconsistency, much of that lends itself to the fact that Peppers almost never came off the field, which began to take its toll near the end of each season. Even at his low points, he went from otherworldly to merely good. His pass rushing prowess is well known: he currently ranks fifth all-time in sacks (and is just one away from jumping Kevin Greene) and is one of just three players with a decade’s worth of double digit sacks. ^[7]He has exactly ten. Bruce Smith had thirteen, and Reggie White had twelve in the NFL and at least one in the USFL. In addition to rushing the passer, Peppers was adept against the rush and possessed a sixth sense for making splash plays: he defensed 86 passes, stole eleven interceptions, forced 52 fumbles, recovered 19 fumbles, and scored two touchdowns. Tall and long with excellent leaping ability, he was great kick blocker and probably could have been a star tight end had he chosen that position instead.

Aaron Donald (2014-present)
St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams
5 First Team All Pros, 5 Pro Bowls, 1 Title Loss, 2 GridFe World Awards, 1 GridFe Godzilla Award, 4 GridFe Mean Awards

It may seem too early to name Donald to the GridFe Hall of Fame. He has played five seasons and 78 regular season games in his career. But consider this: as an interior pass rusher, he has averaged twelve sacks per season (including breaking the single season record for defensive tackles), he’s one of eight players to win multiple defensive player of the year honors from the Associated Press, ^[8]Others include Joe Greene (the only other DT), Mike Singletary, Lawrence Taylor (3), Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Ray Lewis, and J.J. Watt (3). They are all inaugural members of the GridFe Hall of Fame., he has earned a Pro Bowl selection and first team all pro nod every season of his brief career, and his 78 games are as many as fourteen players already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ^[9]Joe Guyon (46), Fritz Pollard (49), Jim Thorpe (52), Ernie Nevers (54), Cliff Battles (60), Doak Walker (67), Ace Parker and Gale Sayers (68), Arnie Weinmeister (71), Dick Stanfel (73), Dutch Clark … Continue reading Most legendary defensive tackles take their places in history based on a handful of great years surrounded by some good years. Donald has already produced as many dominant seasons as any non-Rushmore defensive tackle, and his peak play is arguably greater than that of anyone ever to play the position. He doesn’t need to hang around for a few more years to cement his place in the Pantheon of defenders; he’s already there. In addition to challenging Alan Page as the top pass rushing defensive tackle in history, Donald is also among the best run-defending defensive linemen of his era, stuffing runners at or behind the line of scrimmage at an unprecedented rate. Regardless of what he is called to do, he can do it better than nearly anyone. On the short side, but with an incredibly muscular build, Donald can out-leverage any lineman one on one and routinely beats double teams. He possesses the quickness of an edge rusher and has an arsenal of hand moves that consistently frustrates centers and guards. Perhaps his greatest gift is his ability to sense how a play is going to develop and how offensive lines are going to block him, enabling him to act rather than react to opponents.

Willie Lanier (1967-1977)
Kansas City Chiefs
8 First Team All Pros (2 AFL/6 NFL), 8 Pro Bowls (2 AFL/6 NFL), 1 Title Win, 4 GridFe Enforcer Awards (2 AFL/2 NFL)

Known as Contact for his punishing tackling style that jarred ball carriers, Lanier was also a sure tackler whom Dr. Z once referred to as a run stuffer supreme (remember, he played in an era when stuffing runs still mattered). As good as he was against the run, he was arguably even better in coverage. Interceptions are rarely a great stat to point to as proof of such ability, but Lanier’s 27 career picks are a tangible evidence of his work as a cover man. Film shows a player with great quickness and instincts, able to operate well in space and anticipate where the quarterback wanted to throw. Lanier came into the league facing similar racial prejudices that kept African Americans from landing roles as starting quarterbacks. ^[10]It was a widespread belief at the time that white players were the only ones capable of handling the mental burden of playing quarterback, middle linebacker, and center. Even after other positions … Continue reading Fortunately, the AFL realized what he could do on the field and gave him the opportunity to prove traditionalists wrong. He didn’t take long, earning postseason honors his second year as a pro and every year after till he turned 30. ^[11]This isn’t just one of those media creations, where a player is recognized for his uniqueness rather than his greatness; the NFL Players Association named him the AFC’s best linebacker … Continue reading Lanier was a trailblazer whose performance on a championship defense paved the way for future generations of black players to patrol the middle of the defense.

Randy Gradishar (1974-1983)
Denver Broncos
6 First Team All Pros, 2 Second Team All Pros, 7 Pro Bowls, 1 Title Loss, 2 GridFe Enforcer Awards

Readers should not lose sight of the fact that the GridFe Hall of Fame was created because the decisions of the traditional Hall of Fame did not perfectly align with the values of a handful of disgruntled fans. “Enshrine Randy Gradishar” was practically this deliberative body’s mission statement. Gradishar’s traditional supporters point to his tackle stats—he reportedly retired with the career record and averaged a cartoonish 226 tackles per 16 games. Gradishar’s traditional detractors scream that those stats are inflated. ^[12]They certainly are, though probably not as much as the detractors would have you believe. By making Gradishar’s case about tackles, his candidacy has turned into a proxy war for the reliability of Denver’s home-town stat-keepers rather than a referendum on Gradishar himself. Since the only winning move is not to play, we will not discuss his tackle stats any further.

Gradishar was one of the best linebackers in college history. He was drafted by a team with no history of success and played ten years without missing a game. He was universally hailed as the best player on a famous defense littered with stars, and when he retired his nine seasons as a starter included the seven best defenses in Denver history ^[13]And eight of the top ten. as measured by SRS. He made seven pro bowls, was named first-team All Pro by a major publication in six different seasons, and was the 1978 AP Defensive Player of the Year. Famous for his instincts, as sure of a tackler as the league has ever seen, devastating in short yardage, but also among history’s most skilled at dropping back into coverage, Gradishar was an all-around star. He possessed incredible range before incredible range was a flashy thing for a linebacker to possess. ^[14]Joel Buchsbaum of Pro Football Weekly wrote “there are quite a few scouts who will tell you that former Broncos ILB Randy Gradishar was almost as good, even as good, as Jack Lambert.” He didn’t have a reputation for ferocious hits, but when Walter Payton was asked about the hardest hit of his NFL career, he responded with “Randy Gradishar, 1978.”

Von Miller (2011-present)
Denver Broncos
7 First Team All Pros, 7 Pro Bowls, 1 Title Win, 1 GridFe Godzilla Award, 5 GridFe Dobre Shunka Awards

Perhaps it feels premature to place Miller alongside the pass-rushing legends of yore at this juncture. We must confess that there were those among us who initially felt the same about a man who has not yet played a snap of football after his thirtieth birthday. But upon examination Miller’s body of work already holds up against even the all-time greats. He has played ten games or more just seven times but already has as many seasons with double-digit sacks as Lawrence Taylor or Derrick Thomas. ^[15]7 apiece. Among players who were primarily considered linebackers through their career, only former teammate DeMarcus Ware (8) has more. ^[16]Though it should be noted that positional designations for edge rushers are often fluid.

Officially, only Ware and Jared Allen had more career sacks before their thirtieth birthday. ^[17]Lawrence Taylor also passes him by half a sack if we for a minute stop pretending that pass-rushing was invented in 1982. Also, with an unofficial 106 sacks through 1968, Deacon Jones sits atop the … Continue reading Miller has made the pro bowl and been named a 1st-team All Pro by at least one major publication for every healthy year of his career and was named Super Bowl MVP after he (and Ware) dominated the 2015 postseason. ^[18]Just the ninth time a defender has been so honored. Seemingly the most naturally gifted pass-rusher the league has ever seen, many players are known for one or two dominant moves but in Miller’s arsenal are a genuinely unprecedented number of top-level moves, countermoves, and counter-countermoves, supplemented by one of the quickest first steps in league history. While many of his fellow pocket-disruptors treat the running game as someone else’s concern, Miller draws praise for his run support and even for his ability to hold up in coverage on the rare occasions the Broncos have asked him to drop away from the line of scrimmage.

The GridFe Hall of Fame 2019 class features no quarterbacks and is heavy on running backs, tight ends, and linemen. ^[1]The only quarterback who received votes got just two of them. Meanwhile, several linemen just missed the cut. Unlike the defensive hall of fame class, the offense features no active players. In fact, the most recent player last played in 1988. Perhaps that’s indicative of more clearly worthy defensive players in today’s league, or maybe it simply means more voters have taken a wait-and-see approach with regards to positions that have seen significant stat inflation in recent years. ^[2]An alternative theory is that we voted for all the worthy offensive players in the inaugural class. Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten, and Antonio … Continue reading It’s outlandish to believe that with greater talent than ever before, only one hall of fame caliber wide receiver has entered the league in the last twenty years. Is it possible we have exercised too much caution with modern players? I don’t know, but it’s certainly possible. Below are eight inductees for this year’s class. Read and determine for yourself. ^[3]Others receiving votes: Len Dawson, Curtis Martin, Ollie Matson*, Bobby Mitchell*, Elroy Hirsch, Pete Pihos*, Rayfield Wright*, Jim Tyrer*, Gary Zimmerman*, Joe DeLamielleure*

GridFe Hall of Fame Offense

Marion Motley (1946-1955)
Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
5 First Team All Pros (4 AAFC/1 NFL), 1 Pro Bowl, 6 Title Wins, 3 Title Losses, 1 GridFe World Award (AAFC), 1 GridFe Sweetness Award, 1 GridFe Supersonic Award, 7 GridFe Motley Awards (4 AAFC/3 NFL) ^[4]The Pro Bowl didn’t exist when Motley played in the AAFC, but he was worthy of the honor all four years.

On a team steeped in championship glory, full of legends, Motley stood out on film as the best player on any field. He was simply bigger, stronger, and faster than everyone else. A crushing run blocker and a devastating pass protector who Weeb Ewbank once opined “takes the romance out of the blitz,” Motley is the finest blocking back in the long history of professional football. At 6’1″ and over 230 pounds, Motley is rightly remembered as a bruiser. However, sometimes overlooked is his athleticism and ability to break big plays. He held the record for single game rushing average (17.1) for 52 years and still holds the career record (5.7). ^[5]He carried the ball 11 times for 188 yards in a blowout victory over the Steelers in 1950. He lost the record in 2002 when Michael Vick ran 10 times for 173 yards in an electrifying performance … Continue reading He was even better in the postseason, boasting 7.1 yards per carry over nine games. ^[6]In his nine seasons, he carried the ball 908 times. That isn’t the type of workload you’d expect from a player of his caliber, but much of this is because Paul Brown reportedly tried to … Continue reading While Motley didn’t catch many passes (85), he did post an impressive 13 yard average. He spent time at linebacker and played defensive line in goal line situations was said to be a natural talent at both. It’s no wonder Dr. Z (who saw an awful lot of players) called Motley the greatest player he ever saw.

Joe Perry (1948-1963)
San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Colts
1 MVP, 4 First Team All Pros (1 AAFC/3 NFL), 3 Pro Bowls, 1 Title Loss (AAFC), 1 GridFe Sweetness Award, 3 GridFe Supersonic Awards (1 AAFC/2 NFL) ^[7]Like Motley, Perry was worthy of Pro Bowl honors during his time in the AAFC.

The Jet’s numbers don’t stand out from a modern perspective, and he is often unfairly labeled a compiler. To call him a compiler is to admit a lack of understanding of both Perry’s career and the era in which it occurred. He played in a committee era, when workhorse backs weren’t common. Sharing the backfield with legendary runners Hugh McElhenny and John Henry Johnson, Perry stood out as the clear leader of the pack. Blessed with incredible acceleration, Perry was able to go from a standstill to full speed before defenders could adequately react. That burst, combined with his vision and balance, helped him claim three rushing titles and become the first player to post consecutive thousand yard seasons. He broke the career rushing record in 1955 and held onto it until Jim Brown took the crown in 1964. ^[8]He managed to hold onto second place for another thirteen years, indicating he didn’t just presage an era and then fail to live up to its standards.

Tony Dorsett (1977-1988)
Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos
3 First Team All Pros, 2 Second Team All Pros, 4 Pro Bowls, 1 Title Win, 1 Title Loss

Dallas legend Dorsett falls in the “you had to see him play” category. Sure, he retired ranking behind only Walter Payton in career rushing yards. Yes, his eight season topping one thousand yards was also second only to Payton. ^[9]It would likely be nine consecutive seasons if not for the strike resulting in a nine-game campaign in 1982. It also seems, from watching the games, that Coach Landry wanted to keep him fresh by … Continue reading But it’s his literally unbreakable record 99 yard touchdown run that is more indicative of his style. You see, Dorsett had blazing speed and was one of the fastest backs ever to carry the ball. Few have ever turned the corner with such alarming quickness. In space, he didn’t have the tantalizing moves of someone like Barry Sanders, but he used subtle movements to bait defenders before hitting a gear no one else could reach and leaving would-be tacklers in the rear view. The Cowboys traded up to draft Dorsett to help their already strong team get over the hump in the postseason. He did his part, earning a Super Bowl victory as a rookie and posting higher yards and touchdowns per game and yard per carry in the postseason than in the regular season.

Don Maynard (1958-1973)
New York Jets/Titans, New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals
2 First Team All Pros (AFL), 3 Second Team All Pros (AFL), 4 Pro Bowls, 1 Title Win, 1 GridFe Sweetness Award (AFL), 1 GridFe Bambi Award (AFL)

Maynard was the American Football League’s second greatest receiver and the go to downfield weapon for rocket-armed Joe Namath. By the time he retired, he was the career leader in both receptions and receiving yards, and he fell behind only Hutson in touchdown catches. Unlike modern receivers with high reception totals, Maynard was deadly deep threat who averaged 20 yards per catch in four different seasons. His career mark of 18.7 yards per catch rates among the highest in history. Of the receivers with a higher average, only Stanley Morgan (557) and Lance Alworth (542) are within one hundred catches of Maynard’s 633. ^[10]Only Carroll Dale and Wesley Walker (438 apiece), Paul Warfield (427), and Jimmy Orr (400) even have 400 career catches.

John Mackey (1963-1972)
Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers
3 First Team All Pros, 5 Pro Bowls, 1 Title Win, 2 Title Losses, 1 GridFe Gonzo Award

Another player you had to see to truly appreciate, Mackey was a dynamic vertical threat whose brilliance was clear to teammates, opponents, and viewers. In fact, he was named the tight end on the NFL’s 50th anniversary team… while he was still playing! His stats look paltry from modern perspective, but few TEs in history were as dangerous as Mackey – a true deep threat who had the speed to beat defenses over the top and the combination of balance and power to throw defenders to the ground like rag dolls. There has been no better tight end in history when it comes to picking up yards after the catch. In the modern game, it’s common to see a wide receiver serve as a big play threat and a tight end act as a safety blanket for the quarterback. In the Colts offense, Raymond Berry was the possession receiver while Mackey took the top off defenses. If that wasn’t enough, he was also a fierce and eager blocker, often leaving ends in the dirt.

Dave Casper (1974-1984)
Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings
4 First Team All Pros, 5 Pro Bowls, 1 Title Win, 2 GridFe Gonzo Awards

A former All American tackle at Notre Dame, Casper is one of the finest blocking tight ends the game has seen. ^[11]Among great tights ends who can also catch. Ed West and Hoby Brenner may be the best pure blockers at the position, but they didn’t exactly frighten secondaries with their receiving skill. Similar to Jason Witten, he was an average athlete (by NFL standards) ^[12]Not by human standards. These guys are all freaks. who excelled as a receiver by finding holes in zones or getting separation against man defenders. Casper was highly successful playing on the eccentric and star-studded cast in Oakland and was involved in some of the most famous plays in NFL history. For a few years, he found similar individual success for a less talented Oilers squad before finally running out of gas.

Dan Dierdorf (1971-1983)
St. Louis Cardinals
5 First Team All Pros, 1 Second Team All Pro, 6 Pro Bowls, 2 GridFe Guardian Awards

Dierdorf began his career at left tackle before moving to the right side and cementing his legacy as the greatest right tackle in history not named Forrest Gregg. From a modern standpoint, the move from left to right may seem like a demotion. However, in his era, the best tackles tended to play on the right, facing the defense’s best pass rusher. Strong and tough, he bent defenders to his will in the run game and all but eliminated top edge rushers. In fact, he once went over two full seasons without giving up a sack. ^[13]From the middle of 1975 to the beginning of 1978. While today’s pass protectors play a passive role, giving ground grudgingly, Dierdorf took the attack to opponents quite violently. His ability to neutralize the rush gave valuable time to an aging Jim Hart in Don Coryell’s deep passing offense.

Mick Tingelhoff (1962-1978)
Minnesota Vikings
6 First Team All Pros, 6 Pro Bowls, 4 Title Losses, 6 GridFe Iron Awards

Tingelhoff is a case study for the way postseason failure can shape a player’s legacy. One of the greatest undrafted free agents in history, he was the NFL’s best center for half a decade, a key contributor on several successful teams, an iron man who didn’t miss a start in seventeen years (playing in a remarkable 259 consecutive games), and a quick and masterful technician whose use of leverage and hand placement enable him to take on more powerful defensive tackles. It isn’t easy blocking for a scrambling quarterback, but it’s tough to imagine someone doing a better job protecting the unpredictable Tarkenton as well as Tingelhoff did. However, he is often remembered more for what he didn’t do than what he did. In his first Super Bowl, he had the misfortune of lining up against Curley Culp and Buck Buchanan while having responsibility for Willie Lanier. His shot at Super Bowl redemption saw him square up against the stout No-Name Defense of Miami. The third time around, he faced Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes, and Jack Lambert. His last Super Bowl appearance came when he was 36 years old, in the winter of his career, against a talented Raiders defensive front. ^[14]In the regular season, his responsibilities included handling division rivals Joe Schmidt, Ray Nitschke, and Dick Butkus. That he was able to face the latter two twice apiece and still win the … Continue reading Tingelhoff came out on the wrong end of those four Super Bowl appearances, and he and his teammates have seen their legacies unjustly diminished because of this.