2023 Hall of Very Good Finalists

[Reaser]

A question and a few thoughts on some of the guys that didn't make it to the final round...

question: what is the process for nominees to become one of the 20 finalists?

Thoughts:

Terry Metcalf - this guy was really something in his prime. Watch film on him and tell me any other player on this list is better than Metcalf. He had a short 'prime', but I think that is what the HOVG should be about, not just selecting guys like Jeff Van Note who had long careers but were not HOFers.

Unrelated, but he also was my cousin-in-law's (guess that's how you say that?) Head Coach back in high school.

FWIW, he was on my list of 20 for the committee vote.

[JameisBrownston]

Coy Bacon is a long time coming. Herschel surely ought to get in first ballot. Tasker might, given he was a HOF finalist multiple times. Nice to see Tanks eat another W with Christensen.

Didn't Henry Ellard become eligible this year also, or is that next? There's no way no one even nominated him if he was.

Oh, and what do y'all have against guys named Sim(m)s? Phil always gets shafted in these and Billy doesn't get even a mention half the time...

However, I was notably pleased to see some of the recent inductions; I just checked back in, so forgive me for covering by-now-old ground for a moment. Lionel Taylor was long overdue, much like Art Powell, as was Mark Gastineau a favorite endorsement of mine. I swear I thought Clay Matthews Jr. had been inducted long ago. Bert Jones was not my first pick at QB (see above), but someone I'd gladly and confidently vote for.

[Brian wolf]

Like Jim Covert, McMichael will make the HOF before the HOVG.

I think Christensen gets voted in this year ...

[conace21]

I swear I thought Clay Matthews Jr. had been inducted long ago.

Matthews only became eligible for the HOVG in the last year or two.

[JuggernautJ]

Well, since you mentioned it...

Voting is still open for this class of the Hall of Very Good.
Voting closes October 31st.

The 20 finalists for this year are: Houston Antwine, Coy Bacon, Alyn Beals, Les Bingaman, Ray Childress, George Christensen, John David Crow, Earl Faison, Buckets Goldenberg, Leon Gray, Nick Lowery, Peggy Parratt, Michael Dean Perry, Marvin Powell, Buster Ramsey, Buck Shaw, Steve Tasker, Jeff Van Note, Herschel Walker and Russ Washington.

Please vote for exactly 10 of the 20 nominees and send to Andy: andypiascik@yahoo.com

[JameisBrownston]

I want to ask about Alyn Beals. Yes, Alyn is a cool name, but it just seems like there's a big backlog of receivers better than Beals? He benefited greatly from prime Frankie Albert, all he did was catch touchdowns, and like his quarterback, he did not acclimate well to the NFL. Why did he of everyone available get nominated? I mean, Carroll Dale is somehow still out there, you guys.

[Brian wolf]

Voters may be intrigued by overlooked AAFC stars and Beals was one of them along with Chet Mutryn, who played only five seasons, and John Stryzkalski, Beals teammate. *Of course HC Buck Shaw is on the ballot as well and I am hoping he makes it, then the HOF later on ...

Since some of my older player choices dont get much traction for HOVG, I may start nominating Carroll Dale myself, who I feel is HOF worthy, being very underrated, a deep threat and catalyst for the 65-67 Packers teams and clutch in postseason, scoring TDs in four straight postseason games though one of them, in the 1966 SB was called back due to penalty ...

*Edited

[rewing84]

I want to ask about Alyn Beals. Yes, Alyn is a cool name, but it just seems like there's a big backlog of receivers better than Beals? He benefited greatly from prime Frankie Albert, all he did was catch touchdowns, and like his quarterback, he did not acclimate well to the NFL. Why did he of everyone available get nominated? I mean, Carroll Dale is somehow still out there, you guys.

Agreed with you on carroll dale 100%

[JameisBrownston]

Actually, I spent an evening recently doing a deep dive into receiving leaderboards over the years, and I've come to find that WR is by far the most backlogged position group for the HOVG. Dale is one of the most glaring examples, but there is really a pervasive syndrome of underrepresentation particularly of WRs who peaked from the early 60s to the early 80s. Here, in no particular order, is a list of receivers I'd at least consider voting for if they were on a ballot, some of whom I wish I could vote for with 17 different alt accounts:

Carroll Dale
Mark Clayton
Mark Duper
Roy Green
Wes Chandler
Mike Quick
Dave Parks (TE)
Homer Jones
Jimmy Orr
Sonny Randle
John Jefferson
Gene Washington
Roy Jefferson
Hugh Taylor
Gary Garrison
Ken Burrough
Warren Wells
Frank Clarke
Buddy Dial
Johnny Morris

Yeah, that's kind of a lot of dudes. Let's just say Bill Groman has suddenly become the least of my concerns, and some of these guys even compel me to put Billy Sims on the back burner. Almost all of these guys have better career numbers than at least one HOVG contemporary, and some have 3-4 year peaks on par with HOF contemporaries.

My challenge to you all, should you choose to accept it, is to pick one of these guys - just one - and tell me why Alyn Beals got nominated over him. If there is a single player on this list where I can understand why he's ignored, it'd be Warren Wells, but Beals had just as short a career...

[sluggermatt15]

Coy Bacon is a long time coming. Herschel surely ought to get in first ballot. Tasker might, given he was a HOF finalist multiple times. Nice to see Tanks eat another W with Christensen.

Didn't Henry Ellard become eligible this year also, or is that next? There's no way no one even nominated him if he was.

Oh, and what do y'all have against guys named Sim(m)s? Phil always gets shafted in these and Billy doesn't get even a mention half the time...

However, I was notably pleased to see some of the recent inductions; I just checked back in, so forgive me for covering by-now-old ground for a moment. Lionel Taylor was long overdue, much like Art Powell, as was Mark Gastineau a favorite endorsement of mine. I swear I thought Clay Matthews Jr. had been inducted long ago. Bert Jones was not my first pick at QB (see above), but someone I'd gladly and confidently vote for.

Phil Simms and Joe Theismann have been nominated for at least the past few years. They have just not made the cut to the Finalists.