The 2018 Hall of Fame class was announced last night: Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Brian Urlacher, Terrell Owens, and Brian Dawkins were the five modern-era selections. They were joined by Jerry Kramer and Robert Brazile from the senior’s committee and Bobby Beathard as the Contributor selection.
Lewis was an obvious pick as it gets. Here’s what I wrote yesterday:
You won’t be on an island if you suggest that Lewis is the best inside linebacker in NFL history. Lewis scores well in pretty much every metric possible. When it comes to Approximate Value, what Ray Lewis did was unbelievable. He made 13 Pro Bowls, which is also absurd. The Ravens went on a magical run to win the Super Bowl in his final year, and at the time he retired, he was arguably the best player to retire after winning the Super Bowl.
Moss is just the sixth WR to make the Hall of Fame on his first ballot. He had a whopping 56 games where he picked up 100 yards and a touchdown, which is a pretty good way to identify the best wide receivers since 1950. This stat also makes Owens (43 games) look like a pretty clear choice, too.
Urlacher is another strong choice. He was the AP DPOY in 2005, the best defensive player in the NFC in 2006, and the AP runner-up (and selection of others) as the DPOY in 2001. There are 15 linebackers in the Hall of Fame who have 50+ points of AV and were a four-time first-team AP All-Pro; Urlacher is one of those, but he’s barely on the Bears Mount Rushmore of linebackers.
Dawkins is another great choice, and he made it to Canton just in the nick of time. In the last 20 years, Dawkins is one of the top 10 defensive backs of the last 20 years, but Ed Reed and Champ Bailey are both newly eligible next year, and Troy Polamalu is up in two years. Getting Dawkins in now makes sense, as he checks all the boxes: longevity (193 starts), sustained success (9 Pro Bowls), and elite talent (4 first-team AP All-Pros, and a fifth from the Sporting News in 2009).
Kramer has been an overdue selection for a long time. But from a trivia perspective, here are the noteworthy bits: he gives the 1961 Packers a remarkable 12 Hall of Famers, including 11 starters (36-year-old safety Emlen Tunnell being the sole exception). Kramer is also the final member of the NFL’s 50th anniversary team to make it to Canton. Brazile played on some mediocre (or worse) defenses, but was well-regarded as one of the top defenders of his generation and the first great 3-4 linebacker.
In addition to the Hall of Fame announcement, we had the AP awards announcements last night.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Alvin Kamara received 28 votes, edging out Kareem Hunt (21). Deshaun Watson also received one vote.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Marshon Lattimore easily won, with 45 of 50 votes. Bills CB Tre’Davious White (4) and 49ers LB Reuben Foster (1) received the other votes.
Lattimore and Kamara became just the second pair of teammates to win the AP Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards.
Walter Payton Man of the Year: J.J. Watt took home the award, of course, after helping raise 37 million dollars for Hurricane Harvey relief.
Comeback Player of Year: Keenan Allen received 28 votes to win the award, with Case Keenum (8) and Rob Gronkowski (5) understandably receiving some votes. Dallas LB Jaylon Smith and Steelers DE Cameron Heyward each received two votes, and then things get weird: Todd Gurley, Marshawn Lynch (?), Ben Watson, Kyle Fuller (??), and Manti Te’o (???) each received one vote, too.
Assistant Coach of the Year: Pat Shurmur, who will now be the Giants head coach, received 24.5 votes as the Vikings offensive coordinator to win this award. Saints DC Dennis Allen, Patriots DC (and new Lions HC) Matt Patricia, and Rams DC Wade Phillips each received four votes, Jaguars DC Todd Wash had 3.5 votes, Eagles QB coach John DeFilippo and Eagles DC Jim Schwartz each picked up 3 votes, new Arizona head coach and former Panthers DC Steve Wilks got two votes, and Patriots OC (and new Colts HC) Josh McDaniels and Jaguars OC Nathaniel Hackett each received one vote.
This award has been around for four years, and Shurmur joins Todd Bowles (2014 Arizona DC, Jets HC) and Kyle Shanahan (2016 Falcons OC, 49ers HC) as coordinators to win this award and then receive a head coaching job. The lone exception was when Broncos DC Wade Phillips won the award in 2015. Patricia is the only coordinator to receive votes in each of the last two years.
Coach of the Year: Rams rookie head coach Sean McVay took home the award with 35 votes. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer (11) and Jaguars coach Doug Marrone (2) finished in second and third, while the two Super Bowl LII coaches (Bill Belichick and Doug Pederson) each received one vote.
Defensive Player of the Year: Aaron Donald (23 votes) won, with Calais Campbell (17) the runner-up and Chandler Jones (5) taking the bronze. In addition, Cameron Jordan, Harrison Smith, Demarcus Lawrence, Xavier Rhodes, and Bobby Wagner each received one vote.
Offensive Player of the Year: Todd Gurley (37) won the award, beating out Antonio Brown (8), Tom Brady (4), and DeAndre Hopkins (1).
Most Valuable Player: A 40-year-old Tom Brady received 40 votes to win the award, with Gurley (8) and Carson Wentz (2) the two runner-ups.