2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees: Breaking Down This Year's Class
Brett Favre leads a diverse cast of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees set for enshrinement this weekend.
The eight-person class consists of players from both sides of the trenches as well as a legendary pass-catcher and coach. Yet when it comes to football, the universe revolves around the quarterback.
On Saturday night, the former Green Bay Packers icon will headline a memorable batch of inductees immortalized in Canton. Let's stroll down memory lane to recall some of the top honorees' lasting impact on the game.
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| Tony Dungy | HC | First African-American head coach to win Super Bowl |
| Brett Favre | QB | 3-time MVP; all-time leader in completions, pass attempts |
| Kevin Greene | LB | 5-time Pro Bowler; 160 career sacks |
| Marvin Harrison | WR | 8-time Pro Bowler: 14,580 career receiving yards |
| Orlando Pace | OT | 7-time Pro Bowler; 3 First-Team All-Pro honors |
| Ken Stabler | QB | 1974 MVP; 27,938 career passing yards |
| Dick Stanfel | OG/Coach | 5-time Pro Bowler, 5 First-Team All-Pro honors |
Brett Favre
Name a passing record based on counting numbers rather than rates, and Favre probably owns it. Nobody has completed more passes than the famous gunslinger, nor has anyone else thrown more pass attempts and interceptions.
In terms of efficiency, he doesn't belong in any discussion of the all-time best quarterbacks. Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Tony Romo has Favre beat in completion percentage, touchdown percentage, interception percentage and yards per attempt.
But longevity counts for something, especially when someone compiles 508 career passing touchdowns, three MVP trophies, 11 Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl title in an era less friendly to quarterbacks.
Younger fans will remember Favre as the old man who refused to go away, fending off retirement for stints with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings. But before a rough 2010 persuaded him to finally hang up his cleats, he delivered one of his greatest seasons at 40 years old:
| 16 | 68.4 | 4,202 | 33 | 7 | 7.9 |
In his penultimate year, he delivered greater efficiency than in any of his 17 prior seasons. He set personal bests in completion percentage and yards per attempt with a 1.3 interception percentage two points below his career norm.
He wasn't perfect, but Favre is still a no-doubt Hall of Famer who has deserved entry from the moment he became eligible.
Marvin Harrison
During a decade defined by the diva wide receiver, Marvin Harrison quietly dominated.
Given the benefit of playing 11 of 13 years alongside Peyton Manning—a lock for Canton in five years—the wide receiver finished third in all-time receptions (1,102) and seventh with 14,580 receiving yards. Antonio Brown and Julio Jones came close to taking his single-season mark last year with 136 catches each, but Harrison's 143 in 2002 remains the mark to beat.
From 1999-2006, he topped 1,000 yards and scored at least 10 touchdowns each season while missing only two games. He's well-respected by his peers and most potent adversaries, as noted by Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star:
Colts owner Jim Irsay, who will present Harrison for induction, called the reserved wideout's inner intensity "frightening" to Keefer:
"More than anyone I’ve ever been around. Dangerous. If you get too close to it, you’re going to get burned. You touch that, you’re going to get burned. It was like a walking piece of fire. The fact that he hid it made it that much more intense. I’m just telling you one thing: That guy wanted to win, and he wanted to beat you.
"
He seems like another sure-thing candidate, but Harrison fell short twice before receiving recognition. Then again, Terrell Owens didn't make the cut this year, so clearly deserving wideouts have a longer waiting period for whatever reason.
Orlando Pace
The Greatest Show on Turf's unsung hero will get inducted to Canton before quarterback Kurt Warner. Even without the easily accessible stats to quantify his value, left tackle Orlando Pace overcame any bias against offensive linemen.
He didn't directly swing any fantasy leagues, but anyone who rostered Warner, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt or Isaac Bruce owes Pace gratitude. The dominant force bulldozed his way to seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro awards as the skill players piled up the points.
From 1999 to 2001, the Rams averaged 32.7 points per game and housed each season's MVP winner (Warner in 1999 and 2001, Faulk in 2000). This offensive revolution would not have transpired without Pace shielding Warner's blind slide from harm and paving cavernous running paths for Faulk to dissect.
On the flip side of the equation, perhaps Pace receives more credit because of his teammates' successes. Alan Faneca still awaits clearance to Canton, so not every first-class lineman has broken the barrier to national adoration. Offering protection to a historically great offense is one way to fight a lack of attention paid to the position.
Kevin Greene
As a front-seven defender, the quickest way to claim notoriety is to pulverize quarterbacks. Kevin Greene did this at an elite level, finishing third behind Bruce Smith and Reggie White with 160 career sacks.
Unlike his offensive classmates, the linebacker waited over a decade before hearing his name called. After finishing his rookie campaign without a sack, he needed all 15 years to craft a Hall of Fame portfolio.
Greene garnered 52 sacks over his final four seasons, a window in which he earned two of five Pro Bowl invites. While he made his career on gaudy sack totals, he did more than blitz every play. On a Talk of Fame Network broadcast from January (via Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell) Greene took umbrage at the one-dimensional label:
"I really don’t [know] why I got tagged as being a one-trick pony or one-dimensional dude or soft against the run. That’s the biggest insult for me, really, of this whole thing—and that’s that people think I’m soft against the run, which is unbelievable. I prided myself so much in playing the run the right way and the way that coaches wanted me to play it.
"
Either the Hall of Fame gatekeepers finally agreed, or they ultimately decided 160 sacks is too many to ignore. Or maybe his pro wrestling career provided the extra push necessary for a ticket to Canton.
Note: All statistics obtained from Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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