NFL Hall of Fame 2011: Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders Highlight This Year's Class

One day before the Super Bowl, the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame was announced: Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Shannon Sharpe, Richard Dent, Ed Sabol, Les Richter and Chris Hanburger.

Sanders, one of the greatest cornerbacks in league history highlights the anticipated class. Faulk also highlighted a great career with the St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts, while in some mindsets is one of the more underrated running backs we have seen regarding the impact he made with his team.

Deion was a first ballot Hall of famer, recording 53 interceptions and 22 touchdowns in his 14-year career.

Marshall not only won a Super Bowl with the Rams but also finished 10th all time in rushing yards with 12,279 and had 136 touchdowns.

Despite the iconic football stars that did make the hall, the nation is in shock over three players that did not make the hall.

Receiver Cris Carter, running back Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis highlight this year's Hall of Fame snubs.

Carter was known for his success with the Vikings, who had a great offensive unit in the late 90s.

For his career Carter has 1,101 receptions, 13,899 yards and 130 touchdowns. Many were surprised when Carter did not make the hall last year, but we assumed 2011 would be a lock for the current ESPN analyst.

The biggest surprise along with Carter seems to be Curtis Martin. Martin's bulk of his career came with the New York Jets, bringing excitement to the Empire State for plenty of years.

Martin is fourth all time with 14,101 rushing yards and 102 touchdowns. The issue regarding Martin could be the lack of a Super Bowl title, which Jerome Bettis does have.

Bettis will always be known for his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, as he led the rushing attack of the Steel Curtain for most of his career.

He finished with 13,662 yards and 94 touchdowns and a Super Bowl ring to his credit.

Despite plenty of men who deserved to make the hall, these three men are left hoping for the chance of joining next year.

The football world is buzzing over the news; even players such as Larry Fitzgerald have made their opinion known on Twitter.

With the Super Bowl looming, the Hall of Fame announcement brings more buzz into arguably the most popular sporting event in America.

I am a NFL Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. Follow me on twitter: twitter.com/MattMiselis