NFL: 5 No-Brainers for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012

Today, seven more men are being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio:

Ed Sabol

DE Richard Dent

LB Chris Hanburger

TE Shannon Sharpe

RB Marshall Faulk

LB Les Richter

CB Deion Sanders

The legendary list now stands at 267 inductees.

Here is a quick list of five players/coaches/executives that should be no-brainers for the Class of 2012 when the Selection Committee meets the day before Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.  

5. Charles Haley: Defensive End/Linebacker

There is a long-term debate about whether or not off-the-field behavior should influence whether a player is selected for the Hall of Fame.

If you think that HOF selection is about what happens between the coin flip and the final horn, then Charles Haley should be in the Class of 2012.

Haley is the only NFL player to have been on five Super Bowl-winning teams: two with the San Francisco 49ers and three with the Dallas Cowboys.

Over 12 seasons, Haley recorded 100.5 sacks, recovered eight fumbles, and intercepted two passes.

Haley was selected to five Pro Bowls.

4. Will Shields: Guard

Will Shields played his entire career (1993-2006) as a Guard with the Kansas City Chiefs.

More than a few people consider him to be one of the most outstanding NFL offensive linemen of all time.

One of the reasons people know the names of great Chiefs RBs like Marcus Allen, Priest Holmes, and Larry Johnson is because of the great work that Shields tirelessly did in the trenches Sunday after Sunday.

In fact, Shields started in 231 straight regular season and playoff games.

Shields was a twelve-time Pro Bowl selection—every year from 1995-2006.

He was also selected to the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team.

Shields did more than get things done on the field. He was named the 2003 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner (honoring a player's volunteer and charity work as well as his excellence on the field) and the 2005 Ed Block Courage Award winner (voted by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage).

3. Tim Brown: Wide Receiver

Any time the topic of best NFL receivers of all time comes up, Tim Brown's name should be mentioned.

Brown spent 16 years with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders (1988-2003) and one season as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer (2004).

He is No. 2 in league history in receiving yards (14,934 yds) and No. 3 in receptions (1,094) and has 100 career TD catches.

Because of his great success as a punt (3,220 yds) and kickoff-return (1,234 yds) man, Brown finished up his career with 19,682 all-purpose yards.

Brown holds multiple NFL Records such as but not limited to:

• Rookie Season All-Purpose Yards: 2,317 yds
• 10 Consecutive Seasons with at Least 75 receptions
• Oldest Player to Score a Special-Teams TD: 35 years, 140 days, an 85-yd punt return
• Most Consecutive Games with more than One Reception: 147
• Most Consecutive Starts by a WR: 176

Brown was named as a Pro Bowl selection nine times and to the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team.   

2. Cris Carter: Wide Receiver

While there have never been two WRs selected in one HOF class, 2012 may be the first time that we see it happen.

As much as Tim Brown should be considered one of the best receivers of all time, Cris Carter could make even a better case.

Though Carter played for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987-89) at the beginning of his career and the Miami Dolphins (2002) at the end of his career, he is most known for what he did for the Minnesota Vikings (1990-2001).

Carter finished his NFL career No. 2 (behind Jerry Rice) in league history in career receptions (1,101) and TDs (130). Since then, Marvin Harrison has moved ahead of him in receptions, and Randy Moss and Terrell Owens have surpassed him in TDs.

Carter is the only player to make 120+ receptions in two separate seasons (1994-95).

He was selected eight consecutive times to the Pro Bowl (1993-2000) and was named on the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team.

Carter also has a long string of awards off the field.

He was named the Bart Starr Man of the Year (1994), "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year (1998), the Walton Payton Man of the Year (1999), and the NFL Alumni Wide Receiver of the Year (2000). 

1. Bill Parcells: Coach/Executive

Bill Parcells won two Super Bowl rings with the Giants, defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI and the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV.

He also led the New England Patriots to Super Bowl XXXI and the New York Jets to the 1998 AFC Championship Game.

He coached the New York Giants (1983-90), New England Patriots (1993-96), and Dallas Cowboys (2003-06).

He was also general manager for the New York Jets (1997-99) and executive vice president of football operations for the Miami Dolphins (2008).

Parcells overall record was 183-138, including an 11-8 record in the playoffs.