Will Colts Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney make the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

[JAFF]

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...e/69779742007/


Drum roll

Former Colts Dwight Freeney and Reggie Wayne are among the 15 finalists for the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Jared Allen, Willie Anderson, Ronde Barber, Devin Hester, Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, Albert Lewis, Darrelle Revis, Joe Thomas, Zach Thomas, DeMarcus Ware and Darren Woodson are the other finalists. Only five can be elected and they will be announced at 9 p.m. on Feb. 9 during NFL Honots, which airs on NBC, Peacock and NFL Network.

Predicting who will make the Pro Football Hall of Fame in any specific year is an impossible task outside of the obvious first-ballot players because there are more qualified players than openings. But here are the hall of fame cases for the former Colts.

Indianapolis Colts Dwight Freeney,left, and Reggie Wayne,right, walk off the field following their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, September 13, 2009, afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Hall of Fame case for Reggie Wayne

Wayne leads the three receiver candidates in catches (1,070 to Johnson's 1,062 and Holt's 920), receiving yards (14,345 to Johnson's 14,185 to Holt's 13,382) and touchdowns (82 to Johnson's 70 and Holt's 75). The touchdowns are a point in Wayne's favor.

He's 10th all-time in receiving yards and all seven eligible players ahead of him are already in the Hall of Fame. Wayne's also 10th in catches and 28th in touchdowns.


He made six Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team and led the NFL in receiving in 2007 with 1,510 yards.

Of the 24 Hall of Fame-eligible receivers to make at least six Pro Bowls, 20 are in. The ones who haven't made it are Johnson, Holt, Chad Johnson and Billy Wilson. Wilson played in the 1950s, making comparisons difficult, and Wayne's career numbers far surpass Chad Johnson's.


His Pro-Football-Reference.com Hall of Fame monitor score — it compares players to others at a position based on various statistics — is 107.64, 11th among wide receivers with the average of the Hall of Fame receivers 104.62.

Johnson and Holt each made 7 Pro Bowls — every eligible receiver with 7 Pro Bowls is in the Hall of Fame — with Johnson making first team All-Pro twice. That's a thin margin to exclude Wayne but it's really difficult to make a choice among these


Holt led the NFL in receiving yards twice (2000 and 2003) and catches in 2003; Johnson led the NFL in receiving yards twice (2008 and 2009) and catches twice (2006 and 2008). An edge over Wayne for both players, albeit a small one.

Holt gets a point for averaging 14.5 yards per catch, better than Wayne and Johnson, who each averaged 13.4.


Johnson — who spent one disappointing season with the Colts — gets a few bonus points for having Matt Schaub as his quarterback most of his career. Schaub was a solid NFL quarterback but Wayne played with Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck; Holt with Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. Johnson, however, didn't have to share the ball with another Hall of Famer; Wayne (Marvin Harrison) and Holt (Isaac Bruce) did.

Wayne is a hall of Famer but the question is when. Would it be a miscarriage of Hall of Fame justice if Holt and/or Johnson were elected before Wayne? No. Both are also Hall of Fame-caliber receivers.

In order to pick Johnson or Holt ahead of Wayne requires nitpicking Wayne's career. But, picking Wayne over Johnson or Holt requires nitpicking their careers. The bottom line: The Pro Football Hall of Fame needs to consider altering its minimum on candidates.

Working in the favor of Wayne, Johnson and Holt is there isn't a lot of competition at the position. Steve Smith Sr. is the only other player who is or will soon be eligible; all three should get in.


Hall of Fame case for Dwight Freeney

Hall of Fame credentials pretty much come down to one stat for pass rushers: sacks.

Freeney is precariously balanced on edge.

His 125.5 sacks are 18th all time and there is only four eligible players – Allen, Ware, Leslie O'Neal and John Abraham -- ahead of him on the list who are not in the Hall of Fame. (Julius Peppers and Terrell Suggs aren’t eligible yet.)

But ... almost everyone behind him is not in the Hall of Fame.

Also, Freeney was never the pre-eminent pass-rusher of his era. Only once during his career did he lead the league in sacks, and he finished in the top five only three times. He regularly was overshadowed by Ware, Jason Taylor and Allen. With Ware and Allen also among the finalists, don’t expect Freeney to make it this year.


Freeney has to overcome another gap is his resume, though a small one. His 333 career tackles are 238 fewer than Warren Sapp, the man with lowest tackle total in Canton. That said, tackles didn't become an official stat until 1994 and tackling non-quarterbacks wasn't exactly Freeney's job.

Freeney, however, does have a few factors working in his favor. His seven Pro Bowl appearances put him ahead of 23 Hall of Fame defensive ends and outside linebackers with only two eligible non-Hall of Famers ahead of him.

His 46 forced fumbles are No. 4 all-time and he has that spin move. If you don't think boasting a signature pass rushing technique boosts his hall of fame appeal, you're crazy.


Voters will be able to associate Freeney's run of excellence with a familiar maneuver. You think Freeney, you think spin move. And when you're as close to the Hall of candidacy as Freeney, every little bit helps.

[ChaosTheory]

Freeney will get knocked due to his overall sack numbers on paper. It's a shame, because anybody that I've ever heard give him a real eyeball-evaluation always notices how impactful he was. He was 1st Team All-Decade for the 2000's over some of theses guys that have better numbers.

Reggie is another guy that gets overshadowed (mainly by his own teammate). He wasn't quite as good as Marvin, but his career yards and catches are neck-and-neck with him which was always satisfying to me. Didn't have the TD's, but that's another stat like sacks that can mislead. He took the reigns as the #1 in '07 and was an All-Pro level player for that 6-year stretch before he got hurt and slowed down.

Worth mentioning that I always loved Torry Holt, too. I always felt he was underrated, too, which is funny because he was 2nd Team All-Decade... must be because he was like our guys as far as not being an over-the-top diva WR. Marvin is famous for his 8-year stretch... Holt actually had a similar 8-year stretch that ran basically alongside Harrison's. Gets overshadowed because Harrison's was better but go look up the numbers. Super impressive.

[Mr. Session]

I feel like Freeney has more argument than Wayne. That’s not a knock on Wayne.

I just feel like Freeney is one of those guys that has his own place in history. The spin move, the strip sack, the forearm sleeves.

Lots of great wide receivers but not many Dwight Freeneys out there. Atlanta might win the super bowl if New England doesn’t turn Bennet into a 3rd tackle the entire second half.

[Colts And Orioles]

o


If Freeney were not seriously injured in the final 2 minutes of the 2009 AFC Championship game against the Jets, the Colts may have won the Super Bowl against the Saints 2 weeks later ...... he had a sack while essentially playing on only one leg as it was, and more pressure on Drew Brees throughout the game from a healthy Freeney may have made the difference.

o

[YDFL Commish]

It's a numbers game Jared Allen, DeMarcus Ware may be considered more deserving. Also how Julius Peppers is not a finalist is unbelievable to me.

With Reggie, it's between him and Tory Holt. That's a tough call.

[JAFF]

Originally Posted by YDFL Commish

It's a numbers game Jared Allen, DeMarcus Ware may be considered more deserving. Also how Julius Peppers is not a finalist is unbelievable to me.

With Reggie, it's between him and Tory Holt. That's a tough call.

He is not eligible. Its in the article.

[Lov2fish]

Whether or not one, or both get in, they both should be. I may be a tad bias however.

[omahacolt]

i think both will get in but it will take some time


like others have said, a lot of freeney's impact isn't measures in stats

[njcoltfan]

Freeney was held every pass play !!

[Dam8610]

The case for Dwight Freeney:

https://www.pro-football-reference.c...O/OgdeJo00.htm

Notice it says "Hall of Fame" at the top. Watch any game he played against Dwight Freeney. Freeney regularly destroyed him.