LogFAQs > #966582655

Because I'm the only one capable of understanding the context of these players careers, I acknowledge that for some it can be difficult to judge these players as a result. As always, here is my public ballot to possibly be a reference tool for whatever the participants ultimately decide.

Manson - No

Manson's impact in the first two seasons of his time with the Pioneers cannot be understated as he transformed the offense into a complete unit with his dual-threat nature en route to their only trips to the Super Bowl, including a win in S14. Outside of that, which did include him being an MVP finalist in S13, you have a pretty mixed bag. He's done well at being efficient and finding the end zone, but he had a weird tenure with the Raiders with a bunch of time-sharing with Romance Taylor to where he had two 1000 yard seasons in six years there, and one was 1015 yards. He spent two seasons in Washington, and one was where he played in a career low four games due to injury. In four seasons with the Pioneers, he had two fantastic seasons, an embarassing S15 where he started all 16 games and failed to eclipse 1000 yards, and a decent swan song with an 1185 yard season, albeit on his second-worst YPC in his career (4.0). His weird career trajectory and untimely injuries caused him to finally record 10k career rushing yards in his final season. This isn't like a Courtney Lewis situation where Lewis was handed a starting job late in his career and became one of the finest HBs when given the opportunity. Manson's effectiveness and production was just all over the place. While I'm thankful for what he did when I was in charge of the Pioneers, I think I would want to see more consistency or at least more standout seasons to vote yes for a player at a position that is bound to have Hall of Fame candidates maybe every season.

Jackson - Yes

His first four seasons in the league as a Titan were that of a promising dual-threat HB with the usual efficiency issues and modest TD totals. His final two seasons there were marred by injury, so Stan shipped him out to his division rival the Jaguars where he backed up and filled in for an injured Adrian Peterson in his most efficient and highest-scoring season yet. He then signed with the Raiders where he blossomed into one of the league's best runners and was a MVP-finalist multiple times there. He finished in the Top 5 all-time B8NFLL rushing list and had 94 total TDs. He's a definite Hall of Famer to me.

Hillis - No

Look, I was trying to decide some people to add toward the end, and I decided that since we will likely never have another FB candidate (multiple blocking ones I believe are, but I don't have the statistics to be able to convince others), I might as well add him in for positional variety/scarcity. Brian Leonard was the only offensive FB I found worthy of being a hall of famer, so Hillis is a no from me.

Jarrett - No

If there's a player to look to indicate how difficult it is for WRs to really set themselves apart from the pack, Jarrett might be the guy. Nobody outside of me would probably guess he would be in the Top 10 among active players in receptions and receiving yards, and it's possible I might have not considered it given I am aware of his injury history and that the Jets never had a passing offense among the league's most prolific. Still, even as a Day 1 starter, the fact he got to over 9000 yards despite more than two seasons worth of games due to injuries is an accomplishment of its own.

Guthrie - Yes

After a rookie season with 48 rec and 412 yards, Guthrie never dipped below either figure in the rest of his career, finishing with one of the best totals in both categories for a player at his position. He could remain high on the receiving yards by a TE leaderboard for the rest of B8NFLL now that I look at the career stats some more. He was also for a stretch the clear best receiving TE in the game, having won TE of the Year three years straight.

Olivea - Yes

The easiest yes from this group. Olivea's career block total could wind up still being the highest when this project is all said and done. While his 10.8 blocks per sack allowed in his career isn't among the upper echelon, it is still an excellent mark to sustain over 16 seasons while also misleading. He spent the final five seasons at G thanks to fellow OTs Matt Kalil and Andre Smith. There, Olivea put up 294 blocks vs 39 sacks, or 7.5 blocks per sack allowed, which is an elite figure for an interior OL. So he's actually been an elite OL at tackle and guard, and his OT block:sack ratio is 12.6, also an elite mark. The 10 Pro Bowls and his profound impact on the Broncos further solidify his no-brainer candidacy.

Jones - Yes

Nobody else is going to say yes, and I fully understand that. Why would I expect anyone to with no formal recognition and stats that don't really jump out? Well let me tell you why I am saying yes. He may officially be an OT, but he's been the Titans RG for the past six seasons. He began his career with the Giants as a 4th round pick and played sparingly as a backup OT. He looked promising, and the AI Orcas, then Lightning or maybe still Saints, plucked him during RFA. He had a good start with 124 blocks against 12 sacks but was riddled with injuries and poor play his final two seasons with 49 blocks against 12 sacks. All as an OT still. He then landed with the Titans and just beasted his final seven seasons. He had 60 blocks against 4 sacks in his lone season as the RT there, but after being displaced to RG because of signing Phil Trautwein, he put up 313 blocks against 32 sacks. I would have to assume that ratio is tops among all starting guards during that span. He had 50-70 blocks in five of those six seasons, so I have no doubt in my mind that he would have been named to the Pro Bowl 4-5 times had he officially been a G.

White - No

Ah shit, I forgot about White. I don't feel likedelving too much into his career, so I'm just going to say that he was underrated, as his career ratios suggest, but I never would consider him to be a hall of famer.

Pino - No
Merz - No

I'm tickled that Pino and Merz had long, successful careers in B8NFLL. I got this game around release in 2005, and sometime later I ended up buying on Ebay a memory card for the Xbox that came pre-loaded with four draft classes from NCAA Football 06 with players already renamed, some that were amusingly misspelled or shortened like D'Brick Ferguson. I have three franchises from that time where I took control of two teams (Ravens/Vikings and Seahawks/Bengals were two), but my main franchise was Dolphins/Jaguars. I, of course, had more of an attachment fro the former, and thus I paid closer attention to the AFC East. In that first draft in the second season, the Jets drafted both Pino and Merz for their team, and I sort of had a soft spot for them as they were stalwarts for the Jets for all seven seasons that I completed (I haven't touched them or the others since I began B8NFLL in 2013).

Anyway, Pino's Pro Bowl totals do raise some eyebrows, but ultimately he and Merz' career ratios aren't quite up to my standards for a Hall of Fame interior OL.