LogFAQs > #976901887

Jackson - Yes

It is unfortunate optics that Jackson was taken in the same draft as Massey, ascended to the #1 role sooner than Massey, and generally had a better supporting case than Massey with the likes of QBs Carson Palmer, Kirk Cousins, and Gardner Minshew, as well as HB Lynell Hamilton and a typically better OL and finished with considerably lower stats. They are still extremely impressive stats. Only six WRs have eclipsed 10000 career receiving yards, and the four who retired before are in the Hall (Kelly Campbell, Mark Clayton, Roddy White, and Ted Ginn) Also do note that Jackson played in 12 fewer games and had 29 fewer starts than Massey due to injuries. He, Massey, and Ginn were the premier NFC WRs for many seasons, and it would be fitting for them to all be enshrined.

Blalock - Yes

An OT averaging at least 8 blocks per sack allowed is a great mark. Averaging nearly 10 for the entire career is something else. In fact, Blalock was averaging more than 10 blocks per sack allowed entering his final season before an uncharacteristic 48 block, 10 sack season (having a pair of mid-to-low 70s HBs starting nearly half your games and being the most pass-happy team obviously played a major role) pushed him below that. Before last season though, he was a steady and great OT through all the good and bad years.

He finished with the third most blocks in B8NFLL history and is currently 219 blocks ahead of 2nd place among active and just-retired players. That's just ridiculous. He may not have been on the level of a Daniel Inman or Mark Tauscher, but to contribute as many blocks on a seasonal basis and maintain an elite level of play until your final season certainly sounds like a hall of famer to me.

Thompson - Yes

I have a soft spot for OL who change destinations midway through their career and end them on such an absurd, torrid stretch. I said yes to Mike Jones and Phil Trautwein, and I'm saying yes to Thompson. Thompson was actually a Top 10 pick by the Packers in S5. He became the full-time starter in his second season, but injuries kept getting in the way. After failing to reach half a season's worth of games in each S8-S10, Tangicide had seen enough. The 49ers already had Trent Williams and Mark Tauscher, so I think that Tauscher suffered an injury early in his final season, and Scare scooped up Thompson to start 14 games in his place. Thompson had these lines in his years as a 49er:
41 and 6
53 and 5
75 and 5
77 and 5
84 and 11
67 and 5
70 and 6
71 and 3

He made the Pro Bowl in each of his final six seasons with the 49ers and was named OL of the Year in his final season. I forgot to add this bit to his bullet points, but he ended his career with a 12.1 blocks per sack allowed ratio. Yeah, that's a hall of famer.

Bright - Yes

I'm a huge sucker for two-way DTs, and Bright was a great one. Arguably the best draft pick in Panthers' history, he entered the league as a 25 year old and was healthy and prolific enough to nearly reach 100 sacks. He was a force to be reckoned with, and he is one of the main reasons why the Panthers were finally able to break through and grab a playoff spot as they were a playoff spot in four of his 10 seasons there. The Panthers have 0 playoff berths in the seasons that they didn't emply Bright. Coincidence!? He was also one of the few new pieces that the Bengals brought in on defense over the years, and he helped transform them from a bottom tier unit to an elite one in just two seasons.

Dickson - Yes

I will always have a soft spot for Dickson and Mathias Kiwanuka for being Top 10 draft picks on a defense totally bereft of talent and somehow develop, thrive, and help make that unit into a perennially great one. Seriously, before safety nets were in place, if a user idled during the second portion of the off-season, signing your own UFAs, all of your free agents would just walk. This quickly destroyed the Patriots and why they had a spell as the Birmingham Cougars. Dickson may not have contributed much in the way of FFs or FRs, but he was a tackling machine and a great sacker as well. After being traded to the Falcons, he had 62 tackles and 10 sacks in his first season there, and while the sacks never came back, he had two other seasons with 60+ tackles, including 65 this past season when he had to shoulder the load after D.J. Reader was lost for the season. It's unfortunate that I don't believe he ever won a playoff game, but Dickson was amazing. His 110 sacks I believe put him into a tie for 3rd on the all-time list behind Travis Johnson and the still-active John Mixon. The Pats drafted him and Kiwanuka in consecutive drafts, and they had 219 career sacks. Wow!