The Most Outrageous & Argumentative "Top 10" List of Questionable Players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Oh, you better believe I took out accident insurance and hired a slew of bodyguards before going ahead with this column. In all my years of doing sports-talk, I can't imagine a subject and a "Top 10" list that will engender such occasional frothing at the mouth anger.

So, let's understand where this comes from.

It all started (this time) with Eli Manning not being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first try. In my opinion, that's as it should be. This Manning version is a pale comparison to brother Peyton, and does not belong in Canton. Ever. Not this year, not next year, not when someone 10 years from now decides to take pity on his and those stats became magically elevated despite not having changed a bit. Nope. No way. However, it will happen. Manning will get his gold jacket one day because of pressure from the powerful NY writers on the HOF Committee, and how his shining visage on television commercials and endorsements will force many to give in and grant his access. Therein lies the problem. This is the HALL OF FAME. Fame, as in legendary status. The HOF for individuals is thus based on career stats and accomplishments, and without going into the ragged details, Eli doesn't have the numerical chops here. Sure, he was on 2 Super Bowl winning teams, but he was part of a TEAM. He was lackluster at best in other seasons, and was an interception machine. He deserves to be in the HOF as part of a TEAM effort in those games, and not for his body of work.

Which brings us to the discourse here that will mark me forever as a curmudgeon and one who knows nothing about pro football, despite having covered the game for almost 3 decades.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is supposed to be a shrine to the best of the best—the legends, the game-changers, the men who redefined their positions. But let’s be honest: some guys got in because of politics, media bias, and, well, the irresistible allure of nostalgia. Some of these names make you scratch your head and wonder: Were they actually great, or just really good players who happened to get lucky?

Today, let’s take a sarcastic stroll through 10 of those who absolutely could be considered the most overrated Hall of Famers, guys who were solid but never truly legendary over the careers. These are the players who, in some cases, benefited from weak competition, big-market favoritism, or just happened to be around long enough to pad their stats.

Because let’s face it—the Hall of Fame should be reserved for the exceptional, not the merely good or better than average. In this list, it's all about their careers, not just a few games or highlight reels.

Here, let me buckle up the Kevlar vest and dive in.

10. Bob Griese, QB (Inducted 1990)

Bob Griese is in the Hall of Fame, and yet, in the most famous season of his career—the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season—he was basically a spectator. Griese played in six regular-season games before Earl Morrall took over and guided Miami to most of those 17 straight wins. Sure, he came back for the playoffs, but his job was mostly handing the ball off to Larry Csonka. He threw for more than 3,000 yards exactly zero times in his 14-year career. If Griese played in today's game, he’d be a backup who’s lucky to make a Pro Bowl. He deserves to be in Canton as part of not just the only 17 game Undefeated Season, but from those consecutive seasons where the Dolphins won back-to-back titles. However, his individual stats and accomplishments don't add up. As noted, Larry Csonka and what may have been the most perfect and punishing offensive line in NFL history has much more to do with their success.

9. Lynn Swann, WR (Inducted 2001)

I can already hear the hoots and hollers from Pittsburgh Steelers fans, and yes, I really had to agonize over this one. Swann absolutely had a couple of iconic Super Bowl moments, but let’s not pretend he was some statistical juggernaut. The guy never had a 1,000-yard season. That’s right, never. In today’s pass-happy league, he’d be lucky to crack first two on the WR depth chart. He made the Hall largely because he played for the Steelers in the ‘70s, and the NFL Films highlight reels made him look like Jerry Rice. Swann had a career total of 336 receptions—which is what some modern wideouts achieve in four seasons. That's an average of 3 catches per game in his career. In Super Bowl IX, he had a total of zero receptions. Indeed, he had much better games in the other 3 SB's he was part of winning, but again, this was a finely-tuned football machine and a legendary dynasty. Swann is also a class act who has never brought any ill-repute to himself, the game and the League. He gets extra chops for that, but we have to separate career numbers and consider the overall body of work. He made great individual plays and still made the difficult look easy. Decent broadcaster, as well. He belongs in the Hall as part of that Steelers dynasty, the one that began on a still-disputed lucky break that still was a debateable legal play. Put that in the mix with today's instant replay, and the Oakland Raiders might have been the dynasty.

8. Paul Hornung, RB (Inducted 1986)

A classic case of “played for a historic team, so we have to put him in.” Hornung was a fine player, but his biggest claim to fame is being Vince Lombardi’s favorite. His career rushing total? A pedestrian 3,711 yards—lower than some guys who never even sniffed the Hall. His real contribution was being a decent kicker. So, maybe he should be in the Hall of Pretty Good Kickers instead? He missed Super Bowl I because of injury, and wasn't part of the Packjers team that went to Super Bowl II. Let's also not forget he and Alex Karras were busted for betting on NFL games and suspended indefintely, thought both got second chances they honestly didn't deserve.

7. Joe Namath, QB (Inducted 1985)

Joe Namath is in the Hall of Fame because he won Super Bowl III and only because of that. Dead stop. His career is the stuff lackuster dreams are made of. Look at his lifetime stats: 173 touchdowns, 220 interceptions—that’s a negative TD-to-INT ratio, folks. His career completion percentage? A laughable 50.1%. If any modern QB put up those numbers, they’d be working in real estate before their 30th birthday. Namath talked a big game and wore a fur coat, but his on-field production doesn’t scream “immortal.” The Jets defense, George Sauer Jr. and Matt Snell all had a legendary role in Super Bowl III, while Namath was serviceable at best.

6. Floyd Little, RB (Inducted 2010)

Floyd Little was a good player, but a Hall of Famer? In 117 games, he rushed for a total of 6,323 yards—solid, but hardly legendary. To put that into perspective, Frank Gore tripled that total and isn’t a lock for Canton. Little was a “let’s make up for past mistakes” selection, as the Hall ignored many Broncos for decades and needed to throw Denver a bone.I worked in Denver during the years people were crowing for Floyd, and this was more about sentimentality than actual career numbers. Little was good when the Broncos weren't all the time, and this was a "make good".

5. Charlie Sanders, TE (Inducted 2007)

Sanders was a great tight end for his era, but compared to Hall of Fame TEs like Tony Gonzalez or Shannon Sharpe, his numbers are laughable. 4,817 career receiving yards? That’s a good three-season stretch for Travis Kelce. Sanders was one of those guys the media loved, but let’s be real—was he a Hall of Famer or just a “good player in the wrong era”?

4. John Riggins, RB (Inducted 1992)

Riggins was a folk hero in Washington because of his bruising running style, postseason heroics, and pissing off a lot of people with his general attitude. But let’s not act like he was Jim Brown. His career yards-per-carry? A pedestrian 3.9. His regular-season numbers don’t scream Canton, but the narrative of him being an old-school tough guy pushed him in. This was more about myth-making than statistical dominance.

3. Aeneas Williams, CB (Inducted 2014)

Aeneas Williams was a solid corner, but does anyone outside Arizona remember him? He had some great seasons, but he wasn’t Deion Sanders, Darrell Green, or Rod Woodson. This is another case of “we ignored a guy for years, so let’s make it up to him.” If Williams played in New York or Dallas, he’d be more well-known, but does that make him a Hall of Famer?

2. Derrick Thomas, LB (Inducted 2009)

Yes, Derrick Thomas had some amazing games, like his 7-sack performance in 1990. But he was also a pass-rushing specialist who didn’t do much else. His career total of 126.5 sacks is great, but does it make him an all-time legend? Many Chiefs fans would say yes, but those who watched him closely know he wasn’t a complete linebacker. One-dimensional players shouldn’t be in Canton.

1. Terry Bradshaw, QB (Inducted 1989)

Now, here comes the peals of screams and insults. Yes, Bradshaw won four Super Bowls, but those were truly team efforts. But have you seen his career stats? He completed just 51.9% of his passes and threw more interceptions (210) than most of today’s backups will in their careers. The ‘70s Steelers won because of their defense, their running game, and Bradshaw not screwing up. In those 4 Super Bowl victories, Bradshaw was a 58% passer. The Steelers ground game was so dominant, all he had to do was hand off and watch the outcome. He’s in the Hall because the Steelers were dominant, not because he was. If he played today, he’d be Mitch Trubisky with a better defense.

Conclusion: Time to Raise the Standard

Being a good player, or a pretty good player, should not be enough to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, or any Hall of Fame for that matter. It should be reserved for the best of the best, not guys who had decent careers but benefited from nostalgia, media bias, or weak statistical standards. Every time one of these overrated players gets inducted, it cheapens the honor for the true legends.

Maybe it’s time to take a harder look at who really belongs in Canton—because right now, there are too many guys in gold jackets who should’ve just gotten a nice plaque instead.

Ed Berliner started his broadcast career as art of the broadcast team for the Miami Dolphins, and learned the game from legendary Head Coach Don Shula, who always complimented Ed on being a student of the game. He has covered close to 20 Super Bowls in that career, and hasn't been back for some time because covering the game has become more circus that fun. His last go-round at the big game was covering the New England Patriots dynasty years.