Former Saints Player Eric Allen named to the 2025 NFL Hall of Fame
Seemed like more of a “Hall of Very Good” guy, but I don’t want to sound like a hater.
Certainly a really good career, but this one surprises me, I must say.
That can be a very murky, difficult line to accurately interpret sometimes when it comes to defining certain potential, possible HOF players eligibility. It might be easier to define with guys like Joe Flacco, or other borderline HOFers like Stephen Gostkowski, but their are players who both won and didn't win Super Bowls that are in this "Hall of Very Good" whose careers had far greater merit, achievement and deserve further acknowledgment. These include Hines Ward, arguably Rodney Harrison, and former Cowboys safety Charlie Waters and even former NFL HC's like Marty Schottenheimer, Dan Reeves and Mike Shanahan. Sure, Reeves lost 4 SB's as a HC with Denver and Atlanta but he was a consummate, successful HC who won with all the teams he was with. He was also a pretty damn good FB and WR as a Cowboy in the 1960's, even winning a Super Bowl as a player/coach on that 1971 Dallas team. He was a top-notch, innovative OC for the Cowboys throughout the 1970's as they made three more SB appearances in the decade after his retirement, winning another one, in Super Bowl XII against Denver, 27-10. Former legendary Vikings HC Bud Grant also lost four SB's from 1969-76 but it didnt stop or prevent his HOF induction in the early 90's. Same applies to Marv Levy and the 1990's Buffalo Bills.
Is Russell Wilson also in this same "Hall of Very Good" category as Flacco or Mark Brunell? Given Wilson's achievements, I don't think its fair or accurate to lump his career in the same sub-group.
FWIW, I think Cam Jordan is maybe one halfway decent season away from warranting major HOF consideration and going from an interesting "borderline candidate" to a serious contender. If he can somehow end his career with amassing 10-11 more sacks, I think he has a decent chance. Then again, Leslie O'Neal had 4 less career sacks than Jared Allen in his career IIRC, and has been largely forgotten by NFL fans and commentators over the past 20+ years since he retired. Same logic applies to Raiders All-Pro DE (and all-time franchise sack leader) Greg Townsend who has 109.5 career sacks while fellow former Raiders D-linemen Howie Long ended his career with nearly twenty less sacks and was inducted into Canton. Townsend had 10 seasons in his career where he had 10x more sacks and he only got voted to two (2) Pro Bowls in that entire time. That's bullshirt, frankly and I felt similarly with towards Jared Allen having to wait an entire decade after retiring just to be formally inducted a few days ago.