Responding in late March to the allegations of performance-enhancing drug use that have dogged him throughout his career, Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz forcefully denied the charges while stating unequivocally "[h]ell yes I deserve to be in the Hall of Fame" in a post entitled "The Dirt" on The Players' Tribune website.

Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at Quarterback Head Coach, Kurt Warner.

Of the three first year eligible players (the others being Junior Seau and Orlando Pace), Kurt Warner is easily the best story.  We all know the story of Warner who went from small Northern Iowa, to bagging groceries to the Arena League to the World League to Super Bowl Champion.  It is an amazing story and the perfect counter to Seau’s suicide, and let’s face it…nobody carries a better Hall of Fame resume than the former Linebacker so you would think they HAVE to put him in.  If Seau is a lock (and he should be) isn’t the story of Warner the one they want front and center?

Does that mean Kurt Warner is a Hall of Fame player? 

I have always thought that though he is a two time MVP, and a one time Super Bowl Champion that he was on the fence for enshrinement.  He had three great seasons with the Rams (1999 – 2001) where he led the NFL in Completion Percentage every season, twice in Touchdowns and twice in QB Rating.  Basically, for a three year stretch he was the top QB, though he had a lot of offensive power surrounding him. 

He would have two very good seasons in Arizona, taking them to a Super Bowl, but this also a man who had years of doing not much of anything, and his induction would be based on three great years, two good ones, and the rest being average to mediocre. 

Accumulatively, and especially with the inflated stats that Quarterbacks are now accumulating, his 32,334 Passing Yards and 208 Touchdowns won’t seem as impressive to future generations, but what he was able to accomplish in Arizona with not nearly the help he had in St. Louis will probably put him in…especially with a story this good.

Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at former Head Coach, Tony Dungy.

Dungy has been a Finalist before for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and as a former Super Bowl winning Coach this shouldn’t be a surprise.  Dungy coached for thirteen years in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts and for eleven of those seasons he took his team to the Playoffs and would win it all in 2006 with the Colts.

Dungy’s overall regular season record of 136 and 69 is one of the best and he has long been highly regarded as one of the best and most popular coaches in recent memory.  He has been revered for his calm teaching style and is one that many other coaches have openly looked to emulate. 

He has also been known for giving back to the NFL after his career as a coach was over, assisting Michael Vick in getting back into the NFL, his philanthropic and community involvement is legendary.  He has parlayed that likability factor into a successful analyst career with NBC.

There are however valid criticisms, and Dungy may not have done himself Hall of Fame favors when he openly decreed that he would not have drafted Michael Sam, citing his sexuality as a distraction.  Also, Dungy did win a Super Bowl in Indianapolis, but it was Jon Gruden who took his previous team to the promised land.  One Super Bowl may not cut it.

Recognizing that, if one of the three coaches (Dungy, Don Coryell and Jimmy Johnson) Dungy is the one who will probably get in…and probably this year, not that I would personally put him in right now, behind the other two. 

Having a lot of fun doing our Baseball debates with two of my bloggers, DDT and the Phillies Archivist, I wanted to repeat the same idea with this year’s Football Finalists, but due to time constraints I will take a deeper look at each candidate myself and offer a few thoughts as to their Hall of Fame candidacy

Next, I take a look at former Safety, John Lynch.

Lynch is a Finalist for the second year in a row, but pure Safeties only number eight in Canton, the last being in 1998 when Paul Krause got in, who is still the all time leader in Interceptions.  Lynch only has 26, significantly lower than Krause (81), but that was not why he was chosen for nine Pro Bowls and two First Team All Pro squads. 

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and Denver Bronco was considered to be one of the most ferocious hitters in the NFL and he put the fear of God in open Wide Receivers.  Lynch was named the Defensive Back of the Year by the NFL Alumni in 2000 and in 2003 was a major part of the defensive effort that decimated the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl.

That defense has already seen two players go to the Hall of Fame (Warren Sapp & Derrick Brooks) and could see another when Ronde Barber is eligible.  Lynch was a big part of that effort, but will Canton see fit to pit in a third and a fourth from that D? 

We have talked about character and the Hall of Fame, and if that were the main prerequisite, Lynch’s head would be measured for that bust right now.  He is a former winner of both the Bart Starr and Whizzer White Man of the Year and was known throughout the NFL for being a genuinely nice guy, but that is not what this should be all about.

As for me, I am not yet convinced that the third Buccaneer Super Bowl winner enshrined in Canton shouldn’t be Barber, and I am on the side of the fence that does not see him get in.  My wager is that is how it will play out this year too.