There was a time when a case could be made that Wilber Marshall was the best Linebacker in football.  In 1985, he was a member of the most dominating team of the decade, the Super Bowl XX Champion, Chicago Bears.  The year after, he was a First Team All-Pro, led the league in Approximate Value (23), and was a Pro Bowler for the first time.  Marshall was overshadowed by some of his teammates (William Perry & Richard Dent), but those in the know saw Marshall as one of the most versatile outside linebackers in the NFL.

You don't expect an eighth-round pick to become one of the best at his position in his first four seasons, but Larry Brown, the afterthought from Kansas State, did exactly that.  The new Washington Redskins Head Coach, Vince Lombardi pegged Brown, to become the starting Running Back, and he blossomed after Lombardi noticed that he was hearing impaired in one year, and he was permitted to get an audio device in his helmet to listen to his Quarterback's signals.  It proved to work as Brown would go to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, and the next three seasons, which included two First Team All-Pros.  He had an excellent 1970, winning the Rushing Title, but in 1972, he was the league leader in Yards From Scrimmage and Approximate Value and would win the MVP, Bert Bell Award, and Offensive Player of the Year.  More importantly, that year for the Redskins, he would take them to the Super Bowl in a loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Pat Fischer was not a tall man, standing at only 5' 9", which was likely why the multi-talented star at Nebraska fell to the 17^th Round.  It was the St. Louis Cardinals who chose him, and after initially using him as a Returner, he would force his way to become a starting Cornerback and would be named to the Pro Bowl in 1964 and 1965.  The certified ballhawk would later sign with the Washington Redskins and brought a veteran presence to their secondary and was a large part of their appearance in their Super Bowl VII appearance.  Fischer would play until 1977 and would accumulate 56 Interceptions.

A late round draft pick by the Washington Redskins from Loyola Marymount in 1951, Gene Brito would play on both sides of the ball in his first two seasons.   The End was certainly solid in his role, but by 1953, Brito was focused on the Left Defensive End position and was chosen for his first Pro Bowl. 

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players and executive.  As such it is news to us that the Washington Redskins have announced that they will be honoring Chris Samuels and London Fletcher to their Ring of Honor.

Chris Samuels played all ten of his seasons in Washington where he would start all 141 of his Games at Left Tackle.  Drafted 3^rdoverall in 2000, Samuels would be named to the Pro Bowl six times.

London Fletcher played the last seven of his sixteen seasons in the NFL with the Redskins and it was the most successful tenure of the Linebacker’s career.  Fletcher was chosen for four straight Pro Bowls (2009-12) and never had a season where he finished with less than 111 Combined Tackles.  He would lead the NFL in that statistic in 2011 and he would also contribute with 12 Interceptions and 11.5 Sacks.

Samuels and Fletcher become the 50^thand 51^stmembers of the Ring of Honor.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate both Chris Samuels and London Fletcher for earning this impending honor.

Here we are in the National Football League playoffs but for us that it means it is time to discuss the potential class of the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame.  The Finalists have been announced, and along with regular contributor, Spheniscus, we will go back and forth with each candidate and openly debate as to which player would be a worthy Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.

Committee Chairman: Spheniscus, doesn’t that great Offensive Line collectively known as the Hogs seem like it happened a lifetime ago?  I mean so long that it feels like they should be Senior Candidates? 

Last month, regular contributor, Spheniscus and I debated the Hall of Fame merits of those who were on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.

Now that the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2016 has announced their class has done the same.  We were hopeful to do this prior to the announcement of the actual inductees, but life, as it often does simply got in the way!

Saying that, we felt it was worth our time to take a look at the 2016 Nominees and debate whether they should have gotten in (or not) and look to the future of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Out of all the people on this list we will say up front that there is zero chance that Jim Tyrer will get into the Football Hall of Fame.  Killing your wife and committing suicide there after is sadly what Tyrer is best known for and this has led to him being ostracized by the NFL.

Had Tyrer not broke down in his personal life, his on field accomplishments may have been enough to get him in to Canton.  He was arguably the best Offensive Lineman in the AFL, and was a multiple time AFL All star.  He was voted to the all time AFL team and was a big part of opening holes for Chiefs runners for years.  Tyrer may very well the best lineman that Kansas City ever had.

Generally, if you are selected to eight Pro Bowls in a decade, regardless of your position, it stands to reason that you won’t be forgotten.  Somehow, Cornerback Lemar Parrish managed to slip through the cracks of football consciousness as his legacy just doesn’t seem as big as it should be.

You can’t be selected to eight Pro Bowls in eleven years without being consistent.  Parrish was certainly that, but while he was a top Cornerback, he was also a top Punt Returner for the first half of his career.  Once he stopped returning punts, Parrish would actually have some of his best years at Cornerback as he landed his only First Team All-Pro selection at the age of 32.  Parrish matched any attacking Wide Receiver man-to-man, and that skill can be argued as to why longtime Bengals teammate, Ken Riley entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame years later.

As freakishly consistent as Lemar Parrish was, he was never considered the best at his position.  This is certainly one of those cases, where a year of dominance would have done wonders for his Hall of Fame cause, though he has all the good for Canton as is.

Offensive linemen are often the unsung heroes of football, but one group of linemen bucked that trend: the "Hogs" of the Washington Redskins. The "Hogs" were a legendary offensive line that played together in the 1980s and early 90s, and they were known for their toughness, physicality, and dominance on the field.

One of the linemen who stood out from the rest was Joe Jacoby. Jacoby was not a highly sought-after player when he entered the league; in fact, he went undrafted out of Louisville. But he didn't let that stop him. He worked hard and earned a spot on the Redskins' roster, eventually becoming one of the most beloved players on the team.

Jacoby was a force to be reckoned with on the field. He was a talented blocker who earned the respect of his peers and opponents alike. He wasn't the most naturally gifted tackle, but he made up for it with his work ethic and his punishing blocks. He was fearless and mean, and few players could beat him on running plays. His contributions were instrumental in helping the Redskins win three Super Bowls, each with a different quarterback who is not in the Hall of Fame.

Despite his impressive career, Jacoby has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. His teammate Russ Grimm was recently honored with induction, but many believe that Jacoby should be there too. While it's unlikely that any other "Hogs" will be voted in, Jacoby's legacy as one of the greatest linemen of his era deserves recognition.

London Fletcher was a tackling machine that had accumulated over 2,000 Tackles in the National Football League. This is where Fletcher’s best chance for the Hall lies as he was only a four-time Pro Bowl selection, a number that right or wrong does matter. Fletcher, however, does hold a resume with all those tackles, longevity, a Super Bowl Ring with the Rams, and a reputation as a locker room leader and off-field good guy.

Generally, non Quarterbacks don’t have spectacular seasons in their 30’s, but Henry Ellard did.  In fact, he really didn’t become a star in the National Football League until he turned 27.

Art Monk may have been the lead receiver for the Washington Redskins for a long period of time, but he was paired up with another great Wide Receiver who was in his shadow somewhat.  Of course, at 5’ 9, Gary Clark was in a lot of player’s shadows.

Chris Samuels was the Outland Trophy winner at the University of Alabama, and the Washington Redskins chose him 3^rd Overall in 2000.  It turned out to be an excellent choice, and Washington would be the only team that Samuels played for in his ten-year career.