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Why 2 Jacksonville Jaguars greats have harder road to Pro Football Hall of Fame
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- Why 2 Jacksonville Jaguars greats have harder road to Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the holy grail for the legacies of NFL players.
It delivers unquantified immortality, not to mention puts a lot of residual income in the pockets of gold jacket members who can deliver at corporate speaking engagements.
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It explains why results of the annual HOF vote, especially for players/coaches/contributors not regarded as automatic first-ballot selections, is such a high anxiety moment.
Every voter understands the massive responsibility of trying to fairly judge the resumes of finalists vying to get into Canton. That's why the recent change to the HOF voting bylaws could negatively impact the legacies of multiple candidates, including former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor and head coach Tom Coughlin .
After only four players were elected to the Class of 2025 — the smallest group in 20 years — many people blamed voters for the diminished class instead of putting the blame where it rightfully belonged: the HOF Board of Directors that foolishly altered the voting process.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor breaks free from Miami Dolphins' safety Brock Marion (31) for a 90-yard touchdown run in a 1999 AFC Divisional game at Alltel Stadium. Taylor has been a Hall of Fame finalist the past two years, but a change in the HOF bylaws could make it more difficult for him to gain entry in the future.
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Speaking with a half-dozen voters, all of whom preferred to talk anonymously, there's a feeling of overwhelming disappointment, and certainly some anger, about the changes in voting protocol that made it look like they were shortchanging the careers of HOF finalists.
"This year, we had so much ammunition that should have gotten more people in the Hall of Fame," said one voter, who has been part of the 49-member electorate for over a decade. "I was shocked that [coach nominee] Mike Holmgren and [wide receiver] Torry Holt didn't get in.
"I'd say the majority of voters are very disappointed how this went down and we're going to have a call about it."
Another voter was livid about deliberating on a Zoom call for eight-plus hours, discussing the 15 modern-era finalists and five senior players/coach/contributor finalists, yet resulting in only three and one, respectively, getting into Canton.
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"What makes me upset is it makes us look as voters that we didn't think more than three modern era candidates were worthy of election," he said. "That's not the case."
It'll be interesting to see whether the voter pushback results in the HOF Board of Directors calling an audible when it comes time to vote on the Class of 2026.
Math works against two Jaguars' legends
It's undeniable that the HOF changing the voter protocol for this year's class — which elected Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Eric Allen and senior candidate Sterling Sharpe — led to only half of the maximum class being elected.
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Here's why: it used to be voters reduced the 15 modern-era finalists to 10, then 5, and voted yes or no on the final five (80 percent, or 40 of 49 approval required for entry), which is almost guaranteed election because voters are highly reluctant to turn down a candidate advancing that far.
This year, the HOF decided to have voters choose five candidates out of seven finalists, which reduces the odds of the maximum five players gaining entry.
Under the new voting procedure, a minimum three modern-era players and maximum five get into Canton. But with seven players to choose from instead of five, the vote was obviously more divided and increased the likelihood of more players not hitting the 80 percent threshold. If only two players hit that standard, the next-highest vote-getter would make the HOF.
For the other category, with three senior players, one coach nominee and one contributor nominee going up against each other, voters were asked to pick three and that same math meant less of a chance for a maximum three finalists to get into the HOF.
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For Taylor and Coughlin, who has yet to be the coach nominee in two years of eligibility, this voting change makes it a lot more difficult to be fitted for a gold jacket.
With the HOF decreeing that whoever among the seven modern-era finalists doesn't get in is automatically a finalist next year, that means four of the 15 spots for 2026 are reserved for tackle Willie Anderson, linebacker Luke Kuechly, kicker Adam Vinatieri and Holt.
As one voter pointed out, since quarterback Drew Brees, running back Frank Gore and receiver Larry Fitzgerald (all expected to get in) become eligible next year, that essentially leaves only eight slots available for Taylor to be among the 15 finalists for a third straight year.
Given that seven other finalists, among them Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Reggie Wayne and Darren Woodson, and other first-time eligible players will be in the same predicament, it's almost guaranteed that at least a couple finalists from 2025 won't get that far next year.
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As one voter put it: "This [voting change] they're doing makes it very difficult for players who either played in small markets, didn't play a glamor position or never won a Super Bowl to get in the Hall."
Translation: Taylor's chances of getting into Canton are significantly reduced.
An uphill battle for Coughlin
Coughlin's situation is a different complication. Holmgren and 2024 coach nominee Buddy Parker not getting in the HOF only clutters the coaching pool.
This year, a blue-ribbon committee deliberated over Coughlin, Holmgren and seven other finalists to be the one coach nominee. It chose Holmgren, who won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers, finished runner-up with the Seattle Seahawks, and has an overall record of 161-111 (.592).
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Holmgren not getting the required 80 percent — a difficult standard when the coach nominee is thrown into the mixing bowl with three senior finalists and one contributor — means he goes back into consideration next year.
Well, not only must Coughlin compete with other worthy candidates like two-time Super Bowl champions Mike Shanahan and George Seifert, but Bill Belichick, who hoisted the Lombardi Trophy six times as a head coach, is also eligible after the HOF reduced the waiting time for coaches after leaving the NFL from five years to one year.
"It's problematic, no question," said one voter. "We had one of the best meetings because the presentations were so good for so many people. Holmgren not getting in just stunned me."
That wasn't good news for supporters of Coughlin, inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars in 2024. He has an overall record of 170-150 (.531), which lags behind his competition in terms of win percentage.
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Still, winning two Super Bowls over Belichick's Patriots and taking an expansion Jaguars team to two AFC title games in its first five years is plenty Hall of Fame-worthy.
"For one coach to emerge by a committee out of pretty stiff competition, a lot of thought went into this to bring a coach or contributor to the voters," said one voting member. "So he should be subjected to a simple yes or no vote [to get into the Hall]."
"I've always felt my job is always to listen to all the presentations and to put people in the Hall, not keep them out."
At 78-years-old, Coughlin's brilliant career deserves a bust in Canton. It'd be nice to see him get it while he's still around to enjoy the honor.
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Why make HOF more exclusive?
One voter highly critical of the voting change says it's almost a guarantee that future HOF classes will not reach the maximum number because there's too many qualified candidates.
Another reason this change is misguided is football, by virtue of 22 starting positions, has more HOF-worthy candidates than other sports. It should be putting a greater number of players in Canton, not less.
"We've got so many guys backed up that are worthy of getting in and it's only going to get worse now," the voter said. "I would be curious to find out who thought this would be a good idea. This rule change doesn't make any sense to me.
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"I could have predicted this [reduced class] would happen because when you get good candidates, the vote is going to get split. We were agonizing every year just trying to get it down to five [finalists]."
Many voters I've known for decades have expressed how gut-wrenching it is for them just to whittle 15 finalists to 10, then 5. Now the change in voting for five of seven finalists — and not knowing how many or who gets in because the HOF doesn't tell them — makes it even more agonizing.
"They didn't need to change anything," said one voter. "Just give it to the top five vote-getters. There's never going to be a shortage where you don't have five deserving candidates.
"Smaller classes are absolutely going to happen because more deserving guys are going to be backlogged. If 80 percent is the standard, less guys will get in every year."
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Some have speculated the HOF is concerned about voting results, which voters are supposed to keep secret, getting out and that's why this new format was adopted. Others believe current HOF members influenced the Board of Directors to make entry more exclusive, but HOF spokesman Rich Desrosiers denied that was the reason for the voting change.
"There were certainly some [Hall of Famers] that expressed those views, but it was not pervasive," said Desrosiers. "The bylaws are reviewed every year, so change is always possible.
"But you're right about the smaller class this year. It's a reflection of the number of people worthy of being in the Hall that you get that vote fragmentation."
So the question becomes this: will the HOF revert back to the old voting protocol that practically ensures a maximum five modern era candidates are elected, or will the current bylaws stay in place for the foreseeable future?
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"With this change and having only one year to look at how the results transpired, it's more likely this system will stay in place for one more year," Desrosiers said.
For Jaguars' legends Fred Taylor and Tom Coughlin, it means the privilege of Canton immortality is likely going to take a lot longer. Sadly, maybe way too long.
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com : (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: More Jacksonville Jaguars in HOF? Why change in voting makes it harder
