Patriots 2017 Hall of Fame Finalists Announced
Raymond Clayborn
Mike Vrabel
Richard Seymour
Glad to see Parcells did not make it.
Amongst the NFL Games Career Leaders, there are over a dozen who played for the Patriots. It's amazing.
NFL Games Career Leaders | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Among guys who played their entire careers here, there's Tom.
Tom. Tom Brady! Wake up, what are you doing sleeping at 1:17pm on a Friday afternoon?
OK, OK, none of my beeswax. Anyway, second is Bruce Armstrong at 212. 16-game schedule his entire career. Maybe he's a terrific guy, but...somebody cares about whether the offense or the defense get introduced before the game in New Orleans in January '97? Whatever.
Julius Adams played in 206 games, from 1971-1987. 14-game schedule from '71-'77, plus missed all but the season opener of the 1978 season with a shoulder injury, otherwise he'd be a hundred places higher on the all-time list.
He did it during the most tumultuous time in the history of any franchise: being robbed of joining the ranks of early champions in the post-merger era; experiencing unspeakable on-field tragedy; being highly competitive and in fact winning within the dominant conference despite the owner's financial shortcomings, and maintaining team pride, class and tradition in the midst of unparalleled denigration, belittling and oppression by their own local media, national media and their own league.
Julius is more qualified than other inductees strictly based on his on-field accomplishments, but in terms of loyalty, example, class and leadership, he is alone at the top.
We will celebrate his birthday in five days.
The good news is, this flawed, biased, stupid process, along with the ugly flying elvis, and local and national ignorance as to exactly who and what is the New England Patriots, are all soon to be replaced with something appropriate and respectful.
Regardless of what fly-by-night, bandwagon, pretend-fan millenials think. The 90's sucked, and the team's looked stupid while winning this century. Get over it.