Cris Carter and Chris Doleman Eliminated In First Cutdown Of Hall Of Fame Voting

We have just received confirmation that the NFL's Hall of Fame selection process is, officially, a complete and utter joke.

Both Minnesota Vikings' candidates for enshrinement, wide receiver Cris Carter and defensive end Chris Doleman, didn't even make the cut when the list went from 15 candidates to 10 candidates.

At this point, words fail me. Doleman I guess I can understand, but the Football Writers of America are, apparently, firmly of the belief that Tim Brown and Andre Reed were better NFL wide receivers than Cris Carter.

Another year of waiting for Cris Carter to get into the Hall of Fame. What an absolute farce.

Michael Wilbon Thinks Cris Carter Should Get Into Canton

Anyone that's followed me either here or at The Daily Norseman for any length of time knows that I love me some Pardon the Interruption and, by extension, I love me some Michael Wilbon. Wilbon has given me another reason to be a big fan of his with his Hall of Fame selection column on ESPN.com today.

Cris Carter should have been selected already. I'm sure somebody in that selection room could tell you why he didn't vote for Carter; but since this is my space, I'll tell you why not voting for him makes no sense whatsoever. There isn't a single receiver in the NFL today I'd take over Carter at 30 years old. OK, maybe Larry Fitzgerald, but he's the only one. Randy Moss? Carter had the best combination of hands, footwork and body control this side of Jerry Rice, which is probably why he was No. 2 behind Rice in receptions and in touchdowns by a receiver. It's insulting that he's been passed over three times so far. If he'd played in New York or New England, he'd be in already.

Wilbon is exactly right. If Michael Irvin and Art Monk are in the Hall of Fame already, there's absolutely no reason that Cris Carter shouldn't be there.

Hopefully, in 45 minutes, this injustice can be rectified.

If I Had A 2011 Pro Football Hall Of Fame Vote

One day, I hope to eventually reach the point in my football writing career where I can actually have a vote as to who gets into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I'm a heck of a long ways away from that now, but that just means that, being in the position I'm in now, I can pretend like I have a ballot.

So, if I did have a ballot this year. . .keeping in mind that only five "modern day" candidates are likely to get into the Hall this year. . .here's what my list would look like.

-Cris Carter, WR, Philadelphia Eagles/Minnesota Vikings/Miami Dolphins - Yeah, like I was going to leave him off. Should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. In fact, if Cris Carter isn't a first-ballot Hall of Famer, maybe we should just stop having first-ballot Hall of Famers all together.

Nah. . .just because America's football writers have stupidly punished Cris Carter doesn't mean that we should stupidly punish others. For example. . .

-Deion Sanders, CB, Atlanta Falcons/San Francisco 49ers/Dallas Cowboys/Washington Redskins/Baltimore Ravens - Quite possibly the greatest coverage cornerback the National Football League has ever seen. So what if he was allergic to tackling? He defined what a "shutdown cornerback" is.

-Marshall Faulk, RB, Indianapolis Colts/St. Louis Rams - Probably could have been a three-time NFL MVP. . .he only won one. . .and may have been the most versatile running back in the history of the NFL.

-Dermontti Dawson, C, Pittsburgh Steelers - Was to the center position in the late 80s and throughout the 90s what Randall McDaniel was to the guard position during that time. When you're clearly the best player in the league at your position for as long as Dawson was, you deserve to be recognized.

-Richard Dent, DE, Chicago Bears/San Francisco 49ers/Indianapolis Colts/Philadelphia Eagles - As a Viking fan, I would love to see Chris Doleman get into the Hall of Fame, but I can't, in good conscience, put him in ahead of Dent. Dent was a cornerstone of a dominant defense, and has been on the ballot for a while longer than Doleman has. Doleman will get in, but I think Dent goes in ahead of him.

But that's who I'd vote for if I had a 2011 NFL Hall of Fame ballot. Who does everybody else have?

2011 NFL Hall Of Fame: Will A Viking (Or Two) Get The Call To The Hall?

Today, at approximately 6:00 PM Central time, the National Football League will formally announce it's Hall of Fame Class of 2011. Two players whose names are synonymous with Minnesota Vikings football are among the 17 finalists. . .one of whom should have been in a couple of years ago, and another who has reached this stage of the voting for the first time.

When we talk about players that should already be in, you know we have to be referring to wide receiver Cris Carter. This is Carter's fourth chance at enshrinement in Canton, and the fact that he's not already in the Hall of Fame is regarded by some. . .me, in particular. . .as a joke. When Carter retired from football, he had more receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns than any receiver in NFL history not named Jerry Rice, all while never really playing with an elite quarterback. He's still third in NFL history in receptions, eighth in receiving yardage, and fourth in receiving touchdowns, despite having been out of the league for nearly a decade. He's easily the top wide receiver candidate in this year's class, and this should be the year that he gets in. . .although he should have gotten in on the first ballot and didn't, so I suppose anything is possible.

The other Viking with a chance at immortality today is defensive end Chris Doleman. Doleman, selected by the Vikings out of the University of Pittsburgh with the fourth overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft, is one of the NFL's all-time great pass rushers. His 150.5 career sacks was second in NFL history when he retired and, despite being out of the league since 1999, he still ranks fourth all-time on that list behind only Bruce Smith, Reggie White, and Kevin Greene. He had 21 sacks in 1989, which is the third-most in a season all-time. The Vikings as a team had 71 sacks that year, which ranks as the second-most for a team in a season in NFL history (the 1984 Chicago Bears had 72). His chances to get in, at first glance, don't look to be as good as Carter's. . .then again, many people said that about John Randle last season, too.

Again, the official announcement will take place at 6:00 PM Central time on the NFL Network, though leaks will surely happen before that.