FanHouse Nfl Hall Of Fame

Rodney Harrison has a perception problem. He knows how many in the NFL viewed him during his 15-year career: as the dirtiest player in the league. A player fined more than $200,000 for countless illegal hits. An admitted user of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) to speed recovery from his many injuries -- a breach that led to a four-game suspension in 2007.

Cognizant of this, the recently retired Harrison -- who is embarking on a new career as a studio analyst for NBC's Football Night in America -- is convinced he won't get a fair shake from the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee five years from now, when he's eligible for induction.

"Probably not," the former Chargers and Patriots safety told FanHouse, "because just look how the NFL has looked at me all these years. Ignoring my stats and my impact as a player and a teammate. Focusing on the negative.

"Do I believe I'm a Hall of Fame player? Absolutely. Will I make it in there? That's up to you guys. But I know that I did all I could do."

Ron Yary was quite the offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings. He played for them from 1968 until 1981, building up Hall of Fame credentials while being part of four Super Bowl teams. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Of course, the Vikings failed to win any of those Super Bowls, but Yary says that a certain someone who may or may not be retired could have made a difference on those Viking teams.

On Saturday, the late Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I and dozens of other journalists sat in the room at the Super Bowl Media Center and listened to Lucille Hester, who was introduced as Hayes' sister, read a letter that she said Hayes gave her and wanted her to read in the event that he ever became a Hall of Famer.

It was a touching moment. But some claim it was complete fiction.

It is impossible to go through a Super Bowl without being reminded of Joe Namath's famous guarantee before Baltimore's Super Bowl III update.

It's perfectly fitting, then, that the 65-year-old Namath brought the Vince Lombardi Trophy onto the field after the Steelers' exciting victory -- especially since the game turned into a classic dual between two talented quarterbacks. After Pittsburgh celebrated on the field, Namath appeared with the trophy, which he then had to carry through a hoard of jubilant Steelers players, all of whom took turns trying to grab the Lombardi as it passed.

Video of Namath being mobbed by Steelers as he walked to the podium, along with the presentation ceremony itself, is after the jump.

TAMPA, Fla. -- I believe Cris Carter will one day be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But in talking to some Hall of Fame voters both before and after Saturday's selection meeting, I also believe that Carter, like fellow possession receiver Art Monk before him, will have a long wait before enshrinement in Canton.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Although their careers overlapped, Bruce Smith and Randall McDaniel only played against each other a handful of times. But when it was announced today that both Smith and McDaniel had been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I asked them both what it was like to play against each other.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The best moment of this Super Bowl week took place this afternoon in a conference room at the Super Bowl media center, when Lucille Hester, the sister of former Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes, read a letter that her late brother wrote to her before he died, detailing what he wanted to say if he was ever selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

That selection came today, and the letter that Hester read brought goose bumps and audible gasps to those in the room.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Russ Grimm has more than the Super Bowl on his mind this week. Yes, as the Arizona Cardinals' assistant head coach, he's thinking mostly about getting his players ready for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But as a former Washington Redskins offensive lineman, he's also a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he'll find out if he's been chosen on Saturday.

If you had asked me last week, I would have said Grimm was a long shot to get into the Hall of Fame. But in talking to Hall of Fame voters this week, I'm starting to get the feeling that Grimm's presence in Tampa as a coach is making some voters give a second look to his career as a player.

In anticipation of Cardinals-Steelers, FanHouse takes a look back at some forgotten storylines from past Super Bowls.

The Game: Up until the Giants stunned New England last season, Super Bowl XXIII was arguably the most exciting Super Bowl ever played – some would argue that it still is.

Cincinnati led San Francisco 16-13 in the game's final moments. Everyone knows what happened next: Montana, with the 49ers down to their last chance, led his team 92 yards in 11 plays, then found John Taylor in the end zone with 34 seconds left for a dramatic 20-16 Niners victory.

What Might Have Been: Montana's last drive was the stuff of legends – his team's collective back against the wall, on the game's biggest stage, all the future Hall of Famer did was hit eight-of-nine passes (not counting a completion negated by a SF penalty) in a game-winning drive.

TAMPA, Fla. – This morning in the Super Bowl media center, I spotted Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy chatting with a couple of members of the media who are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors. A little bit of eavesdropping revealed that Levy was lobbying on behalf of some of his players, and the Bills' longtime owner.

One of Levy's old players, Bruce Smith, is eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time this year. Smith is one of the greatest defensive ends in history, and he is virtually assured of being selected on Saturday. So Levy doesn't have a lot of work to do there.