Troy Polamalu Highlights Hall of Fame Class

Atwater made it in his 16th year of eligibility. He became the first homegrown Broncos defender to join the Hall.

A two-time All-Pro who won two Super Bowls, Atwater prowled the backfield and delivered vicious hits to anyone coming across. One irony of Atwater’s late-recognized greatness is that many of his whiplash-inducing hits would be illegal in today’s N.F.L.

Though receivers were mostly at risk, it was his shoulder-to-shoulder disintegration of the 250-pound Chiefs running back Christian Okoye, nicknamed The Nigerian Nightmare, while mic’d up on Monday Night Football in 1990 that truly put Atwater on the map.

James may not have had a singular moment like that, but he was a bastion of versatility and durability. He made a name for himself with his ability to carve out room on the ground while playing in Peyton Manning’s offense with the Colts from 1999-2005. James also played three seasons with the Cardinals and seven games with the Seahawks in 2009.

James finished with more than 3,300 yards receiving and more than 12,000 yards rushing. He won the N.F.L. rushing title in as a rookie in 1999 and did it again in 2000, no small feat given Manning was revving up his career at the time. James joins Colts wideout Marvin Harrison in the Hall, giving Manning more company next year when he’ll be a shoo-in to join them in his first year of eligibility.

Bruce was a headliner in “The Greatest Show on Turf,” the St. Louis Rams’ pass-happy attack run by the Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner. This was Bruce’s sixth season of eligibility and his fourth time as a finalist.

His 15,208 yards receiving over 16 seasons ranked second in the N.F.L. record book when he retired after the 2009 season. But he was never selected as an Associated Press All-Pro, and some critics dismissed his stats as being more a sign of his longevity and the passing era in which he played rather than any mark of true greatness.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/01/sports/football/nfl-hall-of-fame.html?emc=rss&partner=rss