Kam Hall of Famer?

[Popeyejones]

Agreed with what seems to be the consensus here.

Why he won't:

*Hard for safeties to get in.
*Doesn't have the stats.
*Didn't play long enough

I'd also add:

*Even at his peak he was third fiddle in his position group to two other likely HoFs, which hurts his candidacy.
* While the defense was maybe good enough for long enough, the Seahawks weren't good enough for long enough for him to slide in based on overall team success (a la all the Steelers who are in the HoF but shouldn't be b/c their team won four Super Bowls in six years).

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Doubtful.

He did become a prototype for a new kind of safety though, which is pretty cool. Some would argue Sean Taylor did that, but I think teams just saw him as a freak and an exception. When Kam took off, teams were like "we need a Kam Chancellor!".

Definitely in the Taylor mold, but Taylor only weighed 210 lbs, Kam weighs over 230 lbs................and dropped down into the box to attack the run game and punch fools in the mouth running over the middle far more than Taylor ever did.

Interesting. I remember Taylor being an enormous freak of nature that could cover Pro-Bowl receivers and lay the lumber in the run game, but that might just be the nostalgia. I guess he wasn't as large as I thought.

Oh Taylor still hit like a freight train, that's why he was so respected by other players.

But IMO Taylor was more in the Ed Reed mold, and Kam was a more unique LB/FS hybrid freak of nature that ran a 4.6.

 

[Popeyejones]

This is intended as a compliment, not as a criticism:

I don’t think it gets him into the Hall, but he also benefited from being in the right place at the right time.

There were a lot of hard hitting box thumpers at strong safety, but they mostly all went away because of the transition to a pass-centric league, as those box thumpers ended up positionless unless they were on one of the few teams running single high scheme. That made Kam seem like even more of a unicorn. His career also wound down and ended right as the NFL is really cracking down on the hard hitting plays he thrived on.

He played in a nice little window for a player of his caliber to get a lot of deserved shine and respect.

 

[Seahawk_Dan]

Most feared player of his generation. Kam Chancellor belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Agreed. Sadly that is probably not enough. The Hall of Fame is notoriously statistic driven.

For the most part, yeah, but Joe Namath is in the Hall of Fame and his stats suck.

Were you around when Joe Namath played?

You caught me. I'm only 30, so no I wasn't. I understand though what he represented as one of the NFL's first real super stars, but what gets me is just how fickle and inconsistent the HoF is or at least what seems to be.

 

[Seahawkfan80]

This is intended as a compliment, not as a criticism:

I don’t think it gets him into the Hall, but he also benefited from being in the right place at the right time.

There were a lot of hard hitting box thumpers at strong safety, but they mostly all went away because of the transition to a pass-centric league, as those box thumpers ended up positionless unless they were on one of the few teams running single high scheme. That made Kam seem like even more of a unicorn. His career also wound down and ended right as the NFL is really cracking down on the hard hitting plays he thrived on.

He played in a nice little window for a player of his caliber to get a lot of deserved shine and respect.

I Agree with what you stated. With what the game is going to now as a punt pass and kick contest, it will be up to the fans as to whether it is worth watching it any more. Heck, flag football may be the next stage.

Popeye...great post.

 

[Hotchy]

Kam won't get in, and he shouldnt....no way.
He was awesome when he was at the top of his game, and 100% healthy. But those moments weren't consistantly there from a HOF standpoint . The hold out ruined 1 season of his prime. He was hurt for the big game vs Patriots. And has played through a lot of stuff that's hindered his top self.
But the 3 playoff games the year we won the Super Bowl?....never saw a safety play as well as he did. Just awesome, and very memorable.

I've been a rabid Seattle fan since Zorn days, so I got to live through the Easley years when football meant more to me( 9-18 years old). Easley was a way better safety than Kam. And he would've been a way better FS than Thomas(Easley's natural position) I'mThe only thing close about them is that I really like them both a lot. But Easley was one of those one of a kind type players. And he just barely made the Hall, as others have stated.