Here’s My Choice For The Patriots Hall of Fame

The three finalists for the Patriots Hall of Fame have come out, and all 3 are very qualified for the honor. The finalists are: Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel, and Rodney Harrison. The choice is now up to the fans, so who should you vote for? Well, I’m going to give you a complicated answer, because, while I think there is one player most qualified, he’s not the guy I’ll be voting for.

The player who I think is most qualified to be voted in is Richard Seymour. Belichick has said before that they wouldn’t have won the first 3 Super Bowls without Seymour, and he’ll probably end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame eventually as well. I won’t be voting for Seymour though, I’ll be voting for Rodney Harrison.

Harrison was a sensational player, and a leader on and off the field for two of the best teams in NFL history. He set the tone for 2003 and 2004 teams, which were led by the defense.

But that’s not the biggest reason I’m voting for him. The biggest reason is because he is one of the best safeties in NFL history, and doesn’t get the recognition that he deserves. Did you know that he is the only safety and 1 of only 2 players(the other is Ray Lewis) in NFL history with 30 sacks and 30 interceptions? No, you probably didn’t, because no one talk about Harrison as one of the best safeties ever. Because fans didn’t like him, he didn’t get voted into the Pro Bowl, so he doesn’t have the “resume” to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For instance, in 2003 he was a first team All-Pro and in 2004 he was a second team All-Pro, but he wasn’t selected to the Pro Bowl in either of those seasons. He was considered one of the dirtiest players in the league when he was playing, but did you ever think he was dirty? He was Ronnie Lott, but he just played in an era that didn’t respect those hard hitting players.

So, while both Seymour and Vrabel are deserving of the Hall, I think Harrison is more deserving. Seymour will eventually make it to Canton, and, even though Vrabel deserves to get in, Harrison was a better player than Vrabel. Because of how good he was, and because he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, I’m hoping that Rodney is the pick to get in this year.

Pat is a co-host of The Patriot Nation Podcast

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