Taking another step toward the prize
Butler remains on track to make Hall of Fame
GREEN BAY - In retrospect, LeRoy Butler had no chance of making it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first go as a finalist.
Two huge factors were against him, which became clear during the Hall of Fame selection meeting I took part in Saturday, and which I've confirmed after consulting with several of the other 47 voters since then.
First, though Butler has been eligible for the Hall for 14 years, this was the first time he was one of the 15 finalists. So voters had overlooked him for years, and this was the first time they heard his case.
Second, he was one of four safeties on the ballot. Among the other three, one (Troy Polamalu) was a heavy favorite to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and the two others (Steve Atwater and John Lynch) had been finalists before. This was Atwater's third time and Lynch's seventh.
That doesn't mean Butler lacks a compelling case for enshrinement. He has a great one, and it only got better with Atwater's election.
But for this year, the jump was just too big for Butler to go from overlooked for 14 years to being voted in ahead of safeties who were much more familiar to the voters.
It might be an injustice that Atwater and Lynch are ahead of Butler in the Hall
queue – at the barest of minimums it’s hard to see how their cases are any better than his, and there’s a really strong argument Butler’s is the best of the three. But the fact remains the voters know Atwater and Lynch much better, and the two obviously had a lot of support on the committee going in, because they’d made it this far several times before.
In his Monday “Football in America” column, Peter King provided a great summary of the election process, and Butler’s place in it. King, a highly respected NFL journalist and longtime Hall voter, wrote that in his mind there were 12 or 13 finalists this year who were Hall worthy, Butler included.
But only five can get in. This dynamic year after year creates a backlog with each new class of eligible players, and thus the “queue,” with only slam-dunk Hall of Famers able to jump the line in their first year.
“I believe all three offensive linemen on the list (Tony Boselli, Steve Hutchinson, Alan Faneca) belonged, as did all four safeties (Polamalu, Steve Atwater, John Lynch, LeRoy Butler),” King wrote. “My hope going into the meeting was three of those seven players would make it, and three did.
“Because next year’s first-time-eligible players include some very strong ones — Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson — the players who didn’t make it this year will face an uphill struggle with such a strong group next year. It’s possible that there could be only two spots open if those three mega-stars enter on the first ballot.”
Aside from Polamalu and Atwater, the other three elected Saturday were Hutchinson (third-time finalist), running back Edgerrin James (fourth) and receiver Isaac Bruce (fourth).
As for the meeting itself, Butler’s was the sixth case of the 15 heard on the day. I gave the opening presentation, which hit the time limit of five minutes about on the nose. It emphasized his status as a first-team member on the 1990s alldecade team and four first-team All-Pro honors; his rare all-around skills as a
safety, best illustrated by his being one of only four players in NFL history with at least 35 interceptions and 20 sacks (Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins, future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, and Ronde Barber, a Hall of Fame semifinalist this year, are the other three); and included endorsements from four wellknown players and coaches who competed against Butler, including a Hall of Fame quarterback.
As important as the presentation is – and it’s important – the discussion after is equally crucial. That’s where you get a sense of the candidate’s support among other voters. Some or even many committee members either already know something about the player or consult trusted sources and share what they’ve learned. They are crucial for helping sway other voters for or against.
Butler’s discussion was on the short side – it was one of four that ranged from 91⁄2 minutes to about 12 minutes – but the response was encouraging. Five or six voters spoke up on his behalf, and no one voiced dissent. I’d expect a more thorough discussion next year, assuming
he’s a finalist again.
Everyone on the committee now knows the core of Butler’s case, though there’s much still to fill in. The discussion and King’s column show there’s plenty of support there to cultivate.
And Atwater’s election is big. From what I can tell, Atwater jumped ahead of Lynch in large part because he had only four years of eligibility remaining before he’d land in the abyss that is the seniors category (Butler has six years). Some of Atwaters’ supporters on the committee wanted to make sure he got in before his clock ran out and argued passionately for his election.
Even if you see an injustice in Atwater getting in before Butler, Atwater’s ascension only bolsters Butler’s case. Both were first-team all-1990s-decade. Butler, by the way, is the lone player on that first team not in the Hall.
But on playmaking statistics alone, Butler prevails, by plenty. He has more interceptions (38 to 24), more sacks (201⁄2 to 5), more defensive touchdowns (three to one) and more fumbles forced and recovered combined (23 to 14). And
he did it in two fewer games (165 to Atwater’s 167).
Same for Lynch. Butler has more interceptions (38 to 26), more sacks (201⁄2 to 13) and more defensive touchdowns (three to none). Lynch had one more combined fumble play (24 to 23). And Butler did it in 59 fewer games.
In the interest of fairness, advocates for Atwater and Lynch had their arguments, too.
Along with being first-team all-decade, Atwater went to eight Pro Bowls (Butler went to four) and had impressive testimonials regarding the plays not made because his intimidating presence induced alligator arms in receivers going over the middle. That kind of player doesn’t exist in today’s game because of rules that protect receivers. Atwater also was the best defensive player on Broncos teams that won back-to-back Super Bowls.
Lynch was the third star – behind Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp – on Tampa Bay defenses that carried the franchise through a successful stretch in the late 1990s and early 2000s that included a Super Bowl win in ’02. In a seven-year stretch from 1997 through 2003 the Buccaneers finished in the top five in points and yards allowed five times, including first in both in the Super Bowl season.
Lynch also is in the ring of honor of two franchises (Tampa Bay and Denver) and went to nine Pro Bowls. And like almost all the candidates in the room, Lynch has his share of endorsements from credible players and coaches.
Still, it’s hard to see how either of their cases tops Butler’s. Butler also won a Super Bowl, starred on highly ranked defenses and was a complete safety who was excellent in coverage, as a blitzer and stopping the run. Atwater and Lynch were box safeties.
As the stats show, Butler made more game-turning plays.
What Atwater and Lynch have over Butler is name recognition. That’s why they got in line ahead of him, and that’s something I’ll have to address with the committee more thoroughly next year. But the groundwork has been laid.
In any event, after Saturday’s meeting and Atwater’s election there’s good reason to be bullish about LeRoy Butler making it into the Hall of Fame.