Bettis - Greene - 2014 Hall of Fame Finalists

[GBMelBlount]

Former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis and linebacker Kevin Greene are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014.

Former Steelers’ running back Jerome Bettis and linebacker Kevin Greene were among the 15 finalists announced on Thursday for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014. They were selected from an initial list of 126 individuals that included 89 players, 16 coaches and 21 contributors that was then whittled down to 25 semifinalists.

Bettis, who has been a finalist the previous three years, rushed for 10,571 yards with the Steelers, and amassed 13,662 career yards overall in his career, ranking sixth all-time in the NFL.

“Jerome has put in the work and he is worthy of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” said Hall of Fame center Dermontti Dawson. “With his stats, he has put in the work to qualify.”


He was the Steelers leading rusher from 1996-2001 and in 2003-04, and posted 50 100-yard games with the Steelers. He was voted to the Pro Bowl six times and capped his career by helping to lead the Steelers to a Super Bowl XL Championship.

“He had tremendous feet,” said former Steelers running back Merril Hoge, now an NFL analyst for ESPN. “His lateral movement was great for any size. He could play between the tackles, which in the NFL is the majority of where you play. The combination of his size, power and quickness allowed him to be extremely unique and rare.”

Greene, a finalist the last two years, played 15 seasons in the NFL, three of them with the Steelers (1993-95). He was a fifth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 1985, and soared to success in his fourth NFL season when he finished the year with 16.5 sacks. In his three seasons with the Steelers he had 35.5 sacks and two Pro Bowl selections. He finished his career with 160 sacks, 26 fumble recoveries, five interceptions, and recorded three safeties.

“He had such a will to inflict a sack on the quarterback,” said Steelers’ defensive assistant Jerry Olsavsky, who played linebacker with Greene. “Back in 1993 when Kevin showed up here, that was his main goal. He would always say, ‘I have to get to the quarterback.’ He would remind you, ‘I have to get to the quarterback.’ It was a running play and he would still say, ‘I have to get to the quarterback,’ and we would tell him it’s a running play.”

The class of 2014 will be announced in New York City on Saturday, Feb. 1, during the NFL Honors Awards Show as a part of Super Bowl XLVIII weekend.

Finalists for Hall of Fame Class of 2014: K Morten Andersen. RB Jerome Bettis, LB Derrick Brooks, WR Tim Brown, Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., Owner, Coach Tony Dungy, LB Kevin Greene, DE Charles Haley, WR Marvin Harrison, OT Walter Jones, DB John Lynch, WR Andre Reed, OG Will Shields, DE Michael Strahan, DB Aeneas Williams.

http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Bettis-Greene-Hall-of-Fame-finalists/e3f83635-7a1e-4a92-8e93-ed90b88cce3a

[zulater]

I hope Bettis makes it. Greene I've got mixed emotions about. While I appreciated his 3 years in Pittsburgh and his 160 career sacks, I just don't think he was a great player. Very very good, but not great in my opinion. And part of it is the fact that Gregg Lloyd will never get a sniff of Canton. And without question, peak value, Greene wasn't even close to the same player Lloyd was. As a pass rusher it may have been close, but as an overall OLB, and defensive force Lloyd was head and shoulders above Kevin.

[Psycho Ward 86]

I think greene is a shoe in to make it eventually. i worry for bettis, but hope he gets in eventually

[Dwinsgames]

I hope Bettis makes it. Greene I've got mixed emotions about. While I appreciated his 3 years in Pittsburgh and his 160 career sacks, I just don't think he was a great player. Very very good, but not great in my opinion. And part of it is the fact that Gregg Lloyd will never get a sniff of Canton. And without question, peak value, Greene wasn't even close to the same player Lloyd was. As a pass rusher it may have been close, but as an overall OLB, and defensive force Lloyd was head and shoulders above Kevin.


I loved Greg Lloyd as a football player ( as a human being not so much ) but I could never say he was superior to Kevin Greene , remember Kevin Greene played TWO different positions in the NFL and excelled at both of them ..... Lloyd also flashed in his NFL career , he was superb and a liability in short order ....

Greene played though injuries and excelled , Lloyd play till injury and then fizzled , was never able to recover what he once had post injury ...

160 sacks >54.5 sacks by a landslide

[zulater]

LLoyd was a complete linebacker, Greene was a one trick pony. At their respective peaks Lloyd was a much better player! I get that Greene has Lloyd on longevity, durability etc... But at their best Lloyd was better because he excelled in all 3 phases of what an outside linebacker is asked to do. Whereas Greene only excelled as a pass rusher.

[Dwinsgames]

LLoyd was a complete linebacker, Greene was a one trick pony. At their respective peaks Lloyd was a much better player! I get that Greene has Lloyd on longevity, durability etc... But at their best Lloyd was better because he excelled in all 3 phases of what an outside linebacker is asked to do. Whereas Greene only excelled as a pass rusher.

how many guys compile a 14 year career and in the final season record a DOZEN sacks and walk away , done ... at the way he was playing he could have continued and would have led this team in sacks this past season with his last years play .... yet people want to sign Worilds long term , see the logic ?

Kevin Greene after 14 years in the league would have been better than anything we put on the field in 2013 at OLB ..... 1 trick pony or not , he did his trick VERY VERY well http://www.pro-football-reference.com
/players/G/GreeKe00.htm (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GreeKe00.htm)

52 sacks in his FINAL 4 years as a pro after he left Pittsburgh ..... when his career was though to be over he accumulated nearly identical numbers Lloyd did for a career .....

[zulater]

from 89-95 Gregg Lloyd was in the argument as the best and most complete OLB in football.

He was asked to do and did everything. Stop the run. check plus. Cover tight end's backs and occasionally slot receivers. Check. Drop into zone coverage. Check. Rush the passer going heads up against the left tackles of the league. Check plus.

Kevin Greene. Edge rusher going up against tight end's back's and occasionally a tackle. Check plus plus. Everything else. Uh, not so much.

[zulater]

The way to attack Kevin was to run the ball right at him. But everyone knew to "avoid Lloyd" >:heh:

By the Jack Ham didn't have a great many career sacks. Anyone care to argue Greene was better than him

To me Gregg Lloyd and James Harrison were as good as any ROLB in the history of the game at the height of their respective careers. But neither will ever get a whiff of Canton because they didn't maintain their peak for a long enough period to placate the Hall voters. Plus neither was particularly well liked off the field and were considered borderline dirty, so what small chance they had is killed by that.

[Dwinsgames]

By the Jack Ham didn't have a great many career sacks. Anyone care to argue Greene was better than him

.

totally different position and different scheme / different responsibilities


I place a premium on guys who create pressure and wreak havoc on the opponents side of the LOS , those guys do more than create tackles ofr a loss and sacks they create turnover in the secondary by hurried throws , throws off the back foot , throws while being hit that go god knows where ..... they get you off the field on 3rd down ... they do a lot of things that never show up on the stat sheet

[zulater]

Kevin Greene's best year as a Steeler was 94 when he had 14 sacks. But the team MVP and AFC DPOY was Gregg Lloyd, and deservedly so. Like Harrison and Woodley in 2010, the sacks might have favored one, but the overall job the ROLB was required to do, and the quality of his work made them the more valuable player.

[zulater]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNDJidkiSkg

[Dwinsgames]

Kevin Greene's best year as a Steeler was 94 when he had 14 sacks. But the team MVP and AFC DPOY was Gregg Lloyd, and deservedly so. Like Harrison and Woodley in 2010, the sacks might have favored one, but the overall job the ROLB was required to do, and the quality of his work made them the more valuable player.

HoF is a body of work , not a season or a half dozen seasons of good work ... again I loved Lloyd , but Greene is much more HoF worthy IMO and as I said before the Steelers though he was about done when he left town but instead of being done he nearly equaled Lloyds career sack total over the next 4 years of that " fading career " ... just how many guys get 52 sacks in a career let alone their final 4 years in the league and 160 for a career ? not to damn many

[zulater]

I get what you're saying dwins, but at the same token the Hall doesn't always require lengthy careers. Gale Sayers and more recently Dwight Stephenson got in despite careers that were significantly shortened by injury.

Anyway not meaning to rain on Kevin Greene's party, it's just that I remember Greg being the better player when they were both playing at their highest apex.

[Dwinsgames]

I get what you're saying dwins, but at the same token the Hall doesn't always require lengthy careers. Gale Sayers and more recently Dwight Stephenson got in despite careers that were significantly shortened by injury.

Anyway not meaning to rain on Kevin Greene's party, it's just that I remember Greg being the better player when they were both playing at their highest apex.


It was different when they had a hall to fill and a bunch of empty space , not the same holds true today the standards are higher today than 25 years ago ... Today Swann never makes the HoF either

[st33lersguy]

Bettis is long overdue. They have Curtis Martin and Marshall Faulk in there, two guys who retired the same year as Bettis, isn't it time Bettis get in as well?

[SteelerFanInStl]

Jerome deserves to be in the HoF. Hopefully he'll get in this year.

[Craic]

I get what you're saying dwins, but at the same token the Hall doesn't always require lengthy careers. Gale Sayers and more recently Dwight Stephenson got in despite careers that were significantly shortened by injury.

Anyway not meaning to rain on Kevin Greene's party, it's just that I remember Greg being the better player when they were both playing at their highest apex.

Not sure if he was "better" but definitely more well-rounded. I remember Greene has a significant problem covering when he had to drop back. He was just too slow for that part of the game. But, Green I believe (without looking it up) had a longer stay at the table and was more impactful across a number of teams.

Again, I could be wrong about that last statement. I'm going by memory and impressions, rather than going back and checking stuff.

- - - Updated - - -


It was different when they had a hall to fill and a bunch of empty space , not the same holds true today the standards are higher today than 25 years ago ... Today Swann never makes the HoF either

I disagree. In today's game, Lynn Swann just about doubles his receptions, TDs and is hailed as poetry in motion as he sails through the air untouched until he's no longer a "defenseless receiver." It's not that the standards have changed, it's that the game's changed. Think of it as inflation. The same percent of money buys you milk now as it did in 1975, but the number of dollars and cents you put out is vastly different.

[Dwinsgames]

I disagree. In today's game, Lynn Swann just about doubles his receptions, TDs and is hailed as poetry in motion as he sails through the air untouched until he's no longer a "defenseless receiver." It's not that the standards have changed, it's that the game's changed. Think of it as inflation. The same percent of money buys you milk now as it did in 1975, but the number of dollars and cents you put out is vastly different.


Todays standards with his actual career totals is what I was meaning

[steelerdude15]

I hope Jerome makes it in. He definitely deserves it.