Peppers and Gates are easy ones, then there’s some backlog clearing. Those two, Holt, Wayne, and Jahri Evans. Evans was a monster for a stretch and there just aren’t enough interior linemen in the HOF.

Well, to be both a Bucs fan and somebody who thinks it’s going to be hard for Evans to get into the HOF, it’s based on the idea that 1,000 yards is a symbolic number that makes a nice narrative, but Evans has a season of 1,001 yards and another of 1,006, and those few extra yards to hit 1k don’t mean that much. Sure, the consecutive 1k streak is great, but last year Evans was 13th in receiving yards, and 22 people broke 1k. He was 23rd out of 26 in 2021, and the 18th of 18 to hit 1k in 2020 (his 1,006 year).

I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say you get into the HOF by being notably better than your peers at the time, and Evans has this weird thing where he is consistently really, really good and delivers year after year, but he’s never far and above anyone doing it. One 2nd team All-Pro and a great fantasy guy, but he’s never been THE GUY in the league.

Torry Holt has been eligible for the HOF for going on ten years now and still isn’t it. Steve Smith, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne . . . there’s a hell of a backlog at WR, and, when it’s time for Evans to be considered, he’s going to not be compared against 1k seasons, he’s compared against Adams, Hopkins, Hill, and a bunch of other guys who are likely to have more All-Pros. I’m not saying Evans has no shot, but people really think it’s easy to get into the HOF, and it’s harder for WRs just because passing numbers have so far gone off the charts.

“And by sooner or later,” continued Smith, “I mean it will happen about five minutes after I’m fired and a better coach is running this team.”

Why did Travis Kelce allow his love life to give MVS stone hands at the end of the Eagles game SO SELFISH

Holy shit just figured it out Bryce Hall is Batman

The interesting one is MBC, and whether his late-career insanity, walking off the field in the Jets game, running an AFL team into the ground, and being basically garbage in many ways keeps him out. Spoilers; it probably does.

Gronk is the easy first-ballot guy. AP could legitimately be last the first-ballot RB we see maybe ever. Roethlesberger gets in at some point, Richard Sherman probably does thanks to a 3-4 year run where he was one of the best CBs around. Other than that, either no particularly strong feelings or a bunch of guys who won’t even get consideration.

Luke Goedeke at RT. He was forced to play LG last year as a rookie with all of the Bucs’ major offensive line injuries, and he was absolutely terrible at it. This year, with Wirfs going seamlessly over to LT, Goedeke got slotted into his more natural position at RT, and he has been damn fabulous.

Of course, the Bucs’ interior offensive line is still by and large a garbage fire, but at least Goedeke has really turned it around.