Eric Allen Is A Semi-Finalist For the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Finally)
(Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO - OCTOBER 2: Cornerback Eric Allen #21 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs with the ball during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on October 2, 1994 in San Francisco, California. The Eagles won 40-8.
Eric Allen is long overdue to be in the Hall of Fame. And he is now open step closer to getting that honor. The NFL released the 28 Semi-Finalists for this year’s class today, and Eric Allen’s name was finally among them.
The 28 names will be trimmed down to 15 before the vote happens in January. That trims them down to 10 before the final 5 who will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame are finally selected.
The other names among the Semi-Finalists also includes former Eagles Ricky Watters. Along with Anquan Boldin, Jahri Evans, London Fletcher, Eddie George, James Harrison, Rodney Harrison, Robert Mathis, Steve Smith Sr., Fred Taylor, Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne and Vince Wilfork. Jared Allen, Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, Patrick Willis, Willie Anderson, and Darren Woodson also return after being Semi-Finalists last year but falling short.
Eric Allen has the 21st most picks in NFL history. 14 of the people ahead of him are already in the Hall of Fame. And almost everyone just behind him is also in the Hall. Some of the names he has more picks than include Champ Bailey, Deion Sanders, Ronde Barber, Darrelle Revis, and Asante Samuel. No one had more interceptions than him in the 90s. And it feels like if you are the best person at doing something as important as getting picks over an entire decade, you belong in the Hall of Fame.
Ronde Barber is in the Hall of Fame, yet Eric Allen’s numbers across the board are better. That is not me saying Ronde isn’t deserving, because he is. But if he is in, Allen deserves to be in too.
Allen is long overdue to be in the Hall of Fame. He is one of the best Corners from his era. And if the only argument against him is that he never won, that’s insane. No single player can carry a team to a Super Bowl, especially not a cornerback. Few corners from the past 3 decades have been as good as Allen was. It is good to finally see him getting some respect. But whether it is this year, or in the next few years, Allen belongs in the Hall. It is on the voters to do the right thing.
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The All Time Roster Of Philadelphia Eagles We Don't Appreciate Enough
In terms of All-Time Great Philadelphia Eagles, we can all run down the list of who we like at each position. Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Reggie White, Chuck Bednarik. The Eagles have 25 Hall Of Famers, so if you just put them all on a team it would make up almost half a All-Time Roster. Those names are easy to come up with. But what about guys who don’t get that level of love? Guys who maybe got forgotten or overlooked in their time here. Guys like Jeremy Maclin, Andy Harmon, and Chad Lewis. The players where if someone brings them up, we will all go, “Oh yea, that guy was great.”
Some just got overshadowed because they played next to guys like Reggie White or Brian Dawkins. Others may have played positions that just don’t get enough love to begin with. And some are just guys who just did their job, but never got the love. But all of them are guys we tend to overlook. So I figured it is time to give those guys some love for once.
I did my best to build out a roster on both offense, defense, and special teams of these guys who deserve more love. What QB did we not appreciate enough? Which WR deserves more love? What CB do Eagles fans overlook? I picked who I think are the most underappreciated at every position.
You’ll notice they are all from the 90s and 2000s because that is what I know. Bill Bradley may be a great CB we underrate, but his career began and ended way before I was born. So I apologize for leaving him and other guys from that era, or earlier eras, off the list. And obviously, some of them are actually great players. Underrated is a vague term, but in one way or the other, all of these are underappreciated.
Here is your All-Time Roster Of Philadelphia Eagles Who Don’t Get Enough Love:
Andrew Salciunas, “The Choonis,” has done it all at the station - screening calls, working events as a member of the street team, producing 7 days a week, doing updates, and now hosting his own show. Now with a wife and kid, his life experiences are far different than when he first started, but this “regular guy” knows how to relate to anyone. He writes about the Flyers, Phillies, Sixers, and Eagles.