What Would John Abraham Have To Do To Get Into The Hall Of Fame?

Possibly being the key word there. He’s got a big number of sacks but I feel like the Hall of Fame looks for either the very best at the position (Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders) or someone who quite literally changed the game. Abe’s good and has been good over the course of his career but I don’t know if he has the numbers to put him in. Again, like someone said before, he needs a ring. I’m sure Kenny Anderson and Ken Riley, two Bengals greats that have made huge impacts on the NFL during their primes, would probably be in the Hall if they had a ring. Anderson’s completion record took nearly thirty years to shatter.

In truth, I could see half of this current team making it into the Ring of Honor (or Fame. Can’t recall which of the two it’s called.)

I think it’s safe to say that Abe will at least be mentioned as one of the Falcons all-time greats. When you think of Falcons defense over the past 5 years, who do you think of? Abraham and Brooking to a lesser extent, for sure. Abe has stayed out of trouble and he’s produced pretty well since he got here.

John gets 15 sacks and 4 int’s returned for TD’s.

But I say he probably ends up on the outside looking in… And you don’t even have to compare him to sure-fire HOFers like Bruce Smith and Reggie White. I think he’s clearly behind contemporaries like:

Michael Strahan – 15 Seasons, 141.5 Sacks, 7 Pro Bowls, 4 1st Team All-Pro’s, 2001 AP Defensive Player of the Year, 1 Super Bowl Ring, Single Season Sack Leader (22.5)

Jason Taylor – 14 Seasons, 132.5 Sacks, 7x PB, 3x 1-AP, 2006 AP Defensive POY

Dwight Freeney – 9 Seasons, 94.0 Sacks, 6x PB, 3x 1-AP, 1 Ring

(for comparison, Abe’s numbers – 11 Seasons, 102.5 Sacks, 4x PB, 2x 1-AP)

I think he’d have to play for 3-4 more years, get about 30 more Sacks, AND win a Super Bowl to get any serious consideration. Then he’d be in (2011 inductee) Richard Dent range, although without the talking point of being the Super Bowl MVP of the ’85 Bears.