Barber, Lynch Back On Hall Semifinalists List; Cut To 15 Might Be A Problem
November 20th, 2018
“Bryan, Jason, if you’re not going to fly me around the country to work on these voters over lunch, then you reap what you sow, gentleman.”
Champ Bailey or Ronde Barber?
John Lynch or Ed Reed?
Those are four names on this year’s official list of 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, announced tonight.
The Bucs legends are back in the hunt and hoping to make the finalist cut to 15, which would give them a shot to be voted into the Hall the day before the Super Bowl. Lynch has made that cut four times but hasn’t gotten the love from the voters when it counts.
Barber missed the finalist cut last year in his first year of eligibility.
Steve Atwater and Darren Woodson also semifinalists at safety, and Ty Law is more competition at cornerback.
The 18 other semifinalists include three coaches, Tom Flores, Jimmy Johnson and Don Coryell. The rest of the studs in the hunt this year can be found here at NFL.com. First-timers Reed and Tony Gonzalez are slam-dunks to get in, and Joe’s got a soft spot for linebacker Sam Mills.
Of course, Tampa Bay’s only Hall of Fame voter is JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman, who will have plenty to say about this and the chances for Barber and Lynch on his next podcast.
Sadly, Joe sees long odds for Barber and Lynch to get in the Hall this year. The politics are overwhelming and won’t be in their favor. Hopefully, they both make the finalist stage so Ira can present them for a vote.
If Team Glazer wants to help the cause, two things must happen. First, fly Ira to the final two road games and playoff games to educate voters, aka work on votes. There is no better tactic. Second, tell Barber to stop playing the humble card and advise him to engage voters at his various stops as a FOX broadcaster, and to make himself available for national interviews.
November 20th, 2018 at 8:42 pm
Ira was absolutely clutch on getting Sapp & Brooks in ( first ballot for both I believe ). Lynch is a tougher sell and may have to eventually get in the “veteran’s route”. Ronde will get in sooner rather than later…and his humility has always served him well while his twin got ahead of himself in life.
November 20th, 2018 at 8:42 pm
won’t make it. too many better “names”
November 20th, 2018 at 8:58 pm
Who cares anymore? Everyone hates the Bucs. The refs, the media, Goodell, 31 other owners, everyone hates the Bucs. The team has sucked since these two played, so there is zero love to be given. Maybe if the owners could field a halfway decent team that wasn’t the laughing stock of the NFL year after year, these two might get some votes. When the Bucs stop sucking, start winning and make the playoffs, Barber & Lynch May get gold jackets. But they are more likely to be in retirement homes before that happens again. This really is a joke like everything Buccaneers these days.
November 20th, 2018 at 9:01 pm
Maybe I’m not seeing the same point as the Joe’s are to why the Glazers have to flip the bill for the campaign. Why should they do more than what they have already done in the course of their careers? I mean if their names and legacy are not enough to get them in now then there’s always next year and beyond
November 20th, 2018 at 9:02 pm
Next big joke will be that Licht and Koetter will be retained for the 2019’ season because everyone else turned the Glazers down.
November 20th, 2018 at 9:04 pm
First, fly Ira to the final two road games and playoff games to educate voters, aka work on votes.
Nice try, Ira.
November 20th, 2018 at 9:06 pm
BigMacAttack
I wouldn’t be surprised if Licht and Koetter was retained
November 20th, 2018 at 9:06 pm
Ed Reed will get in over Lynch.
Maybe Ronde will make it this year. He definitely deserves it.
Lynch does too, just harder at safety I think.
November 20th, 2018 at 9:08 pm
Champ bailey has better or similar stats to 20. Champ wins all day over him. Lynch while a great player. Not a all time great. Take your Rosebuc colored glasses off people. There so e conspiracy against the Bucs. Other teams have good or better players too. Simple as that.
November 20th, 2018 at 9:09 pm
Champ Bailey was a nice corner. Ronde Barber was one of the best of all time.
I have come to the conclusion, after being a Bucs fan from the very beginning, that Ronde was the second best player we have ever had after Lee Roy. He was a far better corner than Brooks was a linebacker. Not to say he was more important; the closer you get to the line the more important the position. But, he did his job better than anybody in a Buc uniform except for Lee Roy Selmon. Sorry youngsters, it’s not even close, Lee Roy was the best Buccaneer ever.
November 20th, 2018 at 9:15 pm
Champ Bailey was a nice corner. Ronde Barber was the best of all time.
I have come to the conclusion that Barber was the second best Buccaneer player of all time after Lee Roy. Barber was a better corner than Brooks was a linebacker. I’m not saying he was more important; the closer to the line the more important the position. But he was simply better at his job than any other Buc than Lee Roy. Sorry youngsters, but Lee Roy Selmon was the best Buccaneer ever and its not even close.
November 20th, 2018 at 9:34 pm
Lynch used to survive the cut from 15 to 10 in years past. Last year he did not. He isn’t moving in the right direction.
No way he gets in this year or next with Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu coming up these next couple of years. I seriously doubt the Hall will double up on 2 safeties in a single year and Lynch doesn’t have the career that Reed or Polamalu has.
November 20th, 2018 at 9:41 pm
Buddy, Champ Bailey’s stats pale in comparison to Ronde’s. Go to NFL.com and look. Over 200 fewer tackles and 4 less TD returns on only 5 more interceptions (Barber 8 Bailey 4. Also Barber has 28 sacks and Bailey has 3. No contest. Barber smokes Bailey.
November 20th, 2018 at 9:42 pm
Barber may literally be the best corner who ever played the game.
November 20th, 2018 at 10:06 pm
In my mind, all 4 are HOF’ers….
November 20th, 2018 at 10:30 pm
John Lynch was my favorite Buc but Ed Reed was amazing in his own reguards.
Ed Reed also had a ton of monumental moments is a lot of playoff/championship games. He was an incredible player most memorical plays then Lynch did(to any non-buc fan).
Unfortunately Lynch does not stand much of a chance. IRAs goal should be to get 2 safteys in. That’s a tall order.
November 20th, 2018 at 10:32 pm
I’ve always despised the “system corner” label Barber has. That label is Busch!!! Ronde was was a football player. He was one of the best football players I ever saw.
IN
November 20th, 2018 at 10:34 pm
Typos**
November 20th, 2018 at 10:58 pm
Neither of them deserves to be on the ballot much less get in… Bucs got there freebee when brooks road sapp’s coattails to hall of fame. None of the bucs deserve to be in the hall of fame with the pathetic 5 career playoff wins. but low standard buc fans call has-beens with 5 playoff wins legends…. Only in bucville are underachieving has-beens labeled legends. lynch cares far more about denver and broncos than he does bucs…
maybe if they had a coach that was not so ignorant and one dimensional these players would stand a chance. Hall is for the best of the best not players that choke in post season.
November 20th, 2018 at 11:09 pm
Madden really made Bailey out to look alot better than he actually is. Now Ty Law on the other hand, should be in the Hall before both of them.
November 21st, 2018 at 12:04 am
John Lynch for sure… Ronde No.
November 21st, 2018 at 7:05 am
Ronde redefined a position….particularly through stats. His sacks, interceptions, tackles…He was exceptional in the system and had a huge defining moment in team history.
Lynch was a very good Bucs player but I never viewed him as all time great. He reminds me of McCoy…good enough for the Ring of Honor but not HOF.
I think at some point we have to recognize the really elite players of that team, made other good players look great Sapp, Brooks…even Rice were the motors for that defense. Ronde has unique stats that I think set him apart….Lynch was a byproduct to a lot of really great players.
November 21st, 2018 at 8:05 am
Simeon Rice belongs in the Hall more than any of the other guys. The Hall has become a complete joke.
November 21st, 2018 at 10:30 am
tmaxcon Says:
“Bucs got there freebee when brooks road sapp’s coattails”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are going to run garbage like that, man, you should probably learn to spell RODE.
November 21st, 2018 at 2:16 pm
Buddy must be talking out his a$$.
Champ was a very good player too, but his stats don’t even come close to Ronde.
Ronde changed the position. Maybe take off your $hit colored glasses…