Doleman in, Carter isn't, as the 2012 NFL Hall of Fame class is announced

Well, I was half right.

Earlier today, I wrote that ex-Vikings Cris Carter and Chris Doleman would not get elected into the Hall of Fame. But it turns out Doleman did.

Perhaps I should have been a bit more optimistic about Doleman. His 150.5 career sacks are the fourth-most in NFL history and he was an eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. Yet I felt the fact that he played 10 of his 15 years for the Vikings (and two seasons with Atlanta) meant he didn't have the name recognition of some other guys – like Charles Haley, for example. I'm glad I was wrong in this case.

As for Carter, he's suffering from the voters belief that wide receivers aren't as worthy as other positions of being enshrined at Canton. And his chances won't improve in 2013 - Tim Brown and Andre Reed didn't get in, either. Back in 2008, when Carter didn't make the cut during his first year of eligibility, Pacifist Viking pointed out the idiocy of the decision in this post. It seems just as idiotic now.

I've always thought that if you were one of the elite players at your position during your career and you were elite for a long time – and I believe Carter was – you deserved to be in the Hall of Fame. Yet I'm sure some voters haven't bought in to Carter being Canton-worthy because he posted big numbers during a time when the passing rules were tipped heavily in the offence's favor.

But I fail to see how a player like Curtis Martin gets in before Cris Carter. The most remarkable thing about Martin was his longevity. Playing one of the most punishing positions in football, Martin was extremely productive for 10 of his 11 seasons. But he also averaged less than four yards per carry in five of those seasons and four yards or less in seven. He was able to stay healthy and churn out a lot of solid stats, but I wouldn't say he was an elite back for much of his career. But he gets the nod because his career numbers are hard to ignore. And playing eight of 11 seasons in New York City didn't hurt.

Oh well. I still think Carter will get in. It's just going to take a lot longer than many of us thought. I'm interested to hear what other Viking fans think of Saturday's Hall of Fame results.