NFL history leaves no doubt about whether or not Dallas Cowboys' Zack Martin will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer
Zack Martin did everything right in his NFL career and there's no question he will be rewarded for it with a bust in Canton, Ohio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only doubt about the Dallas Cowboys legend's path there is about timing. Will Martin be a first ballot Hall of Famer? There's one […]
Zack Martin did everything right in his NFL career and there's no question he will be rewarded for it with a bust in Canton, Ohio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only doubt about the Dallas Cowboys legend's path there is about timing.
Will Martin be a first ballot Hall of Famer? There's one thing playing against him.
He's a guard. Like it or not, offensive linemen, particularly those playing on the inside, are overlooked by the media and even the voters. Consider this: Since 1991, only three guards have been enshrined as first ballot Hall of Famers, per Future Football Legends. In the same time span, there have been 54 other first ballot enshrinees.
Among those 54 are included 10 quarterbacks, nine running backs, five cornerbacks, four wide receivers, six linebackers, and even five offensive tackles. But only three guards.
Those in question? Larry Allen (2013), Bruce Matthews (2007), and John Hanna (1991).
When asking ourselves if Martin will be enshrined into Canton, Ohio, in his first year of eligibility, we need to take a look at these players for an answer. And I believe NFL history's answer is a resounding yes. The numbers leave no doubt No. 70 will be inducted as soon as possible. If not, I'd like a word with the voters to go over some stats you and I can discuss right now.
Allen and Matthews both come in under Martin's seven first-team All-Pro honors at guard (at six each, though Matthews earned one at center in 1992, which to his point makes him look like an absolute badass). While it's true both of these players had longer careers than Martin, Allen's All-Pro years all came in the first eight years of his career.
And please, don't get me wrong, it's not about lifting Martin above these names but rather about putting him on the same tier. John Hannah also finished his career with seven first-team All-Pro years at guard and he was enshrined in his first year of eligibility. Hannah, Martin, and Randall McDaniel are the only players in NFL history to have seven All-Pro seasons at guard.
Speaking of McDaniel, he had to wait two years to be enshrined, which was perceived as a snub at the time.
"That was the first year that guard Randall McDaniel was eligible for the Hall of Fame, and the lock for the Hall, the certain first ballot guy, got snubbed," wrote former NFL coach Gary Zauner on his blog in 2009. "One has to ask questions about the Hall of Fame selection process when someone like McDaniel, as dominant a Guard as has ever played the game, a leader on and off the field, and a great man on top of it all, gets snubbed in his first year of eligibility."
Martin, who played 11 years in the NFL without being called for a holding in pass protection, is right up there with the guards that have pulled off the remarkable feat of getting into Canton in Year 1 of eligibility. He should be honored as such.
We'll see if the voters consider the history of the game when making their votes five years from now.
