Before we get to anything else here, let's all congratulate the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame class of Jerome Bettis, Junior Seau, Charles Haley, Tim Brown, Will Shields, Bill Polian, Ron Wolf and Mick Tingelhoff.
I wanted to get that out of the way because as of right now, we're done talking about them. Instead, we're going to talk about something you can debate with your family for the next six months: Who should be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016?
There's actually one guy you won't have to debate with anyone about because he's pretty much a lock to be inducted next year -- the Ol' Gunslinger, Brett Favre.
If Favre's inducted, he'll end a 10-year Hall of Fame drought at quarterback. Favre's induction would take place in August 2016, which would be exactly a decade after the last quarterback was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Both Troy Aikman and Warren Moon were inducted in 2006.
Besides Favre, there will be several other notable players who will be Hall of Fame-eligible for the first time next year. That list includes Terrell Owens, Clinton Portis and former Steelers guard Alan Faneca, but I don't see any of those three guys getting the nod in their first year of eligibility.
So who will join Favre in Canton, Ohio, for the Hall of Fame induction next August?
It's time to predict the 2016 class.
Predicted class of 2016 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Brett Favre, quarterback, Atlanta Falcons (1991), Green Bay Packers (1992-2007), New York Jets (2008), Minnesota Vikings (2009-10)
As long as the selection committee doesn't decide to penalize Favre for sending a few lewd text messages back in 2008, he should be a lock for induction next year.
Sometimes it's easy to forget just how dominating Favre was early on in his career.
When Favre was traded from Atlanta to Green Bay in February 1992, he went to a moribund franchise: The Packers had put together exactly one winning season in the nine years before Favre's arrival.
That all changed when Favre took over the starting quarterback job permanently in Week 3 of 1992. After Favre took over, the Packers would go on to play in two Super Bowls, winning one during a span where the Packers made the postseason 10 times in 12 years.
Favre would also win the NFL MVP Award three straight times (1995-97), something no other player has ever done.
When the 11-time Pro Bowl selection decided to retire for good in 2010, he left the NFL as the league's all-time leader in touchdowns (508), passing yards (71,838) and completions (6,300). Favre has since fallen to No. 2 in TD passes behind Peyton Manning.
23 years ago today, #Packers traded for Brett Favre. No one knew him. This was next day's @gbpressgazette front page. pic.twitter.com/frkBYcTCAz
— Jeff Ash (@JeffAshPG) February 11, 2015
Kurt Warner, quarterback, St. Louis Rams (1998-2003), New York Giants (2004), Arizona Cardinals (2005-09)
With Favre likely getting a Hall of Fame nod in 2016, some people might be wondering if that hurts Kurt Warner's chances. Would the committee really select two quarterbacks in the same year?
If the recent past is any indication, then Warner shouldn't have anything to worry about on that front. The last time a quarterback was enshrined came in 2006 when two quarterbacks were inducted into the Hall of Fame -- Aikman and Moon.
The year before that was also a big one for quarterbacks as both Dan Marino and Steve Young were inducted in 2005. Apparently, these things come in pairs.
If anything's going to hurt Warner's induction chances, it's not going to be Favre, it's going to be that ugly five-season stretch in his career (2002-06) where he went 8-22 as a starter. During that timespan, Warner actually threw more interceptions (30) than touchdown passes (27).
Warner's putrid play during those five years is what makes the rest of his career so impressive. In his seven good seasons, Warner won two MVP awards and played in three Super Bowls. The four-time Pro Bowl pick also led the NFL in touchdown passes twice and passing yards once.
The good news for Warner is that every player who has ever won multiple MVPs has ended up being a Hall of Famer. That list includes Joe Montana, Steve Young and Johnny Unitas. The list will also eventually include Favre and Warner, if the selection committee can get over that ugly five-year span.
Orlando Pace, left tackle, St. Louis Rams (1997-2008), Chicago Bears (2009)
If Warner was the Ringmaster of the "Greatest Show on Turf," then Pace was the big top that kept it all together. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, Pace went on to play a pivotal part in the Rams' improbable Super Bowl run of 1999 just one season after the Rams finished 4-12.
The seven-time Pro Bowl selection was arguably one of the three best left tackles of the past 20 years. The other two left tackles in the top three, Walter Jones and Jonathan Ogden, were both recently inducted into the Hall of Fame.
There's no reason Pace shouldn't join them in 2016.
The HOF selection committee has been infatuated with offensive linemen lately, with five having been inducted since 2012. That's good news for Pace because he's really the only Hall of Fame-worthy lineman up for induction next year.
Alan Faneca might eventually get in, but he'll be a longshot in 2016, especially since it's his first year of eligibility.
Marvin Harrison, wide receiver, Indianapolis Colts (1996-2008)
Over the past two years, the Hall of Fame selection committee has slowly been clearing up the logjam that was developed at wide receiver with Cris Carter (2013), Andre Reed (2014) and Tim Brown (2015).
Those three inductions are good news for Harrison, because it was unlikely he was going to get in before any of those three and for awhile, it didn't look like they were going to make the cut. Brown and Carter were both named finalists six times before being inducted, while Reed was a finalist eight times before his eventual induction in 2014.
The good news for Harrison is that he's likely not going to have to wait the eight years that Reed did.
The former Colts receiver is third all-time in receptions (1,102), fifth in touchdown catches (128) and seventh in receiving yards (14,580) -- numbers that should earn the eight-time Pro Bowl pick a Hall of Fame nod in what will only be his third year of eligibility.
It's going to be important for Harrison to get inducted in 2016 because if he doesn't, it's only going to get more challenging after that. Harrison's already up against some big-name receivers in 2016 like Owens, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. Both Bruce and Owens finished their careers with more receiving yards than Harrison.
Kevin Greene, LB/DE, Los Angeles Rams (1985-92), Pittsburgh Steelers (1993-95), Carolina Panthers (1996, '98-99), San Francisco 49ers (1997)
Greene is probably the biggest longshot on this list, but I think the fifth time is going to be the charm for the former pass-rusher.
Greene has been a Hall of Fame finalist since 2012, but he hasn't been able to get to Canton, thanks in large part to a crowded field of candidates that included Charles Haley, Michael Strahan, Chris Doleman, Junior Seau and Derrick Brooks -- all guys have who have been elected recently.
The biggest argument for Greene is that he was basically an unstoppable pass-rusher for 15 straight years. To put that in perspective, Greene had more sacks (12) during the final year of his NFL career than he did in any of his first three seasons.
Overall, Greene finished his career with 160 sacks, the third-highest total since the NFL made the sack an official statistic in 1982. Only five guys have recorded 140 or more sacks in their career and four are in the Hall of Fame (Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Doleman, Strahan). It wouldn't be a shock to see the Hall finally add the five-time Pro Bowl selection who was the NFL's single-season sacks leader three times.
Greene's biggest competition for the fifth and final spot will be probably be Tony Dungy or Jimmy Johnson. Greene will probably need to hope that voters end up being split on the two coaches.
Just missed in 2016: Tony Dungy, Jimmy Johnson, Terrell Davis, Terrell Owens, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Morten Anderson, John Lynch, Eddie DeBartolo Jr.
The 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame class will be announced in a television special that's tentatively set to air Feb. 6, 2016, on CBS, the day before Super Bowl 50.
