07-29-2021, 06:53 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-31-2021, 06:54 AM by Tesla. Edited 1 time in total.)
Analyzing the Players In and Out of the ISFL Hall of Fame - DBs and KPs
Cornerbacks
The players who try to stop high-flying offenses, cornerbacks have long been an extremely valuable asset to a team. The ISFL has had many good corners, but only six have been deemed great enough for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame - Antoine Delacour, Marc Spector, Dermot Lavelle, Benson Bayley, Andre Bly Jr., and Johnny Snuggles.
GOATS
Dermot Lavelle
There’s no way around it - Dermot Lavelle is the greatest cornerback of all time. He has the awards (a Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Back of the Year nod), the Pro Bowls (13, most by any player ever), and the statistics (first in passes defensed and interceptions all time). No one even comes close.
Generational Talents
Antoine Delacour, Marc Spector, Benson Bayley, Andre Bly Jr.
Antoine Delacour is probably the best of the four, but all of these players are well cemented as legendary players. Delacour finished his career with eight Pro Bowl appearances, a Defensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Back of the Year nod, and finished sixth in passes defensed and fifth in interceptions. Spector, Bayley, and Bly all finish with seven Pro Bowl appearances and top finishes in passes defensed and interceptions over their career, and Spector and Bly both have Defensive Back of the Year awards to their name. No player since these four have ever quite lived up to the level of talent and statistical dominance than them.
Statistical Locks
Johnny Snuggles
Johnny Snuggles is the first cornerback since the early era to make it into the Hall of Fame (though he probably won’t be the last). Snuggles went to five Pro Bowls and won a Defensive Rookie of the Year, though he failed to win a Cornerback of the Year award. Snuggles’ real key to getting in was being the first corner of the modern era to break into the top five career passes defensed category. Interceptions in general have declined since the first ten years of the league, so it will be interesting for the committee to consider who will deserve to be inducted, and if having low interception numbers will hinder many future CBs chances.
Other Notable Cornerbacks
Dermot Lavelle Jr., Desmond Scarlett, Mervin Leonard
Dermot Lavelle Jr., son of the GOAT, is probably the likeliest of these three to make it into the Hall. The seven time Pro Bowler and one time Cornerback of the Year also finished second all time in passes defensed, becoming only the second player to reach 200 PDs. While not as legendary as his namesake, Dermot Lavelle has earned his spot in his own rights and should easily get in. Mervin Leonard might be on the fringe for getting in. Leonard has five Pro Bowls and a Cornerback of the Year award, but only finished ninth all time in passes defensed. Desmond Scarlett also finished with the same mark, but while he has only one Pro Bowl and no awards he also finished 19th in interceptions. Scarlett will probably be relegated to the Hall of Very Good, but we will have to see.
Safeties
The last line of defense, the safety is required to be an elite tackler and pass defender at the same time. The ISFL has seen four safeties be inducted to the Hall of Fame - Ian Bavitz, Blackford Oakes, Dan Schneider, and Lennox Garnett.
???
Ian Bavitz, Blackford Oakes, Dan Schneider, Lennox Garnett
I have no clue how on Earth to accurately judge safeties. They don’t quite rise up the statistical leaderboards like other positions - heck at least cornerbacks can be judged on passes defensed. Each one of these players did frequent the Pro Bowl, all having over six appearances each. Bavitz was the best at sacking the quarterback, finishing 29th all time while also putting up the seventh best single-season interception performance. Blackford Oakes is behind only Dermot Lavelle in career interceptions. Dan Schneider finished in the top 20 for passes defensed and interceptions, a truly great free safety. And Lennox Garnett finished fourth all time in interceptions but also had more passes defensed than Blackford Oakes. It’s very hard to judge safeties in the grand scheme of things - which is maybe why the Pro Bowl is so important to them.
Other Notable Safeties
Richard D’Attoria V*
*Failed to be inducted to the HOF.
Just like the other safeties, he’s hard to judge in a vacuum. But I think when you compare him to the other safeties in the Hall of Fame, it’s easy to see that he should be in. He basically mathes Dan Schneider’s statistical output, though with fewer awards and Pro Bowls. I personally think that D’Attoria should be in, but the Hall of Fame Committee has been content to kick the can down the road to this season’s ballot.
Kickers
Unheralded and often forgotten until they need to win the game, the place kicker and punter remains one of the most important players on a team. Some voters in the past have believed that kickers do not deserve to even be in the Hall of Fame - but the league has still managed to induct four legendary kickers to the Hall - Turk Turkleton, Dean Jackson, Micycle McCormick, and Kulture Fulture.
GOATs
Kulture Fulture
I’ve written a whole article about why Fulture is the GOAT kicker, but to summarize - he was consistently the best kicker every single season for a majority of his career. Was a lot of that due to low competition? Sure. But if you compare his career season by season to the other Hall of Fame kickers, he consistently outperformed them too. In fact, the only reason he’s not first place in field goal percentage all time is the fact that he played well into regression - and even then he’s only 0.6% behind Micycle McCormick. Fulture's punting left a bit to be desired, but his career went on long enough that he finished with the fourth most punting yards in league history.
Best of their Eras
Turk Turkleton, Dean Jackson, Micycle McCormick
Turkleton, Jackson, and McCormick make up the Kicker Mafia of the early days in the ISFL. The three were absolutely dominant over the rest of the league, with 14 positional awards between the three. Turkleton was the original old kicker in the league having played 12 seasons. While his field goal percentage was less than ideal, he finished his career with the second most field goals made, third most punting yards, 12th in punting average, and 2nd all time in points. He also finished with the best punting season in league history at 50.904 yards per punt. Turkleton was a threat as both a kicker and punter, winning three positional awards in each. Dean Jackson also managed to play 12 seasons, finishing fifth in field goals made and points, fourth in career punting average, and first all time in punting yards. Jackson was honored as an eight time Pro Bowler, one time Kicker of the Year, and four time Punter of the Year. Finally, Micycle McCormick might not have the career numbers but he has the efficiency that no one else has quite gotten. In his five seasons as a kicker and punter, McCormick managed to finish first in career field goal percentage and third in career punting average, as well as being one of four players to ever average over 50 yards per punt in a season. McCormick finished with one Kicker of the Year and two Punter of the Year awards as well.
Other Notable Kickers
Neo Donaldson*, Stephen Harris*, Alfredo Crisco*, Cristiano Ronaldo*, Alex Dasistwirklichseinnachname, Venus Powers, Dougie Smalls, Matthew McDairmid
*Failed to be inducted to the HOF.
There has really been a kicker renaissance since Season 15, and four of the best in the recent era look to be near locks for the Hall of Fame (assuming the committee thinks kickers are valuable). Before I get to them, I want to talk about some players who failed to get in. First of all, had Cristiano Ronaldo played the full five seasons and also not been an Er multi, I think he’d be in as one of the greatest punters of all time. He is ineligible nonetheless but I thought it was worth bringing his name up here. Of the other three, I think Stephen Harris (Season 16, 4/15) and Alfredo Crisco (Season 28, 3/9 and Season 29, 2/9) should really be in the Hall. Harris won three Kicker of the Year awards and went to seven Pro Bowls in an era that included Turkleton and Jackson - so reaching that level of accomplishment was no easy feat. Harris also finished sixth all time in field goal percentage, also no easy feat. Harris’ punting was not exactly awe-inspiring, but his accomplishments as a kicker should have him in. Alfredo Crisco only went to three Pro Bowls, but he did also have to compete with the powerhouses that are Alex D. and Venus Powers for that spot. Crisco finished top ten in all the important statistical categories - seventh in field goals made, eighth in field goal percentage, sixth in punting yards, sixth in punting average, and seventh in points. It only goes to show the quality of the competition he faced that he only won one Kicker of the Year and one Punter of the Year award. Crisco should be considered a Statistical Lock in my book, but the committee disagreed. Neo Donaldson is the last player on this list, and while he is certainly slated for the Hall of Very Good, his two positional awards and top ten finishes in points and field goals made should have given him more than just 1/9 consideration in the Season 28 ballot.
The four horsemen of modern era - Alex D., Venus Powers, Dougie Smalls, and Matthew McDairmid - should all easily make it into the Hall, all for slightly different reasons. Alex D. is the spiritual successor to Turk Turkleton, having played the full 12 seasons and finishing first in field goals made and points and third in field goal percentage - but his career punting numbers are also elite with him finishing second in career punting yards and fifth in career punting average. With four positional awards and seven Pro Bowls, he didn’t reach quite the level of dominance of Kulture Fulture but he also had significantly more competition - so I think it’s fair to even consider Alex D. for GOAT status. Venus Powers and Dougie Smalls are both also all-around great kickers and punters. Powers is already top five in field goals made, punting yards, and points, and top ten in efficiency numbers as well. Dougie Smalls is a little bit behind, but still had an extremely solid career and should make it. Finally, Matthew McDairmid’s kicking career has been slightly less decorated but he is arguably one of the greatest punters of all time. McDairmid has put up the second best single-season punting performance and currently sits number one in career punting average by nearly half a yard. Assuming the committee cares about punters, McDairmid should be a shoe-in.