SB Nation - Willie Roaf

Who Are The Future Chiefs Hall of Famers?

Matt Conner — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:10:36 -0000

While winning the Super Bowl is the ultimate team accomplishment and something we hope the Chiefs are able to attain, it's the Hall of Fame that remains the greatest individual achievement for each and every NFL player. With all of the current focus on Derrick Thomas and the upcoming entry to the prestigious group, it begs the question of who is currently in the NFL who will be joining DT via future enshrinement.

Specifically, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at our current roster and ask the bold question: Are there any current Chiefs who will eventually find themselves holding company with the greatest players ever to walk upon the field? With a 2-14 season behind them, this group hardly seems the proper team to ask about. Yet there might be some surprises with our current roster make-up. Below is my attempt to at least throw some names out for consideration:

Branden Albert - In a time in the NFL when the hero worship extends from the QB to the Left Tackle position, Albert really has a chance to establish long-term domination at a key time in NFL history. In some cases, it's being at the right position at the right time where the rigors of protecting the blind side are properly highlighted. Yet on the other side, it's also about Albert's ability to handle any and all opponents on the defensive line. This year's schedule featuring the D-lines of the NFC East should reveal Albert's chances to take over early in his career.

Dwayne Bowe - Everyone agrees Bowe holds a couple strong seasons under his belt, but the word 'special' hasn't yet applied itself. This will be difficult to achieve in a time where older star receivers like Hines Ward, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens still get the spotlight and newer stars are emerging as the best in the NFL with Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson catching the ball. Still there's always room for more if Bowe and Matt Cassel can establish a true chemistry on the field.

Glenn Dorsey - Yeah, yeah, I know. It's early. Not even early. It's almost ridiculous to write this here. After all, conversations have been about how well he fits on the team, not about the hidden greatness. But a year ago it was all cheers for a reason, since Dorsey's talent seemed limitless at the time. Regardless of schemes, you can't deny that Dorsey enjoyed as fine a rookie season as some of the best d-linemen in recent history and it's experience in this league that eventually reveals the best. So as far as I'm concerned, Dorsey can be as great as he wants to be, whether in the 3-4, the 4-3 or the 6-1.

Brandon Flowers - Had to go for a total stretch with one of these (okay, maybe two with Dorsey). But the first-year corner more than held his own for most of the season, displaying why most pundits thought the Chiefs got a true steal with this second round pick. His 91 yard return for a TD instantly set Flowers apart in his rookie season and gave fans great hopes for things to come. Here's hoping the Chiefs unearthed one of the NFL's greatest.

Zach Thomas - It's almost too bad he certainly won't get in the Hall as a Chief, because Thomas' future is definitely enshrinement. With more tackles than any Hall of Fame linebacker (although other active LBers like Ray Lewis have more) and 7 Pro Bowl seasons, Thomas has been a man among boys for some time now.

Brian Waters - His strong philanthropic work off the field will only bolster his incredible on the field credentials. Even after other HoF candidates like Will Shields and Willie Roaf retired, Waters continued to dominate the guard position. With four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro campaigns under his belt, he has the foundation to merit at least strong consideration for the Hall.

Do you agree or disagree? Have any other players worth throwing in? Perhaps Monty Beisel or Demorrio Williams?

CSC All-Time Saints Team Nominations: Offensive Tackle No. 2

Saintsational — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 12:00:22 -0000

Inching forward with our all-time team, today we revisit the offensive tackle position. Click here to see the original nomination post, which includes the info for most of our nominated players, and here to view the results of that election. Since Willie Roaf ran away with the first tackle spot the last time around, I will assume that the remaining players should still be nominated. Jim Dombrowski, who was originally nominated for this position the first time, is no longer up for election because he has already been selected to our team at the guard position. If, however, you feel someone was still left behind the first time around, this is your chance to throw them in the pool for possible selection. Those remaining players still up for election are:

The poll will open at 7am Central tomorrow morning and will be open for exactly 48 hours, ending on Tuesday, July 28th.

As always, the comment section is open for more discussion about these great players and the way things used to be.

Getting to Know You!

Saintsational — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:00:23 -0000

Meet Mrs. Frumplesworth.

Quickly, before we get started to I just wanted to announce the newest member of our CSC All-Time Saints team, Willie Roaf. He ran away with it. Congrats to him and his family. I am sure they are very excited to hear the news.

Since the off-season has become just unbearable I figured there was no better time to bring back a favorite CSC community tradition - our "Getting to Know You" post! To help foster the community spirit and allow everyone to get to know each other better, I pose five questions to all CSC readers. I encourage everyone and anyone to answer these questions and offer any other personal stories they wish to share with our members. So without further ado, here are your questions:

Who is your favorite current Saints player?
Who is your favorite all-time Saints player?
Who is your favorite all-time Saints coach?
How long have you been a Saints fan?
What is your 2009 record prediction?

The more the merrier! Have fun!

CSC All-Time Saints Team Nominations: Offensive Tackle

Saintsational — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:00:16 -0000

We now return to our regularly scheduled CSC programming. Today we get back to selecting players for our Canal Street Chronicles All-Time Saints team. To get back into the swing of things, today we'll take a look at offensive tackles.

Below is a list of players I've researched and deemed worthy of inclusion in our discussion of great Saints offensive tackles. There aren't really any stats for the position so decisions will inevitably come down to more than just numbers. For the purpose of this project we won't delineate between left and right tackle because the position is often interchangeable.

The poll will open at 6am Central tomorrow morning and will be open for exactly 48 hours, ending on Saturday, June 13tth. Remember again that we will hold a separate election for the second offensive tackle position.

I now open it up for any other nominations or players that you just can't believe I missed. Talk it out in the comment section. It's a lot more difficult to find information about offensive lineman so there very well may be a glaring omission. I would also love to hear some personal rumination from our readers who've actually watched these guys plays.

Willie Roaf

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 320

D.O.B.: 4/18/1970

College: Louisiana Tech

NFL Experience: 13 Seasons

Seasons with Saints: 1993-2001

Notables: 11-time Pro Bowler & 3-time first-team All-Pro.

Stan Brock

Height: 6'6"

Weight: 295

D.O.B.: 6/8/1958

College: Colorado

NFL Experience: 16 Seasons

Seasons with Saints: 1980-1992

Jammal Brown

Height: 6'6"

Weight: 313

D.O.B.: 3/30/1981

College: Oklahoma

NFL Experience: 4 Seasons

Seasons with Saints: 2005-

Notables: 2-time Pro Bowler & 1-time first-team All-Pro.

Kyle Turley

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 306

D.O.B.: 9/24/1975

College: San Diego State

NFL Experience: 9 Seasons

Seasons with Saints: 1998-2002

Notables: 1-time first-team All-Pro