Why Hall's Class of 2024 Special-Teams List Demands a Deeper Dive

When the Pro Football Hall of Fame released a preliminary list of candidates this week for its modern-era Class of 2024, there were 173 names. Seventeen were special-teams players, including 15 kickers and punters. Only Josh Cribbs and Brian Mitchell were named as the special-teams players.

But, in reality, eight others were special-teams standouts (some almost exclusively) as coverage players or returners.

Let's see who they are.

Brendon Ayanbadejo and Larry Izzo were included as linebackers, but who's kidding whom? They weren't nominated for their play on defense. They were core special-teams guys.

Ayanbadejo was a two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler in that role. He made 144 career tackles on special teams, forcing four fumbles and recovering eight.

Izzo made All-Pro once and, like Ayanbadejo, was his conference's Pro Bowl cover-standout. He played 200 games in 13 years, never starting one. But a review of NFL gamebooks shows he made 204 special-teams tackles and had one blocked kick. He also forced a pair of fumbles and recovered three while on special teams.

The Hall has Michael Bates listed as a running back and kick returner, but as a running back he carried the ball 12 times and caught 12 passes. And as a kick returner? He was was great, leading the NFL in return average twice and scoring six times in his career.

Bates was All-Pro three times, a Pro Bowler five times and was the NFLPA's NFC Special Teams Player of the Year three times. And while his return work was excellent, his real specialty was kick coverage and rushing kicks.

With six teams in 10 years, Bates made a total of 102 special-teams tackles, with nine forced fumbles and three recoveries. He also blocked four kicks.

That's a total of 16 "splash plays" on special teams. For comparison, Steve Tasker -- usually considered the best special-teams player ever -- totaled 17 such plays (six blocks, five forced fumbles and six recoveries) in his career. That's elite company.

Bates was a do-it-all guy -- coverage, blocks, blocking and returns -- and is highly underrated. Frankly, most NFL fans don't seem to know who he is, but special-teams coordinators did.

Cribbs was listed as a special-teams player (as well as a returner and wide receiver), which is how a lot of these guys should be classified: Special teams first; position player second.

Cribbs did play offense  -- he had 251 career touches from scrimmage -- but that pales in comparison to his 648 touches as a returner. In that role, he's one of the best overall in NFL history. Plus, like Bates, he was excellent at kick coverage -- making 110 tackles in 136 games, including two seasons of over 20 each.

He was an All-Pro once and Pro Bowler three times, but that was based on returns ... and for good reason: He had eight kick returns for touchdowns and three punts that went the distance.His eight TD returns are second all-time (behind Cordarrelle Patterson's nine), and his 11 combined kick or punt returns are fifth.

Nicknamed "The Human Joystick", Dante Hall is listed among wide receivers, but he's there because of his return prowess, not his 162 career receptions.  His combined 12 returns (six kicks and six punts) trail only Devin Hester and Brian Mitchell and are tied with Eric Metcalf, all of whom are on the preliminary list.

Devin Hester was named as a wide receiver (he also played defensive back) but "also a KR/PR." Well, yeah, I guess. He did start 47 of his 156 games as a position player. But let's get real: He's here because he's the G.O.A.T. of returns. He was best at punt returns (14 touchdowns) but could take a kickoff back, as well-- that is, if and when opponents dared to kick to him.

Hester was rewarded with postseason honors five times in his career, including first-team All-Pro three times. He's been one of the Hall's Final 15 finalists the past two years and not only should return in 2024 but has a shot one day of becoming the first return specialist to get a Gold Jacket. 

Like Cribbs, Brian Mitchell, was on the special-teams list ... with the notation "also running back." But he's another here because of his returns. Mitchell actually did a lot as a third-down back -- receiving mostly, but he could carry the ball, too, and even completed an occasional pass. He had a well-defined role in Washington's offense, and, like Bates and Cribbs, was on coverage teams and made plenty of tackles 

His nine punt returns for scores are third, as are his 13 TD returns. He was All-Pro in 1994-95 and second-team in 1991.

Eric Metcalf is listed with running backs on the Hall's roll call, but his top single-season as a position player was more as a slot receiver in Atlanta's "Red Gun" offense. In 1995 he caught over 100 passes for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns. However, as a change-of-pace/third-down back with the Browns, he was also accompolished -- averaging 829 yards from scrimmage in his six seasons there. 

Once again, he's nominated for the Hall because he was a great returner. Ten of his punts went for touchdowns, second all-time behind Hester. He also took a pair of kickoffs to the house and was a three-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro (once consensus).

A decent third-down back with the Broncos, Glyn Milburn was another return guy. However, he was probably not in the same class as some of the others on the Hall's list. He only took three kicks and punts for touchdowns but was a two-time Pro Bowler in that role.

His numbers were good, just not monstrous.

Allen Rossum played defensive back in sub-defenses for a long time and even started 10 games as a defensive back. But, like eight of the 10 players who should be in the special-teams category, it was returns that have him nominated.

His five kickoff returns for scores, plus the three punts he took back, are high on the all-time lists for combined returns and sent him to one Pro Bowl. But, like Milburn, he's not on the level of others on the preliminary list.