The Pro Football Hall of Fame has made significant changes to its selection process, and those decisions could greatly impact some former Denver Broncos greats still hoping to one day get to Canton.
Recently, it was announced that the Hall of Fame will reduce its number of selectors
from 50 to 28. While that move won't directly affect some former Broncos players many feel deserve the Hall of Fame, the second change definitely will.While there will continue to be Coach and Contributor categories, all former players will be placed into one pool, rather than being split up into "modern" and "senior" pools.
"The Hall of Fame's selection process has always been guided by integrity, thoughtful deliberation and a commitment to honoring those most deserving
of football's highest individual honor," Hall of Fame president and CEO Jim Porter told ESPN. "We believe these changes both augment what has worked well while addressing opportunities to further strengthen a tradition that means so much to the game and everyone who loves it."
These changes will take effect immediately.
Former Broncos greats may never reach Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame does a great job, but its flaw is how easily players who retired decades ago can be forgotten. That's what made the senior category such a great aspect of the selection process, because it allowed a light to be shone on players who have slipped the minds of many.
In fact, without the senior category, there is a good chance that Randy Gradishar would have never been elected, which would have been a major travesty, as he was one of the best football players of his era, but his talent just went by the wayside because so many people never saw him play.
Now, that could be the fate for guys like Louis Wright, Dennis Smith, Lionel Taylor, Karl Mecklenburg and Rod Smith. All of these players deserve to receive a gold jacket, but the odds of that ever happening have just changed drastically.
The fact that the Coach category will be kept is good news for the likes of Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves, two others who are more than deserving.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: What the Hall of Fame's new selection process means for Broncos greats
