Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts BONUS: Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney Announced as Hall-of-Fame Finalists

Episode Date: January 7, 2023

Indianapolis Colts legends Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney were announced as finalists for the 2023 Pro Football Hall-of-Fame class. Will either make it? The guys discuss the cases for both and what might stand in their way to make it this year.Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms:🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOColts?sid=YouTube📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFLFollow Jake and Zach's written work on HorseshoeHuddle.com (@ColtsOnFN), and give them a follow on Twitter @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, and @LockedOnColts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Indianapolis Colts legends Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney are waiting to see if they'll be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame here in a month. But how likely is it that either of them will actually make it? We're Jake Arthur and Zach Hicks of the Locked On Colts podcast. So, Wayne and Freeney are two of the 15 modern era finalists for the Hall of Fame this year. This is Wayne's fourth consecutive year being a finalist. And it's actually Freeney's first year of eligibility overall, and he's a finalist already. So just kind of making the case for Wayne, telling you his credentials for why he's even really up for this. He's a Super Bowl champion, three-time All-Pro, six Pro Bowls, retired with

1,070 receptions, over 14,000 yards, 82 touchdowns. By the time he retired, he was top 10 all-time in receptions and receiving yards. He was one of the most prolific postseason receivers of all time. When he retired, was second in postseason receptions, fourth in postseason receiving yards, and was in the top 10 in postseason receiving touchdowns. However, there's always been this big thing with receivers in the Hall of Fame, Zach. There's always this logjam. For whatever reason, they just can't let multiple guys who need to be in there all at once. Wayne is absolutely deserving.

At some point, he will get in there. But what do you think? Is this year the year? The Hall of Fame is so weird with how it does its stuff. Honestly, I would do it a very, very different way. I've talked about this a lot of times and maybe one day we'll go into actual detail on when we have like just some time to kill or something. We can talk about it. But the current way that it's set up, it really does kind of, it focuses a lot on the guys that they've kept waiting for years. You know, they like to get those guys in before getting in the first timers, which does help Reggie Wayne over someone like Andre Johnson, where to me, and this might be a hot take,

I know you guys might kill me in the comments for this. I would put Andre Johnson in before Reggie Wayne, because I think Andre Johnson was just a better receiver. That's my personal opinion. Similar stats, played less games, and he played it with Matt Schaub as his best quarterback. And I just thought Andre Johnson was a very different caliber type of receiver. But in terms of the way the Hall of Fame is going, Reggie Wayne probably has a better case over him for making it into the Hall because it's not his first time. It's his fourth time up. So I think his real competition to making it this year is going to be a guy like Torrey Holt.

Torrey Holt's been waiting for years and years as well. Torrey Holt has some great stats, did a lot of great things in the NFL. He was part of the greatest show on turf back in the early 2000s with the Rams. So I could see it kind of going 50-50 with that, you know, which guy it goes to. But I would say this has to be the year for Reggie. I mean, just looking at the other receivers he's competing with, if you count Devin Hester,

I mean, again, Andre Johnson, he has the waiting list over him. And then Torrey Holt, I just think he was a better receiver than Torrey Holt. So if they're going to put in a receiver this year, I really think Reggie Wayne has the strongest case in terms of how they've typically done the Hall of Fame. I agree.

I'm all for getting in the guys who are overdue to get in there. But I just don't think it needs to be position by position either. I just get the guys who deserve to be in there in there. Cause last year, you know, you had the stance of Andre Johnson over him. I had the same thing last year with Calvin Johnson. To me, Calvin Johnson is just, he was, he was an alien. You know what I mean? Like was every year pretty much considered the best receiver in football. And not that Reggie Wayne isn't deserving to get in there, but he just wasn't really of that same caliber.

I'd probably give Andre Johnson the slight nudge as well overall in his career. Both of them deserve to be in there. You know, Devin Hester, you mentioned, is an interesting X factor. He'll probably go in there as a returner, as he ought to be, because he's the best return man of all time but yeah tory holt could be another bump in the road for wayne to get there just because he's been waiting as well so that'll be interesting to see we both think he deserves to get in there at some point hopefully it's it's this year for his sake uh now looking at dwight freeney again super bowl Super Bowl champion, same team as Reggie. Four-time All-Pro, seven Pro Bowls.

He's a member of the 2000s All-Decade team. 125.5 sacks, he retired. Actually, I think he is 18th all-time right now. Tied third all-time in forced fumbles with 47. And tied for 20th in tackles for loss with 128. Now, I think overall the body of work is better for Reggie. However, I think that's because he's part of a deeper position pool. For Freeney, I think he was more dominant at his position.

Freeney was perennially a top five edge rusher uh in in the league throughout his his career when he was in his prime right um he's not he's probably not got as much competition you know you're looking at jared allen and demarcus where demarcus wears is a shoe in pretty much he better he better like of all the guys this year don't be wrong i want reggie in i want dwight freney and demarcus where needs to be in though like yes we can't we can't keep him guys this year, don't get me wrong, I want Reggie in, I want Dwight Freeney in. DeMarcus Ware needs to be in, though. We can't keep him out this year. Right, yeah. And, you know, Freeney, again, he's just like Reggie Wayne where he needs to be in the Hall of Fame at some point. I would be okay if it's this year.

But I've never really thought first ballot Hall of Fame for Dwight Freeney. Hall of Famer. Yes. But, um, I don't know that there's just these unwritten rules where it's like, well, we can't let this guy be a first ballot hall of famer, even if he is deserving to go in that year. And for that, I kind of wonder if he's gonna be passed over this year. Yeah. Again, my, the way I would do the hall of fame is just vote on the guys who were the most dominant when they played. You know, Dwight Freeney was a dominant pass rusher, more so as a pass rusher. Like, he was more dominant as a pass rusher than Reggie Wayne was as a receiver.

Like, Reggie Wayne, great receiver, did a lot of great things in the NFL. But he never got to the peak of the position like Dwight Freeney did. I mean, there were serious years where Dwight Freeney was the best pass rusher in all of football. Like, he was phenomenal. He had a trademark move that was being imitated by all the young pass rushers in high school and college. He forced so many fumbles. He was part of the best pass rushing duo we've ever seen in the NFL and him and Robert Mathis. Yeah, I 100 percent think in a perfect world where we don't care about things like first

ballot, you know, that should only be reserved for the Joe Montana's and Tom Brady's and stuff and Peyton Manning's. I think if we ignore that kind of thing, I think Dwight Freeney should be in this year. But like you said, the way that this hall of fame stuff goes, they like to make guys wait for whatever reason. And I think that they're going to try to get in more of the legacy type guys over someone like Dwight Freeney, you know, Willie Anderson that's been waiting uh Demarcus Ware who deserves

100% to get in uh Reggie Wayne or Torrey Holt you know those guys been waiting a little bit and I think that they're going to try to prioritize them over a Dwight Freeney who will be back up next year and maybe the year after that so yeah I think if we're going purely based off who are the most dominant players in this in this potential class Dw Freeney, I would 100% put in, but because of the way the hall of fame works, I think Reggie Wayne has more likely of a chance to make it this year than Dwight Freeney does. Yeah. Agreed. And so overall, it's going to be tough regardless.

This is a really stacked 15 man class. They're a part of, you're looking at guys we mentioned Jared Allen, DeMarcus Ware, of course, Willie Anderson, Rondé Barber was the original Kenny Moore, but at a souped-up level. Devin Hester, the best return man of all time, Torrey Hull under Johnson. Darrell Rivas was the top cornerback in the league for a long time. Joe Thomas, Patrick Willis as well.

So the committee will whittle this group down to five and then vote on it. And the 2023 Hall of Fame class will ultimately be announced on February 9th at the NFL Honors Show. For more on the Colts, stay tuned to the Locked On Colts podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.