Road to Canton: Pro Football Hall of Fame voters say Ray Lewis figures to make it a "double" for Browns-turned-Ravens drafted by Ozzie Newsome and getting "the invite" to Canton.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. Look for the second Baltimore Raven drafted after the team moved from Cleveland to get to Canton on his first try.
Pro Football Hall of Fame voters interviewed by the Canton Repository during Super Bowl week agree that Ray Lewis is the only sure bet to be elected to the Class of 2018.
Voting will be conducted Saturday in a nook at Mall of America, media headquarters for Super Bowl week. Some voters disdain talking on the record. Veteran voter John McClain of Houston didn't mind sharing his projection.
"I'm concerned about Robert Brazile," McClain said. "I'm presenting him (as one of two Senior candidates, with Jerry Kramer), and I'm hoping he gets in.
"I believe Ray Lewis is the only lock. Overall, I think there will be a lot of debate. I think (receivers) Randy Moss and Terrell Owens both deserve to be in."
Brazile and Kramer will be considered on separate ballots, each needing 80 percent "yes" votes from 48 selectors. Lewis, Moss and Owens are among 15 modern-era finalists who will be considered as a group.
"If Lewis, Moss and Owens get in, that would leave two modern-era spots (no more than five of the 15 can be elected)," McClain said. "There's a lot of guys that deserve to be in and might not go in this year.
"The competition is fierce."
The Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996, when Ozzie Newsome took over the drafting from Bill Belichick and had two first-round picks. He chose Jonathan Ogden at No. 4 overall and Lewis at No. 26. Ogden was elected to the Hall of Fame during a meeting in New York City in 2013.
Saturday's modern-era finalists are offensive linemen Joe Jacoby, Tony Boselli, Steve Hutchinson, Kevin Mawae and Alan Faneca, receivers Moss, Owens and Isaac Bruce, linebackers Lewis and Brian Urlacher, safeties John Lynch and Brian Dawkins, cornerbacks Ty Law and Everson Walls, and running back Edgerrin James.
"It's a hard class to predict," said voter John Clayton, "but you can say that almost every year.
"Offensive linemen might take votes away from each other. T.O. might take votes away from Randy Moss.
"When you have a year like this, a lot of things are going to be surprising."
Everyone has a favorite candidate. Charley Casserly, a former Washington general manager, is a perfect example.
If offensive lineman Russ Grimm is in (and he is, reaching the Hall of Fame in 2010), his former Redskins teammate Joe Jacoby MUST go in, Casserly said.
Casserly explained on Talk of Fame Network, operated by Hall of Fame voters Clark Judge and Ron Borges:
“Russ is already in Canton, but we looked at it as Russ Grimm/JoeJacoby, Joe Jacoby/Russ Grimm. We looked at them as the same player. They were a tandem.
"Now, Jacoby played tackle, and tackle’s a tougher position than guard. So you can say that maybe Joe had the edge right there. And some people felt Joe did have the edge.”
Lewis, making the rounds at Super Bowl venues, seems pumped up for the election.
"It's funny the way it has lined up," he said. "My number was 52, and the year I have a chance to go in the Hall of Fame coincides with Super Bowl 52."
Urlacher played the same position as Lewis, middle linebacker, but he almost sounds as if he would vote for Lewis ahead of himself. Urlacher mentioned Lewis and his fellow ex-Bear, Dick Butkus, as the all-time icons at the position.
“Dick played for, what … 10 years (actually, nine)?" Urlacher said. "Look at the years Ray played (17). I feel there was a period where I was better than Ray.
“But when you consider longevity, Ray’s right there with Butkus. Dick’s health wasn’t always that good. At the end of his career, he could barely walk. So it’s hard to pick.”
The voters MUST pick, come Saturday.
Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or
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