Throughout the years, people have debated who does and does not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Regardless of the sport, you can hear fans everywhere giving the resume of the players they believe deserve the nod.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner, Bryan Glazer, has gone on record saying that he believes that Simeon Rice deserves to be considered. According to Glazer, Rice was "the missing piece to make our defense one of the greatest of all time."
Rice had an elite career as a pass rusher. He recorded 122 career sacks, including eight straight seasons of double digit sacks. In fact, he would record more sacks during a nine year period from 1996-2005 than current Hall of Famers, such as Jason Taylor and New York Giants legend Michael Strahan. He would also force 28 fumbles over the course of his career.
Rice played a crucial part for the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, where he totaled 5 solo tacks, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. He absolutely played a vital part in their 48-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders.
He definitely set out to make a name for himself playing the game that he loved. He would attend the University of Illinois, where he proved to the coaching staff he was ready for greatness. He would total multiple seasons of double-digit sacks, including one season where he would rack up 16 sacks.
He was drafted with the third pick overall by the Arizona Cardinals, where he would spend the first five years of his career. He would then sign with Tampa Bay where he would really make a name for himself.
Regardless of what team it is that you pull for, the fact that Rice is the only retired player who would total over 100 sacks in an eight year span, and does not own a gold jacket needs to be corrected. Bryan Glazer is certainly making the case for Rice to get in, but you could argue that Rice's career did that for himself.