Joniak: This Might Be The Year For Dent
This week the NFL Hall of Fame will announce the former players that will makeup this year's inductees. And once again, Richard Dent will be up for consideration.
Dent spent 12 of his 15 NFL seasons playing for the Chicago Bears, and recorded 137.5 sacks, 671 tackles and forced 37 fumbles throughout his career. The Super Bowl MVP in 1985, Dent has been waiting to get inducted into the Hall of Fame for some time, and his waiting may finally be over this year.
"I talked to a couple writers that are going to be voting," Bears radio announcer Jeff Joniak said on the Mully and Hanley Show. "And they think this is going to happen."
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Linemen, and defensive lineman especially, have a tougher time making the Hall of Fame when compared to the skill position players like quarterbacks, running back and linebackers. But that could finally be working in Dent's favor this year.
"Because of the amount of great quarterbacks that, in the future, will be in," Joniak said. "I think they want to balance the number of offensive and defensive players in the Hall a little bit...Some of the pass rushers that have gone in this cycle, they're just lacking one, and it's Richard. So I think he might get in this time, I really do. I hope he does."
And when it comes down to it, enough is enough. Dent deserves to be in Canton and it might be the right year for voters to make good on their long delay of Dent's induction.
"It's the 25th [Super Bowl] anniversary," Joniak said. "The timing is right. I hope he gets in, because I tell you what, he'll be awful frustrated if it doesn't happen, again."
