Sapp works for the NFL.
Strahan works for Kelly Ripa.
It all makes sense.

Randle was unquestionably the better player, but you have to remember that HOF voters don't actually use things like logic when making the majority of their decisions. Is Lynn Swann a HOF player? **** no. It's far more about creating compelling narratives than actually judging the merits of the player.

Sapp was better in the minds of writers, voters, and the lay fan because he was a cornerstone player on a Super Bowl winning defense.

Furthermore, Randle was every bit as colorful as Sapp, but he never cultivated the relationship with the media in the same way that Sapp did.

It's a sad but true commentary that the people whose jobs require them to inform us about sports figures are often the most deluded and ignorant. Given that, you can't help but have situations like this.

You want to know what's awesome?

It's awesome that Tim Brown blew whatever miniscule chance he had of getting into the Hall of Fame with his idiotic claim that his head coach threw the Super Bowl.

Awesome.

They will all get in in time

This is where we will completely disagree.

Great post. Lynn Swann being in is one of the biggest jokes of all time.

His regular season stats are not impressive at all. He basically got in because of a few highlight reel catches in Super bowls.

Everything here.

I understand, but you also have to consider where you exist in space. You're a Bucs fan. Similarly, it is hard for a lot of Chiefs fans, myself included, to look at a lot of our great players honestly.

For the vast majority of his career Sapp had great players around him on every level of the defense. Randle was a part of some talented Vikings defenses, but none of those units had anywhere near the help that Sapp did, and he still put up otherworldly numbers.

Sapp didn't have good fellow players on the D line until Simeon Rice came along. Sapp made Chidi Ahanotu, Brad Cullpepper, Marcus Jones, Reagan Upshaw, Anthony McFarland and others look like good players. Sapp was the reason that interior lineman never made it to the second level to hit Derrick Brooks, Hardy Nickerson, Sheldon Quarles, Jamie Duncan.... Sapp was the driving force of that great defense.

Sapp made players around him better. He took away the middle of the field. I remember watching him push a pile of 3 guys, he was that good. Let's also not forget the defense Sapp played in. It's a D where your D-linemen are the only real pass rushers. Sapp had to beat blockers who knew what was coming.

Both terrific players. But the edge has to go to Sapp because he was a far more complete player than Randle was. It says a lot when opposing offenses would sometimes game plan to expose Randle's over-aggressiveness in rushing the passer. With Sapp, there was no solution -- he was going to beat your run defense or he was an elite pass rusher.

Sapp is the 2nd best pass rushing DT of all time, behind Randle. Randle getting hosed doesn't change the fact that Sapp is a first ballot player before Strahan is.