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Fame may beckon a few Bucs

Some play just for the funds of it.

Some play for fortune. Some play for fulfillment. Some play for the fellowship of it all. Some like the fight, some like the fire.

For the Bucs, it's time to play for fame.

The Hall of Fame is closer to Tampa Bay than it used to be. The familiar building beckons in the distance. Finally, the doors seem open.

What do you know? A player can get to Canton, Ohio, from here.

It hasn't always seemed so. For most of the Bucs' existence, the word "bust" wasn't a message to a sculptor. Only one player, Lee Roy Selmon, has made the Hall of Fame and no others have received serious consideration. That's all changed now. Before long, we're going to see how some of the Bucs look in bronze.

How many? We'll see.

After conversations with 15 voters this week, the message seems to be that several Bucs are still playing for the Hall of Fame.

"To me, the Bucs are in the same situation the '85 Bears were in," Don Pierson of the Chicago Tribune said. "That team only has two players (Mike Singletary and Dan Hampton) in from that great defense. If they had kept it going, I could make an argument for two or three more.

"For the Bucs, winning again is vital to separate them from teams like the Ravens."

Peter King of Sports Illustrated puts it this way: "The road is littered with one-time Super Bowl winners. History shines on you only when you win multiple championships. Period."

So go ahead. Pull up a chair.

See what those who separate greatness from very goodness think of the Bucs:

Mike Wilbon, Washington Post: "He's the best defensive tackle since Reggie White. When his name comes up, I'm not going to want to hear much of a presentation. "Yes, yes. Let's move on.' He's a slam dunk."

Ira Miller, San Francisco Chronicle: "I have a problem with him. He's not as good as his reputation. He's very good, and he deserves consideration, but TV makes it seem like he's Superman. If the Bucs won a second one, it would put him over the top."

Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News: "I'd like to see a little more over the next couple of years. I've seen him where he looks like the best defensive tackle you've ever seen and, until last year, there were times he completely disappeared. Until last year, the Eagles made him look ordinary."

Pierson: "I'd say his career warrants the Hall of Fame whether they win another one or not."

King: "He's clearly one of the best two-way tackles of his day, if not the best. He probably has to have another really good year or two. I don't think he's a slam dunk."

John McClain, Houston Chronicle: "He's pretty much in. He's on the threshold."

Woody Paige, Denver Post: "Unless something dramatic happens, I can't imagine why he wouldn't be (in the hall). He's had such a dominant career."

Leonard Shapiro, Washington Post: "I can't say he's in. I think he's still playing for it. In those positions, you want to see 12-13 years."

Rich Gosselin, Dallas Morning News: "He's the Jack Ham of his generation. I think Brooks is the best candidate on that defense. If I had to bet on a guy, it would be Brooks."

Dave Goldberg, Associated Press: "I think he's the best outside linebacker of his generation."

Len Pasquarelli, ESPN: "I don't think either Sapp or he are locks. One more championship and they get pretty close to lock status."

Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "If his career ended right now, maybe not. I think another championship might help him."

Wilbon: "He's on deck. To me, he's a quarter step behind Sapp."

Cliff Cristl, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "He might be more on the bubble than Sapp. That's a position with a high standard. He's in Jack Ham's category already. I don't think he's Lawrence Taylor or Ted Hendricks."

Domowitch: "He's playing like a Hall of Famer. I haven't seen many linebackers who can do the things he does. He needs to just continue at that level."

Wilbon: "If they win back to back, it could help him more than anybody. He's on the fence."

Bouchette: "He's probably there. I don't want to say he's in. He's very strong."

Cristl: "No. I don't think I'd vote for him. I don't think he's athletic enough or special enough."

Gosselin: "It's always hard for safeties to get in. Look at how long it took Paul Krause to get in. Another championship could help him."

King: "I've seen him play great and intimidating and ballhawking all at the same time. I think he's really one of the great players of his day even if he doesn't get the acclaim of some of his more famous teammates."

Shapiro: "There's a saying. There's the Hall of Fame, and there is the Hall of Pretty Good. Lynch is in the Hall of Pretty Good."

McClain: "I think he'll ultimately make it. When people compare him to the safeties in the hall, and when his contribution to one of the greatest defenses of all time is evaluated, he'll get in."

Paige: "No, I don't see it. But I'm only one of 39."

Goldberg: "I'm not sure if he's a great player in a great defense or a very good player in a great defense."

Tony Grossi, Cleveland PlainDealer: "He should thank God he ended up in Tampa Bay. He's a notch below the other three guys. When I think of Simeon Rice, I don't think of a Hall of Fame player."

John Clayton, ESPN: "It's way too early to talk about him. But his sack numbers (78 in seven seasons) are relevant."

Pierson: "If he were a multi-Super Bowl winner, it would help. The years in Arizona hurt him. He had good stats, but he was never an impact player."

Domowitch: "Not right now. Until last year, he was a one-dimensional player."

Cristl: "Until he came to Tampa Bay, he was a bust."

Bouchette: "He's a very good player, but he has to do a little more. Viewing it with a perspective from Pittsburgh, L.C. Greenwood was a great player, and he isn't in yet."

McClain: "When you start talking about getting that many defensive players in, you'd better be the Steelers. For him to get in, the Bucs have to win more than one Super Bowl."

Pasquarelli: "I think Key is going to suffer because certain selectors are going to diminish the achievements of wide receivers because of the way the game has evolved. Art Monk may never get in. There is a group of voters who believe receiving totals are so inflated we need to apply different standards. That may hurt him."

Wilbon: "There is no reason to rule him out. He's got too much of his career left. But a lot of guys are going to have his numbers."

Grossi: "No way ever is he good enough to make the Hall of Fame. He's one of the most overrated players of my time, and his time."

Miller: "Where would he be among the game's top receivers? Would he be in the top 10? If he didn't start his career in New York, he'd be Jimmy Smith."

Paige: "More receivers come up every year than anyone. It's harder to make it as a receiver than a running back. Keyshawn hasn't done it for me yet. His mouth can't get him in. The only guy whose mouth got him in was (Dan) Dierdorf."

Pierson: "I think there are a lot of Keyshawns. Well, I shouldn't say a lot. But there are a lot of receivers with a lot of stats. What does it mean? It's like the thousand-yard rusher. That doesn't mean what it used to mean."

McClain: "With Key, it's not just going to come down to catches. It's going to come to Super Bowls, too."

Cristl: "No. He's not in the top five receivers in the league. I don't think he's talented enough. He's no (Randy) Moss or (Terrell) Owens.

Domowitch: "There are a lot more deserving receivers."

King: "I don't think Brad is as far-fetched as some people believe. Quarterbacks have to be evaluated in a different way. I'm a firm believer winning is the most important thing, and Brad has been a winner. I certainly wouldn't vote for him right now. If he wins one or two more, I'd argue his case."

Pierson: "No, and I love Brad."

Goldberg: "Phil Simms has had trouble getting in, and if Simms can't get in, Johnson won't."

Wilbon: "Would I put him with Jim McMahon? No, and McMahon's not going in. Would I put him with Phil Simms? Not a chance."

Cristl: "I can't imagine voting for him. I don't think he belongs on the ballot."

Domowitch: "Ask people on the street the top 10 quarterbacks and his name wouldn't come up. But if he wins another one, it's a different argument."

Grossi: "No. So far, Johnson has accomplished exactly what Trent Dilfer did."

McClain: "Two (Super Bowls) gets him consideration. Three gets him in."