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The Monitor's 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame picks

The Christian Science Monitor has taken a hard look at the 17 nominees for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and picked seven men who would get our vote.

Cris Carter

  • By Ross Atkin

Wide receiver

6 ft. 3 in., 202 lbs.

Philadelphia Eagles (1987-89), Minnesota Vikings (1990-2001), Miami Dolphins (2002)

Birthplace: Troy, Ohio

Alma mater: Ohio State

Among the two candidates who were strictly wide receivers during their careers, it is very hard to choose between Carter and Andre Reed. Here’s hoping that Reed gets in at some point, because anybody who caught as many balls over the middle, in often-frigid Buffalo, and gained as many yards after his catches as he did deserves entry into Canton at some point. This year, however, we think the slight edge goes to Carter. He made one more Pro Bowl (eight) than Reed and caught about 150 more passes in the same number of career games (234). His biggest edge is in the touchdown department, where Carter made 130 TD grabs compared with Reed’s 87. It’s also hard to ignore Carter’s selection as the 1999 NFL Man of the Year Award for his volunteer and charity work. That’s not necessarily a credential for making the Hall of Fame, but character deserves some consideration in our estimation.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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