ESPN Actually Gets Worse Than "Who's Now"

I didn't think it was possible for ESPN to actually get worse than the awfulness of their interminable and idiotic "Who's Now" series (wherein celebrities and viewers vote to see which athletes are more "Now" than others to fill empty show minutes in July), but it gets worse. Much much worse.

Now posted on ESPN.com's Page 2 is "Who's Ticketed for Canton" by Thomas Newmann and Scott Symmes, a hypothetical list of 50 active NFL players whom they predict will eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Their criteria: Mortality (durability), Statistics, Team Success, Upside, and Intangibles.

Okay, the idea is sound, sort of. 20 points in each category. #1 Brett Favre maxes out at 78. And the top of the list is some interesting reading.

Until you get to the 30s and 40s, where players with one or even zero years of NFL experience start making the list based on high marks in Mortality, Upside, and Intangibles. Calvin Johnson and Adrian Petersen, yet to play so much as a pre-season snap make the list. And Zach Thomas, Ruben Brown, Bryant Young, Jon Jansen, Donovan McNabb, and Fred Taylor don't. Those are just the first few names I though of.

In the long and rapidly-growing succession of reasons ESPN is circling the toilet bowl in a rapidly-descending spiral, this list may be the biggest turd. Yes, I understand the way the list was made. But any system that prizes potential so much that it puts players who haven't played a single snap in the NFL above Thomas, etc. is utter nonsense. Incontrovertible fact proving this list's idiocy: Heath freaking Shuler would have made this list in 1995. And that's not even mentioning the second-year players like Vince Young, Reggie Bush, and AJ Hawk, none of whom should be on this list either.

The list of 50, for your reading displeasure:

Cantonized: The List 1-50

1. Brett Favre

2. Tom Brady

3. Peyton Manning

4. Larry Allen

5. Ray Lewis

6. Richard Seymour

7. Jonathan Ogden

8. Marvin Harrison

9. LaDainian Tomlinson

10. Adam Vinatieri

11. Brian Urlacher

12. Orlando Pace

13. Michael Strahan

14. Junior Seau

15. Tony Gonzalez

16. Dwight Freeney

17. Champ Bailey

18. Derrick Brooks

19. Warren Sapp

20. Torry Holt

21. Shawne Merriman

22. John Lynch

23. Alan Faneca

24. Steve Hutchinson

25. Brian Dawkins

26. Walter Jones

27. Jason Taylor

28. Shaun Alexander

29. Julius Peppers

30. Antonio Gates

31. Troy Polamalu

32. Randy Moss

33. Ed Reed

34. Reggie Bush

35. Ty Law

36. Terrell Owens

37. Edgerrin James

38. Carson Palmer

39. Vince Young

40. Calvin Johnson

41. Matt Leinart

42. Rod Smith

43. Hines Ward

44. Chad Johnson

45. Lofa Tatupu

46. DeMarcus Ware

47. Larry Johnson

48. Steven Jackson

49. A.J. Hawk

50. Adrian Peterson