It would be a momentous day for Johnson, the Texans and Houston because he’s richly deserving of the honor. I agree with that approach, but I’m still hopeful Johnson becomes the Texans’ first player enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Even though he’s definitely worthy of induction, sometimes when there’s no slam-dunk, first-ballot inductee, the committee prefers to enshrine finalists who’ve waited the longest. I believe Johnson has a good chance to make it, but I told him last week to not get his hopes up. I believe he would have appreciative but embarrassed hearing so many members saying so many wonderful things about his career. When I concluded my presentation, seven more members of the committee spoke highly of Johnson and his chances of being elected. SEASONS WITH 100 RECEPTIONS & 1,500 YARDS How Andre Johnson compares to Hall of Fame receivers Good for them, because they have deserved to be enshrined for decades. I believe Branch, who played at Worthing, Vermeil and McNally are locks because the selection committee has been rubber-stamping nominees from the senior, coach and contributor categories. 10 is going to be maddening for Johnson and the other 14 modern-era finalists as well as receiver Cliff Branch (senior nominee), Dick Vermeil (coach) and Art McNally (contributor). I’m confident if Johnson isn’t elected this year, it won’t take long, because he earned the honor over a 14-year career, including 12 with the Texans. Nothing’s guaranteed, though, because there are so many worthy candidates who’ve been waiting a lot longer than Johnson to be enshrined.
One reason I feel good about his chance to be elected on the first ballot was the response his candidacy received from so many members of the committee that includes writers, broadcasters and four members of the Hall of Fame - Dan Fouts, James Lofton, Tony Dungy and Bill Polian. It was a privilege to present Johnson to our committee. In the 49-member selection committee’s Zoom call that lasted almost eight hours Tuesday, there were excellent presentations followed by healthy debate that was informative, enlightening and captivating.