Lynch Inexplicably Gets Hall Call Ahead of Butler

LeRoy Butler remains the only player from the all-1990s team not in the Hall of Fame. Selectors should be able to right that wrong next year.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Pro Football Hall of Fame continued to chip away at the backlog of safeties being kept out of the shrine in Canton, Ohio.

Former Green Bay Packers star LeRoy Butler, however, didn’t get the coveted call.

Instead, it was John Lynch who was announced on Saturday as part of the Class of 2021 that includes Charles Woodson.

Lynch was selected to nine Pro Bowls over 15 seasons compared to four Pro Bowls in 12 seasons for Butler.

However, by just about any other measuring stick, including a 4-2 edge in first-team All-Pro selections and a spot on the coveted all-1990s team, Butler would have been the more deserving selection.

In 181 games, Butler had 729 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles and 38 interceptions.

In 224 games, Lynch had 740 tackles, 13 sacks, 16 forced fumbles and 26 interceptions.

Take Butler’s production over the span of Lynch’s career, you get 891 tackles, 25 sacks, 16 forced fumbles and 47 interceptions for Butler. That’s 162 more tackles, 12 more sacks, equal number of forced fumbles and 21 more interceptions.

By that measure, Butler would have been by far the more deserving selection.

The deciding factor might have been time on the waiting list. Lynch was a finalist for eight consecutive seasons. Only 10 players in NFL history can say that, and Lynch was one of only two of those players not enshrined.

“John was as good as any safety I ever played against," said Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. “He reminded me a lot of guys like Ronnie Lott and Steve Atwater. He was a terrific player, a great defender, a fierce defender. He could knock the snot out of you. John Lynch didn't just play the position – he occupied a spot in your mind and you had to be aware at all times where he was on the field.”

Butler, meanwhile, has four more years of eligibility.

While the Class of 2021 included Woodson, Peyton Manning and Calvin Johnson as players in their first year of eligibility, the Class of 2022 doesn’t have nearly as much star power. Pass rusher DeMarcus Ware perhaps has the best case, and it’s certainly not as strong as that of, say, Woodson. That puts the Selection Committee in position to play catch-up with some deserving former finalists – Butler front and center as the selectors continue to add safeties.

Before 2017, only seven pure safeties were enshrined in Canton. There have been eight over the past five classes: Kenny Easley (2017), Brian Dawkins (2018), Ed Reed (2019), Johnny Robinson (2019), Troy Polamalu (2020), Steve Atwater (2020), Cliff Harris (2020) and Lynch.

Butler remains the lone member of the all-1990s team not enshrined in Canton. There's no reason why that wrong should not be righted next year.