On Saturday, Gene Hickerson, Michael Irvin, Bruce Matthews, Charlie Sanders, Thurman Thomas and Roger Wehrli will take their places alongside the true legends of the sport in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In an attempt to gain a unique look at the men being enshrined, ESPN.com's William Bendetson asked former teammates and opponents for their thoughts on each.
Andre Reed on RB Thurman Thomas
Reed, a wide receiver, was Thomas' teammate on the Bills from 1988-99.
Without Thurman, we would never have been in any of those four Super Bowls. In the 1990s, we had a lot of talented players, but every defense was first trying to stop Thurman and myself. He was the best all-purpose back for many years, and I cannot tell you the number of times that I caught a pass because Thurman picked up a blitz. He was not afraid to take on a blitzing linebacker and many times he gave Jim Kelly an extra half-second to throw the ball. If I was going to compare him to a player today, it would be LaDainian Tomlinson. A lot of running backs can run and catch the ball, but what separates Thurman is he had the intangibles.
Thurman was not the fastest running back in the league. He was a mix between a slasher and a straight-ahead runner. He could run outside and pound the ball inside. Thurman had tremendous vision and always seemed to know where the openings were downfield. Thurman also knew how to position his body to avoid big hits. He also was one of the best pass-catching running backs that I ever saw. The only guy I could compare him to was Roger Craig [San Francisco 49ers]. He was especially good on third downs out of the backfield. Thurman didn't shy away from wanting the ball because he knew he could change the game and he did it so many times.
Thurman was never quiet. He would hold you accountable if you missed as block or dropped a pass. I can remember the Monday after a game in which we played terrible. After [coach] Marv [Levy] gave his speech, Thurman stood up and said if you think you're not playing well, you better start playing better or you will not be here much longer.
Bruce Smith on Thomas
Smith, a defensive end, was Thomas' teammate on the Bills from 1988-99.
Thurman and I had an incredible relationship. There are very few athletes that I would go to war with and Thurman is one of them. But after the war is over, Thurman is someone who is part of your family. Thurman was a remarkable athlete and an even better person. He was a true competitor. He would never quit. He played through injury and with pain. He also had instincts that few players possess. We used to joke that Thurman was the shortest guy on the team, but that he had the heart of a lion.
One of the reasons Thurman was so good was the amount of preparation he put in every week. Thurman was not a great blocker at the beginning of his career, but he became a great blocker. The reason he became so good was due to film study. He knew an opponent's defensive fronts and where the blitzer was going to come from. Thurman also realized that if he could give Jim Kelly an extra second to throw the ball, he could become the focal point of the offense, and that is what happened.
Thurman was a player who could do it all. He could run with the best of them and he could catch the ball as well as any running back that I ever saw. He made the greatest reception that I ever saw a running back make. Jim sent Thurman on a nine route. After Jim overthrew the ball, Thurman was parallel to the ground, he laid out, and made the catch. I can remember the play like it happened yesterday. After that, my respect for Thurman could not have been any higher. I played against a lot of great running backs -- Marcus Allen, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith -- and Thurman stacks up with the best of him.
Tim McDonald on WR Michael Irvin
McDonald played defensive back for the Cardinals and 49ers from 1987-97.
I played against Michael almost my entire career. To put it simply, Michael shaped me as a football player. Early on, Michael made me realize that my old tricks would not work anymore. In my third season, I was playing against Michael and after studying a lot of tape I thought I knew what routes he was going to run. On one particular play, however, he ran the same route that I had studied on tape, but at the last second he took one extra step, blew past me, and caught a 60-yard touchdown pass. At that point, I knew he was one of the best receivers in the NFL. Great receivers like Irvin and Jerry Rice make all their routes look the same and adjust at the last second.
I studied Michael's patterns fiercely, but I knew that watching tape was not enough to stop him. Even if you guessed his pattern correctly, Michael would still catch the ball because he had great body position. He knew exactly how to position his body between the defender and the ball -- the ideal position for a receiver. Troy [Aikman] was not afraid to throw the ball anywhere in Irvin's vicinity, since he knew Michael would find a way to make the catch. He was not the fastest guy, but few receivers could work a defender like Michael; Jerry Rice is the only one I can think of. Mentally, Irvin and Rice had a similar approach.
When we use to play the Cowboys, our priority was to contain Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. The reason we signed Deion Sanders was to shut down Michael Irvin. We needed a shutdown cornerback like Deion because it took eight players in the box to contain Emmitt. I went to a lot of Pro Bowls with Michael and I learned what a tremendous teammate he was. Michael had tremendous passion. A lot of people thought Michael's career was over after he had reconstructive knee surgery, but the amazing thing was he returned at a very high level. Few players could have done that.
Eddie George on OL Bruce Matthews
Matthews blocked for Eddie George with the Oilers-Titans from 1996-2003. George finished his career with Dallas in 2004.
Bruce was a tough competitor. He wanted to dominate on every play and most of the time he did that. Bruce had the ability to play all five positions on the offensive line. He anchored one of the league's best offensive lines year after year. Bruce understood the art of pass blocking. He knew when to be aggressive and when to be laid back. Bruce was also a very smart player. When Steve McNair was a rookie, he made most of the audibles at the line of scrimmage. He really took the pressure off a young quarterback.
Bruce was also a great run blocker. I used to run to his side 60 to 70 percent of the time because on Bruce's side there would be a gaping hole. He would be so far up the field that the mike linebacker [the linebacker who is supposed to stop the run] would be blocked . He is responsible for a lot of the yards that I gained during my career and he was almost like my security blanket. He was really everything that you look for in a Hall of Fame-caliber player. He was someone that would play with a busted knee and he was not afraid to play with pain.
The one Bruce Matthews moment that sticks out in my mind is when we went to the Super Bowl in 1999. It was a fulfillment of his lifelong dream. Despite all his accomplishments on and off the field, Bruce would have felt his career was incomplete if he did not make it to a Super Bowl. After we beat Jacksonville in the AFC Championship Game, he kept saying how surreal it was to be going to the Super Bowl. I was so happy for him. Bruce knew how to have fun. He was a great prankster. More than anything, he was a devout Christian who valued family and God above all else.
Larry Wilson on CB Roger Wehrli
Wilson, a teammate of Wehrli's, played defensive back for the Cardinals from 1960-71.
Roger was as complete of a football player as I have ever seen coming out of college. It was only fitting that he played for the St. Louis Cardinals because he played high school football in Missouri, his college ball at the University of Missouri, and then played for the St. Louis Cardinals. The people of Missouri love him. Roger was an incredibly smart football player. He really listened to what the coaches told him and did everything they asked on the football field. He spent a lot of time studying his opponents and it was fun to watch his mind work in meetings.
Roger was one of the fastest white guys that I have ever seen and more than anything he was a complete football player. Roger was a tough, aggressive corner. He used to beat up the receivers he covered. But Roger is also one of the few cornerbacks from our era that could play today with his speed and size. As a safety, he made my life a lot easier because he was so good in man coverage that he allowed me to go for the interception. He also was really good at making receivers fumble.
The one game that sticks out in my mind is St. Louis was playing Dallas in the regular season. Roger had three interceptions, helped shut down the Cowboys' offense and it was because of him that we won the game. I also remember how Roger was able to shut down Paul Warfield, a truly outstanding receiver. His induction into the Hall of Fame is well overdue. A lot of times people think you have to win Super Bowls to be in the Hall of Fame. I am not sure I really believe that. Roger was a terrific player who got lost in the shuffle, which is why it took him so long to get in the Hall. I could not be happier for him.
Leroy Kelly on G Gene Hickerson
Kelley was a Hall of Fame running back with the Browns from 1964-73.
When Jim Brown retired, a lot of people thought our running game would go downhill. It was our offensive line, though, that maintained our strong running game, and Gene Hickerson was one of the main reasons for that. He blocked for three Hall of Fame running backs: Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell, myself. Without him, I might not be in the Hall of Fame. He had the technique to block the quarterback and the speed to get outside and block for the running back. It was hard to keep up with Gene, but I loved having him as my blocker. On a sweep play, he was someone that always found his man, which made it much easier for the running back.
When Gene would get outside he was really going to hit his defender. If you could get on Gene's coattails you could pick up yardage easily. Gene was not the biggest offensive lineman, but he used his smaller frame to get under the defender. Our offensive lines played against some great defensive lines like the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Gene and the rest of our offensive line held their own against these great players. I remember playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in my first season and winning the game with a touchdown pass in the final 20 seconds. On the winning drive, we threw a couple of short passes and picked up 15-20 yards on each of them thanks to Gene's blocking.
Gene was a great guy to play with. Off the field, he would have a lot of fun pranking teammates, and on the field he was all business. It is a shame that because of his Alzheimer's [disease] he will not be able to fully appreciate this moment. Hopefully, he will be able to remember some things. He has deserved to be in the Hall of Fame for a long time. When I was inducted in 1994, I did all I could to convince people that Gene deserved to be in. Unfortunately, I did not get to vote.
Greg Landry on TE Charlie Sanders
Landry, a quarterback, was Sanders' teammate on the Lions from 1968-77.
Charlie Sanders was a prelude to the modern-day tight end. He had the speed to beat linebackers and safeties, while he had the strength to block offensive linemen. Tight ends like John Mackey, Mike Ditka, and Charlie did not have the numbers of modern-day tight ends because teams did not throw the ball as much then. All three, though, had the strength to block and the speed to beat defenders down the field. Tight ends were thought of as extensions to the offensive line until coaches began to realize that these guys could catch the ball. Charlie was the beginning of that trend.
He was a great pass-catcher. Charlie had a long stride, he was real fast, and had great acceleration once the ball was in the air. He was my go-to guy on third down. When we were inside the 20-yard line, I often threw the ball to Charlie in the corner of the end zone and he made a lot of circus catches. I also knew that if there was a jump ball, Charlie was going to come down with it because of his vertical leap and tremendous hands. He rarely ever dropped the ball. I can still remember an incredible catch he made against Oakland in 1970. That play turned the game around. We ended up beating Oakland 28-14 and that was the first year we went to the playoffs.
Charlie was also a really good run-blocker. Once he locked up a defender -- he was down. He could block an offensive lineman with his upper-body strength and he could block a linebacker or safety with his speed. On screen passes, Charlie was excellent at getting down field and peeling defenders. Charlie was named to the 1970s all-decade team, which shows what his peers thought of him and his induction to the Hall of Fame is long overdue.
Charlie was also a very good coach. He helped develop Herman Moore and was the wide receivers coach when the Lions had the best offense in football for two or three years in the 1990s. His career with the Lions has spanned the whole gamut from player to coach to scout. Charlie is also a family man who has devoted much of his life to spending time with his nine children.