For about five years in a row, maybe longer, I had an easy column for this site about this time of year.
Obviously it's the calm before the training camp storm, but I always found a day to vent on what I viewed to be a travesty in sports.
But that changed last year. Drew Pearson finally made it into the Ring of Honor. It was a great thing for Drew and certainly long overdue.
So now what? Who should I turn my attention to now? Obviously there isn't a player – at least in my opinion – that has been snubbed for the Ring of Honor for so long like Pearson. But it's always a good debate. Who should be the next one in the Ring of Honor?
I've asked Dallascowboys.com football analyst Bryan Broaddus to weigh in with his thoughts and we differ on who we think the next guy should be.
For him, **he thinks it’s Harvey Martin**.Personally, I'll go with Darren Woodson.
Since Jerry Jones took over the one-man committee for the Ring of Honor, he's jumped around from different eras over the years. He's gone way back and put in the players like Rayfield Wright, Bob Hayes and now Pearson. He was quick to put in the Triplets of Irvin, Aikman and Smith.
But last year, instead of giving Pearson his own day (which I think he deserved but since it had already been 30 years, you take what you can get), he added the lieks of Charles Haley and Larry Allen.
Allen . . . no brainer, he's in. For Haley, it was interesting considering many people think of him as a 49er and he only played five years in Dallas. Either way, we can't deny what Haley meant for the team all those years. When he got there in 1992, the team took off. I'm not sure he was the ultimate missing piece for that team, but he certainly gave them a defensive presence and attitude that was missing.
But if Haley is in, then Darren Woodson can't be far behind.
No, he wasn't Troy, Emmitt, Michael, Novacek, Moose, Haley or Deion. He wasn't flashy with a creative nickname.
But "Woody" was the ass-kicker on that defense. He didn't just dominate opposing teams, but he led that defense as well. Even when Deion Sanders arrived, Woodson continued his leadership role and carried it for more than 12 years.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Woodson deserves the Ring of Honor for several reasons.
1) He was one of the best defensive players, and the vocal leader, for a team that won three Super Bowls in four years and was the proclaimed the team of the 90s.
2) When it comes to being the best at this position, Woodson earned five Pro Bowls during his career. From 1992-2003, the only one other safety had more (Steve Atwater 6).
3) From the safety position, he had the rare ability to cover the slot, a position only the quickest and shiftiest cornerbacks play in today's game.
4) He's the all-time leading tackler in Cowboys history with 1,350.
Let's focus on No. 4. I'm sure Mr. Broaddus will be using that argument for Martin, considering he is the Cowboys' all-time leader in sacks. And rightfully so.
But that many tackles suggests a physical presence and we all know Woodson played with one. When you think of a safety making that many tackles, one could assume it was on a defense that gave up a lot of big plays.
Over Woodson's career, he did play on some poor teams in the early 2000's, but for the most part, he was a leader for winning teams, having played in 16 playoff games in his career.
By no means am I saying that Harvey Martin is not deserving of the Ring of Honor. But based on the players who have already made it, including five of Woodson's teammates, I think he meant more for those defensive teams than Martin, who was a big part of a Doomsday defense that had several other talented players.
Since we're talking about the next guy up …. Give me Darren Woodson.
