It's one of sports' greatest honors to get inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Whether you agree or disagree with how present-day criteria have shifted for getting selected, if your name is called upon, you're immortalized for life regardless, and nothing can take that away.Â
What about getting inducted into a team's Hall of Fame, or rather, their Ring of Honor, as it's appropriately titled? What if that honor carries more value on a personal level, given a player spent the majority of their career with that team and in that city? A player who wore their colors every Sunday and built a case for being one of the greatest ever to wear the uniform?
For the Indianapolis Colts, this is Adam Vinatieri. It's an incredible achievement to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which Vinatieri was earlier this year. But being inducted into your team's Ring of Honor should have a more homely feel, and he just received that honor, too. This begs the question: which other former Colts players could one day receive this same honor?Â
Could the Ring of Honor come calling on these two former Indianapolis Colts icons?
Bob Sanders
Looking back on the Payton Manning era, Bob Sanders was one of the Colts' best defensive players alongside Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney. Sanders was a Defensive Player of the Year winner, a two-time Pro Bowler (2005, 2007), a two-time First-Team All-Pro (2005, 2007), and played a significant role in the Colts 2007 Super Bowl championship.
He recorded an interception and a forced fumble in the Colts' 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears.Â
Sanders was never elite in the traditional sense, but he had an elite peak and a career derailed by injuries. His lasting impact on the Colts franchise is undying, nevertheless. Sanders will never make the Hall of Fame. That said, if the Colts want to look for their next honoree, Sanders should be their first choice.
Pat McAfee
Had Pat McAfee played longer than eight years in the NFL, he would likely be in the Hall of Fame today. If there is any factor going against him, it's that. Still, there's no debating what McAfee accomplished in the league and for the Colts in his limited time. Pro Football Focus once tabbed McAfee as the best punter of the last 25 years, and his individual awards spoke to that.Â
During his eight years, McAfee was twice a Pro Bowler and added a First-Team All-Pro selection to boot. He was dynamite for the Colts on the field.
Off the field, he may have been even more valuable. Many fans and NFL personalities agree that McAfee's presence in the Indianapolis community was more impactful than his work as a punter. To this day, McAfee still has deep ties with the city. Combine what he's done for the Colts on and off the field, and it more than warrants a Ring of Honor invitation.Â
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