SI.com: And Reggie White?

Dr. Z: The presenter from Milwaukee stood up and said, 'There doesn't have to be a word said about Reggie White.' And he was right.

SI.com: Is it common that the strongest candidates aren't really discussed at length?

Dr. Z: Usually that happens with the quarterbacks. Like Dan Marino. But White is an exception.

SI.com: Who else came close?

Dr. Z: Defensive end Claude Humphrey was interesting. Some people brought up that he wasn't strong against the run. The same was said about Derrick Thomas. I support Humphrey's candidacy but I do think Thomas, as great as he was at rushing the passer, was a bit of a one-trick pony. And Thomas may have been hurt by Carson being elected, since they were both linebackers.

SI.com: Will Humphrey make it eventually?

Dr. Z: I don't know. He keeps coming up against L.C. Greenwood and they tend to cancel each other out. There are no negatives on either. Kind of like how Lynn Swann and John Stallworth kept canceling each other out. But they got in.

SI.com: Any other comments on the guys who didn't get in?

Dr. Z: Russ Grimm and Bob Kuechenberg may have canceled each other out. And Gary Zimmerman may have been knocked out by Wright getting in. They aren't going to put in two offensive tackles.

SI.com: What about Art Monk?

Dr. Z: The negative is that when you played the Redskins, you didn't say, "How can I stop Art Monk?" He wasn't a focal figure. The positive about Monk: All he did was help the team win. He was a good, sturdy team guy. But that wasn't enough.

SI.com: Most people don't know much about Rayfield Wright.Tell me about him.

Dr. Z: Wright's a senior candidate. The only negative was Wright, a tackle for the Cowboys, gave up three sacks to Greenwood in Super Bowl X. But the people who supported him rode through that. Wright was a finalist last year, and was very generous thanking people just to get to that level. He's a very gentle, humble man. I've supported him all along and I'm glad he made it.