Story behind the election process for Class of 2007

SI.com's Paul Zimmerman, a Hall of Fame voter for the last 16 years, spoke with SI.com about Saturday's selection process for the 2007 class. Gene Hickerson, Michael Irvin, Bruce Matthews, Charlie Sanders, Thurman Thomas and Roger Wehrli were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Only Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders ran for more yards than Thurman Thomas in the 90s. John Biever/SI

SI.com: What was the biggest surprise today?

Dr. Z: The election of Cardinals cornerback Roger Wehrli, which made me very happy.

The two greatest cornerbacks I've ever seen were Jimmie Johnson and Deion Sanders. Johnson was the greatest complete cornerback -- he had the speed and the technique. He was the closet to a perfect cornerback I've ever seen.

Then there were the real tough guys -- Dick "Night Train" Lane and Willie Brown. They were ferocious. They might have a tough time now with the current rules.

And then there was Herb Adderley, who was great, but he was surrounded by so much talent, it's hard to evaluate him as an individual.

That brings us to the three great technicians: Michael Haynes, Albert Lewis and Roger Wehrli. Wehrli had great technique. It warms my heart that people remembered his great career.

SI.com: What was the second biggest surprise?

Dr. Z: Paul Tagliabue not making it. I think the feeling in the room was that it was simply too early. People want to see how the current CBA plays out, for one thing.

SI.com: How heated was the debate on Michael Irvin?

Dr. Z: Very heated. I think some people just didn't like him. But for me, it was just too logical that he belonged in. He was the do-it-all receiver for a three-time champion. He could catch anything. He was a leader who helped get the team to work hard. He blocked. He was tough. And he never had any help at the other receiver position. Maybe his numbers weren't as big as some others, but the Cowboys had Emmitt Smith, so of course they weren't going to throw that much.

SI.com: Why didn't Art Monk get elected?

Dr. Z: My feeling is that Monk was a great player. But when you played the Redskins, he was not the guy you had to stop. He was a very functional player. A great team guy. But I liked two wideouts better this year. Irvin and Andre Reed.

Will the improvement of receivers' statistics in recent years hurt Monk's chances of making it in the future?

Oh yeah. I think his best chance might have been when he first came on the ballot, because he was still near the top of the all-time lists then, but he' falling.

SI.com: Did you vote for Thurman Thomas?

Dr. Z: Definitely. When the Bills played the Giants in Super Bowl XXV, Thomas had 190 total yards and basically kept Buffalo in the game. I told everyone he had to be the MVP, even though the Bills lost. They said you can't award the MVP to a losing team. I said, "Why not?" He wasn't the MVP and the next year I wasn't on the voting committee anymore.

He was a great back. Jim Kelly once told me, "Remember, in the run-and-shoot offense the run comes first ... and Thomas was the guy who made that offense go."

SI.com: What happened to the all the pass-rushers on the final list of 17 nominees?

Dr. Z: They all canceled themselves out. Fred Dean, Richard Dent, Derrick Thomas and Andre Tippett were all great. But how do you distinguish between them? It wasn't easy.

SI.com: A guy you're a big backer of, Bob Kuechenberg, was passed over. Do you think he's going to make it eventually?

Dr. Z: It's going to be tough. This year there were a lot of offensive linemen. Bruce Matthews, who made it, Russ Grimm, Gary Zimmerman. And then Randall McDaniel is coming soon. It's going to be tough for offensive linemen.