Thursday, July 27 Five who belong in the Hall
	By Joe Lago ESPN.com John Elway, Dan Marino, Bruce Matthews, Barry Sanders and Steve Young all belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Case study: Ricky Watters Is Ricky Watters a Hall of Famer? Digest these facts about the current Seahawk and former Niner and Eagle: Five Pro Bowls, more than 12,000 yards from scrimmage (fourth-most in the 1990s behind Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith and Thurman Thomas), 81 total touchdowns and one Super Bowl title (with the 49ers in '94). With that résumé, Watters just about fills all the prerequisites for Canton. In eight seasons, Watters has rushed for 9,083 yards -- just 324 yards fewer than another five-time Pro Bowler who played eight seasons, Earl Campbell. Campbell, who scored seven fewer touchdowns, is in the Hall. Unlike Campbell, Watters never led the league in rushing. But neither did Hall of Famers Larry Csonka, Tony Dorsett or Franco Harris. In fact, Watters' best rushing season (1,411 in '96 with Philadelphia) tops the best seasons of Csonka (1,117) and Harris (1,246). So Watters passes the statistical test. Does he have the reputation of a Hall of Famer? That depends on which Ricky Watters people choose to remember -- the one who scored on a 51-yard reception from Steve Young in Super Bowl XXIX, or the one who chose not to dive over the middle for a pass in his Eagles debut. -- Joe Lago Too bad they're in the midst of their five-year waiting periods. Here are five eligible candidates who should be in Canton's Class for 2001: 1. Ray Guy A four-time Hall finalist, the ex-Raider would be the first pure punter to get into Canton. Guy boomed his punts so high that a coach accused him of putting helium in the ball. 2. Marv Levy The Bud Grant of the '90s. Like Grant, who took the Vikings to four Super Bowls and lost all four, Levy led the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls. 3. Art Monk Had many of the NFL's receiving records until Jerry Rice began breaking them. Third on the all-time receptions list with 940, Monk caught a pass in 183 straight games and was named to the '80s all-decade team. 4. Lynn Swann The graceful ex-Steeler wideout has been a finalist for 13 straight years. He doesn't have great regular-season numbers (336 catches in nine seasons) but the '70s all-decade team member routinely put on a show on the game's biggest stage in four Super Bowl victories. 5. Jack Youngblood Talk about your tough guys. The ex-Rams defensive end played with a broken left leg in a 1979 first-round playoff game and did not miss a down. He only missed one game in 14 seasons, racking up 151.5 sacks to earn seven straight Pro Bowl berths and a spot on the '70s all-decade team.		ALSO SEE Baseball: Five who belong in Hall Basketball: Five who belong in Hall Hockey: Five who belong in the Hall Football: Fame is name of game In-depth: The Hall of Fame debate