Haloti Ngata has a legitimate Hall of Fame argument

Nose tackles deserve just as much love as any other position on the football field, and no one proved that more than future Hall of Famer Haloti Ngata.

The nose tackle position is often an overlooked one. Very few of these players make any kind of splash on highlight reels and are consistently lacking in the statistics department. Even still, they can impact the game on a nearly every-down basis, especially when you find one as talented as Haloti Ngata was.

Haloti Ngata wasn’t your average nose tackle. No, Ngata was so much more than that. What Ngata did for the Baltimore Ravens defense was completely game-changing. For years, Baltimore has employed some terrific nose tackles such as Tony Siragusa, Kelly Gregg, and Sam Adams. In Ngata, they had something different… something, special.

Ngata was simply unlike the Ravens, let alone the NFL, had ever seen before. The man was a physical specimen and it was more than fair to label him as a “freak athlete.” When you think of those kinds of guys, you think of guys like Aaron Donald or Calvin Johnson; players who outperformed their positions because of their dynamic athleticism. Haloti Ngata should no doubt be in that conversation with them.

It simply comes across as illogical, to find someone as large as Ngata is and to see him move so well for his build. Ngata would glide through offensive lines and blow-up plays before they even got started. His sudden quickness and explosion off the snap were remarkable.

Every team knew who Ngata was, and they specifically game-planned for him. That says a lot, considering the Ravens have always hosted players like Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed on that same defense. Still, stopping Ngata was one of the opposing team’s top priorities.

A man among boys:

Watching Haloti Ngata play was mesmerizing. He was ridiculously disruptive and nearly impossible to contain. To see such a mammoth of a man throw around other men just as big as him was incredible; it was like watching a superhero fight the bad guys, and Ngata was Superman. Who needs highlight reel plays when you can watch a grown-ass man topple another with ease?

The best part is that all this went beyond the tape, as Ngata was quietly one of the most productive players in the league at his position during his prime. Ngata recorded three-straight seasons of five+ sacks while also rounding up five Pro Bowl and five All-Pro nods. It felt like there wasn’t anything that this man couldn’t do.

Take everything you’ve just read and ask yourself this question: Does this spell out a Hall of Fame career?

Yes. No doubt whatsoever.

If you find yourself disagreeing that he is, ask yourself this: What doesn’t Haloti Ngata have? Production? 30+ sacks as a 330+lbs. nose tackle is pretty dang productive. Pro Bowls? We already noted he has five. What about All-Pros? Again, he’s got five, and two of them are First-Team nods. Is he well respected? Why don’t you ask the players and coaches he tormented for 13 NFL seasons. And the worst question of all… Does he have a championship? As a matter of fact, he DOES.

The NFL Hall of Fame needs to nose tackles some more love. There’s been few, if any, players in the league’s history that were as remarkable as Haloti Ngata was. The man is cherished in Baltimore for his numerous good deeds and hard work, and he’s well-represented in accolades and compliments from others. It’s easy to see why he’ll be inducted to the team’s Ring of Honor in 2020.

Ngata has everything that you want in a Hall of Famer, and while he probably won’t be a first-ballot selection, there should be no argument to withhold Ngata from the halls of Canton. Greatness always gets rewarded, and Haloti Ngata’s will get him enshrined with other NFL legends like himself.