It's Time for Richard Dent to Make the Hall of Fame

Bears legend Richard Dent was named a finalist for the NFL Hall of Fame this weekend, the seventh time he's been given that honor. The six previous times, he didn't make the Hall. He will find out Super Bowl weekend if he will be enshrined in Canton.

It's about time that Dent gets to join Walter Payton, Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary and the rest of the Bears in the Hall of Fame.

Looking at his numbers, it's a no-brainer. He's sixth on the NFL's all-time sacks list, and was third when he retired. His 137.5 sacks tie him with Minnesota's John Randle, who was enshrined last year. The players he was behind when he retired? Reggie White and Bruce Smith, both Hall-of-Famers.

Dent is often remembered for his role on the Super Bowl XX team, as that was by far his best season. He led the league in sacks, won the Super Bowl MVP, and had 6 sacks in the postseason. He played like a man possessed, and the Bears won the Lombardi Trophy because of it. But this one season of creating chaos often overshadows the rest of his career. He was a four-time Pro-Bowler. He hit double-digits in sacks eight times in his career, even in seasons he didn't play every game.

Dent gave quarterbacks nightmares, which is more than enough reason to fit him in a yellow blazer.