SAN FRANCISCO — When theClass of 2026 for the Pro Football Hall of Famewas finally, and officially, unveiled on Thursday night, it was only natural to connect some dots.
Larry Fitzgerald was once aMinnesota Vikingsballboy, when he got a close-up view of how Randy Moss and Cris Carter operated.
Luke Kuechly tallied at least 100 tackles in every NFL season he played, yet there was a reason the dominant linebacker lasted just eight years: Concussions.
Adam Vinatieri is the NFL's all-time leading scorer, with a signature kick in a blizzard in a 2001 divisional playoff game that launched the Patriots dynasty – and had NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel reminiscing earlier in the day, while ramping up for Super Bowl 60.
"One of the greatest feats I've ever seen on a football field," Vrabel reflected of the snowfest in Foxborough. "You could barely run, let alone approach and kick a football."
Then there's Drew Brees and Roger Craig. Let's connect some dots.
Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald head the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame
Brees hailed his formerSaintscoach, Sean Payton, for believing in him more than he believed in himself while at a career crossroads punctuated by major shoulder surgery.
Craig was viewed by 49ers architect Bill Walsh as the versatile, missing piece for the West Coast scheme triggered by Joe Montana. Now, more than 30 years since he retired, Craig, 65, was selected as a finalist from the seniors category.
The connection? As Brees explained, when he went to New Orleans in 2006, Payton began indoctrinating his new quarterback in a new system by having him absorb an abundance of film from Walsh's cutting-edge offense.
"We actually started off watching all the 49er Bill Walsh film," Brees said. "I think a lot of the attention went to Montana, went to (Jerry) Rice, it went to other people. What you started to realize very quickly was that Roger Craig was the secret sauce in so many ways."
Brees, second all-time for passing yards and passing TDs, is mindful of Craig's historical calling card: In 1985, he became the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards while tallying 1,000 receiving yards in the same season, a feat that has been matched by only two others – Marshall Faulk (1999) and Christian McCaffrey (2019).
"He was truly one of the first every down, multi-purpose backs," Brees added. "And obviously, as you begin to dig into statistics, you realize just how exceptional he was at that. So, a lot in those early days (with the Saints), we're watching film on Roger Craig, which you wouldn't think that you'd be watching 25-year-old film. But you go back to the guys that were doing the absolute best and it was the fundamental components by which a lot of the offenses are run today."
Which is indeed a Hall of Fame connection.
Contact Jarrett Bell atjbell@usatoday.comor follow on X:@JarrettBell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:How Bill Walsh offense shaped Drew Brees and Roger Craig legacies
