Carter hopes to join Hall on second try

Cris Carter's failure to earn a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2008 surprised some. But the former Vikings receiver didn't include himself in that group.

"I was disappointed I didn't get in," Carter said Wednesday. "But it wasn't the end of the world. I didn't think I would get in on the first ballot. Look at all the great players who didn't get in [on the first ballot]. I think it's a little conceited to think that way. I didn't think I was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and I never thought I was a Hall of Famer. I just played the game, and they added up all the numbers at the end."

The numbers were impressive. Carter, who played 12 of 16 NFL seasons with the Vikings (1990 to 2001), is among the NFL's all-time leaders in catches (1,101) and touchdown receptions (130). As he was last year, Carter is among the 15 finalists for the Hall of Fame. Voting will take place in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 31, a day before the Super Bowl, and between four and seven candidates will be selected.

"Last year it was my first time, and it was kind of new to me," said Carter, an NFL analyst for ESPN. "I made up my mind that I wasn't going to campaign, I wasn't going to try to call people to sway votes. I was just going to sit back and let the process take care of itself. I have respect for the Hall of Fame and have respect for the people who are voting people in. I didn't think there was anything I could do to make the numbers better because that's what they are looking at. So I'm not going to do anything different this time."

Two other former Vikings, defensive tackle John Randle and offensive guard Randall McDaniel, also are finalists.

Carter called McDaniel "the best offensive lineman I played with," and said Randle, "made himself into a player by gaining weight and sculpting his body."