Is Ruben Brown a Future Hall of Famer?

In case you missed it, Ruben Brown was named to his ninth Pro Bowl this week, coming off the heals of the Bears making it back to the Super Bowl. Good for Ruben, I say. And from all of the Bills fans I speak with, that seems to be the consensus.

With Buffalo, Brown was the anchor at left guard, going to eight Pro Bowls and playing on four playoff teams. His career in Buffalo spanned from Marv Levy/Jim Kelly to Gregg Williams/Drew Bledsoe. It's a shame that Brown's Buffalo career came to an abrupt end. After voicing his displeasure with the offense, Brown was suspended for the regular season finale in 2003. And he never played in Buffalo again. Since then, the Bills have struggled to find the replacement at left guard. Bennie Anderson, Tutan Reyes, and others have failed to fill Ruben's shoes. Mike Gandy was OK at left guard after the 2006 mid-season switch.

So here's a question: When Brown's career comes to a close, is he Hall of Fame material? I think he's in the conversation. Not many observers, myself included, can evaluate individual offensive line play. Every other position has statistics to compare. Offensive line? For Brown, his resume says nine Pro Bowls and a possible Super Bowl ring. I'm not saying he's in, but I think he's on the bubble right now.