It’s the same thing every stinkin’ year. The NFL announces their Hall of Fame finalists in November, Broncos Country gets their hopes up through December and we all receive a collective slap in the face in January; it makes no sense.

For a decade, I’ve been trying to wrap my brain around how in the world the Hall of Fame voters can’t find a way to get Steve Atwater or Terrell Davis inside football’s most sacred building, and I can’t do it; there’s a reason why they’ve been semifinalists a combined 15 times. Hell, let’s throw Karl Mecklenburg in there, too; his five semifinal appearances are just as puzzling.

Here’s an even more important question, though: After four decades of winning football —  which includes just six losing seasons, seven Super Bowl appearances and two Lombardi Trophies — how do the Denver Broncos only have four (yes, just four!) players in the Hall of Fame? And one of those, Floyd Little, didn’t even play during that 40-year span.

There are five franchises with over 20 Hall of Famers, eight with over 15, 14 with over ten, and yet the Broncos can only muster four?

That is absurd. The NFL should throw in three Broncos right now just so they can stop embarrassing themselves.

And it’s not like they’re not worthy, either. Steve Atwater is easily one of the best safeties in NFL history, the prototype for nearly every hard-hitting defensive back in the league today — though he could cover just about as well as anyone, too. Plus, he’s the author of one of the greatest hits in NFL history.

And nobody — nobody! — can tell me Terrell Davis was not a Hall of Fame-caliber player. Don’t give me this “But he only played seven seasons” bull crap; TD’s prime was better than just about any other running back in NFL history. In a three-year span, he averaged 1,765 yards and 16 touchdowns. Please, just think about that …

If he played in today’s day and age, there is no doubt in my mind that he would be considered one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, if he’s not already. First off, the torn ACL which essentially ended his career would not have been nearly as catastrophic as it was in 1999 — just ask Adrian Peterson. And second, in a league where every running back’s prime is shorter than ever, Davis’ shot-lived career would be much more easily digested by Hall of Fame voters.

And really, if the goal is to put the best players into the Hall of Fame, then it shouldn’t matter how long he played. All I know is that if you went around asking who was a better running back, Terrell Davis or Curtis Martin, you’d know who truly deserves to be in the Hall.

HINT: It’s Terrell Davis.

If you didn’t just get a little misty eyed watching that, well … I don’t know what to tell you.

Getting these two guys into the Hall of Fame isn’t just important for them, the team or the fans; it’s important for football. Those hallowed halls will never be complete without the busts of Steve Atwater and Terrell Davis.