Pace to me was an underachiever - he could have been the greatest of all time. I believe he was the greatest talent of all time at left tackle, but didn't produce the greatest results of all time. He was definitely a great player though.
I feel he fell short of what he could have been if he had not slacked off and skipped all the workouts year after year and missed entire preseasons.
Still, no argument that his credentials are Hall of Fame credentials and he made a big difference from 1999-2001. My problem with him is his performance 2002 and after.
Lastly, for me, to exclude him from the Hall of Fame simply comes down to the simple fact, that he bailed on his teammates, simply because he could. It really wasn't about money as he made up his mind to play from the franchise tag from the get go because he could maximize his money. When teammates are working to get better and specifically trying to develop a cohesive offensive line unit, I think it would help the team to work with them.
I believe he held out 4 of his seasons in his career. His rookie year and 3 others.
On a more positive note, the little of his speech that I heard, I liked very much and maybe he has grown as a man through the years! I need to watch it all yet.
