Price: Why I backed these three for the Patriots' Hall of Fame

I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of the Patriots’ Hall of Fame nominating committee for almost a decade — one of the truly fun parts of this job. Anyway, this year’s meeting took place Thursday at Gillette Stadium, and there was a sizable list of candidates to choose from. With the understanding that a few things have to be kept secret to protect the process, here are a few highlights from the afternoon:

I wrote Thursday morning that unless I heard a really compelling argument for a different player, I had my mind made up to vote for Rodney Harrison, Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel, in that order. And even though there was a lot of good discussion on a bunch of different individuals — including Randy Moss, Julius Adams, Bill Parcells and Tim Fox — I’m sticking with that group. Let me tell you why.

Over the years, I’ve made no secret of the fact I’m a Harrison apologist, and I’m proud of the fact I was the one who nominated him on Thursday. He was here for a relatively short time when compared to some other potential Hall of Famers, but for me, no one else better represents a sizable chunk of the first part of the New England dynasty better than Harrison. He embodied all the good stuff about the Patriots’ defense from 2003-2007 — he was smart, tough and dependable, and had a rep for rising to the occasion in big games. In addition, he was a transformative presence for the franchise at a key moment in its history — after Lawyer Milloy was cut loose, Harrison became the rock for a group of young defensive backs. He was always accountable (most notably after his PED bust at the start of the 2007 season) and always had time for the media. In short, the perfect Patriot.