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Update: HOF finalists named

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Posted by Darin Gantt on November 18, 2014, 10:00 PM EST
A strong first-year eligible class of players including Junior Seau and four members of the Greatest Show on Turf are among the 26 players announced as semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame tonight.

 

In addition to Seau, the first-year eligible players include Rams teammates Kurt Warner, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

 

Also on the list are the five players who were in the final 10 of last year’s voting but not among the five elected: Linebacker Kevin Greene, defensive end Charles Haley, running back Jerome Bettis, guard Will Shields and wide receiver Marvin Harrison.

 

The other 16 names to make the cut to 26 include running backs Roger Craig, Terrell Davis and Edgerrin James, wide receiver Tim Brown, offensive linemen Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn and Kevin Mawae, linebacker Karl Mecklenburg, cornerback Ty Law, safeties Steve Atwater, John Lynch and Darren Woodson, kicker Morten Andersen and coaches Don Coryell, Tony Dungy and Jimmy Johnson.

 

From that group of 26 names, the group will be whittled down again to 15 finalists, who will then be up for debate and election the day before the Super Bowl.

 

A maximum of five players from that group of 15 can be chosen.

 

The committee will also vote separately on seniors nominee Mick Tingelhoff, and two contributors, former General Managers Bill Polian and Ron Wolf.

 

Those three need 80 percent of a yes-no vote, and do not impact the five modern-era slots, meaning the maximum class this year would be eight.

 

Source: ProFootballTalk

Edited by BLUE

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I think Marvin Harrison and Junior Seau have to get in on this ballot.

 

Will Shields, Charles Haley and Kurt Warner would be the other three I think get picked. I'd take Greene over Haley, but Dem Rings might be the final persuasive argument.

 

Tingelhoff gets in as a seniors committee vote, and I think Ron Wolf makes it as a contributor. Bill Polian should not be in the hall because he lucked out on Peyton Manning.

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Seau, Haley, Harrison, Shields.

 

Pace/Law.

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Karl Mecklenberg needs to get in there. Meck was a 12th round pick who went on to become one of the best linebackers of all time.

 

I'm torn on TD being in the HoF...

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You could make a solid case for the first year eligible players becoming the HOF Class in of 2015, but that's not who I'd go with

 

Give me Seau, Bettis, Harrison, Jacoby, and Coryell

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I usually don't chime in on discussions like this because I barely saw these guys play (I can't wait until this generation of football players is up for HoF considerations and the conversations/debates we get to have). But based on what I know about the semifinalists and what I've heard from those who have watched them play...

 

I'd think Harrison, Shields, and Seau get in. As for the other two spots, I have no idea. I agree with Zack's Ty-Law-is-overrated theory, but then, I always thought Kurt Warner was overrated. So I know nothing.

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Kurt Warner is one of a very few QBs, (perhaps the only one?) to take two different teams to the Superbowl. He was damn close to winning two with two different teams as well.

 

And of course, some people might argue he'd have two rings if it weren't for Spygate, as his RB does all the time.

 

Warner is a HoFer. First ballot, idk, but a definite HoFer in my book.

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I feel the same way about Warner. I dunno about making him a first ballot guy, but I guess I wouldn't complain. He deserves to be in.

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I doubt Marvin Harrison makes it in this early. Its getting increasingly difficult for WRs to make it. Jerome Bettis while he had a good career doesn't belong in the HOF. Same goes for John Lynch.

 

From this list I would select

Kevin Greene

Will Shields

Morten Andersen

Junior Seau

Kurt Warner

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I'm really starting to dislike the fact that there are only 5 players that get in every season. They need to expand it to at least 7 or 8. There are too many players not making it because of this, and now Tim Brown probably won't get in get again, yet Andre Reed gets some sort of pass despite being on a better team throughout just about all of his career, having the better QB for most of his playing time, being far statistically inferior, and being on a team that lost 4 straight Super Bowls. It makes no sense how Reed is in yet Brown is not

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Jerome Bettis while he had a good career doesn't belong in the HOF.

Bettis is #6 in career rushing yards with 13,662, the five guys ahead of him are Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin, and Ladanian Tomlinson, the first four are in the HOF the fifth will be as soon as he's eligible, the next four guys behind him are Eric Dickerson, Tony Dorsett, Jim Brown, and Marshall Faulk rounding out the top ten, all four HOFers

 

Bettis is #10 all time in rushing TDs with 91, the nine guys ahead of him are Smith, Tomlinson, Marcus Allen, Payton, Brown, John Riggins Marshall Faulk, Shaun Alexander, and Barry Sanders, seven HOFers, Tomlinson, and Alexander, at #10 Bettis is tied with Franco Harris, also a HOFer, and just ahead of Eric Dickerson and Curtis Martin, also HOFers

 

Bettis is in a six way tie for fifth with 8 1000 yard seasons, the four guys ahead of him are Smith, Martin, Payton, and Sanders, all HOFers, the five guys tied with him are Dorsett, Harris, Steven Jackson, Thurman Thomas, and Tomlinson, three HOFers, Tomlinson, and Jackson

 

so why, exactly, does Bettis not belong in the HOF? sure, he was never the best back in the league, but he maintained a level of excellence for an incredibly long time at a position with a notoriously short shelf-life

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Yeah on almost 13,700 carries for a 3.9 career average. Meh. Had too many seasons in the 3.X YPC for my liking. Jmo

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I realize he's not in this particular discussion but Leslie O'Neal is a guy that should make it. IMO before Greene and Haley.

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Kurt Warner is one of a very few QBs, (perhaps the only one?) to take two different teams to the Superbowl. He was damn close to winning two with two different teams as well.

 

And of course, some people might argue he'd have two rings if it weren't for Spygate, as his RB does all the time.

 

Warner is a HoFer. First ballot, idk, but a definite HoFer in my book.

 

Craig Morton did it with the Cowboys and Broncos in the 70s, and then Manning just did it last year. I agree that Warner should be in sooner than later. He's one of the most accurate and efficient QBs that has played, and his deep ball was always surprising.

 

Bettis too for that matter. Longevity is one thing, but he never really had a bad season till he started splitting time. But... part of the reason I don't think he should be in is part of the reason I think TD should be.

 

 

What do you guys think of Terrell Davis being in the Hall of Fame? Not just this year but ever. Was it just not enough time, or does he deserve the Gale Sayers pass? I think he should get it, but I'm a little biased. I think if at any point in your career, if you were the unequivocal best at your position, there should be a spot for you.

 

"Through his first four seasons, Davis rushed for 6,413 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and 56 touchdowns. Among the 24 modern-era Hall of Fame halfbacks and fullbacks, only Earl Campbell (6,457, 4.6 yards per carry) and Eric Dickerson (6,968, 4.8 yards per carry) had more rushing yards during their first four seasons; no member of the Hall of Fame matched Davis’ first-four-season 56 rushing touchdowns."

 

Not to mention his post-season performances, he was probably the most clutch player in Broncos' history. He's one of less than a handful of people to have over 1000 yards rushing in the post season, and all the other guys had long careers. Emmitt Smith is the only one off the top of my head with a Super Bowl MVP.

 

Just more stuff to talk about anyway.

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Craig Morton did it with the Cowboys and Broncos in the 70s, and then Manning just did it last year. I agree that Warner should be in sooner than later. He's one of the most accurate and efficient QBs that has played, and his deep ball was always surprising.

 

Bettis too for that matter. Longevity is one thing, but he never really had a bad season till he started splitting time. But... part of the reason I don't think he should be in is part of the reason I think TD should be.

 

 

What do you guys think of Terrell Davis being in the Hall of Fame? Not just this year but ever. Was it just not enough time, or does he deserve the Gale Sayers pass? I think he should get it, but I'm a little biased. I think if at any point in your career, if you were the unequivocal best at your position, there should be a spot for you.

 

"Through his first four seasons, Davis rushed for 6,413 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and 56 touchdowns. Among the 24 modern-era Hall of Fame halfbacks and fullbacks, only Earl Campbell (6,457, 4.6 yards per carry) and Eric Dickerson (6,968, 4.8 yards per carry) had more rushing yards during their first four seasons; no member of the Hall of Fame matched Davis’ first-four-season 56 rushing touchdowns."

 

Not to mention his post-season performances, he was probably the most clutch player in Broncos' history. He's one of less than a handful of people to have over 1000 yards rushing in the post season, and all the other guys had long careers. Emmitt Smith is the only one off the top of my head with a Super Bowl MVP.

 

Just more stuff to talk about anyway.

I think Bettis should be in, but not until the guys ahead of him in my rankings get in. So Edge, Craig, TD, and eventually Tomlinson, depending on the classes that Bettis is pitted against prior to LT's eligibility.

 

 

I've always been a huge fan of TD. My dad's a Broncos fan, so when I was little I also loved Elway and TD.

 

I believe that he belongs in the Hall, for the reasons you've listed. His career was shortened, but so was Sayers's, as you said. I'd only downgrade him due to the Zimmerman-lead OL and Kubiak scheme, but if I did that, then Emmit Smith kinda sucks, having benefited from the best OL ever and Norv Turner.

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Craig Morton did it with the Cowboys and Broncos in the 70s, and then Manning just did it last year. I agree that Warner should be in sooner than later. He's one of the most accurate and efficient QBs that has played, and his deep ball was always surprising.

 

Bettis too for that matter. Longevity is one thing, but he never really had a bad season till he started splitting time. But... part of the reason I don't think he should be in is part of the reason I think TD should be.

 

 

What do you guys think of Terrell Davis being in the Hall of Fame? Not just this year but ever. Was it just not enough time, or does he deserve the Gale Sayers pass? I think he should get it, but I'm a little biased. I think if at any point in your career, if you were the unequivocal best at your position, there should be a spot for you.

 

"Through his first four seasons, Davis rushed for 6,413 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and 56 touchdowns. Among the 24 modern-era Hall of Fame halfbacks and fullbacks, only Earl Campbell (6,457, 4.6 yards per carry) and Eric Dickerson (6,968, 4.8 yards per carry) had more rushing yards during their first four seasons; no member of the Hall of Fame matched Davis’ first-four-season 56 rushing touchdowns."

 

Not to mention his post-season performances, he was probably the most clutch player in Broncos' history. He's one of less than a handful of people to have over 1000 yards rushing in the post season, and all the other guys had long careers. Emmitt Smith is the only one off the top of my head with a Super Bowl MVP.

 

Just more stuff to talk about anyway.

 

 

I'll be honest, I'd rather see Ricky Watters get into the HOF before Davis. Yeah, Davis was better in his prime, but Watters was the definition of straight up consistency, and at a position that has notorious shelf life, he was still rushing for 1200 yards a year up until he was 32. He was a very good runner and often didn't get a ton of credit for being a great receiver out of the backfield

 

 

And if you want to talk postseason achievements, why don't we talk about the guy who set a record with 5 touchdowns in a postseason game on 118 yards and 5 ypc against a pretty damn good Giants defense that was ranked 7th in fewest rushing defense and was tied for 5th in fewest rushing touchdowns allowed. And he was a stud in Super Bowl 29, he scored 3 touchdowns and would have been the MVP of the game if Steve Young hadn't overshadowed him

 

 

It's a very close debate. I normally tend to lean towards players that were pure greatness for short periods of time over sustained longevity, and in another similar comparison (Rich Gannon vs Donovan McNabb as an example), I would have almost assuredly taken Gannon. However, at a position where players are out of the league as fast as they came into it, I value long term consistency a ton and will almost always take a guy who I can count on to be out there, as Watters was for all but 5 total games before his final season. He was underrated for a long time and has higher rushing totals than a lot of players that are already in the Hall of Fame, not to mention won a ring as well. I don't know why more people don't want him in the HOF

Edited by Mentch

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I think the issue is even when TD was at his best, there was serious argument that he wasn't the best RB in the game. Faulk and Martin may not have been at their peaks yet, but Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders were still rolling out amazing seasons. I think he ends up being the lost name in that discussion because he really only had 4 years of great play while all of those others extended their play for at least a decade. I think he had the best peak of any runningback ever, and as a biased supporter I'd put him in right now. However, the committee seems to have something against Denver players getting in, which is why Gradishar will have to get in on the seniors vote, Atwater and Davis never get any serious consideration, and John Lynch will be ignored for a few years.

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The finalists will be announced on the NFL Network at 9 PM EST tonight. :yep:

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Posted by Darin Gantt on January 8, 2015, 9:25 PM EST
Former Chargers linebacker Junior Seau and Rams teammates Orlando Pace and Kurt Warner highlight the list of finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which was announced tonight.

 

Those three first-year eligible players are part of a stacked class of 15 modern-era nominees, from which no more than five will earn induction into Canton this year.

 

Along with those three are the five finalists from last year who made the cut from 15 to 10 but didn’t make the final five: Running back Jerome Bettis, linebacker Kevin Greene, defensive end Charles Haley, wide receiver Marvin Harrison and guard Will Shields.

 

The remaining seven finalists include kicker Morten Andersen, wide receiver Tim Brown, coach Don Coryell, running back Terrell Davis, coach Tony Dungy, coach Jimmy Johnson and safety John Lynch.

 

The finalists will be discussed and voted on by the selection committee and announced on Jan. 31 in Phoenix, the day before the Super Bowl.

 

The 15 finalists will be voted on along with seniors committee candidate Mick Tingelhoff and contributors Bill Polian and Ron Wolf, which could make for a maximum class of eight (contributors and seniors are discussed and voted upon separately from modern-era candidates, and need 80 percent of a yes-no vote to be approved).

 

The difficulty of selecting a class of five from the modern-era candidates is underscored by the 11 names which were reduced in the vote from 26 semifinalists.

 

Those names include Rams wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, running backs Roger Craig and Edgerrin James, offensive linemen Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn and Kevin Mawae, linebacker Karl Mecklenburg, cornerback Ty Law and safeties Steve Atwater and Darren Woodson.

 

Source: ProFootballTalk

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If Marvin Harrison doesn't get inducted this year I will break something. Complete robbery that he wasn't a first ballot Hall of Famer.

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You could make a solid case for the first year eligible players becoming the HOF Class in of 2015, but that's not who I'd go with

 

Give me Seau, Bettis, Harrison, Jacoby, and Coryell

well, four are finalists, I still think it's borderline criminal that Jacoby isn't in the hall, but I guess I gotta come up with a new fifth pick, I'll give it to Pace, replace one deserving OT with another

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