Category: Pro Football Hall of Fame

14 former Giants among senior nominees for Hall of Fame Class of 2025

14 former New York Giants, including Phil Simms and Carl Banks, are senior nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.

In an effort to correct the sins of the past, the Pro Football Hall of Fame revamped their process when it comes to reconsidering players whose eligibility has expired.

Starting this year, an 11-person panel will review a list of 183 players for consideration for enshrinement. Only three will be nominated for induction in this year’s class.

To be considered in this group, each former player last could have appeared in a professional football game in the 1999 season.

For the New York Giants, there are 14 names up for consideration, including quarterbacks Phil Simms, Charlie Conerly and Jeff Hostetler, running back Ottis Anderson, linebacker Carl Banks and tight end Mark Bavaro who will get another look from voters.

Other Giants on the list include running back Herschel Walker, flanker Homer Jones, end Del Shofner, defensive linemen Rosey Grier and Leonard Marshall, defensive backs Jimmy Patton and Everson Walls, and punter Sean Landeta.

With the Giants celebrating their 100th season this year, it would be fitting if they could land a player on the finalists list later this fall.

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NFL analyst: ‘There is no debate’ Eli Manning belongs in Hall of Fame

One NFL Network analyst argues that there is no logical debate against New York Giants legend Eli Manning being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

New York Giants legend Eli Manning is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025 and his candidacy is certain to spark much debate. However, one NFL Network analyst believes that’s hogwash.

In a recent article outlining the upcoming candidates and their viability, Adam Ranks says, “There is no debate” about Manning’s spot in Canton.

I know there will be those who don’t believe Eli should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His regular-season production looks mild compared with some of his contemporaries at the position. But he’s one of six players in NFL history to be named Super Bowl MVP twice — three of those players are in the Hall of Fame (Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Bart Starr), one is not yet eligible (Tom Brady) and one is still playing (Patrick Mahomes). I mean, Manning earned those honors against the league’s greatest dynasty. There is no debate here.

Manning is best known for bringing the Giants to two Super Bowls (and beating Tom Brady twice) while winning two Super Bowl MVPs as Rank mentions. However, the face of New York football for more than a decade was so much more.

He finished his career top-10 in both passing yards (57,023) and passing touchdowns (366) while winning 117 games. This earned Manning four Pro Bowl nods. Still, Eli was so much more than just the stats.

Manning was a leader in the locker room and an amazing teammate. He also was durable and dependable as he sits at third place all-time with 210 consecutive regular season starts.

There is no question that the Giants legend, and arguably the best offensive player in Giants history, is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

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Giants legend Ottis Anderson baffled by Hall of Fame omission

New York Giants legend Ottis “O.J.” Anderson has the credentials for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but has yet to be called.

What does it take to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame these days?

No one really knows. It took New York Giants nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker Harry Carson 18 years to get his gold jacket and Joe Klecko of the New York Jets — one of the NFL’s most dominant defensive linemen of the 1970s and 80s — 35 long years before he got the call to Canton.

So where does that leave a player such as running back Ottis “O.J.” Anderson?

We made a case for induction into the Hall on behalf of Anderson last year here on Giants Wire, but it didn’t seem to move the needle very much with voters.

Anderson, who retired in 1992, is obviously frustrated, enough to publicly voice his disappointment regarding the omission. He recently spoke to FOX5NY about his ordeal.

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For those unfamiliar with O.J.’s career, here is a snippet from the article we posted last April:

Anderson essentially had two careers — one with the St. Louis Cardinals and another with the Giants. Cumulatively, they add up to a Hall of Fame career.

Selected eighth overall by the Cardinals out of Miami in the 1979 NFL draft, Anderson earned Offensive Rookie of the Year and All-Pro honors later that season. He was selected to the Pro Bowl the next year as well.

In seven-plus seasons in St. Louis, Anderson rushed for 7,999 yards on 1,858 attempts — both still Cardinals’ franchise records — for a 4.3 average. In 1986, he lost his starting gig to Stump Mitchell and was traded to the Giants in October for 1987 second- and seventh-round selections.

Anderson played six-plus seasons for the Giants, won two Super Bowls, was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1989, and the MVP of Super Bowl XXV.

Ottis is one of only four running backs in NFL history to score rushing touchdowns in two Super Bowls and win a Super Bowl MVP (Hall of Famers Franco Harris, John Riggins, and Emmitt Smith are the others).

Anderson’s 10,273 rushing yards are 30th all-time and his 13,335 yards from scrimmage are 44th in NFL history. He is 19th all-time in rushing touchdowns with 81. When he retired in 1992 Anderson ranked seventh in rushing touchdowns and eighth in rushing yards.

Anderson was inducted into the Giants’ Ring of Honor in 2022 but has yet to be recognized by the Cardinals’ organization.

It’s time for the voters to recognize that Anderson has earned the right to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Paterson mayor requests Giants’ Leonard Marshall be named to Hall of Fame

Paterson mayor Andre Sayegh has written a letter to the Pro Football Hall of Fame requesting Giants great Leonard Marshall be enshrined.

Former New York Giants defensive end Leonard Marshall had a storied career, getting named to two Pro Bowls, winning two Super Bowls and having his name enshrined in the team’s esteemed Ring of Honor.

Now, he is being touted for another honor — the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Not by the usual suspects, though, but by Andre Sayegh, the mayor of Paterson, New Jersey.

Sayegh sent the Pro Football Hall of Fame a letter urging them to consider Marshall for the ultimate honor that can be bestowed upon a player.

“Leonard Marshall is a Hall of Fame human being,” Sayegh said in his letter, via NorthJersey.com.

“During the peak of the pandemic when very few African American men were getting vaccinated, Leonard Marshall came to Paterson and issued a call to action for African American men to get vaccinated.”

Of course, the Hall has its own process and will likely read the letter and take Marshall’s candidacy into account, but the reality is that Marshall has never been considered for induction.

Since his retirement from the NFL in 1995, Marshall has not once been listed as a finalist for induction. Will Sayegh’s letter get them to take another look at him? We’ll see.

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Pro Football Hall of Fame starts the countdown on Jason Kelce’s eventual nomination

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that retired Eagles center Jason Kelce is will be eligible for induction in 2029

Jason Kelce ended his 13-year NFL career on Monday announcing his retirement in an emotional press conference that featured friends, family and teammates.

It ends a fantastic run in Philadelphia and also begins the countdown to what should be a first-ballot selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The guys in Canton, Ohio, watched the press conference and started the countdown on Kelce’s nomination.

A sixth-round draft pick out of the University of Cincinnati in 2011, Kelce started and played in 193 games over his 13 seasons.

Kelce is the fifth center in NFL history with at least six All-Pro selections. The other four — Jim Otto, Clyde “Bulldog” Turner, Dermontti Dawson, and Jim Ringo — are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Kelce made his first Pro Bowl in 2014 and has been named to the Associated Press All-Pro team in six of the past seven seasons.

Six of those All-Pro honors came after Kelce turned 30, the most ever and one more than Jerry Rice and Bruce Smith.

The final year of the Eli Manning Hall of Fame debate has arrived

New York Giants legend Eli Manning is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025 meaning the final year of debate is upon us.

With the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 announced this week, we can now focus on the long-standing debate that is about to come to a conclusion next year at this time.

That debate is whether or not former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is worthy of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Manning, who retired after the 2019 season, will be eligible for induction into Canton beginning next year.

Giant fans already know that Manning belongs, as do the fans of the New England Patriots — the team Manning defeated twice in the Super Bowl.

But there are fans of other teams, especially those of the rival Philadelphia Eagles, who continue to contest Manning’s candidacy out of sheer jealousy, although they have finally won a Super Bowl in recent years. Others believe he’s a ‘nepo baby’ who skated on his family name.

But the numbers do not lie. Manning had a long and successful career. There are many who have busts in Canton who have achieved a lot less.

Eli will be among an impressive group of newcomers who will also be in their first year of eligibility, but few have his resume.

That aside, Manning’s induction in Year 1 is far from a slam dunk. Tom Rock, the veteran Giants columnist from Newsday, is preparing Giant fans for a possible snub.

While Manning certainly will be the most decorated and highest-profile quarterback on the ballot the committee considers throughout the coming months, he’s not going to be the slam dunk candidate some might consider him to be.

The Hall hasn’t enshrined a quarterback since Peyton Manning in 2021. That means fellow two-time Super Bowl champ Jim Plunkett along with others such as Joe Theismann, Ken Anderson, Earl Morrall and even Phil Simms have been waiting patiently on the fringes of Canton.

Eli Manning was the quarterback for a series of Hall of Fame-worthy moments, the kind of plays that will get rewound and replayed every year around this time as long as football exists, but his overall career numbers are far less impressive.

All true. Many will also point to Eli’s lukewarm record as a starting quarterback (117-117) and the fact that he was never named to the first or second All-Pro Team, which for a player who played as long as Manning, is a conspicuous hole that could cause some voters pause.

None of that may matter. Manning’s on-field exploits along with his off-the-field actions could simply add up to a ‘yes’ for many.

Eli has been a model citizen, working tirelessly for multiple charities, and was named the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2016.

After all, why would so many companies choose Eli to be their spokesman if he wasn’t a great player and a great person?

He’s worthy.

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2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class: Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers, Patrick Willis, Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael

The 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class: Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers, Patrick Willis, Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael.

The NFL has announced the men who will find themselves enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the 2024 class. In total, five finalists made it from the active class, and two from the senior group.[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]

Why these Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists should be inducted in 2024

Our NFL Wire editors stated their case for each finalist to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

It’s a busy week for the NFL. Not only will the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers battle it out in Super Bowl 58, but the Pro Football Hall of Fame will welcome a new class to Canton.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be announced during “NFL Honors,” which airs Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on CBS and NFL Network.

There are currently 15 modern-era finalists, three senior finalists and one coaching/contributor finalist up for the Hall of Fame, including two first-year eligible players — tight end Antonio Gates and defensive end Julius Peppers.

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Our NFL Wire editors stated their case for each finalist to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Giants great Tiki Barber not among finalists for Hall of Fame

Retired New York Giants RB Tiki Barber is not among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

Former New York Giants star running back Tiki Barber is not among the 15 Finalists in the Modern-Era Player category for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

On Wednesday, the list of 15 former standouts were announced as finalists by the Hall. Barber was among the group of semifinalists being considered for possible enshrinement.

From the Hall of Fame:

Comprising the Class of 2024’s Modern-Era list of candidates are nine players who reached this stage in the selection process when the Class of 2023 was chosen, two players in their first year of eligibility and four players who are Finalists for the first time after a combined 40 years of eligibility.

The slate of candidates in the Modern-Era Player category will be considered when the Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee meets prior to Super Bowl LVIII. The Class of 2024 will be unveiled publicly Feb. 8 during the “NFL Honors presented by Invisalign” broadcast from Las Vegas on CBS Television Network and NFL Network at 9 p.m. ET.

Barber played his entire career for the Giants from 1997-2006. He is the team’s All-Time leading rusher, a Ring of Honor enshrinee and a three-time Pro Bowler.

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