3 great moments from Steelers HOF HC Bill Cowher’s enshrinement speech

Here are few highlights from Bill Cowher’s Hall of Fame enshrinement speech.

When former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher thanked those who shaped him, he included both the Cleveland Browns and Philadephia Eagles organizations — the two teams Cowher played for before coaching.

With all of the Steelers fans in Canton, it was no surprise that a smattering of boos came over the crowd at the mere mention of the Cleveland Browns. “Oh, no, no, don’t go there. I have two kids that were born in Cleveland,” Cowher said with his signature smirk.

Besides the Browns boos, here are three great moments from Cowher’s Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement speech.

4 Steelers Troy Polamalu thanked in Hall of Fame speech

Legendary Steelers safety Troy Polamalu had plenty of people to thank during his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech.

A first-ballot Hall of Famer, former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Here are a few of the Steelers Polamalu mentioned during his moving and impassioned 11-minute speech.

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It’s about time Steve Atwater made the Hall of Fame

Steve Atwater wasn’t known for this time with the Jets but still had a long and fruitful career in the defensive backfield.

It took 16 years, but “The Smiling Assassin” will finally grin forever in Canton.

Steve Atwater, the former Broncos and Jets safety, joined the class of 2020 as a Pro Football Hall of Famer 21 years after he retired from the league. Atwater made his hay as one of the hardest hitting safeties of the 1990s, terrifying offenses at the line of scrimmage and stopping even the mightiest of running backs.

Though he only played one nondescript season with the Jets, Atwater rightfully deserved the Hall of Fame induction after 16 years of eligibility and three as a finalist. Atwater retired the year after he signed with the Jets as a free agent in 1999, a season in which he only played 12 games and tallied just 63 total tackles and one forced fumble.

Atwater didn’t bring pain and terror to the Jets defense, but he racked up stats and accolades during his 10-year career with the Broncos. He earned eight Pro Bowl nods, two All-Pro selections, won two Super Bowls and registered 1,000 tackles, 24 interceptions, five sacks, five forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries.

The Broncos used Atwater the way a lot of big-bodied safeties play now – at the line of scrimmage. There, he crushed running backs and played a pivotal role in the Broncos’ run defense. Two moments encapsulate Atwater’s career: His devastating hit on Chiefs running back Christian Okoye and his dominating performance in Super Bowl XXXII.

Atwater somehow derailed Okoye in Week 2 of the 1990 season, a feat now many could accomplish given Okoye’s 6-foot-1, 260-pound frame. At 6-foot-3, 218 pounds, Atwater proved himself up to the task. Atwater played a pivotal role in the Broncos’ first of two consecutive Super Bowl wins. He terrorized the Green Bay Packers offense in Super Bowl XXXII with six solo tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. 

Once his career concluded in Denver, Atwater joined the Bill Parcells-led Jets in 1999. Atwater played alongside Victor Green in the deep secondary with cornerbacks Marcus Coleman and Aaron Glen on the outside. The Jets went 8-8 in Parcells’ first year in New York and Atwater finished sixth on the team in total tackles with 63.

Atwater paved the way for safeties like Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins and Landon Collins to become staples of the defenses as imposing defensive backs. He won’t be remembered for his time with the Jets, but Atwater’s career as a whole certainly deserved Hall of Fame recognition.

Reports: Tony Boselli once again misses out on Hall of Fame induction

Former Jags LT Tony Boselli took to Twitter to thank those who made a pitch for him to make the HOF as he was passed up once again.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle and current radio analyst Tony Boselli unfortunately won’t be going into the NFL Pro Hall of Fame in 2020. According to Action News Jax, he was once again passed up during the deliberation process in Miami after being name a finalist for the fourth consecutive year.

Various analyst felt that 2020 would be the tear, however, it appears longevity continues to be the issue that voters have held against him. He was only able to play for seven seasons, but the counter to that is the dominant run he had during his run.

Boselli was the first-ever Jags draft selection in the 1995 NFL Draft and spent six seasons with the team (2001). He was named a first team All-Pro in his third, fourth, and fifth seasons (1997-99) and was voted into the Pro Bowl from his second to last seasons with the Jags (1996-2000). He also was named to the All-Decade team for the 90s.

Boselli was informed of the news Sunday afternoon. Upon hearing the news, he confirmed it with Action Sports Jax’s Brent Martineau. He later came out to congratulate those who made it and added that he hopes to be included in the Hall of Fame one day in the future.

Is it now or never for Steve Atwater to get into the Hall of Fame?

Former Denver Broncos safety Steve Atwater is one of 15 semi-finalists for the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Will he get in?

Once again, former Denver Broncos safety Steve Atwater has been selected as a semi-finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As part of celebrating the 100th year of the National Football League, the Hall of Fame decided to create a Centennial Class for this year only. This class will include 20 members, including five modern-era players. The semi-finalist list includes 15 players, one of which is Atwater.

If Atwater is ever going to gain entry to the Hall, the time is now.

As part of the Centennial Class, all of the coaches and contributors have already been selected. Atwater doesn’t have to worry about getting beat out by an owner or former league commissioner, for instance.

Instead, he just has to be one of the five players selected from this list:

Troy Polumalu

Edgerrin James

Bryant Young

Zach Thomas

Richard Seymour

John Lynch 

LeRoy Butler

Reggie Wayne

Torry Holt

Isaac Bruce

Sam Mills

Tony Boselli

Alan Faneca

Steve Hutchinson

That’s a good list, but the spots are wide open because there really is no “slam dunk” selection as there has been in year’s past.

You could easily make the argument for guys like Polamalu and Wayne, but Atwater’s numbers and career success can’t be denied.

One of the best safeties of his era, Atwater was selected to eight Pro Bowls. He was named a First-team All-Pro in 1991 and 1992. He registered over 1,100 tackles in his career with 24 interceptions.

But the reputation he created as a bone-rattling hitter was what set Atwater apart from most of the safeties of the 1990s.

You’ll notice that former Broncos safety John Lynch is also a semi-finalist, but I’m not making the case here for him. That’s not to slight Lynch in any way, but Atwater is more deserved of the honor.

Part of the Broncos’ back-to-back Super Bowl champion teams in 1997 and 1998, Atwater is one of the overall best defensive players in team history. But for a player that retired 20 years ago, his career is starting to be forgotten.

And that’s the concern.

Atwater should be in the Hall of Fame, but is his resume better than the guys on this list? Recently, Deion Sanders made the comment that too many players are gaining entry into the Hall of Fame.

Right or wrong, the committee is going to listen to a comment like that and perhaps make its criteria even more stringent.

If Atwater is going to get in after all this time, it has to be during a year where there aren’t multiple “main event” level entires. For instance, Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson and Charles Woodson are all eligible in 2021.

Atwater won’t get in with that class.

We must also keep in mind that this committee has still yet to include Randy Gradishar even in a year where 10 senior players were inducted. Not to take anything away from guys like Harold Carmichael and Alex Karras, two senior members of the 2020 class, but Gradishar is someone you simply can’t credibly leave out.

But he has been left out and he is more deserving than almost anyone who is not already there, not just former Broncos.

This has to be the year for Atwater. If it’s not, it may be never.

 

5 things to know about new Jets Hall of Famer Winston Hill

Five things to know about the Jets’ new Hall of Famer Winston Hill, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Jets great Winston Hill was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week as part of the 2020 Centennial Class.

This class, which inducted 15 players, was created to celebrate the league’s 100th anniversary. Hill was honored posthumously, as he passed away in 2016 due to heart failure.

The Jets franchise isn’t exactly a storied one, but Hill helped cement one of the most iconic moments in team history. Now, he will finally be remembered with the game’s all-time greats.

Like the man he was responsible for protecting at left tackle, right tackle and center, Hill finished his career with the Los Angeles Rams in 1977 before calling it quits.

With that, let’s look back at the life of the newest Jet in the Hall of Fame.

Career Accolades

Winston Hill’s now Hall of Fame career was filled with accolades.

Hill was elected to four AFL All-Star teams and eventually four Pro Bowls following the AFL-NFL merger. Hill was also a three-time All-AFL recipient and a three-time NFL All-Pro.

A starter on the only championship team in franchise history, Hill was named to the Jets’ Ring of Honor in 2010.

Former Jags RB Fred Taylor named to Hall of Fame semifinalists list with OT Tony Boselli

The Jags now have two players who could make the cut for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2020.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor has been vocal about his place in the NFL’s history and people are beginning to hear him. The Jags great was named to the Hall of Fame’s semifinalist’s list for the 2020 class on Tuesday, joining offensive tackle Tony Boselli in the process.

This year makes for the fifth consecutive year in which Boselli has been a semifinalist. He’s been named a finalist four times, including last year.

Boselli was the Jags’ first-ever draft selection in team history in 1995 and played for them until 2001. In 2002, Boselli was drafted by the Houston Texans in the expansion draft, but would later retire due to a labrum issue.

Boselli had 90 career starts during his time in Jacksonville under coach Tom Coughlin and went to five Pro Bowls. He was named an All-Pro three times and is a current member of the Jags’ Hall of Fame known as the “Pride of the Jaguars.”

Taylor played alongside Boselli during the early stages of his career with the Jags. His nomination as a semifinalist marks his first. He was drafted by the Jags in the 1998 NFL Draft (No. 9 overall) and spent 11 seasons with the Jags. Afterward, he spent two seasons with the New England Patriots before retiring.

Taylor finished his career with 11,695 total rushing yards and 66 touchdowns. He also accumulated 2,384 receiving yards and eight touchdowns as a pass-catcher.

While it took a while for him to get recognition from the league, we ranked Taylor No. 1 on our list of the top-25 Jaguars of all time earlier in the year. Boselli was also on the list at the No. 3 spot.