Tag: Alan Faneca

Steelers land 2 modern era Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists.

Troy Polamalu and Alan Faneca are both finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 15 modern-era finalists for the 2020 class and two Pittsburgh Steelers made the cut. Offensive guard Alan Faneca and safety Troy Polamalu are both on the ballot for this year.

For Faneca, this is his fifth time making the list. Faneca is easily one of the best all-around guards of the modern era but unfortunately is part of a crowded group waiting to get in.

Polamalu, on the other hand, is on the ballot for the first time and is a near-lock to make it. During his time in the NFL, Polamalu was responsible for as many highlight-reel plays as any defensive player in the league.

Here are all 15 finalists:

Troy Polamalu
Reggie Wayne
Torry Holt
John Lynch
Edgerrin James
Richard Seymour
Steve Atwater
Zach Thomas
Isaac Bruce
Leroy Butler
Tony Boselli
Alan Faneca
Steve Hutchinson
Bryant Young
Sam Mills

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Ranking the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists

Touchdown Wire ranks the 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 15 finalists for the Class of 2020 on Thursday night. All of them are worthy, but only five will make it this year.

I’ve been in the room as an alternate voter three times and it’s a fascinating process. The voters take their responsibility very seriously, as they should. They want it to be the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good.

As a veteran writer explained to me the first time I was in the room, anyone that made the finalist list deserved to get in – at some point. But only the best are to get in during a given year. The rest should wait until the right time and their time will come.

That veteran also told me to keep one question in mind when voting – could the history of the game be written without a player. It was all great advice and I always tried to keep those parameters in mind.

I’m not voting this year, but I’ll still keep that advice in mind as I rank this year’s finalists from No. 15 to No. 1. Here we go.

15. Richard Seymour, DL – 2001-08 New England Patriots, 2009-2012 Oakland Raiders

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports Copyright

Seymour split his career between defensive end and tackle. That works against him. His 57.5 career sacks aren’t nearly enough for the Hall of Fame.

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History suggests Seahawks could find star with No. 26 pick

The Seattle Seahawks are selecting 26th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, and history suggests they could find a hidden gem.

The 2020 NFL draft order has been set, and the Seattle Seahawks hold the No. 26 pick in the first round.

The Seahawks have selected 26th one other time, back in 2005 when they took center Chris Spencer out of Mississippi – two spots behind quarterback Aaron Rodgers and just before receiver Roddy White and tight end Heath Miller.

However, Seattle is known for wheeling and dealing on draft day, and it is entirely possible the team will move up or down in the draft a handful of times before and during the three day draft weekend.

If they do keep the 26th pick, history suggests they could find themselves a nice player. Left tackle Duane Brown (2008) and outside linebacker Clay Matthews (2009) were both taken No. 26 overall, along with Hall of Famer Ray Lewis (1996) and potential future Hall of Famer Alan Faneca (1998).

Receiver Calvin Ridley (2018) and pass rusher Takkarist McKinley (2017) are two recent players who are both panning out well from that draft slot, and Montez Sweat had a solid rookie season after going 26th to the Redskins last year.

It is anyone’s guess this early in the process what the Seahawks will do with their pick, but you can bet they already on their way toward finding an impact performer who could be around at that spot, or else pinpointing teams they can wheel and deal with to acquire more picks in the middle rounds.

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3 former Cardinals again are Hall of Fame semifinalists

Edgerrin James, Alan Faneca and Simeon Rice again make the cut to the semifinals.

The NFL announced the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2020 class. Three former Arizona Cardinals player are among the 25.

All three have been semifinalists before.

Offensive lineman Alan Faneca, running back Edgerrin James and defensive end Simeon Rice made the cut.

Faneca is a semifinalist for the fifth year in a row. He was one of the league’s best guards while with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets from 1998-2009. He played his final NFL season with the Cardinals in 2010.

James is a semifinalist for the sixth year in a row. He was one of the most productive running backs in both the running game and passing game for seven years with the Indianapolis Colts and then signed a five-year deal with the Cardinals. He played three years with the Cardinals, including in 2008 when they made it to the Super Bowl. He rushed for over 1,100 yards in 2006 and more than 1,200 yards in 2007. They are two of the top eight best rushing seasons in Cardinals history.

Rice began his career with the Cardinals. He is a semifinalist for the second time. He was the third overall pick in 1996 by Arizona and he played five seasons there. He had 51.5 sacks in five seasons, and finished with 122 sacks in his career. He played for the Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts. His 51.5 sacks with the Cardinals are still the fourth-most in team history for a player.

Five of the 25 semifinalists will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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Steelers land 3 on list of 25 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists

Pittsburgh has a great chance to get at least one former player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this time around.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced their 25 modern-era finalists on Tuesday and the Pittsburgh Steelers landed three names on the list. Among the finalists are wide receiver Hines Ward, guard Alan Faneca and safety Troy Polamalu.

This is Polamalu’s first time on the ballot but he is a near-lock to make the Hall as he’s one of the most dominant defensive backs to ever play. The road for Faneca and Ward is harder as both have been on the ballot before and are both play very crowded positions in terms of players waiting for their spot in the HOF.

Faneca has been a semifinalist five times and Ward four. Wide receiver Reggie Wayne and linebacker Patrick Willis are both first-time finalists along With Polamalu.

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