3 former Seahawks among 25 Hall of Fame semifinalists

Former Seattle Seahawks Steve Hutchinson, Ricky Watters and Edgerrin James are among the 25 modern-era semifinalists for the Hall of Fame.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame reduced the list of 122 modern-era nominees to 25 on Tuesday, and three of the eight former Seattle Seahawks remain: guard Steve Hutchinson and running backs Ricky Watters and Edgerrin James.

The original class of 2020 ballot also included quarterback Dave Krieg; running backs Shaun Alexander and Chris Warren; center Ray Donovan; and punter Jeff Feagles.

Hutchinson is the likeliest of the trio to gain Hall of Fame status this winter, having finished as a finalist in each of the past two years. The guard was a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro in his 12-year career.

James only appeared in seven games for the Seahawks in the 2009 season, rushing 46 times for just 125 yards. He is 13th all-time in rushing yards, however, and has a decent chance of hearing his name called this year.

Watters’ success came primarily as a member of the 49ers, but he did post four quality seasons with Seattle from 1998-2001, rushing 994 times for 4,009 yards and four touchdowns.

A Pro Bowler in each of his first five NFL seasons, Watters is 24th all-time in rushing yards and 22nd in rushing touchdowns.

The ballot will be pared down again, this time from 25 to 15, and they will be announced in January. The final ballot with five inductees will be announced the Saturday before the Super Bowl. As part of the Hall’s special 20-member class of 2020, they will be joined by 10 “senior” players (who have been retired for more than 25 seasons), three “contributors” (neither a player nor coach) and two coaches.

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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.

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