Tag: Eric Allen

Social media reacts to Antonio Gates being elected to Hall of Fame

Here’s a sampling of how fans and pundits reacted to the news on Twitter/X.

Finally!

After being left off last year, former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates has finally been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the 2025 class.

Here’s a sampling of how fans and pundits reacted to the news on Twitter/X.

Former Saints cornerback Eric Allen will be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

A former Pro Bowl New Orleans Saints cornerback will be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Class of 2025. Eric Allen is joining the all-time greats:

Another former New Orleans Saints player will be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025. This year it was cornerback Eric Allen, who despite not being the longtime Saint in the class (as opposed to Jahri Evans), was a notable member of the team nonetheless. Allen was a member of the team from 1995 to 1997, where he would receive his sixth and last Pro Bowl nod in his first year with the team.

Allen was an exceptional defensive back who had a legendary career across the three teams he played for, accruing 54 career interceptions, 787 total tackles, and a whopping 40 pass deflections in the three seasons of his career they were tracked, which only goes to show how impressive he was when he was nearing the end of his playing days.

As a major component in the “Gang Green” defense with Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Byron Evans, and many others, he was able to build up a legacy with the Eagles, and ultimately was inducted into their team Hall of Fame as well. A legendary career for the 14-year cornerback, and one that will now forever be enshrined among the greatest to ever play the game.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Raiders great CB Eric Allen makes Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025

Eric Allen has finally broken through and has been named to the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025.

After several years of near misses, Eric Allen has finally broken through. The six-time Pro Bowl cornerback has been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025.

Allen played the final four years of his 14-year career with the Raiders. He revived his career in those years, collecting 16 interceptions and 46 pass breakups including four playoff games.

Allen made six Pro Bowls over his career, including one All Pro. All happened while with the Eagles and Saints.

The full class is as follows:

DE Jared Allen
WR Sterling Sharpe
CB Eric Allen
TE Antonio Gates

Allen had already established himself as one of the best in league history before he joined the Raiders. But he didn’t just hang around in his four season in Oakland. He added 15 more interceptions in his mid-thirties with the Raiders, including returning three for touchdowns in 2000 at the age of 35.

He was a key part of the Raiders during their last glory years of the late 90s and early 2000s. His success in Silver & Black cemented his legacy and ultimately pushed him to immortal status in Canton.

Former Eagles CB Eric Allen selected to Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

Former Philadelphia Eagles CB Eric Allen will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

Eric Allen was the epitome of a shutdown cornerback during his time with the Eagles, and the accolades for his hard work are close to being realized.

The former Eagles cornerback was named one of the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame‘s 2025 class. This is the first time Allen has reached this point in the voting process.

After years of waiting, Allen was one of four players elected into the 2025 class.

A key member of the Eagles’ No. 1 ranked and famed Gang Green defense, Allen spent seven seasons with the Eagles. He was named to the Pro Bowl five times and an All-Pro once, after the 1989 season, when he finished second in the NFL with eight interceptions.

Allen was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2011.

Other finalists elected include Jared Allen, Antonio Gates and legendary Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe (senior).

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

David Shaw has a couple of unexpected Saints connections

News that the Saints plan to sit down with David Shaw may have felt like it came out of left field, but he has a few unexpected connections worth noting:

News that the New Orleans Saints planned to sit down with longtime Stanford head coach David Shaw may have felt like it came out of left field, but he’s no stranger to the organization. The Denver Broncos senior personnel executive has a lot of fans at the team headquarters on Airline Drive, and he has a couple of unexpected connections to the Saints worth noting.

His father Willie Shaw is a Louisiana native born in Glenmora, a small town outside Alexandria in rural Rapides Parish. The elder Shaw coached in both the NFL and at the college level from 1970 to 2002, largely working with linebackers and defensive backs on 14 different teams; that included a stop with the Saints in 1997. He coached defensive backs on Mike Ditka’s first staff, working closely with a rookie Sammy Knight, a young Alex Molden (who went on to play 100 games in the pros, doing his part to slow down “the Greatest Show on Turf” in the Saints’ first playoff win over the St. Louis Rams), and star cornerback Eric Allen, who is a finalist for enshrinement to the Pro Football Hall of Fame again this year.

The elder Shaw left the Saints for a promotion to defensive coordinator on the Oakland Raiders a year later, where his son joined him as a quality control coach. That’s the same position David Shaw had held on the Philadelphia Eagles the season before — working closely with Sean Payton and the Eagles quarterbacks.

Payton has been in Shaw’s corner ever since. He’s called for NFL teams to hire Shaw before, and when Shaw stepped away from Stanford he moved quickly to recruit the talented coach to Denver. After some time on the Broncos’ scouting staff, Shaw is at least interested in coaching an NFL team for himself. Having the endorsement of the most successful coach in New Orleans Saints franchise history obviously means a lot to general manager Mickey Loomis and other team decisionmakers. Let’s see how well his interview goes and whether he can capitalize on this opportunity.

Update: New reports say the Saints do not have plans to interview Shaw “at this time.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Former Chiefs players named finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Former Kansas City #Chiefs players named finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 | @EdEastonJr

The latest finalists to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will include two former Kansas City Chiefs defensive standouts. Jared Allen and Terrell Suggs are among the 15 finalists announced for next year’s class on Saturday.

Allen was drafted in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft and spent the first four years of his career in Kansas City. In his final year with the Chiefs, he made the Pro Bowl and became a first-team All-Pro with 15.5 sacks. He would later succeed with the Minnesota Vikings, becoming a three-time first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler over the next five seasons.

Suggs was acquired by the Chiefs toward the end of the 2019 season, serving as an additional piece on the journey to Super Bowl LIV. The 37-year-old played a significant role in the postseason, playing in most of the snaps and winning his second title after successful All-Pro seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DEIFtUUsYlx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The other finalists were Eli Manning, Luke Kuechly, Marshal Yanda, Steve Smith, Eric Allen, Antonio Gates, Jahri Evans, Reggie Wayne, Torry Holt, Willie Anderson, Adam Vinatieri, Darren Woodson, and Fred Taylor.

Former Eagles CB Eric Allen named a Finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

Former Eagles CB Eric Allen named a Finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

Eric Allen was the epitome of a shutdown cornerback during his time with the Eagles, and the accolades for his hard work are close to being realized.

The former Eagles cornerback was named one of the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame‘s 2025 class. This is the first time Allen has reached this point in the voting process.

A key member of the Eagles’ No. 1 ranked and famed Gang Green defense, Allen spent seven seasons with the Eagles. He was named to the Pro Bowl five times and an All-Pro once, after the 1989 season, when he finished second in the NFL with eight interceptions.

Allen was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2011.

Other finalists include DE Jared Allen, OT Willie Anderson, Former Ravens Terrell Suggs, and Marshal Yanda. Philadelphia native and former Saints great Jahri Evans, tight end Antonio Gates, wide receiver Torrey Holt, and quarterback Eli Manning are also on the list.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Couple Raiders legends remain among modern-era semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame

The latest trim down to 25 modern-era semi-finalists, leaves two Raiders nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025.

Wednesday the Pro Football Hall of Fame trimmed their list of nominees down to 25 semi-finalists. Among them are a couple Raiders legends.

Making the list are Raiders greats CB Eric Allen and G Steve Wisniewski.

Allen finished out his career in Oakland, playing for the Raiders for four seasons from 1998-2001. This is his fifth time being named a semi-finalist.

Wisniewski played his entire career for the Raiders, starting in Los Angeles in 1989 and retiring after the 2001 season. This is his second time as a semifinalist.

This round saw Marshawn Lynch trimmed from the list of nominees for the Raiders. He was in his first year of eligibility.

This list will be trimmed down to a shorter list of finalists later this year. They will be combined with the senior finalists for a list of 20 modern-era and senior finalists, with the list of inductees announced prior to Super Bowl LIX in February.

3 Raiders legends advance among modern-era nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025

The list of modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025 has been trimmed to 50.

Wednesday the Pro Football Hall of Fame trimmed their list of modern-era finalists for the class of 2025 to 50. Among them are three Raiders legends.

The three Raiders to advance in the voting are RB Marshawn Lynch, G Steve Wisniewski, and CB Eric Allen.

Here is the entire list of 50 modern-era nominees:

QUARTERBACKS (2): Eli Manning, Steve McNair

RUNNING BACKS (6): Shaun Alexander, Tiki Barber, Eddie George, Marshawn Lynch, Fred Taylor*, Ricky Watters

WIDE RECEIVERS (6): Anquan Boldin, Torry Holt*, Jimmy Smith, Steve Smith Sr., Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne*

TIGHT ENDS (2): Ben Coates, Antonio Gates*

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (12): Willie Anderson* (T), Lomas Brown (T), Ruben Brown (G), Jahri Evans* (G), Olin Kreutz (C), Logan Mankins (G), Jeff Saturday (C), Joe Staley (T), Richmond Webb (T), Erik Williams (T), Steve Wisniewski (G), Marshal Yanda (G)

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (8): John Abraham (DE also LB), Jared Allen* (DE), Robert Mathis (DE), Haloti Ngata (DT), Simeon Rice (DE), Neil Smith (DE), Vince Wilfork (DT/NT), Kevin Williams (DT)

LINEBACKERS (5): Cornelius Bennett, London Fletcher, James Harrison, Luke Kuechly, Terrell Suggs

DEFENSIVE BACKS (6): Eric Allen* (CB), Kam Chancellor (S), Rodney Harrison* (S), Earl Thomas (S), Troy Vincent (CB), Darren Woodson* (S)

SPECIAL TEAMS (3): Gary Anderson (K), Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB), Adam Vinatieri (K)

From here the list will be trimmed to 25 semi-finalists. That list will be compiled in about four weeks.

First year eligible Marshawn Lynch one of 15 former Raiders among Hall of Fame nominees

Marshawn Lynch has been nominated for the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He is one of 15 former Raiders to make the list

Each year around this time, the process for the following year’s Hall of Fame class begins. It starts with a long list of that year’s nominees.

That list was released this morning by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It consists of 167 NFL greats. Among them are 15 former Raiders players, which includes Marshawn Lynch who has been nominated in his first year of eligibility.

Here is the full list of 15 former Raiders among the modern era nominees:

QB Rich Gannon
RBs Charlie Garner, Marshawn Lynch
WR’s Jordy Nelson, Andre Rison
OL Lincoln Kennedy (T), Steve Wisniewski (G)
DL La’Roi Glover (DT/NT), Chester McGlockton (DT), Justin Tuck (DE), Ted Washington (NT/DT)
LB’s NaVorro Bowman, Bill Romanowski
CB Eric Allen
P Shane Lechler

Marshawn spent two seasons with his hometown Oakland Raiders in 2017-18. He built his his Hall of Fame caliber career over his first eight seasons split between the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks.

His best years were in Seattle where Beast Mode made four straight Pro Bowls, was named an All Pro once and won a Super Bowl. And should have won a second had Pete Carroll had called for him to get the ball near the goal line instead of notoriously calling for Russell Wilson to throw it only to have it intercepted.

Lynch retired after his tenth season in 2015, but came out of retirement for the chance to suit up and play in front of his hometown fans. Thus adding another 1300 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns to his resume before retiring for good in 2019 at the age of 33.