Jason Hanson – Syndication Server

Two former Lions among 25 semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024

Two former Lions are among the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, though neither spent much time in Detroit

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 25 semifinalists for the inauguration class of 2024. Two former Lions players are among those moving on in the process.

They’re probably not who most fans would expect, however. Dwight Freeney and Anquan Boldin are the two former Lions who made the semifinalist cut. Both finished their careers in Detroit after establishing their Hall of Fame bona fides with other teams.

Among the initial 2024 nominees known primarily as Lions, none advanced. That group includes Lomas Brown, Jason Hanson, Dre Bly and Herman Moore.

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Several Lions alumni among the 2024 nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Several Lions alumni among the 2024 nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including two 1st-time nominees

The initial nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024 were released on Tuesday morning. Several players with Lions ties are amongst the 173 names, including some who are eligible for the first time.

Haloti Ngata and T.J. Lang are part of the group of first-year nominees who spent some time in Detroit. Ngata played defensive tackle in Detroit from 2015-2017, while Lang — a Detroit-area native — finished his offensive guard career in 2017-2018 with the Lions.

Returning nominees who have playing roots in Detroit include:

OT Lomas Brown
WR Herman Moore
CB Dre Bly, the Lions current DBs coach as well
WR Anquan Boldin
K Jason Hanson
QB Jeff Garcia
DE Dwight Freeney

Coach Buddy Parker is one of the Senior Finalists as well, which was previously announced.

The selection committee whittles the list down to 25 semifinalists in November.

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Lomas Brown, Jason Hanson headline former Lions nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Jason Hanson headlines former Lions nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2023

Longtime Lions kicker Jason Hanson is one of the initial nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hanson is one of a few nominees who spent some time in a Detroit uniform.

Hanson ranks fourth in NFL history in scoring, sixth in games played and fourth in both field goal attempts and makes. Known for his reliability on long field goals, his 52 successful FGs of longer than 50 yards ranks third all-time.

The Lions kicker from 1992 through 2012, Hanson is one of two nominees best known for his time in Detroit. The other is offensive tackle Lomas Brown, who spent the first 11 seasons (1985-1995) of his stellar career in Detroit. Brown was a seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, with all of those accolades coming in seasons in Detroit except his final Pro Bowl.

A few other nominees had brief stops in Detroit after attaining most of their career accomplishments elsewhere:

DE Dwight Freeney
QB Jeff Garcia
EDGE Pat Swilling

The full list of 129 Modern-Era nominees for the class of 2023 is available at the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website. The nominees get whittled to 25 semifinalists later this fall.

Visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Lions fan

Several former Lions are initial nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2022

Lomas Brown and Anquan Boldin are the headliners but Jason Hanson is somehow not on the list

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has released its initial modern-era nominees for the induction class of 2022. Among the initial nominees, several players spent at least part of their careers with the Lions.

Dre Bly (2003-2006)

Anquan Boldin (2016)

Lomas Brown (1985-1995)

Jeff Garcia (2005)

Kevin Glover (1985-1997)

Mel Gray (1989-1994)

Dave Krieg (1994)

Pat Swilling (1993-1994)

Not making the list is longtime kicker Jason Hanson, who retired in 2012. Hanson ranks fourth in NFL history in scoring, sixth in games and first in career extra points made. There are seven specialists nominated but none are Hanson. Also prominent among the snubs is former Lions wideout Herman Moore.

Of the ex-Lions, offensive tackle Lomas Brown and wide receiver Anquan Boldin appear to have the best chances to move forward in the nomination process.

The list of 125 modern-era nominees will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November and subsequently down to 15 in January.

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Flashback: 10-year anniversary of Ndamukong Suh’s missed extra point

Ndamukong Suh missed an extra point in the Lions OT loss to the New York Jets on this date in 2010

November 7th isn’t normally a notable date on the calendar, but on that date in 2010, one of the more memorable moments of Detroit Lions history took place. On the 10th anniversary, we remember one of the most inventive ways the Lions have lost a game.

It’s the anniversary of the Ndamukong Suh missed extra point.

Suh was a rookie defensive tackle at the time and a fantastic one. He would earn All-Pro honors in his first season for his devastatingly effective impact on defense. But as a kicker…not so much.

Pressed into emergency duty when longtime Lions kicker Jason Hanson was injured earlier in the game, Suh called upon his experience as a high school kicker to try and nail a critical extra point.

Ahead 13-10 after a Matthew Stafford TD plunge, Suh’s attempt doinked off the upright. The New York Jets would rally to tie the game on a Nick Folk field goal as time expired, then won when Folk hit another one in overtime.

Had Suh made the conversion, the Folk field goal would have come up one point short. The loss dropped the Lions to 2-6, on their way to a 6-10 finish. Those Jets finished 11-5 and ultimately advanced to the AFC Championship game, led by Mark Sanchez, Ladanian Tomlinson and a cadre of notable veteran defensive players. It was the last time the Jets made the postseason.

Thanks to the Detroit Lions Podcast chat for pointing out the anniversary!

Calvin Johnson, Jason Hanson among Lions nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Will Calvin Johnson get in on the first ballot?

Calvin Johnson is the headliner among nine players with Detroit Lions ties who made the initial cut as nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction class of 2021.

Johnson is in his first year of eligibility after retiring following the 2015 season. He spent his entire 9-year career with the Lions, earning three All-Pro nods and making six Pro Bowls. “Megatron” still holds the NFL record for receiving yards in a season with 1,964 in 2012 and his 86.1 receiving yards per game ranks fourth all-time.

Longtime Lions kicker Jason Hanson, who ranks fourth all-time in scoring, joins several players from the 1990s Detroit teams on the nominee list. Left tackle Lomas Brown and guard/center Kevin Glover both made the cut. So did linebacker Chris Spielman and return man extraordinaire Mel Gray.

Three others who played for the Lions but aren’t primarily known for their time in Motown also appear on the list of 130: QB Dave Krieg, OLB Pat Swilling and PK David Akers.

The full list of nominees, which includes first-timers Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson, is available via the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The list of nominees will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November. The selection committee then whittles down to 15 in January before announcing the class in February.

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The 8 best Lions not in the Hall of Fame

Not all of these 8 belong in Canton but they deserve respect for their great performances in Detroit

Inspired by my recent trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, I got to thinking about what Lions players could belong in the hallowed halls. There are currently 21 men who spent at least one season with the Lions enshrined in Canton, including Class of 2020 honoree Alex Karras.

Adding Karras crosses the biggest eligible name off the list. The most obvious Detroit standout that deserves enshrinement isn’t quite eligible yet. He’s the headliner here among the eight best retired Lions players not in the Hall of Fame.

This isn’t an argument for any of these players to get into the Hall of Fame, though a couple of them are certainly deserving. It’s honoring some Lions greats who aren’t in and likely never will get enshrinement in Canton.

Calvin Johnson

The mega-talented Johnson will be eligible in 2021, and he likely won’t wait too long before he joins Karras and the others in Canton.

Johnson’s list of accomplishments ad wide receiver made him one of the NFL’s biggest stars despite making just two postseason games in his nine years (2007-2015):