Tag: Pro Football Hall of Fame

George Young among finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Former New York Giants GM George Young is among the finalists for the 2020 Hall of Fame.

Former New York Giants general manager George Young is among the finalists in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Centennial Class of 2020 as a Senior Contributor.

Young, after successful stints with the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins, took over the reins of a hopelessly lost New York Giants franchise at the behest of then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle in 1979.

The Giants had been mired in an 18-year stretch of losing and playoff-less seasons amid a longstanding feud between the team’ two owners – Wellington Mara and his nephew, Tim.

Under Young’s nearly two-decade run as GM, the Giants’ fortunes would change dramatically. He hired coaches such as Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin and drafted some of the greatest players to ever wear Giant Blue: Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, Carl Banks, Mark Bavaro, Jesse Armstead, Michael Strahan, Joe Morris, Leonard Marshall, Amani Toomer, Tiki Barber and Jeff Hostetler to name a few.

Young has been on the board before but has failed to garner enough votes to stick. This time around, with the league expanding the field for this special class to honor their 100th season, Young could finally get his well-deserved nod.

Young left the Giants after 1997 season, handing over the keys to Ernie Accorsi. He went on to assume the role of Senior Vice President of Football Operations for the NFL in 1998. He passed away in 2001.

2 former Cardinals are modern-day Hall of Fame finalists

The 2020 Hall of Fame class will be announced the night before the Super Bowl.

The Arizona Cardinals might have a former player or two end up as Hall of Famers. The 2020 Hall of Fame class has been cut down to 15 finalists.

Among the finalists, there are two former Cardinals players.

They spent the last parts of their careers in Arizona.

One is running back Edgerrin James. He had his best years with the Indianapolis Colts, playing there seven seasons and led the league twice in rushing.

He played three seasons for the Cardinals from 2006-2008. He had over 1,150 yards and over 1,200 yards his first two years before he played a part-time role in 2008 when the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl.

The other is offensive lineman Alan Faneca. He was one of the best guards of his generation, playing primarily for the Steelers and Jets. He played one season for the Cardinals, his final season in 2010.

The 2020 class will be announced at the NFL Honors show the night before the Super Bowl.

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

Ep. 254

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Ep. 253:

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Former Broncos safeties Steve Atwater, John Lynch named Hall of Fame finalists

Former Broncos safeties John Lynch and Steve Atwater have been named modern-era finalists for the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

Former Denver Broncos safeties Steve Atwater and John Lynch have been named finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the league announced Thursday. This marks the third time Atwater has been a finalist and the seventh time Lynch has been a finalist.

Atwater and Lynch are among 15 modern-era finalists.

The Broncos also have two Centennial Slate finalists this year — former linebacker Randy Gradishar (senior candidate) and former coach Dan Reeves (coaching candidate). The Hall of Fame will have an expanded class of 20 members this year to celebrate 100 years of the NFL.

The Hall of Fame’s selection committee will meet on the eve of Super Bowl LIV to select five modern-era players for the 2020 class. The 15 Centennial Slate enshrinees will be selected in early January.

The 2020 class will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio in August (modern-era coaches, players and contributors) and September (seniors).

Last year, former Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey and late owner Pat Bowlen were enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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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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2 former Seahawks among 15 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists

Former Seahawks OL Steve Hutchinson and RB Edgerrin James are among the two modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 15 finalists for the modern-era ballot and two former Seattle Seahawks, running back Edgerrin James and guard Steve Hutchinson, remain eligible for enshrinement.

The list originally featured 122 names, including six other Seahawks: quarterback Dave Krieg; running backs Shaun Alexander, Ricky Watters and Chris Warren; center Ray Donovan; and punter Jeff Feagles.

Watters was among the 25 semifinalists, but was cut when the list was whittled down to 15, leaving just Hutchinson and James among former Seahawks.

Hutchinson seems like the likeliest of the pair 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.

The final ballot will include five inductees, and 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.

Two former Seattle coaches, Mike Holmgren and Tom Flores, are among the coaches who could be enshrined as well, giving the Seahawks four potential inductees this year.

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Colts’ Reggie Wayne, Edgerrin James among 2020 Hall of Fame finalist

Edge and Reggie have a shot at Canton.

The Indianapolis Colts have two of their former greats earn a spot among the 15 finalists for the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame in the form of running back Edgerrin James and wide receiver Reggie Wayne.

This is the first time Wayne has been on the ballot and has already made it to the finalists round thanks to a prolific career with the Colts that saw him lead the franchise in games played (211).

Wayne is also on the ballot thanks to an immensely productive career—he’s second in the franchise for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns behind Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison.

James was first on the ballot six years ago and has made it to this final-15 round on four separate occasions now. He’s franchise leader for rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns while also being one of the greatest statistical running backs the NFL has ever seen.

The other 13 candidates for the Hall of Fame include:

  • Troy Polamalu
  • John Lynch
  • Steve Atwater
  • LeRoy Butler
  • Isaac Bruce
  • Torry Holt
  • Sam Mills
  • Tony Boselli
  • Bryant Young
  • Alan Faneca
  • Steve Hutchison
  • Richard Seymour

The Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee will meet on the day before the Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 1 in Miami.

Revisiting the Marshawn Lynch Hall of Fame debate

Will a late career playoff run help propel Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch into the Hall of Fame?

Marshawn Lynch cited “unfinished business” when he returned to the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks on Monday. His goal is to once again lead Seattle to a Super Bowl appearance, likely hoping to avenge the team’s heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl XLIX.

However, Lynch also has an opportunity to pad his already stellar case for the Hall of Fame, and while that’s not his top priority, it is worth exploring with his expected return to the field on Sunday.

Lynch had a strong case long before this reunion, which now pushes his eligibility back to 2025.

Currently, Beast Mode is 29th all-time in rushing with 10,379 yards. 17 running backs, including Gale Sayers and Terrell Davis, have fewer yards than Lynch and are in the Hall.

If Lynch is able to rush for 81 yards on Sunday (which, frankly, would be challenging) he would pass both Eddie George and Tiki Barber to move into 27th all time, just behind Thomas Jones.

Rushing yards aren’t the only thing that matters to Hall voters, but Lynch’s persona, playoff heroics and other intangibles make him a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame, and a late-career rejuvenation and playoff run would all but seal the deal for Beast Mode.

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Don Coryell named Hall of Fame finalist, again

The legendary coach is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the seventh time.

The finalists for the Class of 2020 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced on Wednesday.

For the seventh time, the legendary coach, Don Coryell, is a finalist to be enshrined in Canton, OH.

Coryell coached the Chargers from 1978-86, posting a 72-60 all-time record. Under him, the Bolts won three division titles, played in four divisional playoff games and two AFC Championship Games.

But it’s not what he accomplished while serving as the head coach, it’s how he revolutionized the game. The “Air Coryell” offense was the first time that teams utilized the passing game to attack defenses.

Quarterback Dan Fouts led the league in passing yards four straight seasons (1978-82) to become the first player to surpass 4,000 yards in three consecutive seasons.

Coryell was the first to do it and now many NFL teams are using it. It is now referred to as the West Coast offense because the San Francisco 49ers won Super Bowls with it, but it was originated in San Diego.

His creation also forced defenses to bring in extra defensive backs to slow the passing attack, in which we refer to as nickel and dime defenses nowadays.

Coryell, who changed the game of football, is worthy of being in the Hall of Fame.

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Ex-Jets OL Winston Hill named Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist

Former Jets offensive lineman Winston Hill was named a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist.

The Jets have one of their own as a finalist in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Centennial class.

Former New York offensive lineman Winston Hill was named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a senior player on Thursday. Hill played with the Jets from 1963-1976 before ending his career in 1977 with the Rams.

Hill was a four-time Pro Bowler as well as a four-time AFL All-Star. He was also a three-time All-Pro team and three-time All-AFL selection. The Jets put Hill in their Ring of Honor in 2010 and his number is retired by the team.

38 finalists were named for the Centennial Class. That number will soon be cut down to 15, as 10 senior players, three contributors and two coaches will all be inducted into the Hall of Fame on January 8th in Canton, Ohio.

One Jet who was not named a finalist was Joe Klecko. Klecko has been named a finalist on Hall of Fame ballots before, but never garnered enough support to get into Canton. Klecko was first-team All-Pro twice and four-time Pro Bowler in an era where he was one of the NFL’s best defensive lineman.

After not being named as a finalist for the Centennial class, odds are Klecko will fall short of ever making it into the Hall of Fame.

Broncos legend Randy Gradishar a finalist for 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class

Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar is among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar is among 38 finalists for a special Centennial Slate 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Former coach Dan Reeves (who coached in Denver from 1981-1992) is also a finalist.

Gradishar was a key member of the Broncos’ defense from 1974–1983. During that time, Gradishar earned seven Pro Bowl nods and Defensive Player of the Year honors (1978). He helped Denver’s famous “Orange Crush” defense lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl in 1977 and is a member of the team’s Ring of Fame.

The Hall of Fame’s selection committee has put together a list of eight coaches, 10 contributors and 20 senior finalists for next year’s class. Of those finalists, 15 members will be selected to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

In addition to those 15 members, five modern-era players will be part of the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Safeties Steve Atwater and John Lynch are among the modern-era semifinalists. Earlier this year, late owner Pat Bowlen and cornerback Champ Bailey were part of 2019 class.

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