Tag: Pro Football Hall of Fame

Steve Tasker named 2020 Hall of Fame semifinalist

Former Buffalo Bills WR Steve Tasker named 2020 NFL Hall of Fame semifinalist.

Former Bills wide receiver and special teams ace Steve Tasker has been named a 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist, the Hall of Fame announced.

The original list of candidates was cut down to 25 players this week and Tasker still has his shot. It’s the seventh time Tasker was named a semifinalist and first time since 2013 he’s made it to the semifinalist list.

Tasker, who currently works on the team’s radio show, played for the Bills from 1986-1997. He played for the Houston Oilers during his career as well.

The list will be reduced to 15 finalists, who will be announced on Jan. 2.

Here’s the full list of semifinalists:

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Former Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas among 2020 HOF semi-finalists

Will 2020 finally be the year that the Pro Football Hall of Fame gives Zach Thomas his due?

Former Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas’ time for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame should’ve already come — but yet here we are, entering a new decade of NFL football with 2020 right around the corner and yet still no honors for the former defensive stalwart. Thomas was the heartbeat of a stout Dolphins defense for a decade and has been eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 2014 — and only recently has he begun to get close.

Thomas did get some good news yesterday when the field of “modern era” players for the 2020 class was trimmed from 122 to 25 and Thomas made the cut. Also a semi-finalist last year, Thomas will now face another six week wait before the list of 25 is trimmed again.

The next trimming of the list will cut 10 more players from the group, leaving 15 finalists, of which five will be chosen and inducted in the summer at the beginning of the 2020 preseason.

Zach Thomas won’t know whether or not he’s going to advance any deeper into the process until the new year, but there’s little doubt to anyone who has taken the time to consider his resume that Thomas belongs in the Hall. The classic comparison is that of he and first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears.

Urlacher was inducted in 2018 on the first try, yet he has less tackles than Thomas, less 1st team All-Pro honors (4) than Thomas (5), less forced fumbles than Thomas and just one additional touchdown during his career  (5) than Thomas (4). The only looming difference between the two was Urlacher’s 2005 AP Defensive Player of the Year award, an honor Zach Thomas never received.

But should that really be the difference between a 1st-ballot inductee and a seven year wait?

No, of course not. So do the right thing, Canton. Induct Zach in 2020.

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Ex-Broncos safeties Steve Atwater and John Lynch named Hall of Fame semifinalists

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

Former Denver Broncos safeties Steve Atwater and John Lynch have been named modern-era semifinalists for the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. There are 25 total semifinalists — that list will be trimmed down to 15 finalists in January.

This marks the ninth time Atwater has been named a semifinalist and the eighth time Lynch has been a semifinalist. The Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce a 20-person class of 2020 in February.

Atwater earned eight Pro Bowl nods during his time with the Broncos and helped the team win back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1990s.

Lynch won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before going on to play the final four years of his career in Denver. Lynch made the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons with the Broncos.

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Clay Matthews makes the Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinal list

Will this finally be the year Clay Matthews gets into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Will this finally be the year Clay Matthews gets into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? The Browns legend has once again made the cut for the semifinalist list for induction.

Matthews is one of 25 players selected as semifinalists from a more extensive list of 122 initial nominees. It’s the fourth time Matthews has made it to the semifinal ballot after his illustrious career playing linebacker and defensive end for the Browns for 16 seasons.

From the selection committee press release,

The Modern-Era players list will be reduced to 15 Finalists that will be announced on Jan. 2, 2020. The finalists will then be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting on “Selection Saturday,” on Feb. 1, 2020, the day before Super Bowl LIV. The Selection Committee will elect five Modern-Era players for the Class of 2020.

The full list of semifinalists, which also includes LB Carl Banks, who played his final two seasons with the Browns.

Former Jags RB Fred Taylor named to Hall of Fame semifinalists list with OT Tony Boselli

The Jags now have two players who could make the cut for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2020.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor has been vocal about his place in the NFL’s history and people are beginning to hear him. The Jags great was named to the Hall of Fame’s semifinalist’s list for the 2020 class on Tuesday, joining offensive tackle Tony Boselli in the process.

This year makes for the fifth consecutive year in which Boselli has been a semifinalist. He’s been named a finalist four times, including last year.

Boselli was the Jags’ first-ever draft selection in team history in 1995 and played for them until 2001. In 2002, Boselli was drafted by the Houston Texans in the expansion draft, but would later retire due to a labrum issue.

Boselli had 90 career starts during his time in Jacksonville under coach Tom Coughlin and went to five Pro Bowls. He was named an All-Pro three times and is a current member of the Jags’ Hall of Fame known as the “Pride of the Jaguars.”

Taylor played alongside Boselli during the early stages of his career with the Jags. His nomination as a semifinalist marks his first. He was drafted by the Jags in the 1998 NFL Draft (No. 9 overall) and spent 11 seasons with the Jags. Afterward, he spent two seasons with the New England Patriots before retiring.

Taylor finished his career with 11,695 total rushing yards and 66 touchdowns. He also accumulated 2,384 receiving yards and eight touchdowns as a pass-catcher.

While it took a while for him to get recognition from the league, we ranked Taylor No. 1 on our list of the top-25 Jaguars of all time earlier in the year. Boselli was also on the list at the No. 3 spot.

Former Badger Troy Vincent doesn’t make the cut for Hall of Fame

Former Wisconsin Badgers defensive back Troy Vincent did not make the Hall of Fame Modern-Era committee’s top 25 semifinalists this year.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Modern-Era ballot was cut from 122 initial candidates down to just 25 on Tuesday, and former Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Troy Vincent was among the 97 players who didn’t make the cut.

Here is a look at the 25 players who did make the cut, including safety Troy Polamalu, linebacker Patrick Willis and safety John Lynch.

Vincent played 14 seasons in the NFL from 1992-2006, after starring at Wisconsin for four years from 1988-1991.

Vincent was named to five straight Pro Bowls from 1999-2003, and was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2002. He was a ball-hawking cornerback who led the league in interceptions in 1999 and passes defended in 2001.

Vincent starred at Wisconsin before getting drafted seventh overall by the Dolphins in the 1992 NFL draft. He was named the BIG-10 defensive player of the year in 1991, and also excelled as a punt returner while with the Badgers.

However, he’ll have to wait until next year to see if he can make it to the next round of voting and, eventually, into the Hall of Fame.

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Ricky Watters named Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist

Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Ricky Watters is one of 25 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s modern era ballot was cut from 122 all the way down to 25, but former Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Ricky Watters made it through the second round of cuts, and is still eligible for induction as a member of the class of 2020.

The ballot will be pared down to 15 at some point in January, before the five inductees are announced on the Saturday before the Super Bowl.

Watters was named to five straight Pro Bowls from 1992-1996, and was a Super Bowl champion in 1994 with the San Francisco 49ers. His career was cut short by injuries, but he was arguably a top-two running back in the NFL in the early-1990’s, and still finished with 10,643 rushing yards and 78 rushing touchdowns, both just outside the top-20 of all-time.

Watters starred at Notre Dame before getting drafted 45th overall by the 49ers in the 1991 NFL draft. He rushed for 1,814 yards and 21 touchdowns with the Irish, while also hauling in 610 receiving yards.

He also excelled as a punt returner, leading the NCAA in punt return touchdowns in 1988, with two.

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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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