Tag: Simeon Rice

One player from each NFL team who should be in the Hall of Fame by now

The Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed its 25 semifinalists for the Class of 2024. Which got us thinking: Who should already be in?

The Pro Football Hall of Fame recently revealed its list of 25 modern-era semifinalists who will be considered for the Class of 2024, which will be revealed before Super Bowl LVIII in February.

Among them are two first-year eligible candidates that made the semifinalist cut in tight end Antonio Gates and pass rusher Julius Peppers. There are a slew of other notable names who have been finalists in the past, including return specialist Devin Hester, wide receivers Steve Smith Sr. and Torry Holt and linebacker Patrick Willis.

There are also three senior finalists up for induction: Linebacker Randy Gradishar, defensive tackle Steve McMichael and wide receiver Art Powell.

That made us wonder: Who is one player, coach or owner from each NFL team who should be in the Hall of Fame by now? Because, let’s face it, there are multiple deserving parties who continue to wait their turn.

From multi-year semifinalists to those who have been waiting decades to those considered among the greatest ever at their position, our NFL Wire editors revealed their pick for one player, coach or owner who should be in the Hall of Fame by now.

All-Time Saints Villains: Which players had the most tackles for loss against New Orleans?

All-Time Saints Villains: Which players had the most tackles for loss against New Orleans? Lavonte David and Julius Peppers rank high among the TFL leaders

Opposing teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven’t always been very talented, but we can’t say they haven’t had some special defenders who gave the New Orleans Saints a serious challenge over the years. When looking at the all-time leaders in tackles for loss against the Saints, you’ll see many Buccaneers defenders ranked highly — as well as divisional rivals like former Carolina Panthers pass rusher Julius Peppers, who always seemed to create a disruptive play against New Orleans.

Here’s the list of leaders from StatMuse:

All-Time Saints Villains: Which pass rushers had the most sacks against New Orleans?

All-Time Saints Villains: Which pass rushers had the most sacks against New Orleans? Hall of Famer Kevin Greene is just one star that challenged them:

New Orleans Saints quarterbacks and offensive linemen have been terrorized by some pass rushers over the years; some more than others. The Saints have had the bad luck to share a division with a Hall of Fame talent like Kevin Greene, only to see him join a new team in another conference while they’re leaving to form a new rivalry with the expansion-era Carolina Panthers — only for Greene to return and bully them with Carolina for a few more years to close out his career.

And that’s just one story. We’re continuing to highlight the Saints’ most challenging opponents, rivals, and villains over the years, this time putting a focus on the many sack artists who have lined up against the black and gold:

Tim Tebow, Bill Kollar among candidates for 2023 College Football Hall of Fame

Ex-Broncos QB Tim Tebow and assistant coach Bill Kollar are among the candidates for 2023 College Football Hall of Fame class.

The National Football Foundation announced 176 players and 42 coaches who will be on the ballot for the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame.

Included on the ballot are four connections to the Denver Broncos, including former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. After winning two national titles and the Heisman Trophy with the Gators, Tebow went on to spend two seasons with the Broncos to begin his NFL career.

Broncos defensive/special projects coach Bill Kollar also made the ballot in recognition of his standout college career as a defensive end at Montana State. Kollar earned first-team All-American honors in 1973 and then won Senior Bowl MVP recognition in 1974. After college, Kollar spent eight years as a defensive lineman in the NFL before transitioning to coaching in 1984.

Former Broncos executive Matt Russell is also on the ballot. Russell was a star defender at Colorado, winning the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s best linebacker. He went on to spend three years in the NFL before a brief stint as a college coach and then a switch to scouting. He worked in Denver from 2009-2020 and now serves as a senior personnel executive with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Former Illinois linebacker Simeon Rice is also on the ballot, but his tenure with the Broncos was brief. Rice totaled 44.5 sacks with the Illini before going on to play for the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl with the Bucs. He signed with Denver in 2007 but only played in six games and was cut halfway through the season.

The College Football Hall of Fame class will be announced in early 2023 followed by an induction ceremony in December next year.

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The Big Ten football all-time leaders in sacks

A look at the all-time sack leaders in Big Ten Conference history:

Much like the conference that they play in, the Wisconsin Badgers are a team that emphasizes great defense. In fact, one Badger is ranked in the top 9 in all-time sacks in Big Ten history.

This is an outstanding accomplishment for the Badgers, considering that others in the top 9 in career sacks include players like former Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan and former Ohio State defensive lineman Mike Vrabel.

It is impressive to see how many of these players went on to have extremely successful professional careers. Their outstanding collegiate careers truly represent the embodiment of physical Big Ten football.

Below are the top 9 in career sacks in Big Ten Conference history:

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Shaq Barrett needs 11.5 sacks in 2020 to break this Simeon Rice mark

Bucs LB Shaquil Barrett had a monster season in 2019, and has a chance to break another Bucs record come 2020.

Buccaneer linebacker Shaquil Barrett came out of nowhere last season to lead the league in sacks with 19.5, a huge feat considering he had only 14.0 sacks over the previous four years.

Barrett also broke Warren Sapp’s single-season franchise record for sacks set in 2000 (16.5), but if he really wants to make his mark further in the Bucs’ record books, Barrett will need to get 11.5 sacks this upcoming season to eclipse the two-year sack total set by former defensive end Simeon Rice, who collected 15.5 in 2002 and 15.0 in 2003 for a total of 30.5. (Sapp had only 6.0 sacks the year after setting the franchise mark.)

The good news for Barrett is that both Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh will be back with the Bucs defense this season, meaning teams will have to account for more than just Barrett.

It was a historic year for the former undrafted player in 2019, and Barrett is hoping to prove to himself, and the league, that he’s anything but a one-hit wonder. Breaking Rice’s two-year sack mark would go a long way in cementing his legacy with the Bucs franchise.

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Bucs great Simeon Rice talks about the civil unrest in America

Tampa Bay Buccaneers great Simeon Rice joined “Good Morning Football” to talk about social injustice.

At this point in the year, NFL coaches and players are usually soaking up the last few weeks of rest and relaxation before training camp kicks off in July. But this year, the offseason has been one unlike any other.

The coronavirus pandemic has closed team facilities, meaning players have had to find new ways to stay in shape at home. And, with the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, players have been speaking out about the social injustice in America.

Bucs great Simeon Rice, who was an instrumental part of the defense that helped win Super Bowl XXXVII, joined Good Morning Football to talk about the civil unrest in our county, along with a little football.

Take a look at the video over at NFL.com to hear Rice’s thoughts.

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Ronde Barber isn’t the only Buccaneer being snubbed by the Hall of Fame

See which other member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Super Bowl-winning team is being snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce the Class of 2020 the night before Super Bowl LIV at the NFL Honors in Miami at the Adrienne Arsht Center.

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans, they’ll be watching anxiously to see if former franchise legend John Lynch makes it into the Hall on his seventh try. As exciting as Lynch’s possible induction is, there are a few former Bucs teammates who also deserve Hall of Fame consideration.

Earlier, I wrote about Tiki Barber coming to the defense of his brother, Ronde, who is arguably one of the greatest players ever to don a Bucs jersey. But, let’s not forget about defensive end Simeon Rice, who was also an integral part of the Bucs defense that helped lead them to a Super Bowl XXXVII title.

Rice spent the majority of his 12-year career with the Bucs, and the defensive end had a career-best 15.5 sacks the year the team won the Super Bowl. And, as Jenna Laine of ESPN pointed out the other year, Rice’s 122 career sacks are second-most among players not enshrined in Canton, Ohio, behind Leslie O’Neal (132.5). Even though he hasn’t played since 2007, Rice’s 122 career sacks still rank 20th all time.

Rice was an extremely productive defensive end throughout his career. In eight of his 12 seasons, he had 10-plus sacks. As the third pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, you’d think someone that well-known who exceeded the expectations of most high draft picks (and helped a once-lowly franchise capture it’s first Lombardi Trophy), would be a shoe-in for Canton, yet Rice remains on the outside looking in.

Still, he can always brag about sacking current Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich during Leftwich’s days as the quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars. That’s something at least.

Photo By Grant Halverson/Getty Images

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Year One: Shaq Barrett vs Simeon Rice

Over the years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had their share of big names and playmakers join the team in free agency. Arguably, the best free agent pickup over the years has been defensive end, Simeon Rice. Rice joined the Buccaneers in 2001 …

Over the years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had their share of big names and playmakers join the team in free agency. Arguably, the best free agent pickup over the years has been defensive end, Simeon Rice.

Rice joined the Buccaneers in 2001 following a five-year run with the Arizona Cardinals where he totaled 51.5 sacks, 220 tackles, 9 forced fumbles and one interception. Needless to say, he was a huge addition to a Bucs team that was already building a very scary defensive unit.

This year, Shaquil Barrett — who signed a one-year, $5 million deal in the offseason — is having a historic season for the Bucs. But how does that compare to Rice’s first season with the team?

In 18 years, of course the game has changed, and this isn’t comparing the players against each other, it’s pitting their free agency signings to see if Rice will be removed from his throne as the best in the organization’s history based on first year production alone.

Now, when Rice and Barrett signed their contracts, they were both joining very different teams. Just a year prior in 2000, the Bucs finished 10-6 and had the eighth ranked defense — whereas in 2018 the Bucs were a 5-11 team with the 31st ranked defense.

Rice’s first season in Tampa Bay was productive, however, it wasn’t until the second half of the season where he looked like the player that the Buccaneers thought they were bringing in. Rice totaled 44 tackles (16 for a loss), 11.0 sacks and 2 forced fumbles through all 16 games.

Barrett, who still has two games left on his first full season with the Buccaneers has 49 tackles (16 for a loss), 16.5 sacks and six forced fumbles through 14 games.

While Rice ended up spending six seasons with the Buccaneers, Barrett was brought in on a one-year contract. Coach Bruce Arians isn’t going to let Barrett go anywhere and plans on getting him on a longer deal.

The full six season numbers for Rice are an astonishing 242 tackles, 69.5 sacks, 19 forced fumbles and four interceptions. Huge numbers for anyone to stack up against.

As Buccaneers fans may remember the greatness that Rice brought to the team, the productivity that Barrett has brought his in first season have actually slanted the stats in his favor. It may be too early to put the best free agent title on Barrett, however, if they can keep him long term, and his productivity stays similar to that of this season, he may very well be the best free agent that the Buccaneers have ever brought in.

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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.

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

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