Tag: Steve Atwater

Alan Faneca, Steve Atwater among Hall of Fame finalists with Jets ties

Alan Faneca and Steve Atwater are two Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists with ties to the Jets.

The New York Jets have a couple of Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists with ties to the franchise.

Both Alan Faneca and Steve Atwater were named Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists for the class of 2020. The Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee will have to elect five Modern-Era players who must receive 80% of the vote from the committee in order to be inducted.

The Jets signed Faneca to a five-year $40 million deal in 2008, which was the largest contract for an offensive lineman in NFL history at the time. Faneca made a huge impact in the trenches, as the Jets ran for over 2,000 yards and at least 20 touchdowns in both seasons he was there. However, New York cut Faneca in 2010 after it drafted Vladimir Ducasse.

Prior to his brief stint with the Jets, Faneca had his best years with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1998-2007.

As for Atwater, he was with the Jets in 1999 after spending 10 seasons in Denver. In his only season with the Jets, Atwater played in 12 games and had 36 total tackles, two pass defenses and one forced fumble.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 will be announced during the NFL Honors Show, the night before the Super Bowl. The class will officially be enshrined in Canton on Aug. 8th.

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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Ranking the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists

Touchdown Wire ranks the 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 15 finalists for the Class of 2020 on Thursday night. All of them are worthy, but only five will make it this year.

I’ve been in the room as an alternate voter three times and it’s a fascinating process. The voters take their responsibility very seriously, as they should. They want it to be the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good.

As a veteran writer explained to me the first time I was in the room, anyone that made the finalist list deserved to get in – at some point. But only the best are to get in during a given year. The rest should wait until the right time and their time will come.

That veteran also told me to keep one question in mind when voting – could the history of the game be written without a player. It was all great advice and I always tried to keep those parameters in mind.

I’m not voting this year, but I’ll still keep that advice in mind as I rank this year’s finalists from No. 15 to No. 1. Here we go.

15. Richard Seymour, DL – 2001-08 New England Patriots, 2009-2012 Oakland Raiders

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports Copyright

Seymour split his career between defensive end and tackle. That works against him. His 57.5 career sacks aren’t nearly enough for the Hall of Fame.

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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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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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