2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame Semi-Finalists
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James Joyner | Saturday, November 18, 2006 |
Rick Gosselin lists the 25 semi-finalists for Canton:
- Quarterbacks:
■ Ken Stabler, QB, 1970-79 Oakland Raiders, 1980-81 Houston Oilers, 1982-84 New Orleans Saints
Running backs:
■ Terrell Davis, RB, 1995-2001 Denver Broncos
■ Thurman Thomas, RB, 1988-99 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Miami Dolphins
Wide receivers:
■ Michael Irvin, WR, 1988-99 Cowboys
■ Art Monk, WR, 1980-93 Washington Redskins, 1994 New York Jets, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles
■ Andre Reed, WR, 1985-99 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
Offensive linemen:
■ Dermontti Dawson, C, 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
■ Russ Grimm, G, 1981-91 Washington Redskins
Bob Kuechenberg, G, 1970-84 Miami Dolphins
■ Bruce Matthews, G/T/C, 1983-2001 Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Titans
■ Randall McDaniel, G, 1988-99 Minnesota Vikings, 2000-2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
■ Gary Zimmerman, T, 1986-92 Minnesota Vikings, 1993-97 Denver Broncos
Defensive linemen:
■ Charles Haley, DE/LB, 1986-91, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Cowboys
■ Fred Dean, DE, 1975-81 San Diego Chargers, 1981-85 San Francisco 49ers
■ Richard Dent, DE, 1983-93, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles
Linebackers:
■ Randy Gradishar, LB, 1974-83 Denver Broncos
■ Kevin Greene, LB/DE, 1985-92 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers
■ Derrick Thomas, LB, 1989-99 Kansas City Chiefs
■ Andre Tippett, LB, 1982-88, 1990-93 New England Patriots
Secondary:
■ Lester Hayes, CB, 1977-86 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
■ Roger Wehrli, CB, 1969-82 St. Louis Cardinals
Special teams:
■ Ray Guy, P, 1973-86 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Contributors:
■ Paul Tagliabue, commissioner, 1989-2006 NFL
■ Art Modell, owner, 1961-95 Cleveland Browns, 1996-2003 Baltimore Ravens
■ George Young, GM, 1968-74 Baltimore Colts, 1975-78 Miami Dolphins, 1979-97 New York Giants, 1998-2001 NFL
The list will be narrowed to fifteen in January, then to six, with a minimum of three and a maximum of six making the final cut on the eve of the Super Bowl. Goose says the class is “considered soft because of the scarcity of quarterbacks and running backs.”
Indeed, while I think a dozen or more of these guys deserve to be in the Hall, Tagliabue is the only shoe-in among first-time eligibles. I think Bruce Matthews makes it on the first ballot, too, simply because of his incredible longevity. Then again, I can’t believe Charles Haley (he of the five Super Bowl rings), Michael Irvin (three rings and a dominant player on the Team of the 1990s), Ray Guy (the consensus Best. Punter. Ever.), and Lester Hayes have been passed over so many times.
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- 2008 NFL Mock Draft
- 2008 NFL Football schedule is out
- Maddox to Miami?
- Miami Dolphins- In control of their playoff destiny
- NFL QB Daunte Culpepper announces his retirement
- What’s Wrong with Redskins?
- NFL Draft 2006 – Round 4
- NFL Draft 2006 – Round 6
- NFL Trade: Lelie to Falcons, Duckett to ‘Skins, Pick to Broncos
- Arizona State Baseball Coach Pat Murphy resigns
- Clipping their wings- Florida Panthers beat Detroit 2-1
- LA Clipper announcers suspended for one game
- Backup power- Miami Dolphins beat Carolina Panthers 24-17
- Steve Elling of CBS Sports is jealous
- Detroit Lions put two defensive backs on Injured Reserve
- The Dirty Dozen- Milwaukee Bucks beat New Jersey 99-85
- Outdueled- Florida Panthers beat Buffalo 6-2
- Collision Course: LPGA and Champions Tour in Oregon on Same Week
- Cleveland Brown QB Brady Quinn fined by NFL
Does Art Modell (a.k.a. Satan) get in? Eventually, but I think it will be after he dies. He would possibly be the only inductee to be booed off the stage in Canton, Ohio if it were any different.
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