HoF Semifinalists announced

Discuss candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the PFRA's Hall of Very Good
bachslunch
Posts: 824
Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2014 7:09 am

HoF Semifinalists announced

Post by bachslunch »

S Steve Atwater.
LB Carl Banks.
DB Ronde Barber.
OT Tony Boselli.
WR Isaac Bruce.
S LeRoy Butler.
G Alan Faneca.
WR Torry Holt.
G Steve Hutchison.
RB Edgerrin James.
S John Lynch.
LB Clay Matthews.
LB Sam Mills.
S Troy Polamalu.
DE Simeon Rice.
DL Richard Seymour.
WR/ST Steve Tasker.
RB Fred Taylor.
LB Zach Thomas.
WR Hines Ward.
RB Ricky Watters.
WR Reggie Wayne.
LB Patrick Willis.
S Darren Woodson.
DT Bryant Young.
ChrisBabcock
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Location: Tonawanda, NY

Re: HoF Semifinalists announced

Post by ChrisBabcock »

Is this a first for Zach Thomas to make the semifinalist cut? I think it may be. If so its about time.
ChrisBabcock
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Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2014 3:36 pm
Location: Tonawanda, NY

Re: HoF Semifinalists announced

Post by ChrisBabcock »

ChrisBabcock wrote:Is this a first for Zach Thomas to make the semifinalist cut? I think it may be. If so its about time.
Never mind. I see in the article on the HOF site he made it this far last year.

Carl Banks ????????????
bachslunch
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Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2014 7:09 am

Re: HoF Semifinalists announced

Post by bachslunch »

ChrisBabcock wrote:Carl Banks ????????????
Agreed. He's on the 80s All-Decade team, for some odd reason, which is probably why he got this far. As is John Anderson, another LB headscratcher.

Fred Taylor, Rickey Watters, Clay Matthews, and Simeon Rice are other non-starters for me as well.
boknows34
Posts: 43
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 2:39 pm

Re: HoF Semifinalists announced

Post by boknows34 »

Nine new names compared to last year:

Polamalu, Wayne, Willis (first time eligibles)

Rice, Tasker (previous semi finalists who missed the cut last year)

Banks, Taylor, Watters, Young (Top 25 for the first time)

Previous semi finalists who didn’t make the cut: O’Neal, Lewis, Wisniewski.

All 16 returning semi finalists from 2019 have been named again. Tasker returns for the first time since 2013. There will be at least seven new finalists in the Top 15 compared to last year as coaches have a separate path this time.
boknows34
Posts: 43
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 2:39 pm

Re: HoF Semifinalists announced

Post by boknows34 »

ChrisBabcock wrote:
ChrisBabcock wrote:Is this a first for Zach Thomas to make the semifinalist cut? I think it may be. If so its about time.
Never mind. I see in the article on the HOF site he made it this far last year.

Carl Banks ????????????
This is Banks’ last year of modern era eligibility so he’ll likely be one and done like Everson Walls. Matthews has until 2021.
rewing84
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:00 pm

Re: HoF Semifinalists announced

Post by rewing84 »

any reasons on the nonstarters bachs
JameisLoseston
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Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2019 12:39 am

Re: HoF Semifinalists announced

Post by JameisLoseston »

Feels like it could be a light year on the ballot. A bunch of these guys are guys that have been appearing on ballots for years and they aren't letting them in anytime soon. Polamalu is the only first ballot I think makes it, Willis won't get in for a long time and Wayne is in the same situation as Bruce and Holt. I think this may be Barber and Hutchinson's year; they're only on their third or so ballot and are great candidates. I'd like to see Edge and Thomas but it's not seeming likely. Honestly more excited to hear the senior finalists, though, especially with the 100th anniversary class. Clear some of that backlog. Give me my Spec Sanders.
rewing84
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:00 pm

Re: HoF Semifinalists announced

Post by rewing84 »

JameisLoseston wrote:Feels like it could be a light year on the ballot. A bunch of these guys are guys that have been appearing on ballots for years and they aren't letting them in anytime soon. Polamalu is the only first ballot I think makes it, Willis won't get in for a long time and Wayne is in the same situation as Bruce and Holt. I think this may be Barber and Hutchinson's year; they're only on their third or so ballot and are great candidates. I'd like to see Edge and Thomas but it's not seeming likely. Honestly more excited to hear the senior finalists, though, especially with the 100th anniversary class. Clear some of that backlog. Give me my Spec Sanders.
James i concur 100%
bachslunch
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Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2014 7:09 am

Re: HoF Semifinalists announced

Post by bachslunch »

rewing84 wrote:any reasons on the nonstarters bachs
Taylor and Watters are no’s for me because they did not get over 12K career rushing yards. I know the latter caught a lot of passes, but I’m also lukewarm at best on Roger Craig, and I see the two as similar players, essentially second class versions of Marshall Faulk. RB is also arguably the most over-represented position in Canton, and I’m keen to get more WRs, LBs, and DBs (especially safeties) in first before considering more borderline RBs.

Banks (1/1/80s) and Matthews (1/4/none), while reportedly looking better than their honors, play a position (80s-90s OLB) that is also heavily represented in the HoF. I would rather see more MLBs/ILBs from the time (like Sam Mills or Senior candidate Karl Mecklenburg) get in first. It’s also hard to distinguish them from folks like Greg Lloyd, Cornelius Bennett, and Pat Swilling, all of whom I think are no less deserving at the very least.

Tasker (another tough one for me) is a special teams gunner, and maybe he’s the most deserving to ever perform this role. Or maybe that’s Bill Bates. Or maybe somebody else. I’d like to know who’s really the best here before considering someone. But then, what about dedicated KRs such as Devin Hester or White Shoes Johnson? Are they more, less, or just as deserving? None of them are in the HoF, either, and there’s no precedent for inducting any of them. What’s the pecking order? And should they be pushed ahead of a borderline HoF position player? Not sure about that one, either. My head hurts just trying to sort all this out.

Rice, despite a decent number of sacks, has very thin honors (2/3/none). And if sacks are your thing, he was (best as I can figure) 12th all time at retirement and is now 20th, behind John Abraham, Leslie O’Neal, and Robert Mathis, all of whom have comparable or better honors and aren’t likely getting into the HoF without a ticket. It’s not like he finished close to the top of the career leaders in the statistic. He would also be the fifth defensive player likely to get in (assuming Ronde Barber and John Lynch make it) from a Buccaneers defense that won one title. Sorry, not sold.

YMMV, of course.
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