Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists announced

doubledragon

Fifteen finalists for the modern era have been named for potential induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the committee can select up to five, who do you think should get in?

doubledragon

I think it's a disgrace that they snubbed Hines Ward, two time Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP, probably the best blocking wide receiver ever, he was a crucial part of those Steelers Super Bowl teams, he gave everything he had every time he stepped on the field, the most dominant receiver to ever play for the Steelers, the guy was a beast, it's a disgrace in my opinion.

DrBuster

Was Ward up for nom?? If so yeah that's BS.

Barber, Ware, Allen....Holt and Seymour....open for discussion

Canes8387899101

I would like to say that all 3 Canes will go in at the same time, but my feeling is that Hester will be 1st ballot as a special teams game changer, and Reggie Wayne gets in this time as well. The other 3 will be Ware, Allen, and Holt in my opinion.

Brick

Holt and Seymour.

erikthredd

So Holt & Wayne obviously go in as former Patriots,right?

SonnyD

I'm a hard conservative when it comes to The Hall.
None of the proposed gets me excited. Household names and playmakers perhaps but hof worthy? Idk...

doubledragon

Yes, Hines Ward has been stuck in semifinalist purgatory for a while now. I used to love watching him play, he was the definition of a complete football player. Here is an article written about Hines Ward in 2008 from an anti-Steelers fan.

Hines Ward: The Epitome of a Perfect Football Player
BRYN SWARTZ
NOVEMBER 24, 2008

I hate the Pittsburgh Steelers. I've hated them ever since 2004, when they won 15 regular-season games, including a dismantling of my eventual NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles.

I've never liked Ben Roethlisberger, whom I feel is a product of the system. I've despised Troy Polamalu, even though he might be the top safety in the NFL. But one player I can't help but like has been wide receiver Hines Ward.

Hines Ward is the definition of the ultimate NFL player. He is everything an NFL player should strive to be. He displays toughness, versatility, courage, heart, and unbelievable skill every time he steps onto a football field.

Ward began his football career as a quarterback in high school, where he was a two-time county Offensive Player of the Year. He earned All-American honors from USA Today and accepted a scholarship to play at the University of Georgia.

In college, the 6'0", 205-pound Ward played wide receiver, tailback, quarterback, and punt returner. He ranks second in team history in receiving yards and total yards from scrimmage.

Ward earned all-SEC honors after his 1997 campaign but was only drafted in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft when it was discovered that he was missing an ACL in his left knee, presumably from a childhood bicycling accident.

Ward's versatility has served him well as a professional football player. During his 10 full seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he has earned three team Most Valuable Player selections, no easy feat for a team regularly among the best in the league.

He has been selected to four Pro Bowls (2001-2004) and has made three All-Pro teams (2002-2004). Three times he has been picked for the All-NFL Team.

Ward topped 1,000 yards receiving four straight years, just missing in 2005 and 2006. In 2002, Ward set the single-season team record for receptions (112) and touchdowns (12). He set a career high with 1329 receiving yards.

He once caught a pass against the Atlanta Falcons, losing his shoe in the process, before outrunning cornerback DeAngelo Hall to the end zone. Judging by 40-yard dash times, DeAngelo Hall is the fastest player in the history of the National Football League.

Hines Ward ranks first in team history in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns, ahead of Hall of Fame greats John Stallworth and Lynn Swann.

Ward has excelled in the postseason throughout his career. He has caught eight touchdown passes in just 11 games. In five of those 11 games, he surpassed 100 yards receiving.

In Super Bowl XL, he caught five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' 21-10 win. He also carried the ball one time for 18 yards and made a key block on teammate Ben Roethlisberger's one-yard touchdown plunge in the fourth quarter. He earned MVP honors, becoming just the fifth wide receiver to do so (the other four are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame).

Ward is also one of the best, if not the best, blocking receivers in the NFL.

He broke the jaw of Cincinnati Bengals rookie Keith Rivers on a legal block early in the 2008 season. Rivers has since been placed on IR. Much controversy has arose over the hit, to which Ward has replied, “I continue seeing those blocks...It's been going on since the age of football.”

He denies attempting to injure Rivers, stating, “If I was really trying to hurt Rivers, I would have went low at him and tried to take out his knees.”

Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens claims that the Ravens placed a bounty on Ward when the teams met on Monday Night Football a few weeks later. Ward's response to the supposed threat? “I take it as a big honor. It's definitely a big honor to have a bounty.”

Being tough is what Ward is all about. He began his career by playing in 112 consecutive games. He has missed only a handful of games due to injury.

Ward continues to run the football occasionally, as he has accumulated 56 carries for 430 yards and a touchdown, for an astounding 7.7 yards per attempt.

In 2000, he was asked to return kickoffs for two games. Despite having no experience at the position, he averaged over 26 yards per return, including a 57-yard return.

He could fill in at emergency quarterback, if needed, despite only throwing two passes in his professional career (one completion for 17 yards).

In the spring of 2008, a survey of NFL head coaches voted for the smartest offensive player in the league (quarterbacks not included). Hines Ward's name was picked more times than anybody else. “Hines has been one of the smartest players in the league for a long time. He just has a knack for the game,” says one AFC coach.

Ward will do whatever it takes for the Steelers to win a game. He would run through a brick wall if it meant the Steelers would win. In a game where the majority of wide receivers are more concerned with their receiving statistics, Ward will put his body on the line every play, even if he doesn't have the ball.

When the 32-year-old wide receiver finally hangs up his spikes, potentially with a second or third Super Bowl ring and a hold on every receiving record in team history, he deserves to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as one of the greatest all-around players in the history of the game.

keets

nobody on that list stands out.

Justacommeman

@keets said:
nobody on that list stands out.

I agree. No slam dunks

ma

perkdog

Tony Boselli needs to be taken off that list if anything

orioles93

Allen, Holt, Johnson, Seymour, Thomas, Ware, Wayne, Willis would all get my vote. I think some of you are overlooking how good some of these guys were.