Hall of Fame Nominees

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 94 former players and coaches as modern-era nominees for the Class of 2017.

The list will be trimmed to 25 semi-finalists in November. Those 25 will then be trimmed to 15 finalists in January. Those 15 along with senior finalist Kenny Easley and contributor finalists Paul Tagliabue and Jerry Jones will be presented to the selection committee on the eve of Super Bowl LI. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017 will then be selected.

Here are the 94 nominees, by position.

Quarterbacks
Drew Bledsoe, Randall Cunningham, Doug Flutie, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair, Phil Simms, Kurt Warner

Running backs
Shaun Alexander, Ottis Anderson, Tiki Barber, Larry Centers, Roger Craig, Terrell Davis, Eddie George, Edgerrin James, Darryl Johnston, Eric Metcalf, LaDanian Tomlinson, Herschel Walker, Rickey Watters

Wide receivers
Isaac Bruce, Henry Ellard, Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason, Terrell Owens, Sterling Sharpe, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith, Hines Ward

Tight end
Mark Bavaro

Offensive linemen
Tony Boselli, Ray Donaldson, Alan Faneca, Jay Hilgenberg, Chris Hinton, Kent Hull, Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn, Olin Kreutz, Jim Lachey, Kevin Mawae, Tom Nalen, Nate Newton, Steve Wisniewski

Defensive linemen
Leslie O'Neal, Simeon Rice, Fred Smerlas, Jason Taylor, Bryant Young

Linebackers
Carl Banks, Cornelius Bennett, Tedy Bruschi, Seth Joyner, Levon Kirkland, Clay Matthews Jr., Willie McGinest, Karl Mecklenburg, Sam Mills, Joey Porter, Zach Thomas

Defensive backs
Eric Allen, Steve Atwater, Joey Browner, LeRoy Butler, Brian Dawkins, Rodney Harrison, Ty Law, Albert Lewis, John Lynch, Frank Minnifield, Bob Sanders, Darren Sharper, Dennis Smith, Troy Vincent, Everson Walls, Darren Woodson

Kicker/punter
Morten Andersen, Gary Anderson, Sean Landeta, Nick Lowery

Special teams
Brian Mitchell, Steve Tasker

Coaches
Don Coryell, Bill Cowher, Tom Flores, Mike Holmgren, Jimmy Johnson, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Richie Petibon, Dan Reeves, Clark Shaugnessy, Dick Vermiel

The cut to 25 will be tough.

Among the first-year eligible players are Donovan McNabb, LaDanian Tomlinson, Hines Ward, Jason Taylor, and Brian Dawkins. Tomlinson, Ward, and Taylor should sail through to the 15 finalist stage. It wouldn't be a surprise if 2016 finalists Kurt Warner, Edgerrin James, Terrell Davis, Terrell Owens, Alan Faneca, John Lynch, and Don Coryell return as finalists in January.

The Hall voters had whittled away at a receiver logjam over recent years. Another is building. Ward, Owens, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Sterling Sharpe are all Hall-worthy. Owens probably thinks that he should have been in before he was eligible. That and his stunning difficulties with catching a football should make him wait for a few years. He should certainly wait a few years longer than the six years that Cris Carter had to wait. I really think that this is the year that Sharpe makes a strong strong Hall run. He deserves it. He probably would have been in Canton already if a neck injury hadn't cut short his brilliant career. Sharpe probably would have been a first ballot Hall of Famer seeing as his missing years would have been with a young, gun-slinging Brett Favre. Receiver is again becoming a problem for the voters. Randy Moss is coming soon and Hall of Fame cases can be made for Henry Ellard, Derrick Mason, and Jimmy Smith.

If I was responsible for whittling this fine list to 25 it might look like this:

Kurt Warner
Roger Craig
Terrell Davis
LaDanian Tomlinson
Sterling Sharpe
Terrell Owens
Hines Ward
Tony Boselli
Alan Faneca
Mike Kenn
Jim Lachey
Jason Taylor
Karl Mecklenburg
Joey Browner
Brian Dawkins
Ty Law
Darren Woodson
Morten Andersen
Brian Mitchell
Steve Tasker
Don Coryell
Tom Flores
Jimmy Johnson
Buddy Parker
Clark Shaugnessy

Cutting to 25 is a tough task. I probably have too many coaches. The voters have an issue with receivers. They also have a an issue with the coaches. Each of the coaching nominees have a strong Hall of Fame case. Since their nominees that's really no stretch but Coryell, Parker, and Shaugnessy should already be in Canton.

If I was responsible for selecting the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017, that class might look like this:

LaDanian Tomlinson
Jason Taylor
Terrell Davis
Sterling Sharpe
Buddy Parker
Kenny Easley
Paul Tagliabue
Jerry Jones

Kurt Warner fans will raise some hell over this. Especially with the inclusion of two players that had careers shortened by injuries and a coach that few even know. Well, Warner also had an abbreviated career. He started late and there were a few modest years in the middle. He actually had nearly as many modest, at best, years as he had great years. Those great years are Hall-worthy and should get him in eventually but there are enough less than great years that calls for some patience. Most fans and many Hall of Fame voters forget that the NFL was around for 46 years before a Super Bowl was played. The Detroit Lions had something of a dynasty in the 1950s. From 1952-57 they won three of the four NFL Championship games in which they played. Buddy Parker was a big reason for that success. His Lions teams gave the Cleveland Browns fits and those Browns players and coach are all over the walls and bust room of the Hall of Fame. The Lions of the 1950s had success similar to that of the New England Patriots in the 2000s. It's difficult to imagine Bill Belichick not going straight into Canton five years after he retires. Buddy Parker retired over 50 years ago.

Congratulations and good luck to all of the nominees.