Hall finalists to be announced on NFL Network

For the lucky souls who have NFL Network:

Exclusive announcement of Hall finalists on NFL Network
By National Football League



60-minute show presents first-time TV announcement
of 15 finalists Friday at 4 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET

Steve Sabol's best Hall of Fame class:
1971 featuring Jim Brown, Vince Lombardi and Y.A. Tittle

2007 inductee Michael Irvin discusses semifinalists
Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice and other WR nominees



For the first time ever, the announcement of the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2010 will be televised on "Pro Football Hall of Fame: Road to Canton" on Friday, Jan. 8 at 4 p.m. ET with an encore at 9 p.m. ET only on NFL Network.

Paul Burmeister hosts the 60-minute show and leads a panel discussion analyzing who made the final 15 and who didn't. Joining Burmeister are USA Today NFL writer and Hall of Fame voter Jarrett Bell, Dallas Morning News NFL writer and Hall of Fame voter Rick Gosselin, and longtime Pro Football Hall of Fame executive Joe Horrigan.

Also on "Road to Canton," NFL Films president Steve Sabol looks at his greatest Hall of Fame class (1971 -- Jim Brown, Bill Hewitt, Frank "Bruiser" Kinard, Vince Lombardi, Andy Robustelli, Y.A. Tittle and Norm Van Brocklin) and hosts a roundtable with NFL Films' most storied cinematographers -- Bob Angelo, Donnie Marx, Hank McElwee and Bob Smith -- to discuss the great shots and stories of this year's 15 finalists.

NFL Network analyst and 2007 Hall of Fame inductee Michael Irvin joins Burmeister to discuss 2010 semifinalists Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice and the other wide receiver nominees.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young, who connected with Jerry Rice for 85 touchdowns, talks about his favorite Rice moments.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2010 will be announced live from the site of Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 at 5 p.m. ET on NFL Network.

For the first time fans are invited to vote for their choice for the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Van Heusen Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan's Choice at www.fanschoice.com. Poll results will be revealed on the show, with in depth analysis, and a comparison to the Selectors Vote.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame, Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation and J.C. Penney Company have teamed to provide the first-ever dedicated forum for fans to debate, discuss and voice their choice by voting for the Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2010. The robust forum also includes stats on all candidates and opinions from football experts, Hall of Fame players and fans around the country.

 

It's not like the news won't be published anywhere, besides those NFLN announcement shows suck.

 

Final 15 announced, joining senior nominees Dick LeBeau and Floyd Little.

No Tags this year at all, and only 5 defensive players. Don Coryell is a bit of a suprise. An innovator, but never got past the AFCCG.


Voters will determine the senior nomimees fate first (hope LeBeau makes it), and then select three to five of the modern players listed below.

My picks in bold.

Tim Brown – Wide Receiver/Kick Returner – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins

Don Coryell – Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers

Roger Craig – Running Back – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings

Dermonti Dawson – Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers

Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles

Russ Grimm – Guard – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins

Charles Haley – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys

Rickey Jackson – Linebacker – 1981-1993 New Orleans Saints, 1994-95 San Francisco 49ers

Cortez Kennedy – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks

John Randle – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Minnesota Vikings, 2001-03 Seattle Seahawks

Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins

Jerry Rice – Wide Receiver – 1985-2000 San Francisco 49ers, 2001-04 Oakland Raiders, 2004 Seattle Seahawks

Shannon Sharpe – Tight End – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens

Emmitt Smith – Running Back – 1990-2002 Dallas Cowboys, 2003-04 Arizona Cardinals

 

For those under a rock, Rice, Smith, Randle, Jackson, Grim, Dick LeBeau and Floyd Little all made it in.

The presenter called Rickey Jackson Randy. I'm sure Paula was estatic.

 

Rice and Smith were going to get in unless the world ended. Doesn't mean that my opinion's changed that the two are similarly regarded, yet Rice is the best football player ever and Smith the most over-rated. I always thought Randle was, too.

Somewhat surprised about Jackson. Granted, he, Dent, Haley were all feared rushers but I never felt they or Greene were necessarily complete football players.

LeBeau is interesting, and good for him. Lifetime achievement. He really did enrich the game. Still, it's funny to see a guy in there with a .275 head coaching record on a team whose offense looked unprepared to battle the defense he invented.

 

I'm sure the Saints being in the SB made a difference for Jackson. Though many have said he was more than just a rusher. He had 8 INTs, and in the mid 80s he was making Pro Bowls for being a 100+ tackle guy as well as a 10+ sack guy. Mills IMO did take that defense to the next level, and Jackson became more of a prototypical rush specialist.