Some say that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. For us at Notinhalloffame.com, it is the month after, where “Hall of Fame Season” is in its apex, with the announcement of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists.
We at Notinhalloffame.com, held our mock committee meeting last month, where we pushed through our 15, which differs from the actual Hall (as expected).
The 15 Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists of 2023 are:
Jared Allen: Defensive End. 2004-07 KC, 2008-13 MIN, 2014-15 CHI, 2015 CAR. Allen advances for the third straight year, and has been a Finalist in all three of his eligible years. A two-time Sack leader with 136 career Sacks, Allen also has 171 Tackles for Loss. A five-time Pro Bowl and four-time First Team All-Pro, Allen is ranked #22 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Willie Anderson: Offensive Tackle. 1996-2007 CIN, 2008 BAL. Anderson was eligible for the first time in 2013, and eight years later, he was a Semi-Finalist for the first time. Big Willie is now on a two-year streak as a Finalist. Anderson went to four Pro Bowls, was a three-time First Team All-Pro and is ranked #137 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Ronde Barber: Cornerback & Safety. 1997-2002 TB. Barber has been on the ballot for six years and is now a three-time Finalist. A member of Tampa’s first Super Bowl Title, Barber has 47 Interceptions, 20 Sacks and went to five Pro Bowls as well as earning three First Team All-Pros. Barber is ranked #8 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Dwight Freeney: Defensive End. 2002-12 IND, 2013-14 SD, AZ 2015, 2016 ATL, 2017 SEA, 2017 DET. Freeney was one of the five first year eligible players to make the Semi-Finals, and he is now a first-year Finalist; a huge accomplishment for a Hall of Fame path. Freeney won a Super Bowl with the Colts, had 125.5 Sacks and went to seven Pro Bowls earning three First Team All-Pros. Freeney is ranked #61 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Devin Hester: Punt Returner, Kick Returner & Wide Receiver. 2006-13 CHI, 2014-15 ATL, 2016 BAL. Hester is a Finalist in his first two years of eligibility. A three-time First Team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, Hester is a member of the 100th Anniversary Team. Hester is ranked #54 on Notinhalloffame.com, and was one of the 15 selected by our Mock Committee.
Torry Holt: Wide Receiver. 1999-08 STL, 2009 JAX. A nine-time Semi-Finalist, Holt is no a four-time Finalist. A Super Bowl Champion with the Rams, Holt went to seven Pro Bowls, and was a two-time Receiving Yards leader. Holt is ranked #7 on Notinhalloffame.com, and was one of the 15 selected by our Mock Committee.
Andre Johnson: Wide Receiver. 2003-14 HOU, 2015 IND, 2016 TEN. Johnson is a two-time Finalist, which is the same number of years he has been eligible. Named to seven Pro Bowls and two First Team All-Pros, Johnson had well over 14,000 Receiving Yards and twice led the league in that category. Johnson is ranked #23 on Notinhalloffame.com, and was one of the 15 selected by our Mock Committee.
Albert Lewis: Cornerback. 1983-93 KC, 1994-98 LA/OAK. Lewis makes the Finals on his last year of eligibility, and was only a Semi-Finalist once before, in 2013. He was a four-time Pro Bowl and two-time First Team All-Pro and is ranked #259 on Notinhalloffame.com, and was one of the 26 selected by our Mock Committee.
Darrelle Revis: Cornerback. 2007-12 NYJ, 2013 TB, 2014 NE, NYJ 2015-16, KC 2017. A Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots in the lone year he was there, Revis is best known for his time with the Jets. Revis went to seven Pro Bowls, had four First Team All-Pros and is the 2009 leader in Approximate Value. This is his first year on the ballot. Revis is ranked #5 on Notinhalloffame.com, and was one of the 15 selected by our Mock Committee.
Joe Thomas: Offensive Tackle. 2007-17 CLE. Thomas is without a doubt the best player in the second wave of the Cleveland Browns, but he did not have a lot of help. This is his first year on the ballot, and he was pegged to be a first-year Finalist by EVERYONE! The Lineman was a six-time First Team All-Pro, and went to ten Pro Bowls. Thomas is ranked #1on Notinhalloffame.com, and was one of the 15 selected by our Mock Committee.
Zach Thomas: Linebacker. 1997-2007 MIA, 2008 DAL. Thomas is now on a four-year streak of Finalist Selections. He went to seven Pro Bowls, earned five First Team All-Pros and was a two-time leader in Combined Tackles. Thomas is ranked #10 on Notinhalloffame.com, and was one of the 15 selected by our Mock Committee.
DeMarcus Ware: Linebacker & Defensive End. 2005-13 DAL, 2014-16 DEN. Ware is on his second year of eligibility has been a Finalist both years. A nine-time Pro Bowl and four-time First Team All-Pro, Ware twice led the NFL in Sacks, with 138.5 in total. Ware is ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com, and was one of the 15 selected by our Mock Committee.
Reggie Wayne: Wide Receiver. 2001-14 IND. Wayne won a Super Bowl with the Colts and this marks the fourth consecutive trip to the Finalist round. A former Receiving Yard leader and six-time Pro Bowler, Wayne is ranked #12 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Patrick Willis: Linebacker. 2007-14 SF. Willis adds a second straight Finalist to his resume, and with teammate, Bryant Young out of the way, there should be less obstruction. Willis only played eight years but was a Pro Bowl in seven and a First Team All-Pro in five of them. He is ranked #15 on Notinhalloffame.com, and was one of the 15 selected by our Mock Committee.
Darren Woodson: Safety. 1992-03 DAL. Woodson, who was a six-time Semi-Finalist, is finally a Finalist. He was a three-time Super Bowl winner, a three-time First Team All-Pro and is ranked #90 on Notinhalloffame.com.
The Semi-Finalists who did not advance are Anquan Boldin, Henry Ellard, Jahri Evans, London Fletcher, James Harrison, Rodney Harrison, Robert Mathis, Steve Smith, Fred Taylor, Hines Ward, Ricky Watters and Vince Wilfork.
It should be noted that we will be holding our Mock Committee meeting on January 17, 9:30 EST, and we will be combining the official Finalists with ours.
This means we will be adding Randall Cunningham, Henry Ellard, Tom Nalen, Leslie O’Neal, Pat Swilling, and Richmond Webb.
So, who is going to get in!!!
You know that we will be paying attention, and we are excited to see how this pans out.
Comments powered by CComment