The list of candidates for the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame class has been narrowed to 15 and it includes three running backs making the cut in their first years of eligibility.

Marshall Faulk, Jerome Bettis and Curtis Martin all survived the winnowing if the list. So did multi-time finalist wide receivers Tim Brown, Cris Carter and Andre Reed, as well as tight end Shannon Sharpe.

First ballot tackle Willie Roaf and multi-time finalist center Dermontti Dawson represent offensive linemen on the list while defenders still under consideration include linemen Richard Dent, Chris Doleman, Charles Haley and Cortez Kennedy. Defensive back Deion Sanders, another first ballot candidate, rounds out the players.

Ed Sabol, founder of NFL Films, is also a finalist as a contributor.

That means coach Don Coryell, running backs Roger Craig and Terrell Davis, linebacker Kevin Greene, defensive backs Lester Hayes and Aeneas Williams, punter Ray Guy, owners Art Modell and Edward DeBartolo Jr., former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and contributor George Young did not make the cut this year.

The 15 finalists who did make the cut join senior candidates Les Richter and Chris Hanburger, who were announced in August, as candidates for induction in the 2011 Hall of Fame class.

The class of 2011 will be determined on Saturday, February 5 the day before Super Bowl XLV and will be announced that evening at 6 p.m. Central Time during a special on the NFL Network. The enshrinement ceremony will be held Saturday, August 6 in Canton, Ohio.

According to the Hall of Fame’s selection criteria, no more than five modern-era candidates can be selected in any given year and a class of six or seven enshrinees can only be achieved if one or both of the senior candidates are elected.

Last year’s senior candidates, Floyd Little and Dick LeBeau, both were elected as part of the 2010 class, which included wide receiver Jerry Rice, running back Emmitt Smith, defensive lineman John Randle, linebacker Rickey Jackson and offensive lineman Russ Grimm. Headlined by Rice and Smith, it was hailed by some as the strongest ever.

Fan packages are on sale now at the Pro Football Hall of Fame website.

So … does anyone who made it or who didn’t surprise or particularly disappoint you? My hunch is that Faulk and Sanders are near locks as first-timers. I prioritize Cris Carter over the other receivers and I’m leaning Dawson over Roaf as an offensive lineman. I suspect one defensive lineman will get in as well. I lean Kennedy, though Haley would not surprise me either. I also suspect both senior candidates will get in.

My list would leave Sabol out. This would lend some credence to Sports Illustrated Reporter Peter King’s recent assessment that it’s too difficult for contributors to earn enshrinement. I think Sabol was a genius and ahead of his time so I wouldn’t be disappointed if he replaced whichever defensive lineman gets enshrined.

Nonetheless, this appears to be another strong and deserving class, as many of the folks who didn’t make the list of finalists can write a pretty good case for themselves as far as deserving a bronze bust in Canton.

We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts.