Hall of Fame Names Semifinalists for Class of 2026

Hall of Fame Names Semifinalists for Class of 2026

by | Nov 25, 2025 | Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame unveiled their list of 26 modern era players (the result of their being a tie for the 25th spot on the list) that are finalists to be inducted into the class of 2026 this morning.

On the list include:

QB Drew Brees – 1st time as semifinalist, first year eligible
QB Eli Manning – 2nd time as semifinalist, Finalist in 2025
QB Philip Rivers – 1st time as semifinalist, first year eligible
RB Frank Gore – 1st time as semifinalist, first year eligible
RB Fred Taylor – 7th time as semifinalist, Finalist in 2025
WR Larry Fitzgerald – 1st time as semifinalist, first year eligible
WR Torry Holt – 12th time as semifinalist, Finalist in 2025
WR Steve Smith Sr. – 5th time as semifinalist, Finalist in 2025
WR Hines Ward – 10th time as semifinalist
WR Reggie Wayne – 7th time as semifinalist, Finalist in 2025
TE Jason Witten – 1st time as semifinalist, first year eligible
OL Willie Anderson – 6th time as semifinalist, Finalist in 2025
OL Lomas Brown – 1st time as a semifinalist
OL Jahri Evans – 4th time as semifinalist, Finalist in 2025
OL Richmond Webb – 2nd time as semifinalist
OL Steve Wisniewski – 3rd time as semifinalist
OL Marshal Yanda – 2nd time as semifinalist, Finalist in 2025
DL Robert Mathis – 5th time as semifinalist
DL Vince Wilfork – 5th time as semifinalist
DL Kevin Williams – 1st time as semifinalist
LB Luke Kuechly – 2nd time as semifinalist, Finalist in 2025
LB Terrell Suggs – 2nd time as semifinalist, Finalist in 2025
DB Rodney Harrison – 5th time as semifinalist
DB Earl Thomas – 2nd time as semifinalist
DB Darren Woodson – 10th time as semifinalist
K Adam Vinatieri – 2nd time as semifinalist, Finalist in 2025

Lomas Brown and Kevin Williams are the only first time semifinalists that are not in their first year of eligibility.  The list was culled form a list of 128 nominees announced in September, and will now be cut to a group of 15 finalists later this year, before being debated along with Coaches, Contributor and Senior nominees in advance of Super Bowl LX.  Between four and eight new members will be elected, per the HOF bylaws, announced at NFL Honors show in February, and inducted in Canton next August.

Bet the Mortgage: Week 15, 2015 – Best Bets

by | Dec 17, 2015 | 2015 season, NFL Gambling

Well, at least it’s now a contest.
weekly-bets

Andy took it in the shorts last week, losing his three big bets, but saving a little bit of face on his upset pick, but finishing down a whopping $3,700 for the week. Tony managed to go 3-1, but his one loss was his biggest bet, for a net gain of $267.

That pulls Tony within $1,000 of Andy–or rather drops Andy to within $1.000 of Tony–for the season.

And we’re back at it again…

Here is where we stand:

Last week Last week $ Overall Overall $ Bankroll
Andy 1-3 – $3,700 24-31-1 – $6,224 $ 3,776
Tony 3-1 + $267 26-29-1 – $6,954 $ 3,046

With the end of the season in sight, there’s some antsy-ness setting in. They look like they might be ready to ramp things up a notch as we pass the final quarter pole. (more…)

Hanson was great, but probably not Hall of Fame great

by | Apr 7, 2013 | Hall of Fame

Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson retired last week and, I’m embarrassed to say, I initially didn’t even think of doing a post on his chances of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But Colts blogger and occasional Zoneblitz contributor Andrew Aziz posted the question to our Twitter account and it made me curious. It’s an interesting question. My initial thought was that Hanson was a very good kicker in the NFL for two decades but not one who will be rewarded with a spot in the Hall of Fame. Here’s why.

First, he faces the same dilemma guys like Ray Guy, Mark Moseley and other good to great kickers and punters face – just not many special teams guys get any love from voters. A look at finalists from recent years shows that the last time a punter or kicker made it that far was Guy in 2008. Guy has been a finalist seven times and is the only kicker/punter to get that far in the 2000s, but he has never gotten over the threshold, leaving Jan Stenerud remains the only pure kicker enshrined in Canton. (more…)

In depth 2013: Detroit Lions

by | Feb 26, 2013 | 2012 season, 2013 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

After years of futility, the Detroit Lions appeared to be on the right track in 2011. Expectations were high heading into 2012, coming off the team’s first playoff appearance since 1999. But right out of the gate things started going wrong.

Calvin Johnson broke Jerry Rice’s single-season receiving yardage record in week 15, but that was really one of the only things that went right for Detroit all season long. The Jim Schwartz-led team fell back to 4-12 and into last place in the NFC North.

So, will the real Detroit Lions please stand up? It’s hard to say whether the Lions of 2013 will more closely resemble the 2011 or 2012 version.  Zac Snyder, editor of the SideLion Report, knows there’s a lot the team must do before it can expect to be competitive in 2013 and beyond, as well. He joined Zoneblitz to share some thoughts.

Zoneblitz: What happened to drop the Lions from the playoffs to 4-12? (more…)

ZB Notebook 1-13-2013

by | Jan 13, 2013 | 2012 season, NFL Random Thoughts

The Divisional playoff round is one of my favorite weekends of sport all year round and this year exemplified why. The Denver/Baltimore game and the Atlanta/Seattle contest provided extreme drama. The San Francisco/Green Bay game, which is the one I was not able to watch, introduced Colin Kaepernick as perhaps the league’s next great quarterback. And the Patriots/Texans game … well, nothing is perfect.

I was pretty surprised only by the results of the Ravens’ double overtime win over the Broncos. I had started to feel, like many, that Denver was the best team in the NFL. But the result, I think, does lend some credence to the possibility that the one downside to Peyton Manning’s selection of Denver as his later-career home is the potential for cold playoff games. No matter what anyone says, that could play havoc with his neck issues.

Nonetheless, the Ray Lewis retirement party carries on for one more week and I think the AFC Championship game rematch between his Ravens and the Patriots should be a fascinating game.

The NFC game also presents plenty of intrigue, with a rough, physical defense from San Francisco going up against the 2010s’ version of the 49ers of yesteryear, the Falcons. I’m already looking forward to it.

Can we hold off on Tebow talk?: I was tuning in Saturday morning to NFL Network for pregame information and before I got any information at all about the games coming up in mere hours, I was subjected to two segments on Tim Tebow’s future as an NFL quarterback. (more…)