NFC South will have to wait for another Hall of Famer
Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
The list of candidates for the latest Pro Football Hall of Fame class has been cut to 25 and it looks if we're probably going to have to wait five years for Warren Sapp (and maybe John Lynch) for the NFC South to have its next real candidate. Former Tampa Bay players Doug Williams and Hardy Nickerson were among those who didn't make Tuesday's cut.
You can look at the list below and see some ties to the NFC South. But offensive lineman Randall McDaniel doesn't really qualify as an NFC South guy because he only spent the tail-end of his career with the Buccaneers. Same for quarterback Ken Stabler, who had a cup of coffee with the Saints at the end of his career.
Not sure if I'd call Kevin Greene, who did two short stints with Carolina, an NFC South guy either. Actually, I don't think I even view Greene, a one-dimensional pass rusher, as a strong candidate to get beyond the next cut.
Here's the list of guys who made the cut to 25:
Cris Carter, WR, 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
Roger Craig, RB, 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings,
Terrell Davis, RB, 1995-2001 Denver Broncos
Dermontti Dawson, C, 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
Richard Dent, DE, 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles
Chris Doleman, DE/LB, 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers
Kevin Greene, LB/DE, 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers
Russ Grimm, G, 1981-1991 Washington Redskins
Ray Guy, P, 1973-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Charles Haley, DE/LB, 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
Lester Hayes, CB, 1977-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Cortez Kennedy, DT, 1990-2000 Seattle SeahawksBob Kuechenberg, G, 1970-1984 Miami Dolphins
Randall McDaniel, G, 1988-1999 Minnesota Vikings, 2000-01 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Art Modell, Owner, 1961-1995 Cleveland Browns, 1996-2003 Baltimore Ravens
John Randle, DT, 1990-2000 Minnesota Vikings, 2001-03 Seattle Seahawks
Andre Reed, WR, 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
Shannon Sharpe, TE, 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens
Bruce Smith, DE, 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000-03 Washington Redskins
Ken Stabler, QB, 1970-79 Oakland Raiders, 1980-81 Houston Oilers, 1982-84 New Orleans Saints
Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner, 1989-2006 National Football League
Steve Tasker, Special Teams/WR, 1985-86 Houston Oilers, 1986-1997 Buffalo Bills
Derrick Thomas, LB, 1989-1999 Kansas City Chiefs
Ralph Wilson, Owner, 1960-current Buffalo Bills
Rod Woodson, CB/S, 1987-1996 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers, 1998-2001, Baltimore Ravens, 2002-03 Oakland Raiders
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Pat Yasinskas
Yasinskas joined ESPN.com in January 2008 after covering the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer for nine seasons. He began his journalism career with The Tampa Tribune in 1990.
