Jan 30, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Moderator and 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist Aeneas Williams speaks during the Super Bowl XLVII Prep Sports Career Expo held inside Roussel Hall on the campus of Loyola University. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Here we are again. The last two years we were looking at former Arizona Cardinals CB Aeneas Williams as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Chalk up 2014 to be no different than 2013 or 2012. He finds himself a finalist once again.
Williams once again is in some excellent company though. The list of 15 finalists is quite impressive and it should be. There are some surprises from the 30 semi-finalists that didn’t make the top 15, like former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis, but it’s tough when you narrow down so many great players.
Williams numbers don’t lie. He was a beast on the defensive backfield for the Cardinals and St. Louis Rams. The eight-time Pro Bowler had 55 interceptions in his 14 seasons in the NFL. The numbers are the same they’ve always been, so it’ll be interesting to see if voters think more highly of him this year given the company.
The other finalists include:
Morten Andersen
Jerome Bettis
Derrick Brooks
Tim Brown
Edward DeBartolo
Tony Dungy
Kevin Greene
Charles Haley
Marvin Harrison
Walter Jones
John Lynch
Andre Reed
Will Shields
Michael Strahan
Ray Guy and Claude Humphrey also join the list as finalists as senior nominees. It will be very interesting to see how many people on this list get in. If I had to pick seven guys (the number that got in last year), they would be Bettis, Haley, Jones, Guy, Strahan, Brooks, and Williams. That’s tough because everyone on this list I could see getting in at some point. The 2014 class will be announced on Saturday February 1st.