Hines Ward and Alan Faneca among Hall of Fame finalists

Pittsburgh Steelers reporter Chase Williams has reported via his Twitter account that former Steelers Alana Faneca and Hines Ward are among the 27 finalists for the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

http://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2017/11/21/former-steelers-hines-ward-and-alan-faneca-among-hall-of-fame-finalists/

I think Faneca has a better chance at getting in on the first ballet. Because he was an equal opportunist when it came to "slobber knockers" many people outside of the Burgh considered Hines to be dirty but I always said "if you're gonna dish it out you better be ready to take it from Hines". My one wish would have been to see him brake Burfict's jaw instead of Keith Rivers.

IMO, they both deserve to be first ballot, but maybe I'm a bit biased.

stlrtruck wrote:

IMO, they both deserve to be first ballot, but maybe I'm a bit biased.

I agree wholeheartedly.

i've always said hines was going to have to wait awhile before he gets in. look at all the other receivers who have better stats that are in line.
terrel owens
issac bruce
henry ellard
torry holt

as for faneca , the guy was the best guard in the NFL for a decade. he should be first ballet.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

i've always said hines was going to have to wait awhile before he gets in. look at all the other receivers who have better stats that are in line.
terrel owens
issac bruce
henry ellard
torry holt

as for faneca , the guy was the best guard in the NFL for a decade. he should be first ballet.

I agree. As Steelers fans, we can be a bit biased when it comes to players like Hines. I've had debates with a number of people who don't think Hines should be in the HOF, much less this early. And a couple of them were Steelers fans. I think he should get in, but it will take a while. Faneca won't have to wait long.

Hines is going to be waiting awhile, there's some guys that had more prolific careers on that list of finalists that have been waiting to get in. Faneca should've been in there already IMO, so I'm hoping he gets in this time around.

As much as I like Hines, I don't see him making it in.

He was a good receiver, even a great one, but I don't see his credentials enough to get in at all.

Wallace108 wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

i've always said hines was going to have to wait awhile before he gets in. look at all the other receivers who have better stats that are in line.
terrel owens
issac bruce
henry ellard
torry holt

as for faneca , the guy was the best guard in the NFL for a decade. he should be first ballet.

I agree. As Steelers fans, we can be a bit biased when it comes to players like Hines. I've had debates with a number of people who don't think Hines should be in the HOF, much less this early. And a couple of them were Steelers fans. I think he should get in, but it will take a while. Faneca won't have to wait long.

the ones i listed are the just the ones eligible for the hall now. as of now hines is only 25th in career reception yardage. in the next few years there'll be another wave of players eligible with better stats.  it all comes down to if the voters are just looking at what is on paper , or if they appreciate the effort he gave every game to help his team win. plus he has a super bowl MVP to his credit.

jak341 wrote:

As much as I like Hines, I don't see him making it in.

He was a good receiver, even a great one, but I don't see his credentials enough to get in at all.

I think he'll make it eventually, it just may take him a while. Sure he doesn't have the big stats, but being a SB MVP, and the most feared blocking WR of all time will contribute to him getting in. I don't think there's ever been a WR in the history of the league that put the same kind of fear into DB's and linebackers that Ward did, he was a special breed of WR.

I remember a game vs the Ravens, where Bart Scott almost got blindsided by Ward, but ducked under the hit. He was also about 3-5 yards away from the ballcarrier, but instead of focusing on making the tackle, he seemed to care more about "where is Hines right now?" and avoiding a hit. THIS is what you call being in the heads of the defender, where they won't fully commit to making a tackle because they're afraid of getting their jaw broken There HAS to be a place in the hall for such a player, I will be disappointed if he never gets in, he deserves it.

I might be a bit biased because Hines is my favorite Steeler of all time. However, there was nothing that made me smile more than seeing him knock defenders on their asses. Steeler football was all about hard hits and physical play, Hines' style of playing WR embodied everything I love about the Steelers.

I may be biased but would love to see both of them go to the Hall of Fame. And really Fanaca changed the way of his position and Hines really had a lot of emotion and was all class.

I think Hines definitely deserves to be in there. His stats aren't as prolific as guys like Terrell Owens, or Randy Moss but those guys were huge talents, it's what was expected of them. Hines worked from playing QB at Georgia to being one of the best possession receivers in the NFL. That's not even mentioning his blocking skills, which were phenomenal for a guy playing the WR position. Ward changed the game, they had to change the rules because of him. When you affect the game like that, you should definitely be in the HoF in my opinion. I think he'll be waiting a little while, but he definitely deserves to be in there.

When looking at Hines, I'm not sure the stats should be the determining his eligibility.

There are players who transcend a position and the game. Those players come along every once in awhile. Hines Ward is one of those players. When they change rules because you hit too hard, and you're not on defense, that says something about you as a player and your impact on the game.

stlrtruck wrote:

When looking at Hines, I'm not sure the stats should be the determining his eligibility.

There are players who transcend a position and the game. Those players come along every once in awhile. Hines Ward is one of those players. When they change rules because you hit too hard, and you're not on defense, that says something about you as a player and your impact on the game.

I don't disagree, but is that enough to get him in? I don't think so.

jak341 wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

When looking at Hines, I'm not sure the stats should be the determining his eligibility.

There are players who transcend a position and the game. Those players come along every once in awhile. Hines Ward is one of those players. When they change rules because you hit too hard, and you're not on defense, that says something about you as a player and your impact on the game.

I don't disagree, but is that enough to get him in? I don't think so.

I think so, but I think it's just going to be a long wait for him.