Pro Football Hall of Fame announces 25 semifinalists for 2014 class

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has released its list of 25 semifinalists to be considered for the 2014 class, per its official web site.

The list is as follows:

• Morten Andersen, K
• Steve Atwater, S
• Jerome Bettis, RB
• Derrick Brooks, LB
• Tim Brown, WR/KR
• Don Coryell, Coach
• Roger Craig, RB
• Terrell Davis, RB
• Ed DeBartolo Jr., Owner
• Tony Dungy, Coach
• Kevin Greene, LB/DE
• Charles Haley, DE
• Marvin Harrison, WR
• Joe Jacoby, OL
• Jimmy Johnson, Coach
• Walter Jones, OL
• John Lynch, S
• Karl Mecklenburg, LB
• Andre Reed, WR
• Will Shields, OL
• Michael Strahan, DE
• Paul Tagliabue, NFL Commissioner
• Aeneas Williams, CB
• Steve Wisniewski, C
• George Young, Contributor

From this point, the list will be knocked down to 15 nominees on Jan. 8, with the two senior committee nominees of Ray Guy and Claude Humphrey added to the list, making it 17 finalists in total.

No more than five modern-era nominees can be elected, and the total class cannot exceed seven or be less than four. Of the semifinalists, four are first-time eligible with Tony Dungy, Derrick Brooks, Marvin Harrison and Walter Jones making the cut.

Off the bat, it would stand to reason Strahan will be inducted. Always popular with the media and a tremendous player his entire lengthy career, he seems a likely fit. He missed out in 2013, his first year of eligibility. Brooks is also another player who might be hurt as a first-ballot guy, but he's clearly one of the four best candidates.

This could also be the year where Greene or Haley finally breaks through. Both were dominant forces in the late 1980s and 90s, and they have been on the cusp for years.

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