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Pro Football: Hall of Fame Finalists

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CANTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Defensive end Julius Peppers and tight end Antonio Gates — among the most prolific players at their respective positions — highlight the list of 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Modern Era Class of 2024. The short list was released Wednesday.

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Peppers and Gates are the only players to make the list in their first year of eligibility. Nine players who made the final list in 2023 are back on the list in ’24, while four other players are finalists for the first time though not in their first year of eligibility.

Peppers, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time first-team All-Pro, finished his 17-year career with 159.5 sacks, fifth all time and the most by any player not yet in the Hall. Taken second overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2002 draft, Peppers was named Defensive Rookie of the Year after compiling 12 sacks to go with one interception and five forced fumbles in 12 games.

After 10 seasons with the Panthers, Peppers played four in Chicago with the Bears and then finished his career in Green Bay, playing three seasons with the Packers.

On the other end of the draft spectrum, Gates went undrafted after not playing football in college. Instead, he starred in basketball in his final two years at Kent State.

Combining his height (6-foot-4) with his rebounding skills, Gates first made a name for himself in the NFL as a jump-ball specialist in the end zone. He really broke through in his second season, scoring 13 touchdowns — then a single-season record for tight ends. He finished his career with 116 career TDs, seventh all time and the most ever by a tight end.

Gates made eight Pro Bowls and was a three-time first-team All-Pro in his 16 seasons. He finished with 955 receptions for 11,841 yards and the 116 touchdowns, spending his entire career with the Chargers (14 in San Diego and the final two in Los Angeles).

The four other players making the list for the first time are cornerback Eric Allen (in his 18th year of eligibility), safety Rodney Harrison (11th year), running back Fred Taylor (ninth) and offensive lineman Jahri Evans (second).

Punt/kick return specialist Devin Hester, who holds the single-season record for total kick-return touchdowns (six) and the career mark for punts returned for a score (14) is among those back on the list from 2023. Hester, who also made history with the first opening kickoff returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history (Super Bowl XLI), is a finalist for the third time.

Wide receivers Reggie Wayne (whose Indianapolis Colts beat Hester’s Chicago Bears in that Super Bowl) and Torry Holt (a member of the St. Louis Rams’ famed “Greatest Show on Turf”) are both finalists for the fifth time, the most of any of this year’s finalists.

The Hall of Fame selection committee will elect the Modern Era Class of 2024 the week leading up to Super Bowl LVIII, with the class announced on Feb. 8.

Up to five members can be elected to the modern class (a minimum of 80 percent of the votes is required for possible election). Finalists from the Seniors and Coach/Contributor categories may also be elected.

Modern Era Class of 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists
(Name, position, years, teams)

–Eric Allen, Cornerback — 1988-1994 Philadelphia Eagles, 1995-97 New Orleans Saints, 1998-2001 Oakland Raiders

–Jared Allen, Defensive End — 2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15 Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina Panthers

–Willie Anderson, Offensive Tackle — 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens

–Jahri Evans, Guard — 2006-2016 New Orleans Saints, 2017 Green Bay Packers

–Dwight Freeney, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker — 2002-2012 Indianapolis Colts, 2013-14 San Diego Chargers, 2015 Arizona Cardinals, 2016 Atlanta Falcons, 2017 Seattle Seahawks, 2017 Detroit Lions

–Antonio Gates, Tight End — 2003-2018 San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers

–Rodney Harrison, Safety — 1994-2002 San Diego Chargers, 2003-08 New England Patriots

–Devin Hester, Punt Returner/Kick Returner/Wide Receiver — 2006-2013 Chicago Bears, 2014-15 Atlanta Falcons, 2016 Baltimore Ravens

–Torry Holt, Wide Receiver — 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars

–Andre Johnson, Wide Receiver — 2003-2014 Houston Texans, 2015 Indianapolis Colts, 2016 Tennessee Titans

–Julius Peppers, Defensive End — 2002-09, 2017-18 Carolina Panthers, 2010-13 Chicago Bears, 2014-16 Green Bay Packers

–Fred Taylor, Running back — 1998-2008 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2009-2010 New England Patriots

–Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver — 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts

–Patrick Willis, Linebacker — 2007-2014 San Francisco 49ers

–Darren Woodson, Safety — 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys

–Field Level Media

Patriots are Losers Again

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EAST RUTHERFORD – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Tommy DeVito threw for 191 yards and a touchdown and helped the New York Giants win consecutive games for the first time all season, this one a 10-7 squeaker over the visiting New England Patriots on Sunday in New Jersey.

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DeVito completed 17 of 25 passes for the Giants (4-8), who have turned to him following injuries to Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. He lost a fumble on the opening drive and was sacked six times Sunday.

The Giants benefited from continued quarterback chaos for New England (2-9). After Bill Belichick kept the Patriots’ starting QB decision under wraps during the week, Mac Jones tossed two interceptions in the first half and was replaced by Bailey Zappe after halftime.

Zappe guided the Patriots’ lone scoring drive, then drove them into field-goal range in the final 3:15 of the game. But rookie kicker Chad Ryland hooked a 35-yard field goal try wide left with three seconds left, allowing the Giants to hang on.

Jones went 12-for-21 passing for 89 yards for the Patriots, who have lost seven of eight games. Zappe went 9-for-14 for 54 yards and one pick.

Xavier McKinney totaled 10 tackles and one of the three interceptions for New York. Jalin Hyatt had five catches for 109 yards.

Jones threw into triple coverage in the final seconds of the first quarter and rookie Deonte Banks made a running interception on the sideline.

Late in the half, the Patriots drove into New York territory. DeVante Parker caught a slightly deflected pass for 17 yards on third-and-15 to keep the drive moving.

But on third-and-4 from the Giants’ 23-yard line, Jones threw a pass straight to Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke, who returned it 55 yards to the New England 26.

Six plays later, DeVito threw left to Isaiah Hodgins, who stiff-armed his defender to the ground and beat another Patriot to the pylon for a 12-yard score, making it 7-0 1:53 before halftime.

The Patriots had one last three-and-out in the first half before Zappe took over in the second. He went 6-for-6 for 38 yards on his first drive, and Stevenson got New England on the board with his 7-yard touchdown with 8:02 left in the quarter.

Zappe wasn’t perfect for long. Early in the fourth quarter, his pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster was snagged by McKinney and returned to the Patriots’ 32. That set up Randy Bullock’s go-ahead, 42-yard field goal with 8:10 remaining.

The Patriots got one more chance and drove 33 yards in nine plays to set up Ryland’s game-tying attempt.

–Field Level Media

Jones and Lineman Out at Buffalo

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BUFFALO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and three offensive linemen have been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the host Buffalo Bills, said Giants coach Brian Daboll.

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Jones, who is nursing a neck injury, joined left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring), rookie center John Michael Schmitz (shoulder) and backup Matt Peart (shoulder) in being ruled out for Sunday’s contest. Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari (ankle) also was ruled out for the game.

Tyrod Taylor, who played in Buffalo from 2015-17, will be under center when the Giants (1-4) face the Bills (3-2). The start will be Taylor’s first since the 2021 season.

Taylor, 34, has completed 11 of 15 passes for 92 yards in four games this season. He owns a 26-25-1 record during his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens (2011-14), Bills, Cleveland Browns (2018), Los Angeles Chargers (2019-20), Houston Texans (2021) and Giants.

Jones, 26, has missed the first two practices this week after exiting Sunday’s 31-16 loss to the Miami Dolphins in the fourth quarter following a sack by Andrew Van Ginkel. The hit took Jones by surprise from his blind side, and his head cocked backward before he was driven to the turf.

Jones completed 14 of 20 passes for 119 yards and was sacked six times against Miami. He has completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 884 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions through five starts this season.

Eli Manning Helps NY Giants Sports Biz

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EAST RUTHERFORD – Former New York Giants quarterback and Super Bowl champion Eli Manning is back with the franchise in a front-office role, about 18 months after his final game as New York’s quarterback.

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Manning, who led the team to two Super Bowl championships, will work in business development, marketing, and community and corporate relations areas. In addition, he will contribute to content development and fan activities, which include a lifestyle series for broadcast to debut in the fall.

The team also announced Monday that Manning will be inducted into the Giants’ Ring of Honor and his No. 10 jersey retired during a special halftime ceremony Sept. 26 when the Giants host the Atlanta Falcons at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Manning, 40, said he is delighted to accept the new job and to become the 43rd member of the Ring of Honor.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be back,” Manning said. “Staying involved with this organization is very important to me. I love the organization, love the Giants and the fans, and so I want to do anything possible to help them out and be a part of it.”