Pro Football Hall of Fame Nominees 2012: Breaking Down This Year's Ballot

The NFL announced the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012 on Saturday, and boy, is this group loaded with big names and worthy entrants.

Good luck picking just seven of these 15 gridiron legends to have their busts enshrined in Canton next summer.

Tim Brown

Tim Brown spent 15 of his 16 NFL seasons as a member of the Raiders, sticking with the team when it moved from Los Angeles back to Oakland in 1994.

The former Heisman Trophy winner at Notre Dame earned nine trips to the Pro Bowl and ranks fifth in league history in receptions, fourth in receiving yards, sixth in receiving touchdowns and fifth in all-purpose yards.

A member of the NFL All-Decade team in the 1990s, Brown first became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2010.

Cris Carter

Cris Carter also made his first appearance on the ballot in 2010 and once again finds himself up against some stiff competition.

The ESPN analyst spent the bulk of his 16-year career with the Minnesota Vikings, whom he represented in the Pro Bowl eight times. Carter was elected as an All-Pro three times and still sits fourth all-time in receptions, eighth in receiving yards and fourth in receiving touchdowns.

Andre Reed

As fantastic as Andre Reed's numbers are, he'll forever be remembered for the critical role he played in helping the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s.

Reed was also one of the central figures in "The Comeback," catching three touchdown passes to lead the Bills back from a 35-3 third-quarter deficit to beat the Houston Oilers in 1993.

Statistically-speaking, Reed ranks eighth in career receptions, ninth in receiving yards and 11th in touchdown receptions.

Cortez Kennedy

Few defensive tackles were as dominant as Cortez Kennedy was during his 11-year career with the Seattle Seahawks.

The third overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, Kennedy was eight times a Pro Bowler, three times an All-Pro and once the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1992. Big No. 96 finished his time in the NFL with 668 tackles, 58 sacks and three interceptions.

Charles Haley

Sackmaster. Pro Bowler. Super Bowl champion.

Each of these monikers is necessary to describe Charles Haley, but none is sufficient on its own to pay adequate respect to the illustrious career of one of the greatest defensive players of the 1990s.

Haley played in five Pro Bowls and won five Super Bowls while splitting time between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers from 1986 to 1999. Much maligned for his poor behavior, Haley finished his career with 100.5 sacks and has twice before been named a finalist for the Hall of Fame. 

Dermontti Dawson

Pittsburgh Steelers fans will remember Dermontti Dawson well.

The seven-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro spent his 13 NFL seasons playing center in the Steel City under Chuck Knoll and Bill Cowher. Known to many as "Ned Flanders" for his friendly demeanor, Dawson was a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade team.

Willie Roaf

Simply put, Willie Roaf was a quarterback's dream.

"Nasty" made a whopping 11 Pro Bowls and nine All-Pro teams while playing for the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs. Perhaps most impressively, the big offensive tackle was a member of the All-Decade teams for both the 1990s and the 2000s.

Will Shields

Will Shields followed up an incredible four years at Nebraska with an even more astounding 14 years in the NFL, establishing himself as arguably the greatest guard of all time. Shields was 12 times a Pro Bowler and nine times an All-Pro for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Shields started 231 consecutive games for the Chiefs while blocking for five 1,000-yard rushing seasons and four 4,000-yard passing seasons. For his efforts, Shields was elected to the NFL All-Decade team for the 2000s.

Chris Doleman

Chris Doleman made a nice living for himself sacking quarterbacks in the NFL.

In fact, Doleman managed 150.5 such backfield takedowns during a 15-year career split between the Minnesota Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers.

Doleman made eight Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams, and was a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade team. 

Kevin Greene

Speaking of sacks, few linebackers left quarterbacks trembling in fear as often as Kevin Greene did from the late-1980s through the 1990s. The Auburn grad racked up 160 sacks while playing for the Los Angeles Rams, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers.

Greene garnered five Pro Bowl selections and three All-Pro spots, earning recognition on the All-1990s team. 

Bill Parcells

At long last, The Big Tuna is ready to get canned in Canton.

Bill Parcells compiled a career coaching record of 183-138-1 over an illustrious career spent with the New York Giants, the New England Patriots, the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys. Parcells guided teams to the Super Bowl on three occasions, winning two Vince Lombardi trophies with Big Blue.

Edward DeBartolo Jr.

Few owners in NFL history were as successful for as long as Eddie DeBartolo Jr.

"Mr. D" owned the San Francisco 49ers for 23 years, during which the team won five Super Bowls under Bill Walsh and George Seifert while also revolutionizing the game of football.

Aside from overseeing the winningest decade of any franchise in football history, DeBartolo Jr. was well-respected among players and his peers for his loyalty and tremendous generosity.

Aeneas Williams

Aeneas Williams had an excellent nose for the end zone, which wouldn't be so remarkable except that he played corner and safety for the entirety of his 14-year NFL career. Williams scored 12 defensive touchdowns to go along with 55 interceptions, 795 tackles and an NFL-record 268 yards on fumble returns.

A member of the 1990s All-Decade team, Williams made eight Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams, but he is most often remembered for laying the hit that ended Steve Young's career.

Jerome Bettis

That rumbling you hear? That's the sound of The Bus pulling in to Canton.

Jerome Bettis began his career with the Los Angeles Rams, but is best known for the 11 years he spent as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he won a Super Bowl in 2006.

Between six Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams, Bettis racked up the sixth-most rushing yards in NFL history and the 10th-most rushing touchdowns with his punishing running style. 

Curtis Martin

If Hall of Fame voters are OK with electing more than one running back in the same year, they'd be wise to give Curtis Martin a call.

Martin stands fourth all time in rushing yards and 12th in rushing touchdowns from the 11 years he spent with the New England Patriots and New York Jets. In that time, Martin made five Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams and became the oldest player in NFL history to lead the league in rushing.

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