A capsule look at the 2014 inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
Derrick Brooks
Linebacker
6-0, 232
1995-2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers … 14 seasons, 224 games.
First year eligible. … Selected by Buccaneers in first round (28th player overall). … Never missed game in career. … Earned All-Rookie honors. … Elected to 11 Pro Bowls. … In 1997, led Bucs to first postseason appearance since 1981 … NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. … Helped Tampa Bay post top defense in NFL twice (2002 and 2005) NFC five times (1998, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2007). … Named All-Pro six times, All-NFC eight times. … Selected to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
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Ray Guy
Punter
6-3, 195
1973-86 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. … 14 seasons, 207 games.
Senior nominee. … First punter ever drafted in first round, Raiders 1973 (23rd player overall). … Became impact player from very first game as a rookie. … Had best average (45.3 yards) as rookie. … Career average was 42.4 yards. … Averaged under 40 yards only one season in NFL career. … Led NFL in punting in 1974, 1975, 1977. … Had only three of 1,049 punts blocked. … Had 619 punts without a block, 1979-1986. … Veteran of 22 postseason games, adding 111 punts for 42.4 average. … All-Pro six straight seasons, 1973-1978. … Played in seven Pro Bowls, including six straight from 1974 to 1979. … Played in seven AFC championship games and three Super Bowls. … Three-game Super Bowl totals: 14 punts, 41.9-yard average. … Had 57 punts inside 20-yard line, 1984-1985. … First punter to hit Louisiana Superdome scoreboard, 1977 Pro Bowl.
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Claude Humphrey
Defensive End
6-4, 252
1968-74, 1976-78 Atlanta Falcons. 1979-81 Philadelphia Eagles. … 13 seasons, 171 games.
Senior nominee. … Falcons’ first-round pick (third player overall) in 1968 draft. … Recorded 11.5 sacks his first year and was NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. … Credited with 122 career sacks. Led team in sacks nine of 13 seasons. … Earned first-team All-Pro five times. Selected for six Pro Bowls. … Missed just two games before season-ending knee injury in 1975. Rebounded with career-best 15 sacks in 1976 and was chosen team MVP. … Traded to Eagles in 1979 for two fourth-round picks following brief retirement. … In 1980, his team-high 14.5 sacks helped Eagles advance to 1981 Super Bowl.
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Walter Jones
Tackle
6-5, 300
1997-2008 Seattle Seahawks. … 12 seasons, 190 games.
First year eligible. … Selected in first round (sixth player overall) by Seahawks in 1997. … Earned starting left tackle spot in rookie training camp. … Consensus pick for multiple all-rookie teams … Following the 1999 season, Jones became the first offensive linemen in Seahawks history to be elected to the Pro Bowl, the first of nine All-Star appearances. … Team leader and integral part of Shaun Alexander’s MVP season in 2005 when RB ran for franchise-record and league-high 1,880 yards and set NFL mark for TDs in season. … All-Pro six times (2001-02, 2004-07). … Named to NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s. three straight seasons (1999-2001).
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Andre Reed
Wide Receiver
6-2, 190
1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins. … 16 seasons, 234 games.
Selected by Buffalo in fourth round (86th overall) of 1985 draft. … Most prolific receiver in Buffalo Bills history. … His 951 career receptions were third in NFL history at time of his retirement. … His 941 career receptions still are a Bills record and 266 more than No. 2 on that list. … His 13,095 yards receiving and 36 games with 100-plus yards are current team records. … Known for gaining yards after catch. … His 13 seasons, including nine consecutive, with 50-plus receptions is exceeded only by Jerry Rice. … Reed is tied with Bills running back Thurman Thomas for team’s most career touchdowns (87), most of them on passes from Jim Kelly. … Kelly-Reed tandem held NFL record for career receptions (663) until 2004 when eclipsed by Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison. … Known for toughness, he made many of his receptions over the middle. … Selected to play in seven consecutive Pro Bowls (1989-1995). … Had 85 catches for 1,229 yards, including five 100-yard games, in postseason play.
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Michael Strahan
Defensive End
6-5, 255
1993-2007 New York Giants … 15 seasons, 216 games.
First-year eligible. … Selected in second round (40th player overall) in 1993 draft. … Dominant pass rusher and excellent at defending the run. … Recorded 141.5 career sacks. … Had 38 multi-sack games during career. … Registered double-digit sack totals six times during nine-season span, 1997-2005. … Suffered torn pectoral muscle in 2004 but rebounded following season by starting all 16 games and amassing 11.5 sacks. … Named first-team All-Pro five times (1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005). … All-NFC five seasons. … Voted to seven Pro Bowls. … Set NFL single-season sack record with 22.5 sacks, 2001. … Also won NFL sack title in 2003 with 18.5 sacks. … Named unanimous NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 2001. … Started at left defensive end in two NFC championship game wins, two Super Bowls. … Recorded two tackles, one assisted tackle, one sack and one pass defended in Giants’ 17-14 win over Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl, his last NFL game. … Selected to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
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Aeneas Williams
Defensive Back
5-11, 194
1991-2000 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 2001-2004 St. Louis Rams. … 14 seasons, 211 games.
Selected by the Cardinals in third round (59th overall) of 1991 draft. … Starred at cornerback for 12 seasons before switching to safety. … Named to Pro Bowl seven times as a cornerback and once as a safety. … First career interception came in NFL debut. … Compiled five or more interceptions in a season six times. … Recorded 55 interceptions for 807 yards and nine touchdowns. … Had a then-record 104-yard fumble return vs. Redskins in 2000. … Selected to NFL’s All-Decade Team 1990s.
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