Greenwood

Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, two of the key pillars in the New England Patriots’ dynasty, were picked as finalists for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

Belichick was picked as the coaching candidate and Kraft was picked as the contributor in results announced on Wednesday. Three seniors candidates also made the final stage with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood all advancing.

“To be in this position is extremely humbling,” Belichick said in a statement on social media, adding congratulations to the other finalists. “I am honored to be named the coaching finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Thank you to the selection committee and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I am thankful for the organizations and thousands of players and coaches that I worked with for my 49 years in the NFL. This is a cherishable reflection of all my teammates throughout my NFL career.”

The members of the 50-person selection committee can vote for three of the finalists under rules put in place last year with candidates needing 80% of the votes to make it into the Hall. A maximum of three candidates can reach that threshold. If no candidate gets 80%, the top vote getter will be elected.

The committee will also vote on 15 modern era finalists that are still to be determined with between three and five of those candidates guaranteed to get into the Hall.

Greenwood is the most prominent member of the Steelers dominant defense that helped the franchise win four Super Bowl titles in a span of six seasons from 1974-79 who is not in the Hall. Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Donnie Shell and Mel Blount have already been inducted.

Greenwood, who died in 2013 at the age of 67, was a member of the all-decade team for the 1970s, was a two-time All-Pro and made six Pro Bowls in a 13-year career. He retired a year before sacks became an official stat but research from Pro Football Reference credits him with 78 over his career as a defensive end on those teams.

Belichick was hired by Kraft in 2000 and led the franchise to six Super Bowl wins titles and three other appearances in the title game during an 18-year span from 2001-18. Belichick’s 333 wins in the regular season and playoffs with New England and Cleveland are the second most to Don Shula’s 347. He won AP NFL Coach of the Year three times.

Belichick also was one of the game’s top defensive assistants before taking over New England, winning two more Super Bowls as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.

Belichick’s career did have blemishes. He was implicated in a sign-stealing scandal dubbed “Spygate” in the 2007 season and was fined $500,000 after the team was caught filming defensive signals from the New York Jets during a game.

Belichick’s tenure in New England ended following the 2023 season and he just finished his first year coaching in college at North Carolina.

Among the candidates that didn’t advance from the semifinal stage are two-time Super Bowl-winning coaches Tom Coughlin, Mike Shanahan and George Seifert; Houston Oilers founder and key AFL figure Bud Adams; and former AFL star receiver Otis Taylor and Buffalo Bills special teams standout Steve Tasker.

Slay in delay mode

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Cornerback Darius Slay has put off reporting to the Buffalo Bills to instead take time to consider his future, the player’s agent confirmed in a text.

Drew Rosenhaus said Slay will take the next few days to determine whether he wants to continue playing, a development that comes a day after Buffalo claimed the 13-year player off waivers.

Slay was released by Pittsburgh this week after being inactive in two of the Steelers’ past three outings. Slay was not present at Bills practice on Thursday, with the team declining to comment.

New field standards

The playing surfaces at every NFL stadium will have to meet new enhanced standards set through lab and field testing by the start of the 2028 season.

NFL field director Nick Pappas detailed the plans for a program on Thursday that will provide each team “a library of approved and accredited NFL fields” before the start of next season.

Any new field will immediately have to meet those standards and all teams will have two years to achieve the standards, whether they use a grass or synthetic surface or a hybrid.