Ward and Faneca HOF semifinalists again

Former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and guard Alan Faneca are among the 27 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018. Ward is a semifinalist for the second-straight year and Faneca was a finalist in 2016 and 2017.“You have to take it in stride and enjoy the process,” said Faneca, who understands the process better after going through it before. “There is nothing you can do except keep moving along with what you are doing every day.” Ward, who watched Jerome Bettis wait five years to be enshrined, also understands the process. "I have been through the process and watched him go through it, waiting to get that phone call," said Ward. "I am going to sit back and wait." Normally there are only 25 semifinalists, but because of a tie there are 27 this year. The semifinalists were narrowed down from a group of 108 nominees, and will be narrowed to 15 Modern-era finalists in January.The Hall of Fame Selection Committee will hold their annual meeting on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minn., the site of Super Bowl LII. The finalists will go from 15 to 10, and then down to no more than five Modern-era enshrinees. The Class of 2018 will be announced during the “NFL Honors” show that evening. The 2018 Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony will be held in Canton, Ohio in August. The Steelers have been well represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame the last few years, with Jerome Bettis a member of the Class of 2015 and Kevin Greene a member of the Class of 2016. The Steelers currently have 24 individuals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Steelers in the Hall of Fame.