Matthews among 15 finalists for hall

Former Browns linebacker Clay Matthews is one of 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2021.

Mathews led strong Cleveland defenses from 1978-1993 before playing three seasons in Atlanta. He was a semifinalist for the first time in 2012.

His 278 games played are the most-ever by an NFL linebacker. Matthews made 1,561 tackles – third-most in NFL history.

He had 83.5 career sacks. His 76.5 career sacks with the Browns are a franchise record.

The Browns made the AFC championship game three times with Matthews patrolling his spot at outside linebacker.

Peyton Manning, no surprise, is among the finalists.

The star quar terback, owner of a record five NFL Most Valuable Player awards and two Super Bowl titles, was the first finalist revealed by the hall on Jan. 5.

Manning, of course, was one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. In 18 pro seasons and 265 starts out of 266 games played since being the top overall draft choice by Indianapolis in 1998, he had 14 seasons with 4,000-plus yards passing.

Other finalists: Reggie Wayne, Calvin Johnson, Torry Holt, John Lynch, Charles Woodson, Ronde Barber, Leroy Butler, Jared Allen, Richard Seymour, Zach Thomas, Sam Mills, Alan Faneca and Tony Boselli.

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College football

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NBA

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