The NFL announced the first round of Hall of Fame nominees on Thursday with five former Indianapolis Colts making the list of 94, including running back Edgerrin James and safety Bob Sanders.

The other players on the list who sported the horseshoe on the side of their helmets at some point during their career were offensive lineman Ray Donaldson and Chris Hinton, along with defensive lineman Cornelius Bennett.

James' inclusion on the list isn't surprising as he made it to the final 15 among consideration last season, before obviously being left out. Over his 11 year career, his first seven spent in Indy, Edge was selected to four Pro Bowls, and sits at number 11 on the career rushing yard list with 12,246. James was also a threat in the passing game, adding over 3,300 receiving yards to his stat line for 15,610 total yards from scrimmage. That number puts him 11th all-time among running backs ahead of current Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson, Jerome Bettis and Jim Brown, according to the Colts official website.

Sanders inclusion in the initial list is somewhat surprising. Not because his play on the field doesn't warrant the recognition, the man was someone opposing offenses HAD to account for at all times during games, but because injuries limited the amount of time he was actually ON the field.

As a member of the Colts from 2004 through 2010, Sanders never (NEVER) played a full 16 game regular season. The closest he came was in 2007 when he played 15 games. The same year he was the first Colts player, and only the eighth safety in the history of the League, to be named Defensive Player of the Year. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Outside of the '07 season, 2004 was the only other season he played in a double-digit number games when he suited up for 14 out of 16 regular season contests.

Again, taking nothing away from what he accomplished on the field. I loved watching him play, when he played. He was a key piece during the Colts Super Bowl run of the 2006-07 season having only played in four games before the playoffs, but I can't imagine having only 50 total regular season games under his belt will be enough for voters to induct him. Not in the 2017 class anyway.

But, as they say at the Academy Awards, "It's an honor just to be nominated," right?

Check out the remaining former Colts eligible for induction on the Colts website, and see all 94 nominees on NFL.com.

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