Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson and Calvin Johnson lead Class of 2021 into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Peyton Manning zipped into the Class of 2021 faster than the 15-yard missiles he used to throw over the middle.

Former Ohio Mr. Football Charles Woodson and former Lions standout receiver Calvin Johnson, like Manning, whisked into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

Saturday night's announcement of the Class of 2021 also welcomed modern-era players Alan Faneca and John Lynch, seniors candidate Drew Pearson, contributor Bill Nunn and coach Tom Flores.

Beloved Cleveland Brown Clay Matthews Jr. got left out.

The Class of 2021 was introduced on the "NFL Honors" TV show in increments.

The election, normally in a room full of voters the day before the Super Bowl, was conducted last month via videoconference.

On a schedule the Hall of Fame kept as a closely guarded secret, Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker made his rounds knocking on doors to inform new class members they had made it.

The doors were in assorted locations, leaving viewers to guess the whether it was someone's home or office.

Baker gave Woodson one of his standard lines, that his bronzed bust is supposed to last for 40,000 years. A grinning Woodson responded, "This is the culmination of all the grind, all the ups and downs. I'm sleeping with a smile tonight."

When Pearson answered his door, he got choked up when he saw Baker flanked by Cowboys legend Roger Staubach and owner Jerry Jones.

"I've always wanted this moment," Pearson said. "I've wanted this for a long time."

Pearson recently turned 70. He first became eligible for the Hall of Fame 31 years ago.

Faneca, 44, has been eligible for the Hall since 2016. He played it cool in the video clip of his door knock. Baker promised to "keep your legacy alive forever" in Canton. Faneca replied, "Sounds like a deal."

Lynch, who will turn 50 this year, did not play it cool. He wiped tears from his eyes after beholding Baker at his door, saying, "I think you've been waiting for this."

"Are you serious?" said Lynch, who has been eligible for the Hall since 2013.

Lynch, who played the bulk of his career at safety for the Buccaneers, has been general manager of the 49ers since 2017.

"I've always thought this isn't that big a thing," Lynch said, surprised at his own emotions.

Flores, 83, was a radio voice for the Raiders as recently as 2017. He last was a head coach in 1994, with Seattle.

"I worked in pro football for 60 years," Flores said. "It's an honor to be in that (Hall of Fame) room, knowing that you'll be there forever."

Nunn, who died in 2014 at age 89, is the only member of the Class of 2021 to have been elected posthumously.

Baker was accompanied by five coaches from Manning's past when he broke the news to the iconic quarterback. One of them, Jim Caldwell, who coached Manning with the Colts, thanked Manning for setting the example of being the team's hardest worker even as he was its best player.

Manning's inclusion in this class was a foregone conclusion even before the election was conducted via video conference among the 48 voters last month. It became a slam dunk when the election-day discussion on his candidacy lasted 12 seconds.

The discussion was along these lines:

"Do we need to talk about Manning?"

"Obviously not."

In 13 seasons with the Colts, Manning's records as a starter included two 14-2 years, two 13-3 seasons, and four 12-4 years. In four regular seasons with the Broncos, he was 45-12.

Manning encountered turbulence in the playoffs, suffering a one-and-done outcome in eight different postseasons. He also enjoyed big postseason wins, winning a Super Bowl with the Colts (2006 season) and another with the Broncos (2015).

Manning's overall record was 200-92, including 14-13 in postseasons. Brett Favre (Hall of Fame Class of 2016) played a similar number of games, posting a 199-123 overall record, including 13-11 in postseasons.

Manning ranks third all-time with 71,940 passing yards, behind Drew Brees (80,358) and Tom Brady (79,204), and just ahead of Favre (71,838). No one else has reached 65,000. Manning's brother Eli ranks eighth all-time with 57,023 yards.

The all-time leaders in touchdown passes are Brady with 581, Brees with 571, Manning with 539 and Favre with 508.

Among Manning's most memorable games was a 38-34 win over Brady's Patriots in the 2006 AFC finals. In his only postseason battle with Brees, his Colts fell 31-17 to the Saints in the Super Bowl capping the 2009 season.

The Browns gave Manning a few scares but were 0-7 against him. In his final season, in a duel against Josh McCown in Cleveland, he was intercepted twice by Karlos Dansby and once by Barkevious Mingo but pulled out a 26-23 overtime win.

Woodson was Ohio high school's Mr. Football in 1994 before going to Michigan and then becoming the fourth pick of the 1998 draft. Some scouts liked Woodson better than Ohio State's Shawn Springs, the No. 3 pick of the 1997 draft. Some didn't. Springs wound up in only one Pro Bowl. Woodson went to nine and was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009.

Woodson was a Fremont Ross senior in 1994, when clamor around Stark County football was at a peak. A week after Massillon beat McKinley 42-41 in their 100th meeting, Massillon faced Woodson's Fremont Ross team in the playoffs, and won.

In 1997, Woodson became the only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, in a three-way race against Manning and quarterback Ryan Leaf.

Woodson spent the first eight seasons of his pro career with the Raiders and the next seven with the Packers, winning a Super Bowl. He returned to the Raiders for his final three years.

Johnson, known as Megatron for his other-world talent, holds the Lions’ record for most receptions (731) and receiving yards (11,619). At time of retirement in 2015, he held NFL records for receiving yards in a season (1,964 yards in 2012) and most consecutive games with a 100 or more receiving yards (8). 

Faneca played guard in the NFL for 13 seasons, the first 10 with Pittsburgh. The Steelers reached three Super Bowls while he was in the league, but only one (capping the 2005 season) with him on the team. At one point he went to nine consecutive Pro Bowls.

Rick Gosselin, in his 25th year as a Hall of Fame voter, said the only Class of 2021 candidate with a stronger resume than Faneca was Manning. Faneca was the 26th pick of the 1998 draft in which Manning was taken at No. 1.

Nunn, the choice in the contributors category, worked his way from Pittsburgh Courier sports writer to Pittsburgh Steelers super scout. He was instrumental in steering the Steelers to key players — including several from HBCUs — who were part of a run to four Super Bowl wins in the 1970s.

Flores followed John Madden as head coach of the Raiders and follows Madden into the Hall of Fame. Flores' 94-61 record included wins in Super Bowls capping the 1980 and 1983 seasons. Flores also was a Raiders quarterback, posting records of 8-1, 7-3-1 and 7-2-1 in his three best years under head coach Al Davis.

Pearson, the senior nominee, was undrafted out of Tulsa in 1973 and played wide receiver for the Cowboys from 1973-83, an era when his 870 yards was good enough to lead the NFL in 1977. He ranks 113th on the career list 7,822 yards, one spot behind former Mount Union wideout Pierre Garcon's 7,854.

Lynch played in nine Pro Bowls and helped Tampa Bay win a Super Bowl.

Clay Matthews doesn't make the cut for Class of 2021

Matthews' path to election was next to impossible, based on how the voting committee is disposed and functions. He had been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2002 and never was a finalist until 2021. His supporters saw that as a simple matter of a deserving player getting overlooked, but too many have viewed him as too lightly decorated in terms of Pro Bowls and All-Pro mentions.

Ira Miller, a former longtime Hall of Fame voter known as a league-wide historian, calls Matthews "my favorite Cleveland Brown of all time."

"Other than early in his career, when he had an injury, he was durable beyond compare," Miller told current voter Clark Judge, who shared the view in a Pro Football Talk of Fame article. "Who played outside linebacker as well for so long? No one.

"He always had the savvy and ability to adapt and adjust. He played both weak side and the strong side. He was excellent in both man and zone coverage and very capable on the blitz. The complete package."

Matthews played the first 16 of his 19 NFL seasons with the Browns. He started for all seven of the Cleveland teams that reached the playoffs in the 1980s, including three that reached AFC title games.

Bill Belichick let him go after the 1993 season and Matthews signed with the Falcons. He was 40 when he postponed his retirement when the Falcons asked him to play the 1996 season, which became his last.

Matthews loved his time in Cleveland and openly expressed disappointment when the Browns passed on his son Clay Matthews III in the 2009 NFL draft.

In addition to Matthews, modern-era candidates not elected were Jared Allen, Ronde Barber, Tony Boselli, LeRoy Butler, Torry Holt, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour, Zach Thomas and Reggie Wayne.

When is this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement?

The Hall of Fame Classes of 2020 and 2021 are scheduled to be honored in Canton in August. Coronavirus concerns led to cancellation of last summer's scheduled activities.

The 20 members of the centennial class of 2020 will be honored in a ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 7 in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Bill Cowher, who was Faneca's head coach in his Pittsburgh years, is part of the Centennial class.

The Class of 2021 will be enshrined on Sunday, Aug. 8 at Benson.

The Hall of Fame Game (Pittsburgh vs. Dallas) is scheduled to be played Aug, 5. The annual Gold Jacket dinner is set for Aug. 6.

Reach Steve at steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP