Darrell Green blocked thoughts of the Hall of Fame as a player. Now that he's one step away from Canton, he no longer can, or wants to, ignore his sport's greatest honor.

Green, along with former Redskin teammates Russ Grimm and Art Monk, reached the list of final 15 finalists for the Hall of Fame. Former Redskins secondary coach Emmitt Thomas, who coached Green, also is on the list. The inductees will be announced Feb. 2, the day before the Super Bowl.

Green played for the Redskins from 1983-2002. He would become the ninth pure corner to reach Canton out of 163 modern-day inductees.

“There's not one player that ever lived that thought about, 'I want to be a Hall of Famer,'” Green said. “You play the game, you try to do the best you can do. I'll be 48 next month and out of the league five years. I have the right to think about this. It's a great thrill. If that happens now that I'm a little long in the tooth, it's pretty, pretty special.

“It's an honor. If I don't get in, it's still worth smiling. If I am in there, it will be over the top.”