I'm not sure how many of you had a chance to watch yesterday evening's Pro Football Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, but it was one to remember.  Fred Dean lost his glasses and tried not to cry, while Darrell Green didn't even bother to try and hold back the tears as he told the story of his journey of becoming and HOFer and all of the people who helped him get there.   Gary Zimmerman talked about his time anchoring one of the best offensive lines ever, and Emmitt Thomas shared stories from an NFL playing and coaching career that has lasted decades.  Amazingly he even coached two of his fellow 2008 inductees, Darrell Green and Art Monk.

Robert Kraft also told the amazing story of how he came to know Andre Tippett first as a fan, and then as a friend and owner of the New England Patriots organization.  And then there was Art Monk.  Since he was announced as part of this year's HOF class at the Super Bowl several months ago, I wondered what he would say when he took the podium.  He didn't disappoint.  Art Monk is known is a man of few words, but when he does speak, you want to take in everything and make sure not to miss a single syllable of what he says.

Something that was impossible not to notice is just how many Redskins fans were in attendance at the ceremony.  Quite literally 95% of the crowd was Skins fans.  I felt like I was in the parking lot of Fed Ex Field, preparing to see a game.  The mayor of Canton (whose name escapes me right now) wisely declared yesterday Washington Redskins day in Canton.  Not a bad way to get a standing ovation when you’re speaking in front of a sea of 20,000 burgundy and gold spectators.

Needless to say, attending the induction was a special thing to all of the Skins fans in attendance, including myself.  I even ran into Chief Zee at a restaurant following the ceremony.  If you don’t know who Chief Zee is, you probably aren’t a Redskins fan.

Tonight I’m heading to the HOF preseason game featuring the Redskins and Colts.  I have to say this is probably the most excited I’ve ever been to attend a pre-season football game.  The Skins have a new coach, some new players on offense, and a dedicated following this week here in Canton.

Football is finally here!  Can you feel it?!  Are you ready?!  I am.  Feel free to share your thoughts on the ceremony below, and I’ll be back at some point to talk about tonight’s game.

-raczilla