By now, you have no doubt heard the shocking news. Future Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau tragically died today, leaving everyone who knew him or saw him or heard of him mourning. I met Junior in 2009 while I was covering the Patriots, and he was in his final season. It was one thing to be in the presence of a future Hall of Fame. It was another thing to be around a guy who everyone just liked. His humor was infectious, players hung on his every word, and no one loved football more than he did. It was tough not to get drawn in. When I began calling around today to find people to talk about what he meant […]

In the shadow of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dave & Rank kibbitz with the great Marcus Allen on a number of topics.

Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Richard Dent was a member of one of the greatest defensive units in league history. And, in today’s NFL, it’s possible that Dent might have never gotten that chance.

Emmitt Smith was a first ballot Hall of Famer when he was inducted last August. No big mystery there. The man is the all-time leading rusher in the history of the NFL after all. Well deserved.

Jerry Rice is well known for catching bricks while training to become a professional football player. The soon to be Hall of Famer stopped by the Sirius XM set and Gil Brandt asked him about the genesis of that habit.

Former Broncos running back and new Hall of Fame inductee Floyd Little stopped by the Sirius XM set to sit down with Gil Brandt and Howard Balzer and spoke about his reaction to hearing his name called today.

Watching the tears fall down Emmitt Smith‘s face, Gil Brandt was reminded of a conversation he had with good friend Bill Belichick, a frequent visitor to the Walter Camp All-America in New Haven, Conn., where Smith was playing one summer.

Watching Jerry Rice up on the stage at the Hall of Fame selection show is a bittersweet moment for Gil Brandt. Working in the front office for the Dallas Cowboys in 1985, Brandt and one of his scouts had their eye on the skinny receiver from little-known Mississippi Valley State, and they were confident they were going to get him.

As we wait for the official announcement of who will be voted into the Hall of Fame today, I’m sitting here on the Sirius XM set alongside Gil Brandt, pulling little bits of knowledge as only Gil can provide.

Would you trade three Super Bowl wins and a Hall of Fame ring for a perfect season? I can see the allure.

The announcement of the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010 will be televised on “Pro Football Hall of Fame: Road to Canton” Saturday, Nov. 28 at 1 p.m. ET with an encore at 9 p.m. ET, only on NFL Network.

The Heinz Field crowd quiet? It was nearly silent during the halftime celebration honoring new Hall of Famer Rod Woodson.

It was a special night for many at the 2009 Hall of Fame induction ceremony. But what it meant to Darrion Thomas, who was able to take the stage as a family representative for the induction of his father, late Chiefs LB Derrick Thomas, was a little beyond words.

Former Bills defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell presented Bruce Smith for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and declared him “the best Buffalo Bill player ever.”

Former Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson gave a highly emotional speech about late LB Derrick Thomas, a 2009 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.