HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!

This is the Hall of Fame weekend. All I can say is = those yellow jackets the inductees get sure look good with the burgundy and gold.

To ALL Redskin Fans = You, yet again, showed why you are the BEST fans in all sports. Full of knowledge, passion, and loyalty!

A great story I like to tell non Skin fans is a true story. It truly defines how beloved the Redskins are in D.C. A guy was married, and had one son. He was a season ticket holder to the Redskins. Understand, the waiting list for Redskin tickets is over 40 years long. That is a looonnnngggggg line, my friends. The guy died. He made 1 mistake in his will = he never stated who would get his ticket. The wife and son both wanted the ticket so bad = they took each other to court. I forget the outcome, but it is a decent example of the pure passion and love for the Washington Redskins.

I'm not saying other fans of other teams are less. I'm just very happy right now. Skin fans filled Canton and it was a scene never shown before in any previous ceremony. It was almost perfect. Only the inductions of Chris Hanburger, and Pat Fischer were missing. But I'm working on that! Forget the Sunday scrimmage, and let us review Saturday.

ANDRE TIPPETT = He certainly was deserving. Yet, I couldn't help but think of more deserving guys who played his position. Hanburger, for one. Guys like Robert Brazile, Derrick Thomas and a few others also come to mind. Tippett is a classy man who certainly was a force, but was he more than a run defender and pass rusher? He intercepted just ONE pass his entire career. He never score a touchdown. He went to 5 Pro Bowls. Hanburger? Well, stats for QB sacks weren't kept in his era, but he surely came close to Tippetts 100. Chris went to 8 Pro Bowls, picked off 19 balls, and scored 5 TD's. Not demeaning Andre, but he falls into the Derrick Thomas category. Yet lesser. Thomas also only had one INT, but had 26 more sacks in one less season played. Pass rushing LB's belong, but aren't more complete players the guys who should get inducted first? Even L.T. took 2 of his 9 career INT's for TD's.

EMMITT THOMAS = FINALLY! I mean = COME ON! This guys induction is at least 15 years too damn late! Emmitt was the TOP CB EVER in AFL history! No one comes close. He snatched 58 INT's and scored 5 TD's. And this was gotten with teams trying to avoid throwing his way. I hate the politics of voters. Many are not objective. Not only should have Emmitt been put in YEARS ago, but Johnny Robinson and Ed Budde should have too. Voters appear to use this quota crap as an excuse, and there is NO EXCUSE for that lame reasoning.

FRED DEAN = When I think of Fred, the names of Gary "Big Hands" Johnson and Louie Kelcher come to mind equally. Fred was the key player to get the Niners their first Super Bowl trophy, but I cannot help but think of way more deserving guys who played his position not yet inducted. Jim Marshall should have been in decades ago! L.C. Greenwood, Richard Dent, and Claude Humphrey are just some guys I consider much better Defensive Ends than Fred Dean. It was a humorous speech by a guy who looks like he weighs 100 lbs more than his playing weight, but this reminds me of Michael Irvin = a guy inducted MUCH too soon.

DARRELL GREEN = This falls under the "no-brainer" department. If you saw Darrell play his whole career like I did, you knew he was headed for Canton when he chased down Hall of Fame RB Tony Dorsett with ease, after TD had a 40 yard head start. Some forget Darrell was still one of the fastest men in the NFL in his 20th season with the Redskins. People in D.C. know what Darrell does for people off the field, how his family is his heartbeat, and that he is religious. I was happy he got the proper respect of being a first ballot inductee.

GARY ZIMMERMAN = Zimm said it best. No one wants to play the offensive line. You end up there. Ed White, another who should have been inducted long ago, once stated this same thought. Gary was not just the key player who got the Broncos over their Super Bowl hump, but he was equally as stellar as a Viking. True to his nature of being a team player, he called for fellow Viking lineman Randall McDaniel, to be inducted soon. Always a leader, and a great Left Tackle in an era of greats like Anthony Munoz, Jim Lachey, Joe Jacoby, and many more. I am glad he didn't wait too long. Still, it is sick to see guys like Jerry Kramer, Budde, and Russ Grimm still waiting for induction.

ART MONK = IT IS ABOUT DAMN TIME! How many guys who retire as the All Time Receptions leader, the most catches in NFL history for one season, the first NFL player with 100+ receptions, and the longest catch per game streak, are there? WHY DID HE HAVE TO WAIT EIGHT YEARS? After watching ESPN push Irvin ahead of Monk, despite being inferior in every category almost, Redskin fans were livid. They had already been blowing up the voters e-mails for 6 years, but it increased ten fold last year. Irvin deserves his place, even with his off field antics, but it was utterly disgraceful to see last years debacle. Monk had to share the ball with the Smurfs, then the Fun Bunch in a run first offensive system. Still, he set all of those records. Irvin? NO RECORDS. Sour grapes still? Your damn right! Let us leave the OBVIOUS difference in character out of this. Monk was ALWAYS the superior player. Makes one wonder how long Chris Carter, and others, will wait. To understand all of the charity work, all of the class, and how Monk is the epitome of how a Hall of Fame player is defined = all you had to do was watch the 4+ minute standing ovation from the best fans in the U.S.A.