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Courtesy the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Champ Bailey, Pat Bowlen, Gil Brandt, Tony Gonzalez, Ty Law, Kevin Mawae, Ed Reed and Johnny "Blood" Robinson will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, and the Broncos and Falcons will kick off the 2019 season in Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game.

But there's more to next weekend's festivities than a preseason game and a ceremony. Pro Football Hall of Fame chief of staff Pete Fierle took a few minutes to talk to Gridiron Digest about this year's class, new facilities, new initiatives and...Imagine Dragons?

Gridiron Digest: In your opinion, what defines a Hall of Famer?

Pete Fierle: There have been 300 million men and women who have played this game at some level. Only five million have reached the college level. There have only been about 29,000 who have ever been paid to play, coach or administer it since the NFL was started. With this year's class, we now have 326 Hall of Famers, of which 184 are living.

I think you find that there's something extra about a Hall of Famer. They persevered a little harder. None of them fell out of bed great, but they have a quality that makes them leaders. They're guys who make those around them better, whether on the field, in the locker room or in life in general.

Digest: Do you ever compare Hall of Fame classes and think, "This one is extra special, even by Hall of Fame standards?"

Fierle: Everyone who gets a bronze bust has reached an incredible level. But classes do have different makeup. Think back to 1985: That was such a star-studded class, with O.J. Simpson, Roger Staubach and Joe Namath. Then you look at Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice coming in at the same time [in 2010], the all-time leaders.

This year is really unique because it's the first time we have four defense backs in the class. A whole Hall of Fame secondary coming in together! That's kind of cool.

Digest: Is there any member of this year's class you are a particular fan of?

Fierle: I'm not sure I can answer that easily. All of them for different reasons.

When you look at Johnny Robinson, who has waited for so long. You look at Ed Reed: I've always been amazed at how he had a 106-yard interception return, then one-upped it with a 107-yard return. It was exciting to see Kevin Mawae get in after coming close for a few years but never quite getting the knock on the door. To see his reaction when [Hall of Fame president] David Baker knocked on the door—I don't think I've seen anyone more humbled and thrilled to get in the Hall of Fame.

Digest: Do you perceive there to be a backlog of qualified Hall of Famers?

Fierle: There's certainly a backlog. There are plenty of deserving candidates, and the way the process works, it's difficult to get into the Hall of Fame. And we think it ought to be. Most often the discussion is about who didn't get in and how deserving they are. But it's special to see just how elite the Hall of Fame really is.

(Digest note: The Hall of Fame board will meet soon to finalize plans for an expanded enshrinement class to celebrate the league's 100th anniversary.)

Digest: The Pro Football Hall of Fame Village is in the midst of a major expansion. What can visitors expect to see this year?

Fierle: We've completed the first phase of the village. Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium is now not only a first-class NFL-style stadium that seats 23,000 but was also created as a concert venue. We have a permanent built-in stage at the 50-yard line that's used for the enshrinement.

The other component of the village that is up and running is our National Youth Football and Sports Complex. That's what will ultimately be eight fields. Last year alone we saw nearly 200,000 players come through that, not just for football but for soccer, rugby and lacrosse in tournaments and camps.

Digest: What else will there be for fans to do in Canton this weekend?

Fierle: Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls kicks off on July 31st with First Play. We start with some Hall of Famers in downtown Canton, at the exact location where the NFL was founded, and there's a three-mile route where kids pass a football up to the front steps of the Hall of Fame.

Digest: Wait...so they pass the football from the site of the old Hupmobile dealership?

Fierle: The Hupmobile dealership no longer exists. But it's the site where it once was. It's an office building.

We also have the Concert for Legends on our new concert stage. This year it features Imagine Dragons. That might be a record crowd for us to close out the weekend.

Digest: What happens after the game, the gold jackets and the Imagine Dragons concert?

Fierle: Aside from the bricks and mortar, the whole concept of the village is the programming.

Our mission statement is to honor the heroes of the game, preserve its history, promote its values and celebrate excellence everywhere. It's not about hero worship. It's focusing on traits that make some people pretty extraordinary and how we can use them to inspire people to, as we say, live a Hall of Fame life.

We have a program right now called Huddle Up America. We're trying to bring people together in a time when the country seems pretty divided. In the huddle, it doesn't matter the color of your skin, your religion, your political affiliation. You're there as one team, united to face adversity.

This game teaches us that there's always hope. Remember the playoff game a few years ago: it's fourth down, no time left, and somehow Stefon Diggs pulls that football out of the air, scores and wins? Often, someone comes through the Pro Football Hall of Fame who is terminally ill, and we're on their bucket list. I think it's because of that message. There is hope, there are miracles.

Mike Tanier covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeTanier.