Law, Reed, Mawae, Bowlen, Brandt, Robinson, Bailey in Pro Football HOF

CANTON >> What a defensive backfield in gold jackets: Ed Reed , Ty Law and Champ Bailey.

All three entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 3.

“Fitting to be in here with Mr. Johnny Robinson and Champ and Ty,” Reed said. “My DBs know it was always about us.”

Bailey, Reed and Law’s voices frequently broke during their speeches.

Law spoke of his family’s support, and his hometown, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, which also produced his uncle, Tony Dorsett, and Mike Ditka — both Hall of Famers.

“I know there ain’t no crying in football,” Law joked.

“We are a community built on love, strength, struggle, and that Quiptown pride,” he said. “We did it, Aliquippa. We are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

Law became the first inductee from New England’s standout defense that won three Super Bowls in the early 2000s. One of the most versatile and physical cornerbacks the NFL has seen, Law was selected for five Pro Bowl teams and was a two-time All-Pro. He finished with 53 career interceptions, twice leading the NFL in that category, had more than 800 tackles, 169 passes defensed, five sacks, and scored seven times. Perhaps Law’s most noteworthy game came in the 2002 Super Bowl, when his hard-hitting style upset Rams receivers and threw off the “Greatest Show on Turf.

That was emblematic of his attacking style — and soon after led to rules changes limiting how physical defenders could be against receivers.

Reed was just as big a playmaker for Baltimore, a safety who fellow enshrinee Ray Lewis called “a gift” to the Ravens and himself.

He was elected in his first year of eligibility, just as Lewis was last year, and called for unity in America, setting a standard like a team’s — each pushing one another toward an achievement.

“Help each other, encourage each other, lift each other up,” Reed said. “Encourage those around you. Encourage yourself.”