Posted in: NFL, Sports | Tagged: entertainment, hall of fame, Jerry Jones, Kurt Warner, nfl, sports, Tom Benson
NFL Football Is Back Tonight With Hall Of Fame Game
The teams have been in camp for just over a week and already the Dallas Cowboys will be suiting up against the Arizona Cardinals tonight at 8 PM EST / 5 PM PST for the first pre-season game in honor of the Hall of Fame. This will be the first game played in the newly renovated stadium that sits next to the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. Now called Tom Benson Stadium after the owner of the New Orleans Saints who donated $10 million towards fixing up the old high school stadium, is now being called the finest small venue stadium in the world.
The game goes along with the induction ceremony for the 2017 Hall of Fame class that includes: kicker Morten Andersen; running back Terrell Davis; safety Kenny Easley; owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones; defensive end Jason Taylor; running back LaDainian Tomlinson; and quarterback Kurt Warner.
For fans, it's all part of the experience of going to the Hall of Fame, seeing their favorite players immortalized and watching two pro teams playing in a tiny stadium. This would be like seeing the Rolling Stones as the House of Blues or Lin Manuel Miranda and the cast of Hamilton play at your local high school theater.
For the teams, its a chance to shake off the rust and look at some of the rookies and free agents that are new this season. You're not likely to see much of the superstars as it is with any first preseason game. The starters, if they play at all, only come in for maybe one or two set of downs. That picks up in the second game where they may play a quarter to a half and the third game you'd see them for over a half of the game usually… then it's back down to a handful of plays in the fourth game. Other than the third game of preseason, the rest of the time is to work out the kinks and see how the newbies fit into the system. A chance to find your starters if you don't have a position locked in. For a team like the Denver Broncos, they'll used these games to decide between Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch at quarterback.
Tonight, with the Cowboys and the Cardinals taking the field… the main thing coaches will want is to avoid injuries. But, at least football is back.
The Hall of Fame game is set to air tonight on NBC.