The Cowboys are already opening the NFL by playing in the Hall of Fame game.
I thought there were 32 teams in the NFL. That would mean the Cowboys play in the Hall of Fame game every 16 years, right? So, why is it that they will play in their 4th HOF game in the past ten years? That's one extra opportunity to lose player to injury during a meaningless and boring game after the first half of the 1st quarter?
I think I know who is responsible for the unequal amount of HOF participation. That would be someone looking for an opportunity to showcase the team for additional publicity and exposure.
Then, not only do the Cowboys have to play the defending Super Bowl champions at their stadium to open the regular season, it will be the first time in over a year that the stadium will be filled. The fans are going to go absolutely nuts.
And should the Cowboys lose, they will have a full ten days to think about it. There should be some clause in whatever agreement there is where the Cowboys never have to play another Thursday game because they always play on Thanksgiving.
Who made this decision, was it influenced by overt lobbying on the part of anyone?