plasticman
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The Hall of Fame Game was created to honor those players that are inducted into the Hall of Fame. They have been voted in as some of the best players to ever play. It is considered the ultimate individual honor for NFL football players and their fans.
But what about the game itself?
Does the game really pay homage to the best of the best in the quality for which it is played? What does it say to the HOFers and those with an interest in the game that most teams don't want to play in it. It is a fifth preseason game, another potential opportunity for unnecessary but devastating injury to the player and to his team's season.
Typically, the game starts out with a few drives by the non-essential starters combined with their primary backups. Halfway through the 1st quarter we then see the rest of the backups and top rookies for the length of about a quarter. Before the 1st half is even over, the game is degraded into teams consisting of bubble players and those we may never see again save for those who are good enough to compete for the last three to four spots on the team or the practice squad.
Exciting, right? Not so much. Is this how me honor the best of the best? With a game in which teams could care whether or not they win the game? Where the primary goal of the players is to not get hurt?
Be honest, how many of you have actually watched a Hall of Fame game from the very beginning to the very end? I mean, even the announcers stop calling the plays and descend into cute little stories of how this player overcame an eating disorder or that player graduated from a high school class of 7 students.
The biggest story that can possibly come out of it is some tragic injury.
I propose a change. Instead of the Hall of Fame game being the first preseason game, make it the first regular season game. The Hall of Fame game should be the very first regular season game played on Thursday. They should move the induction day to the beginning of the regular season. Is there a better day to celebrate the best of the best than the game that kicks off that regular season?
The league has many great choices for that game. It should be a game with additional meaning, perhaps a great rivalry or a replay of a pivotal playoff game from the previous season. Perhaps part of the "parity" of the league should include the defending Super Bowl champions having a "home' game in Canton.
Such a move would certainly generate more interest in the game. It would discontinue a game whose only newsworthy event would be injury to a key player. It would be a far more meaningful tribute to those who contributed the most to the popularity and excitement of the game.
But what about the game itself?
Does the game really pay homage to the best of the best in the quality for which it is played? What does it say to the HOFers and those with an interest in the game that most teams don't want to play in it. It is a fifth preseason game, another potential opportunity for unnecessary but devastating injury to the player and to his team's season.
Typically, the game starts out with a few drives by the non-essential starters combined with their primary backups. Halfway through the 1st quarter we then see the rest of the backups and top rookies for the length of about a quarter. Before the 1st half is even over, the game is degraded into teams consisting of bubble players and those we may never see again save for those who are good enough to compete for the last three to four spots on the team or the practice squad.
Exciting, right? Not so much. Is this how me honor the best of the best? With a game in which teams could care whether or not they win the game? Where the primary goal of the players is to not get hurt?
Be honest, how many of you have actually watched a Hall of Fame game from the very beginning to the very end? I mean, even the announcers stop calling the plays and descend into cute little stories of how this player overcame an eating disorder or that player graduated from a high school class of 7 students.
The biggest story that can possibly come out of it is some tragic injury.
I propose a change. Instead of the Hall of Fame game being the first preseason game, make it the first regular season game. The Hall of Fame game should be the very first regular season game played on Thursday. They should move the induction day to the beginning of the regular season. Is there a better day to celebrate the best of the best than the game that kicks off that regular season?
The league has many great choices for that game. It should be a game with additional meaning, perhaps a great rivalry or a replay of a pivotal playoff game from the previous season. Perhaps part of the "parity" of the league should include the defending Super Bowl champions having a "home' game in Canton.
Such a move would certainly generate more interest in the game. It would discontinue a game whose only newsworthy event would be injury to a key player. It would be a far more meaningful tribute to those who contributed the most to the popularity and excitement of the game.
