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Posted by jellis at 2/24/2010 5:11 PM CST on truebluefanclub.com
You might be asking yourself, as we were at first, why it's the Cincinnti Bengals the Cowboys will face in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 8., and not another team.
After all, the game typically features a couple teams represented in the weekend's Hall induction. Dick Lebeau spent 18 years as a coach with Cincinnati, but he is being honored this year for his playing days with the Detroit Lions.
For a while now we had expected a Cowboys-49ers matchup given that Jerry Rice is also a member of the 2010 class, but we forgot one thing. Since 1971, a year after the NFL merger, the preseason-opening contest has always featured a representative from both conferences, with just one exception. Last year Tennessee and Buffalo were chosen to play in the game as part of the American Football League's 50th anniversary celebration.
To be picked for the game, teams must either lobby to play in it, or accept an invitation. Since the Denver Broncos are the only AFC team with a player being enshrined this year (Floyd Little), they may have turned down the league's offer. (UPDATE: Little's Broncos and Rice's 49ers were bypassed for the Hall of Fame Game because they will meet in London in the fall.)
The Bengals, who reside just over 200 miles from Canton, were likely the next option given Lebeau's tenure there, and the likelihood their proximity could attract more fans.
You might be asking yourself, as we were at first, why it's the Cincinnti Bengals the Cowboys will face in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 8., and not another team.
After all, the game typically features a couple teams represented in the weekend's Hall induction. Dick Lebeau spent 18 years as a coach with Cincinnati, but he is being honored this year for his playing days with the Detroit Lions.
For a while now we had expected a Cowboys-49ers matchup given that Jerry Rice is also a member of the 2010 class, but we forgot one thing. Since 1971, a year after the NFL merger, the preseason-opening contest has always featured a representative from both conferences, with just one exception. Last year Tennessee and Buffalo were chosen to play in the game as part of the American Football League's 50th anniversary celebration.
To be picked for the game, teams must either lobby to play in it, or accept an invitation. Since the Denver Broncos are the only AFC team with a player being enshrined this year (Floyd Little), they may have turned down the league's offer. (UPDATE: Little's Broncos and Rice's 49ers were bypassed for the Hall of Fame Game because they will meet in London in the fall.)
The Bengals, who reside just over 200 miles from Canton, were likely the next option given Lebeau's tenure there, and the likelihood their proximity could attract more fans.
