The Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals will play tomorrow to mark the opening of the 2017 NFL preseason as they meet in the 2017 NFL Hall of Fame game at the new Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
The class of 2017 was announced on February 4, when it was revealed that new members of the Hall of Fame are quarterback Kurt Warner, runners Terrell Davis and LaDainian Tomlinson, linebacker Jason Taylor, strong safety Kenny Easley, kicker Morten Andersen and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
The Cardinals, who played in the first-ever Hall of Fame Game in 1962, return to Canton for the fifth time, while the Cowboys will make their sixth appearance in the Hall of Fame Game.
Although Cardinals Coach Bruce Arians announced that none of his starters will take the field Thursday in Canton, Ohio, many fans around the league are welcoming the game as it indicates that the upcoming regular season is very close to kicking off.
Arians added that backup quarterback Drew Stanton will also miss the game. The Cards plan to put Blaine Gabbert under center in the first half, while undrafted rookie Trevor Knight will take snaps in the second half.
It has become normal for coaches to rest most, if not all, of their starting players for the Hall of Fame Game. With four preseason games following the HOF event, the Cardinals have plenty of time to play their starters before the start of the season when they visit the Detroit Lions in Week 1.
On Tuesday, Cowboys Coach Jason Garrett was reluctant to say publicly if he would follow Arians’s lead, but Garrett rarely plays his first-stringers in preseason openers.
The Cowboys will be extra careful as they are hoping the game will be only the beginning of what will become their first Super Bowl season since 1995.
The Cowboys need to make the most of their preseason. It is a team that in 2016 had its best regular season in almost a decade, which included a 13-3 mark; the best in the NFC and the best in the history of the franchise.
Problem is they lost in the NFC Divisional game to the Green Bay Packers in a 34-31 thriller despite having new young and exciting players such as quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezequiel Elliot.
The gala that will recognize the new inductees to the NFL Hall of Fame will be held on August 4 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.
