Ramblin' Fan » Hall of Fame Game

Football Is Officially Back!

Justin Stine — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 06:53:30 +0000

Aug 5, 2012; Canton, OH, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb (4) lays on the field after an incomplete pass against the New Orleans Saints in the first quarter of the pro football hall of fame preseason game at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

It might not have been the Rams, but it was still football, and football is good. The Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints opened up the 2012 preseason on Sunday night in the Hall of Fame Game, with the Saints beating the Cards 17-10.

As with most preseason games, the final score wasn’t what was important. What is important, however, is that Arizona’s quarterback situation looks just as bad as it was last season. Potential starter Kevin Kolb came out and promptly threw an interception on his first pass of the game, then after a three-and-out, he was hit and left the game with a rib contusion. Yeah, that sounds about right for Kolb. John Skelton actually looked pretty solid during his turn, but everyone who is saying the Rams are a sure thing to finish last in the West again should probably rethink that opinion until Arizona finds a quarterback.

Drew Brees was Drew Brees in his only drive of the evening, as he marched the Saints down the field for a touchdown and finished 4/5 for 41 yards. Mizzou great Chase Daniel had a nice night after Brees left, as he finished 15/20 for 203 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Not bad.

Overall, although I didn’t really care much about this game, it was still great to see NFL football back on the TV screen. Now we just have to wait a week to finally see the Rams.

Rams Camp Officially Delayed

Justin Stine — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 05:22:37 +0000

I think we kind of expected this, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed today that the Rams won’t be starting training camp on July 23 as originally planned. According to Schefter, the earliest the team could report will be July 26, and it seems much more likely that it will be August before anyone reports. For those of you wondering, the Hall of Fame game is still scheduled to be played, but if the team doesn’t report until August it will be awfully tough to make that happen. For what it’s worth, Tony Softli said today on 101 ESPN that he was informed to get his press credentials in for the HOF game. That probably doesn’t mean much of anything, but it’s way better than being told not to worry about it because the game is off.

I think it’s important for everyone to realize that camp won’t start immediately when the lockout is lifted, because I have been asked that question a few times in the last couple of days. When the lockout is over, the teams will need some time to sign rookies and their own free agents, and then we will need a period for free agency before anyone heads to camp. The league wants the teams to be able to have full 90-player training camp rosters before teams report. So with that in mind, it makes sense that the HOF game is in serious jeopardy.

HOF Game Still On?

Justin Stine — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 07:44:09 +0000

Well, I made it back from Cincy mostly in one piece, and the first thing I saw when I logged onto my computer was that the Chicago Sun Times was reporting that the Hall of Fame game has been cancelled. Needless to say, I did a little more research and found that, at least for now, no one within the league is confirming that the game is off. According to NFL insider Howard Balzer, no one with the Rams organization has been told the game is off. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello is also saying the game is still on, as he told Jason La Canfora of NFL Network that the rumor isn’t true. The Hall of Fame is also saying they expect the game to go on, so there ya go.

I’m not willing to say I believe the game is already cancelled, but I will say that it’s not looking good. The Sun Times heard from somewhere that the game is off, and even if it’s not right now, I’m thinking the league is probably getting closer to calling it off. I don’t want the Rams to be rushed into this thing if it’s going to hurt the organization or any of the players involved. I would love to see the guys take the field against the Bears, and I”m still holding out hope that it’s going to happen, but my confidence level isn’t soaring. At least for now, the game is still on.