With OTAs the only thing going in the world of the NFL, die-hard fans already have their eyes on Sunday, August 9th when the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans kick of the NFL preseason in the 2009 Hall of Fame game. Kickoff at Canton’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Field is 8:00pm ET, and will be nationally televised by NBC . The 2009 NBC NFL crew, incidentally, will be missing Jerome ‘The Bus” Bettis but should make up for that lost weight with the addition of Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison (who must be doing some sort of recurring Spy vs. Spy bit. I guess opposites do attract – just ask my ex-wife).
But I digress. This year’s matchup is in celebration of the American Football League’s 50th Anniversary Season. The Titans, who were born the Houston Oilers, and the Bills were original members of the AFL that played its first season in 1960.
The game will feature both teams playing in throwback uniform. The Titans will be sporting uniforms worn by the old Houston Oilers in the 1960s. Both the Bills and Titans are appearing in the Hall of Fame Game for the third time and are looking for their first win. The Titans’ only two appearances came as the Oilers, when they lost to the NY Giants 21-20 in 1985 and to the Los Angeles Rams 17-6 in the 1971 game Buffalo last played in the game in 1989 and fell to the Washington Redskins, 31-6. The Bills also lost 21-13 to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1974.
The Hall of Fame Game caps the 2009 Hall of Fame Enshrinement of Bob Hayes, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Ralph Wilson, Jr., and Rod Woodson.
This year, both teams seem to heading into the NFL Regular Season with more baggage than Kim Kardashian. Remember, the Bills outbid themselves to sign Terrell Owens in the offseason and while he will undoubtedly love the spotlight of the Hall of Fame game, online sportsbook is already taking lines on whether he will throw Trent Edwards under the boat at halftime. The Titans, meanwhile, have the dependable and emotionally stable Vince Young backing up the fit and firm Kerry Collins. Someone better edit that last sentence.
Will either starting quarterback emerge unscathed? Will Vince Young go all Last Boy Scout on us? Only one way to find out, fellow sports fans!
