Tag: 2020 Hall of Fame game

Latest update on Steelers-Cowboys HOF game

The governor of Ohio offered his thoughts on August’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week.

The annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game is currently scheduled to kick off the 2020 NFL preseason. Unfortunately, and especially because it’s just less than two months away, it appears the game is unlikely to be played.

Per Joe Rutter of Trib Live, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the Aug. 6 game scheduled between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys should not be played with fans in attendance. DeWine also believes the Aug. 8 Hall of Fame induction ceremony should not be conducted with fans.

Akron’s Tom Benson Stadium holds 23,000 people, and tickets, which went on sale in March, sold out an hour after going on sale. More than 10,000 tickets for the induction ceremony have been sold.

“Having a crowd that size, I think is highly unlikely,” DeWine said. “Certainly, it could not occur today. It would be very dangerous to do it today.”

HOF board of directors will meet Thursday to see if they can come up with a backup plan.

This news certainly doesn’t sound hopeful for Steelers and Cowboys meeting in the preseason. Fans don’t seem to care much for the game, and injuries are always a concern. Still, the opportunity to see former safeties Troy Polamalu and Donnie Shell and former head coach Bill Cowher inducted — live or televised — is special.

We’ll just have to wait and see what the HOF officials come up with.

[vertical-gallery id=469150]

[lawrence-related id=459751]

Contingency plans for Steelers-Cowboys HOF game

Alternatives for the Pittsburgh Steelers versus Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame game, as well as the enshrinement ceremony, are being considered.

Little did the cast of “Good Morning Football” know how the sports landscape would be turned upside down when, on March 9, they announced the teams representing the AFC and NFC in the 2020 Hall of Fame game.

Single event tickets for the Pittsburgh Steelers-Dallas Cowboys HOF game went on sale on March 13 and sold out in 22 minutes — just two days after the NBA season was shut down.

If the NFL gets the green-light to resume operations, the HOF wants to be ready. Should that not happen, they also need to have alternatives in place.

As with every move that the NFL makes regarding its season, the HOF will follow suit.

David Baker, executive director of the Hall of Fame, told USA TODAY Sports that there are contingency plans under consideration for the annual preseason kickoff game (Aug. 6) and the HOF enshrinement ceremony (Aug. 8).

“We’re not going to do anything that’s not safe,” Baker told USA Today Sports. “But I do hope that we can lead in showing that this can be done in a way that will inspire us.”

One of the possibilities is to postpone the game and ceremony to later in August if the NFL shortens the preseason.

If the Steelers-Cowboys exhibition game is canceled, the enshrinement could be coupled with the Centennial Celebration slated for Sept. 18, when 10 selections from the seniors pool, including former Steelers safety Donnie Shell, are to be inducted to mark the NFL’s 100-year anniversary. The league was founded on Sept. 17, 1920.

Conducting a virtual enshrinement, much like the NFL did with the draft, is not currently on the table. Baker wants to preserve experiences of tradition like the Gold Jacket Dinner, where new inductees are introduced and make their way to the stage to receiver their jacket surrounded by tables where current Hall of Famers sit.

If the game is canceled, two other options are being discussed for 2021: Conducting the enshrinement Easter Weekend or inducting two classes.

While there are many sold-out ticket packages, as of May 4, more than 14,000 tickets remained available for the HOF enshrinement ceremony, which will include the induction of former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher and legendary safety Troy Polamalu.

[vertical-gallery id=458017]

[lawrence-related id=464871]

Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 schedule to be released this week

The NFL is reportedly set to release its 2020 preseason and regular-season game schedule this week.

The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t affecting the NFL game schedule. At least not yet.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the full 2020 schedule — all 16 games and 17 weeks — will be released this week with no adjustments expected. The regular-season opener will still be set for Thursday, Sept. 10, while the Super Bowl will remain as scheduled for Feb. 7 in Tampa, Fla.

As reported by John Ourand and Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, the NFL has told network executives to expect the schedule release to be as early as Thurs., May 7.

In a Tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, league spokesperson Brian McCarthy said that the preseason schedule, including the Pittsburgh Steelers-Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame game on Aug. 8, is also slated to be released.

We won’t know for a few more days when the games will be played, but we do know where they’ll be played and who the Steelers’ opponents will be.

Home Away
Washington Redskins Tennessee Titans
Denver Broncos Buffalo Bills
Baltimore Ravens New York Giants
Cincinnati Bengals Jacksonville Jaguars
Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans Dallas Cowboys
Indianapolis Colts Cincinnati Bengals
Philadelphia Eagles Baltimore Ravens

Of course, just because a schedule is released doesn’t mean it can’t change between now and the preseason. Thankfully, there is some time to take a wait-and-see approach before dates are finalized.

Partnering with the NFL Players Association and medical experts, contingencies are being discussed, such as delaying the season to mid-October, no bye weeks, no Pro Bowl (oh, no!!), and a late February Super Bowl.

So far, the league has successfully made adjustments to free agency, the draft, and offseason workouts. I have to think that if they need to make adjustments to the game schedule, they’ll do so without any issues.

[vertical-gallery id=464068]

[lawrence-related id=462145]