Yesterday, Taylor O’neill wrote about the positives of #PaintGate cancelling the Hall of Fame Game. He brought up a lot of great points about why the Green Bay Packers should be thankful the game was cancelled (primarily health). While I agree with him on most of those points, there are a few key benefits of playing the game the Packers missed out on.
Read Taylor O’neill’s story here: https://packerstalk.com/2016/08/08/cancelled-hall-of-fame-game-probably-a-blessing-for-packers/
Many Packer’s fans were excited at the prospect of seeing actual football for the first time since the heartbreaking loss to the Cardinals last season. However, no one could have been more disappointed than Joe Callahan. He had the opportunity to start a NFL game at Quarterback as an undrafted rookie. Callahan and Marquise Williams both had a golden opportunity to prove they could play in the pros, and start a bid to solidify a spot on a Practice Squad. If Brett Hundley gets healthy, he’s likely to take most of the snaps away from them for the remainder of the preseason.
This also would have been a great chance to get the battle for Wide Receiver under way. There is so much depth at Wide Receiver the Packers are going to need the entirety of the preseason to sort through it, and get players enough game reps to know who to keep. The 6th WR spot is likely going to come down to Trevor Davis and Jared Abbrederis, but Geronimo Allison, Ed Williams, and Jamel Johnson could make a surprise run at that position. The latter three will definitely be fighting it out for a chance at another team’s roster or Practice Squad.
The HOF Game was also a chance to see the depth at Offensive Line. Matt Rotheram and Josh Walker are trying to make the team, and show that they have enough skill to be possible replacements at Guard with so many potential free agents.
Most importantly the Hall of Fame game was a chance for the coaching staff to assess the bottom half of the 90 man roster, without having to worry about getting the regular starters enough reps to get them ready for the Regular Season. While I totally agree with Taylor that health is the number one priority, and the cancelling of the HOF Game will probably be in the best interest of the team, it is a shame some of the younger players didn’t get a chance to shine on national tv. Perhaps I’m just bitter I have to wait another week to see the Green and Gold. At any rate, football is back!
Andrew Mertig is a a lifelong Packers fan and draft enthusiast. He has covered the NFL draft for radio and television stations in Green Bay. He is currently a host of the Pack-A-Day podcast and a writer for PackersTalk.com. You can follow him on Twitter @andrewmertig
4 responses to “Why Cancelling the Hall of Fame Game Hurts the Packers”
Great article, Andrew! I definitely agree that this was a big let down for the younger guys, especially Joe Callahan.
Thanks Taylor. I really enjoyed your article as well. While I think as a whole this worked out pretty well for the Packers, it has to be absolutely devastating (and potentially career altering) for guys like Joe and Marquise.
Nobody knows whether the lack of a HOF game has helped or hurt anyone’s chances of making the team, but we do know that all the fans that paid to travel to the game got screwed. Screw the HOF for not doing more than refunding ticket prices and making the players walk out and sign autographs.
One would hope the NFL would make this situation right and offer travel refunds to attendees. I can’t imagine any other billion dollar company not making this right, but then again we are talking about the NFL.