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The last year of our lives has felt like a lot more than 365 days. Ultimately the National Football League held a season and crowned a Super Bowl Champion. There were definitely parts of the season that were more difficult than others, the Dallas Cowboys had their game against the Baltimore Ravens postponed almost an entire week as one small example, but the upcoming season - hopefully - figures to be more normal than what we just witnessed.
You might have forgotten that the Dallas Cowboys were supposed to have a lot more extra time to prepare for the season than most teams. As the Cowboys had a new head coach a year ago they were able to begin offseason activities ahead of most, but with things being virtual that didn’t provide the same sort of benefit that it traditionally has.
Additionally the Cowboys were scheduled to play in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. A year ago, the Cowboys were set to see Jimmy Johnson and Cliff Harris receive their bronze busts, and this year they have added Drew Pearson to the mix. We spoke with Pearson last week by the way, a conversation you will likely enjoy. Watch below:
How the HOF ceremony is going to go remains to be seen. Remember that last year’s class was larger than usual as the league went with a “centennial class” in celebration of the NFL’s 100th year.
It is also still unclear how the NFL will handle the preseason period this year. As they were still learning how to navigate life amid COVID-19 last year they wound up cancelling the preseason altogether. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game kicks off the preseason period and it seems like the HOF is indeed planning on it going off as previously scheduled (rather, re-scheduled).
The 2021 HOF Game game will be a meeting over a year in the making. Originally planned for 2020, this year’s game will be a highly anticipated matchup between 2 storied franchises: the @steelers & @dallascowboys.
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) February 15, 2021
How to Attend: https://t.co/qb6lj8Th0k#PFHOF21 | @HOFExperiences pic.twitter.com/ZirvcahLZP
While there are still a number of possibilities here (the NFL has talked about shortening the preseason), the Cowboys seem like they might play five preseason games this year. If the league does wind up shortening it that number will obviously dwindle, but playing in the HOF game will nevertheless give the Cowboys one more opportunity and therefore one more week of training camp, whatever that ends up looking like.