What to look for: Hall of Fame Game 2010

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages….football have returned!

They say that NFL is the season where’s there’s no offseason since we talk football all year.

That’s bullshit.

We all know we’d much rather watch football all year then to simply talk about it.

This weekend is obviously Cowboys-heavy as we have Emmit Smith, the league’s all-time leading rusher, getting inducted into the hall of fame. Following that, on Sunday we will watch the Dallas Cowboys take on the Cincinnati Cowboys.

That wasn’t a typo, I meant to do that.

Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, defensive tackle Tank Johnson, safety Roy Williams, wide receiver Antonio Bryant, cornerback Pacman Jones and wide receiver Terrell Owens. Six former Cowboys are sprinkled in the Bengal roster this season, all with important roles in what the Bengals will want to do in 2010.

We know Romo, Ware, and the 1^st teams won’t play much in this game. Not to mention with Dez Bryant suffering a high ankle sprain in camp, we’re not going to see the first-rounder at all. So why would Dallas fans watch this game? I’ll tell you what to look for and why it’s important to the Dallas Cowboys…

Stephen McGee, the third-string quarterback will get some playing time this preseason, and this is the year that the Cowboys would love to only keep two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. The Cowboys have added depth at wide receiver, offensive linemen, and linebackers during the off-season, and like many of the players that they’ve obtained. So with that, there has to be cuts. Mark my words, McGee is on the bubble. Dallas saved a roster spot by making David Beuhler the kicker as well as kickoff specialist, and they’re searching for a reason to cut McGee to make room for guys like wideout Sam Hurd to stay on the roster.

David Beuhler, do I need to explain? The kicker position was a laughing stock in Dallas last season, and with former Cowboys kicker Chris Boniol working on his mechanics this offseason, Beuhler has reportedly looked good in camp thus far. Jerry Jones has put all his money in the David Beuhler stock so-to-speak, so if he shanks a 30-yarder this weekend, the hook may come earlier than expected.

Kevin Ogletree, the second-year wide receiver would love nothing more than to be on the active gameday roster every game this season. But with the emergence of Miles Austin and drafting of Dez Bryant, it won’t come easy. Dallas routinely only activates five receivers on gameday (projected gameday receivers: Williams, Austin, Bryant, Crayton, and Hurd). So Ogletree will need to show that he is capable of catching more than a bubble screen to make the active roster come week one. And you may laugh now, but there’s this guy named Jesse Holley from the reality show “4^th and Long” still looking over Ogletree’s shoulder to make the active 53-man roster as well.

We’ll wait until the third or fourth preseason game before we take a look at starters like Alan Ball and Doug Free (remember, Dallas gets five preseason games this year with the addition of the hall of fame game). But these players’ performances have a direct impact on Dallas’ 53-man roster.