3 ways playing in the Hall of Fame game changes the Lions' offseason
The NFL announced on Wednesday that the Detroit Lions will play the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame game on July 31 this preseason. Playing in the Hall of Fame game is pretty cool for Lions fans. That means they get to see their team play in 99 days, and they won't have […]
The NFL announced on Wednesday that the Detroit Lions will play the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame game on July 31 this preseason.
Playing in the Hall of Fame game is pretty cool for Lions fans. That means they get to see their team play in 99 days, and they won't have to wait until August. For the team, it does change some things. Here are three things it changes.
Starting camp early = longer training camp
Teams that play in the Hall of Fame game have to start camp earlier than usual. Last year, the Lions started camp on July 23rd. The Texans, who played in the game last year, started camp on July 18th. It's not that much of a drastic difference, but it does add an extra week to training camp. That's notable.
Younger players get a better chance up front
Lions fans are pretty used to not seeing a lot of the starters in preseason, but these early games usually mean there's an even smaller chance you'll see the starters. The rookies will more than likely play, but that's about it.
The cool thing about this is that it sort of pushes what you might expect from the third preseason game up to the first preseason game. So it gives some of the UDFA's or younger players fighting for a roster spot an earlier chance to get their names out there. Since it's the only preseason game going on at that time and it's on national TV, it gives those guys a chance to put some tape out there.
Lions may lose a joint practice opportunity
It's a pretty fast turnaround to start camp and then jump into a preseason game like two weeks later. Because of that, both teams might not want to participate in a joint practice. Something the Lions love to do. Both the Texans and Bears had joint practices with other teams last year after the Hall of Fame game, but didn't do one with each other.
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