Well, folks, our long wait is finally over: The NFL returns on Sunday night with the first preseason game of the year, with Dallas taking on Cincinnati in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. The Bengals (who presumably should have the larger contingent of fans) have opened as 3-point favorites on Bodog's NFL odds and there will be live betting available on the site.
Of course this will be the debut of former Cowboy Terrell Owens with Cincinnati, but don't expect to see either team's starters for more than a few series. Still, expect Owens to do something outlandish if he finds the end zone against his former club. And Pacman Jones is expected to see his first live game action since being cut by Dallas in February 2009. Rookie tight end Jermaine Gresham, who missed all of the 2009 season at Oklahoma, also will be seeing live action for the first time since suffering his knee injury last summer.
But Bengals receiver Antonio Bryant, still trying to deal with a knee injury, won't play. Neither will 2009 first-round pick Andre Smith. Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said tight end Martellus Bennett (ankle), linebacker Sean Lee (quadriceps) and safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (hamstring) are unlikely to play. Dallas has another game already on Thursday, so you can probably expect the Cowboys starters to see even less time than their Bengal counterparts. Phillips said starters on offense and defense will likely play no more than 10 plays.
The Bengals are 1-1 in Hall of Fame Games all-time. The Cowboys are 0-3 in Hall of Fame Games. The Tennessee Titans defeated the Buffalo Bills 21-18 in last year's game.
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