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Cheesehead
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The Packers will be making their fifth appearance and first since 2003 in the 54th annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game in Canton this weekend. If history is any guide, don't expect too much or be overly concerned about how the team shows on the field as any sort of bellwether for the season to come.
The Packers have won only one of their previous four appearances and in the 3 they failed to win have scored a grand total of 3 points and been shut out twice. They've also had weather intervene to shorten two of their games in this tradition.
But in two of the years of losses Green Bay has gone on to a playoff year in the regular season.
There is a certain honor to being selected to play in the Hall of Fame game, though, despite adding an additional game that doesn't count in the standings in preseason.
http://www.profootballhoffestival.com/history
And the game has evolved over time into being the on-field kickoff to the new season to come.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_Football_Hall_of_Fame_Game
A small curiosity about the history of this game is that despite being the dominant team in pro football at the time the HOF game began, the Packers were never featured in it until the 8th one in 1969; the season after their world championship dynasty came to an end. And that game was played at the end not the beginning of preseason.
http://www.packershistory.net/1969PACKERS/PRESEASON-GAME6.html
The Packers' second appearance in 1980 ended in a scoreless tie with the Chargers as the game was called with 6 minutes remaining because a lightning storm moved into the area.
http://www.packershistory.net/1980PACKERS/PRESEASON-GAME1.html
The Pack's third HOF game was nothing to remember as they lost to the Raiders 19-3. The game debuted the club's newly signed free agent superstar Reggie White; but he only played one series and didn't register a tackle.
http://www.packershistory.net/1993PACKERS.html
Not to worry, though. That game started a run of 6 straight playoff years and a Super Bowl Championship in the time that followed.
Lightning struck again, literally, in the Packers' fourth and last HOF game in 2003.
http://www.packershistory.net/2003PACKERS.html
Some suspicion began to attach to James Lofton, the all-pro and PFHOF receiver for the Packers. He was a player in the 1980 lightning game and was inducted into the PFHOF the weekend of the 2003 lightning game.
That game was also marred by the career ending head and neck injury sustained in it by Kansas City offensive tackle Willie Jones.
Despite the shut-out loss the Packers went on to continue a four year playoff streak that season.
It doesn't appear that Mother Nature has anything bad planned for this year's game Sunday night. https://www.google.com/search?q=weather+for+Canton+Ohio&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 .
But if anybody spots James Lofton around the area, call the Weather Channel.
The Packers have won only one of their previous four appearances and in the 3 they failed to win have scored a grand total of 3 points and been shut out twice. They've also had weather intervene to shorten two of their games in this tradition.
But in two of the years of losses Green Bay has gone on to a playoff year in the regular season.
There is a certain honor to being selected to play in the Hall of Fame game, though, despite adding an additional game that doesn't count in the standings in preseason.
http://www.profootballhoffestival.com/history
And the game has evolved over time into being the on-field kickoff to the new season to come.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_Football_Hall_of_Fame_Game
A small curiosity about the history of this game is that despite being the dominant team in pro football at the time the HOF game began, the Packers were never featured in it until the 8th one in 1969; the season after their world championship dynasty came to an end. And that game was played at the end not the beginning of preseason.
http://www.packershistory.net/1969PACKERS/PRESEASON-GAME6.html
The Packers' second appearance in 1980 ended in a scoreless tie with the Chargers as the game was called with 6 minutes remaining because a lightning storm moved into the area.
http://www.packershistory.net/1980PACKERS/PRESEASON-GAME1.html
The Pack's third HOF game was nothing to remember as they lost to the Raiders 19-3. The game debuted the club's newly signed free agent superstar Reggie White; but he only played one series and didn't register a tackle.
http://www.packershistory.net/1993PACKERS.html
Not to worry, though. That game started a run of 6 straight playoff years and a Super Bowl Championship in the time that followed.
Lightning struck again, literally, in the Packers' fourth and last HOF game in 2003.
http://www.packershistory.net/2003PACKERS.html
Some suspicion began to attach to James Lofton, the all-pro and PFHOF receiver for the Packers. He was a player in the 1980 lightning game and was inducted into the PFHOF the weekend of the 2003 lightning game.
That game was also marred by the career ending head and neck injury sustained in it by Kansas City offensive tackle Willie Jones.
Despite the shut-out loss the Packers went on to continue a four year playoff streak that season.
It doesn't appear that Mother Nature has anything bad planned for this year's game Sunday night. https://www.google.com/search?q=weather+for+Canton+Ohio&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 .
But if anybody spots James Lofton around the area, call the Weather Channel.
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