2018 Hall of Fame Game Live Blog

My Thoughts During the 2018 Hall of Fame Game Live Blog – Live Updates

What is this? I’ll be posting my thoughts during the Ravens-Bears game here. That will include everything from the actual game, to the TV personalities, to the commercials, etc. Anything goes. This page will be updated every five minutes or so Thursday evening, so I hope you join me for the first NFL game in six months. Football is back.

Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments below.

7:50: The NFL is back!!! We’re doing a live blog for the Hall of Fame game as usual. These games are usually duds because the starters are on the field for just a drive, but this one seems special because we’ll get to see Lamar Jackson in live action. I’m looking forward to it!

7:51: Oh, and I am betting on this game. I have it listed in my NFL Picks page, as well as my Week 1 Steelers-Browns selection.

7:52: Just saw a commercial for America’s Got Talent here on NBC, featuring that one guy Simon Crowell or whatever his name is from American Idol. Do people actually watch that junk? If so, why? Doesn’t watching Simon Crowell berate people get old?

7:53: I was hoping to see a pre-game show of some sort on NBC, but they’re just airing a special on Brian Dawkins. Let’s check out what ESPN and NFL Network are doing…

7:54: ESPN is airing a basketball game between two teams called Overseas Elite and Golden Eagles. Are these the two new NBA expansion teams? The Dublin Overseas Elite and Idaho Golden Eagles? I would have guessed Camden Overseas Elite, given that Camden is a third-world country, but there’s nothing elite about that stupid city.

7:55: The Overseas Elite is beating the Golden Eagles, 43-34, at “The Basketball Tournament!” Wow, go Dublin!

7:58: NFL Network, smartly, has a pre-game show. You’d think ESPN would as well, but I guess ESPN is OK with s***ty ratings as long as people comply with their politics. I mean, seriously, the NFL is back, and you’re showing a game at “The Basketball Tournament” between Dublin and Idaho. No wonder ESPN has to get rid of thousands of employees each year.

7:59: NFL Network was a low-budget clip show from the telecasts this week. The good news is that we got to see the lady who discussed Tyron Smith’s bulging “disc” last year.

8:01: The good news is that we haven’t been subjected to crappy musicians singing on stage this year, though I fully anticipate that for the opener in a month. Why the NFL thinks football fans want to see any sort of musicians, I have no idea. I’d rather the Super Bowl halftime show be a football trivia game or something.

8:02: Romeo Crennel getting inducted, that’s cool.

8:03: Ray Lewis’ dance was awesome, but the best part was seeing Romeo Crennel walking onto the field.

8:05: People made a big deal about Terrell Owens not showing up, but I think that’s fine. Owens should be pissed at the Hall of Fame voters who didn’t induct him right away, which was just dumb. All he did was accumulate more receiving yardage than any player in NFL history not named Jerry Rice, and yet they kept him out. Anyone who didn’t vote him in should have their voting rights revoked.

8:06: Michele Tafoya just called Romeo Crennel “Robert.” C’mon, Michele, get your names right.

8:07: My wife is watching the game for me. “Where’s the Hall of Fame for cheerleaders?” she asked. Good question, but what would you base that on? And what would stop the cheerleaders from doing sexual things for the voters to get inducted?

8:10: And yes, I wrote “my wife.” For those of you who didn’t read the site during the summer, I got married. It happened at the end of May, but it seems like an eternity ago already. Maybe because I was looking forward to football so much. I think this season is going to be great in all facets. I can’t wait for real action, but this is good enough for now.

8:11: Whoa, that standing start for the kickoff looked awkward. No sir, I don’t like it.

8:12: A guy named Coward is at right tackle? That can’t be a good sign for the Bears.

8:13: What a bummer that Trubisky isn’t playing. Why even have a fifth game for teams if they’re not going to use their starters at all? I always thought that the teams that play in the Hall of Fame game should skip Week 1 of the preseason.

8:14: Josh Bellamy drops a pass. The Ravens nearly allowed a touchdown despite a couple of their starters being in the game, which is not a good si…

Interception! Yeah!

8:16: Ah, a NASCAR ad. What a great sport that requires so much athleticism, speed and strength.

8:18: No Joe Flacco either. It’s Robert Griffin handing the ball off to Gus Edwards. Who!?

8:19: Is it just me, or did RG3 look a bit slow on that scramble? He ran like I would right now, and I’m a fat 35-year-old man with a bad back.

8:20: Ugh, interception on a deflection. Breshad Perriman was responsible because he dropped the ball. It’s time to cut him loose now.

8:21: Terry McAuley one of the top officials in the NFL? Ha! Well, actually, the officiating is so bad that I guess that could be accurate.

8:22: While McAuley was one of the top officials, Walt Coleman has been one of the worst, and yet he’s still working even though he’s 250 years old. Can we ship him and Perriman off together?

8:23: THAT’S A PENALTY!?!??!?! WHAT!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

8:24: OK, can we all agree that lawyers are scum and happen to be the ones responsible for this? Get them the f**k out of here with Coleman and Perriman. Send them on a rocket to the sun for all I care.

8:25: Touchdown, Bears, thanks to a bogus penalty.

Bears 7, Ravens 0

8:27: I… I still can’t believe that was a penalty. Football is dying, my friends, all because of scumbag lawyers. The NFL needs to stop this now.

8:29: I will say that this is nice for someone who has a 100/1 bet on the Bears to win the Super Bowl. This gives me more confidence. That Chase Daniel touchdown will go a long way in helping them win the Lombardi Trophy.

8:30: Can anyone on the Ravens catch a pass? They might as well run the ball every play.

8:31: My wife just asked, “Whatever happened to that douche bag from the Browns?” I imagine everyone knows whom she’s talking about.

8:32: How the hell did the Bears not recover that fumble?

8:33: Holy s**t, a Raven caught a pass! And it was Gus Edwards. Induct him into the Hall of Fame now!

8:34: Now all the Ravens are catching passes. Hall of Famer Gus Edwards just had to show them the way.

8:35: Touchdown, Ravens! Maxx Williams catches Griffin’s touchdown, thanks to a great block by Hall of Famer Gus Edwards!

Ravens 7, Bears 7

8:37: Griffin looked good on that drive, but let’s not forget how unstoppable Blaine Gabbert was in the Hall of Fame game last year. This game needs to be taken with a ~~grain~~ gallon of salt.

8:39: Norweigan kicker Vedvik has a great leg, apparently. If he doesn’t make it in the pros, maybe he can star in Season 6 of Vikings.

8:40: Interception! Time to cut off Urlacher’s interview!

8:43: No more Gus Edwards, apparently. That’s OK. The Ravens need to preserve him for the regular season.

8:44: I still think Crayvon LeBlanc sounds like a member of Captain Jack Sparrow’s crew.

8:45: Vedvik makes the field goal. Skol!

Ravens 10, Bears 7

8:48: It really is amazing that the Bears haven’t signed Roquan Smith is. This helmet rule is a bunch of nonsense, but the Bears should just pay for everything. It was like Kenny said on the podcast today. It would be like if you were a football fan, and a girl started dating you, but when you were about to get married, she suddenly said, “You can’t watch football anymore.”

8:50: The first quarter is complete. We’ve seen some terrible drops, a horrible rule get enforced for the first time, and a Hall of Famer. I hope Michele interviews Gus Edwards.

8:52: WANT TO DOMINATE YOUR FANTASY DRAFT!? GO HERE TO THIS WEB SITE AND PAY LOTS OF MONEY FOR CONTENT BUHAHAHAHA!

8:53: Wow, Griffin’s pass is way behind his receiver. I was hoping to see him play at a Blaine Gabbert level, so that throw was disappointing.

8:54: So, the Bears have a pirate on their crew, I mean roster, and also Roy Robertson-Harris, a name that sounds like it could belong to a serial killer.

8:57: I love listening to old people tell stories. They all do the same thing. They mention people by their first name’s without any context, like you’re supposed to know whom they’re talking about. It’s great, and I look forward to doing it.

9:00: This Manifest show looks cool. I can’t wait for it to be canceled by November.

9:01: My wife is skeptical. “It looks like all of those other shows that always gets canceled.” See, that’s why I married her.

9:04: Kind of a generous spot for Griffin, who had trouble turning the corner against the future mailmen of America. Kind of sad.

9:09: Just saw a tweet about the sharps being on the Bears tonight. Guess we’ll see who knows what they’re doing concerning meaningless preseason games.

9:12: Things are not going well for the Bears. Chase Daniel just ran into his own lineman on third down. And I still believe Coward is playing, so that might have something to do with it.

9:14: Really? Another Mission Impossible movie? How many of them are there? And why do people still think Tom Cruise should be a lead actor in a movie? He’s like 80 years old. He and Walt Coleman should be a retirement home together.

9:17: No more RG3? Josh Woodrum? Booooo!

9:18: Nice catch by Hayden Hurst, but it’s wiped out by a penalty.

9:20: Vedvik sucks as a punter. He had no hangtime on that kick at all. Hopefully he’s a better actor.

9:22: Can’t wait for the Clemson question. What a tease!

9:26: Wow, that actually was a good tease. I can’t believe Clemson didn’t have any Hall of Famers before Brian Dawkins.

9:27: What’s the point of Woodrum here? Where’s Lamar Jackson already?

9:28: Woodrum just threw the greatest pass of his life. What a special moment for him.

9:29: Wow, Woodrum can run! Who knew? And who needs Lamar Jackson?

9:32: Is Walt Coleman really asking the Bears bench what they want to do, or is he asking them where the closest Country Kitchen Buffet is?

9:34: The half is over with the Ravens winning, 10-7. It’s been a largely boring game so far, but we’re going to see Lamar Jackson in the second half unless John Harbaugh wants to keep playing this Woodrum category.

9:39: As much as I understand Terrell Owens’ reluctance to show up, I wish he would’ve made it. He would’ve been very entertaining, and we’re deprived of that.

9:40: Dr. Doom might be one of the greatest nicknames ever.

9:44: I have the weirdest dog ever. My wife made Jell-O, and he’s so entranced by it. She made the mistake of letting him lick a Jell-O bowl once, and now it’s his favorite thing ever. What the hell kind of dog likes Jell-O?

9:48: Lamar Jackson time!

9:49: Did Ray Lewis just say “Ravens organ-I-zation?” I had no idea he was Canadian.

9:50: It was just one play, but Lamar Jackson looked 50 times faster than RG3.

9:51: What a shame that the Ravens couldn’t protect Jackson at all on that drive. He had no chance to do anything.

9:53: NBC really just advertised NASCAR and America’s Got Talent in back-to-back commercial segments. God, this network sucks.

9:56: Ugh, another stupid helmet penalty. Enough, already.

9:57: FUMBLE! Justice prevails!

9:59: Jackson had his first real opportunity to throw, and he misfired toward Hayden Hurst, though the coverage was right.

10:00: Jackson responds by hitting Jordan Lasley for a first down! Ravens are in the red zone.

10:01: Another helmet penalty on a hit to the chest. Cool stuff. This football sport is very fun.

10:02: How the hell is that a penalty!? Insane. It was a hit to the chest or bicep area!!!

10:03: Touchdown, Ravens! Lamar Jackson hits Hayden Hurst for a score. Out first look at the future of the Ravens.

Ravens 17, Bears 7

10:06: It’s crazy that it took Jerry Kramer so long to get into the Hall of Fame. I never saw him play, obviously, but much older football fans I know were astonished that it took this long. I don’t know what the Hall of Fame voters are thinking.

10:10: So we have a pirate and a serial killer, and now we have Jean-Baptiste, who is a French painter on the Paris riviera, if that’s really a thing.

10:12: Nice commentary from Tony Dungy. “Everyone’s writing off Seattle, but they’ve got… umm… proud players.”

10:15: I’ve berated NBC, but that Trial & Error show is absolutely hilarious. Check it out if you haven’t.

10:16: Stuff on fourth down! The Ravens take over on downs.

10:18: Noooo Lamar Jackson is intercepted. The cornerback jumped a telegraphed pass that was late and inaccurate.

10:21: Kamalei Correa with a strip-sack. He’s had a great night and should be moving up the depth chart.

10:23: Hopefully we see better play from Jackson the rest of the way. That interception was bad, so hopefully he rebounds.

10:25: The Bears beat Jackson with the blitz again. Outside of that one drive, this has been mildly disappointing.

10:28: The Ravens might be excited about their receiving corps, but I really wonder about their offensive line. Outside of Ronnie Stanley and Marshal Yanda, things are looking very bleak for them.

10:29: Nice StubHub commercial. I hope they tell the audience that they charge a billion dollars in surcharges for Super Bowl tickets.

10:30: Facebook friend Adam M. on Jackson: “I have coached a lot of high school quarterbacks with better foot mechanics. He’s relying on his big arm and that may not be enough in the nfl. Telegraphed the int and threw it late.”

10:31: Nice catch by Wims. The Bears are making a late push to ruin my betting debut.

10:33: The Bears stall in the red zone, so it’s time for a chat with Romeo Crennel.

Ravens 17, Bears 10

10:35: Holy hell, “Doom” in Dr. Doom stands for Death on Offensive Men. That’s amazing.

10:37: Jackson fires a completion with the flick of a wrist on third down.

10:39: What is up with these mid-quarter timeouts? Is this something new? If so, it’s going to make things very annoying.

10:40: A shark movie named Meg. How original. It’s like Jaws, except it’s so much different because the shark’s name is Meg. Hollywood is so full of creative people!

10:41: See, both teams have all three timeouts. Why was there a stoppage in the middle of the drive?

10:42: Jackson fires an incompletion on third down. The ball was high and wobbly, and it was nearly intercepted.

10:45: The punt returner did a nice job of going backward there.

10:46: What is up with these strange new rules? It’s like the owners got together in the offseason and asked each other, “How can we make football worse?”

10:49: Well said by Tony Dungy. I don’t blame Owens for not coming, but he may regret not doing so. Still, it’s just staggering to me that he wasn’t a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Sure, he was a dick to media members, but that shouldn’t factor into Hall of Fame voting.

10:50: Jackson takes a bad sack to add to his lowlight reel.

10:51: Man, this is a bummer of a debut for Jackson. I knew he had a lot of work to do, but there’s been very little to feel optimistic about.

10:53: Wooowwww. A helmet penalty on a hit to the chest. I’ve f***ing had enough of this bulls**t.

10:56: I, as well as everyone reading this, grew up loving football that didn’t have these nonsense penalties. If the NFL wants to kill its product like this, just have the players wear bras and play with balloons instead of balls.

10:56: Another mid-drive stoppage with neither team calling timeout. What the hell is happening?

10:58: Oh, OK, we’re calling timeouts for more commercial breaks, probably because the NFL needs to pay legal fees. These mid-drive timeouts are almost as horrible as the new helmet rule. This sucks. This all sucks.

11:00: Yep, Tyler Bray has outplayed Lamar Jackson. Sad.

11:01: Wow, really? The Bears scored a touchdown? Beaten by Tyler Bray and horrible helmet rule penalties. This sucks.

11:03: Oh, thank God Walt Coleman knows how to reverse plays. He used to not be able to do so.

11:05: Tyler Bray converts a fourth down. And there’s the touchdown. Wow.

11:06: Two-pointer fails, so the Ravens have no incentive to score.

Ravens 17, Bears 16

11:10: Jackson was awful tonight. Just awful. It’s impossible to draw conclusions from one game, but it’s very discouraging that he could barely do anything against the future mailmen of America.

11:13: Who the hell elected Bob Costas into any Hall of Fame? Did he lecture everyone during his induction speech on how horrible everyone is?

11:18: Hike it over his head! Take a sack in the end zone! Throw a pick-six!

11:19: Nope. Helpless pass out of bounds. Game over. Beaten by a Bray conversion on fourth down and some horrible helmet penalties.

11:20: Thanks for reading my incoherent thoughts! I’ll have Fantasy Football Rankings updated later tonight, along with a game recap and updated stock reports.

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