In this episode, Santiago joins Byron as Victor is on assignment, as they preview the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Byron Jones – @ByronCJones1
Alex Quirk – @aquirko
Victor Arocho – @varocho
The first game of the NFL’s preseason, the Hall of Fame Game brings excitement for what’s ahead while also paying homage to previous gridiron greats. This year’s game will feature the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns, teams that will also face off during Week 17 of the regular season.
Thursday night’s game will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, a stone’s throw away from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. With the capacity crowd of 23,000, the stadium provides a unique atmosphere that harkens back to a simpler time in professional football.
Date: Thursday, August 3 | Time: 8 p.m. ET Location: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton, Ohio)
It’s fitting that the NFL’s first game will feature the team that has been in the headlines the most over the past several months. Gang Green has had a dizzying offseason that was headlined by the acquisition of four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers. A 7-10 outfit a season ago, the Jets are expected to be a playoff contender this year with Rodgers and a defense that finished fourth in the NFL in points allowed last season.
Rodgers won’t play on Thursday night, so that means that fans will instead see Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Fans will also get their first look at Jets first-round pick Will McDonald IV, an edge rusher who had 34 sacks during his time at Iowa State.
Like the Jets, the Browns went 7-10 last year and are hoping to be a player in the AFC playoff race this season. This will be the first full season in Cleveland for Deshaun Watson, who split his six starts last season while completing just 58.2 percent of his throws in those games. Watson will again lean on the running of Nick Chubb, a Pro Bowler each of the last four years. Last year, Chubb ran for a career-high 1,525 yards that included 12 touchdown runs and a 5 yards-per-carry average.
Thursday night will be Browns fans’ first look at rookie Cedric Tillman, a third-round pick who caught 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns during his final season at Tennessee. Also making his NFL debut for Cleveland is quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a fifth-round pick who threw for 3,154 yards and 27 touchdowns last fall while guiding UCLA to a 9-4 record.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 members
Here are the nine incoming inductees, who were announced at the NFL Honors in February:
- Ronde Barber, cornerback/safety
- Don Coryell, coach
- Chuck Howley, linebacker
- Joe Klecko, defensive lineman
- Darrelle Revis, cornerback
- Ken Riley, cornerback
- Joe Thomas, offensive tackle
- Zach Thomas, linebacker
- DeMarcus Ware, linebacker/defensive end
Revis and Thomas are the two first-ballot Hall of Famers in this class. Comparatively, Howley waited the longest out of anyone in the 2023 class, as this was his 45th year of eligibility.
The newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame are cornerback/safety RONDÉ BARBER,(Opens in a new window) coach DON CORYELL,(Opens in a new window) linebacker CHUCK HOWLEY,(Opens in a new window) defensive end/defensive tackle/nose tackle JOE KLECKO,(Opens in a new window) cornerback DARRELLE REVIS,(Opens in a new window) cornerback KEN RILEY,(Opens in a new window) offensive tackle JOE THOMAS,(Opens in a new window) linebacker ZACH THOMAS(Opens in a new window) and linebacker/defensive end DEMARCUS WARE.
NFL Modifies Personal Conduct Policy, Expands Scope to Include Pre-Draft Incidents
In a significant update to its personal conduct policy, the National Football League (NFL) has recently granted itself the authority to investigate and impose disciplinary actions on incoming draft prospects for incidents that may have occurred before they officially join the league. This change comes in the wake of several high-profile incidents involving players such as Joe Mixon and the more recent case of Jalen Carter, prompting the NFL to take a proactive stance in shaping player behavior.
The league’s decision to widen the scope of its personal conduct policy marks a notable departure from previous practices. Historically, the NFL’s disciplinary actions were focused on players who had already entered the league. However, with this modification, prospective players now face the possibility of facing consequences for their actions even before they are drafted.
One of the key incidents that likely contributed to this policy shift is the Joe Mixon case. The talented running back found himself at the center of a highly publicized assault incident during his college days. Despite the controversy, Mixon was still selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. With the new policy in place, teams will have to carefully weigh the potential risks associated with selecting players who have a history of off-field incidents.
Tom Brady becomes minority owner of Birmingham City FC
Tom Brady, who retired from professional football in February after 23 seasons, has announced he will become the minority owner of English soccer club Birmingham City FC.
“You may be asking, “What do you know about football, Tom? Well, let’s just say I’ve got a lot to learn,” Brady said in a video posted to the club’s social media. “But I do know a few things about winning. I think they might translate pretty well. I know success starts with the work put in when the world isn’t watching.”
Brady’s investment comes weeks after American hedge fund billionaire Tom Wagner was appointed Birmingham’s Chairman of the Board, the first steps in his takeover of the club.
Nathaniel Hackett laments Payton’s criticism: He broke the coaches’ code
Nathaniel Hackett believes Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton crossed a line.
After Payton criticized Hackett on Thursday for “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL” during his time with the Broncos, the New York Jets offensive coordinator expressed frustration with his successor Tuesday.
“There’s a code,” Hackett said, according to The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt. “There’s a way things are done. … It’s unfortunate about the comments that were made, but they did.”
Santiago Leon is the Founder and CEO of the Sports Cast. He covers NFL, NBA, and world soccer. He’s also founder of sleon productions, which he specializes in technology and serves clients with solutions to make their business grow.
