Cnotes HOF Notes - Cowboys vs. Cardinals

HOF Notes - Cowboys vs. Cardinals
August 2, 2017


Dallas Cowboys


Head Coach: Jason Garrett


Quarterback Rotation: Dak Prescott, Kellen Moore, Luke McCown, Cooper Rush (Rookie - Central Michigan)


The Cowboys have never put much stock into the preseason under Garrett since he took over officially as head coach in 2011. In the last three years, Dallas has compiled a dreadful 2-10 SU and 4-8 ATS mark in exhibition action, while allowing at least 27 points in three of four preseason games in 2016.


Dak Prescott was the preseason story in 2016 before and after Tony Romo suffered a back injury at Seattle in Week 3. Prescott likely won't see much action on Thursday, opening the door for former Boise State standout Kellen Moore.


For updated injury reports on the Cowboys for this contest, we suggest following Todd Archer and David Helman via Twitter.

Arizona Cardinals


Head Coach: Bruce Arians


Quarterback Rotation: Blaine Gabbert, Trevor Knight (Rookie - Texas A&M)


The Cardinals won't be showing much in Canton as Arians will sit his starters, including quarterback Carson Palmer. Past Palmer, backup QB Drew Stanton will also be watching from the sidelines as former 49ers' signal-caller Blaine Gabbert will play the first half and rookie Trevor Knight will take second half snaps.


Arizona didn't put much stock into last year's preseason by losing its first three games prior to a victory over Denver in the finale. The Cardinals have been a terrific 'over' play the last two preseasons by compiling a 7-1 mark.


For updated injury reports on the Cardinals, we suggest following Kent Somers and Mike Jurecki via Twitter.

Preseason Coaching Stats


Jason Garrett, Dallas – 9-16 SU, 9-16 ATS, 11-12-2 O/U
Bruce Arians, Arizona – 7-9 SU, 8-7-1 ATS, 9-7 O/U


Preseason Results - Last Two Years


Dallas


2016 (1-3 SU, 2-2 ATS, 4-0 O/U)


Dallas (+5, 35.5) 24 at L.A. Rams 28
Dallas (PK, 41) 41 vs. Miami 14
Dallas (+5.5, 43.5) 17 at Seattle 27
Dallas (+3, 37) 17 vs. Houston 28


2015 (1-3 SU, 1-3 ATS, 0-3-1 O/U)


Dallas (+4, 37) 7 at San Diego 17
Dallas (+4, 40) 6 at San Francisco 23
Dallas (-2, 42) 14 vs. Minnesota 28
Dallas (+3, 39) 21 vs. Houston 14

Arizona


2016 (1-3 SU, 1-3 ATS, 3-1 O/U)


Arizona (-2.5, 37) 10 vs. Oakland 31
Arizona (PK, 40.5) 3 at San Diego 19
Arizona (PK, 41) 24 at Houston 34
Arizona (-4, 37.5) 38 vs. Denver 17


2015 (2-2 SU, 2-2 ATS, 4-0 O/U)


Arizona (PK, 36.5) 19 vs. Kansas City 34
Arizona (-3.5, 40) 19 vs. San Diego 22
Arizona (+1.5, 40) 30 at Oakland 23
Arizona (+5, 38) 22 at Denver 20


Hall of Fame Game History & Trends


Recent Trends:


-- Dallas has gone 2-3 in the HOF game, the last appearance coming in 2013 when it beat Miami (24-20).


-- Arizona is 2-2 in the HOF game, losing to New Orleans in 2012 (17-10) while the three other appearances came when the team played in St. Louis.


-- The last time two teams from the same conference met in the HOF game came back in 2012 when New Orleans defeated Arizona, 17-10.


-- The 'under' has hit in four of the past five HOF contests.


-- Four of the last six HOF games have been decided by four points or more.


HALL OF FAME GAME HISTORY (1962-2016)


Year Result


2016 PPD
2015 Minnesota 14 Pittsburgh 3
2014 N.Y. Giants 17 Buffalo 13
2013 Dallas 24 Miami 20
2012 New Orleans 17 Arizona 10
2011 PPD
2010 Dallas 16 Cincinnati 7
2009 Tennessee 21 Buffalo 18
2008 Washington 30 Indianapolis 16
2007 Pittsburgh 20 New Orleans 7
2006 Oakland 16 Philadelphia 10
2005 Chicago 27 Miami 24
2004 Washington 20 Denver 17
2003 Kansas City 9 Green Bay 0
2002 N.Y. Giants 34 Houston 17
2001 St. Louis 17 Miami 10
2000 New England 20 San Francisco 0
1999 Cleveland 20 Dallas 17
1998 Tampa Bay 30 Pittsburgh 6
1997 Minnesota 28 Seattle 26
1996 Indianapolis 10 New Orleans 3
1995 Carolina 20 Jacksonville 14
1994 Atlanta 21 San Diego 17
1993 L.A. Raiders 19 Green Bay 3
1992 N.Y. Jets 41 Philadelphia 14
1991 Detroit 14 Denver 3
1990 Chicago 13 Cleveland 0
1989 Washington 31 Buffalo 6
1988 Cincinnati 14 L.A. Rams 7
1987 San Francisco 20 Kansas City 7
1986 New England 21 St. Louis 16
1985 N.Y. Giants 21 Houston 20
1984 Seattle 38 Tampa Bay 0
1983 Pittsburgh 27 New Orleans 14
1982 Minnesota 30 Baltimore 14
1981 Cleveland 24 Atlanta 10
1980 San Diego 0 Green Bay 0
1979 Oakland 20 Dallas 13
1978 Philadelphia 17 Miami 3
1977 Chicago 20 N.Y. Jets 6
1976 Denver 10 Detroit 7
1975 Washington 17 Cincinnati 9
1974 St. Louis 21 Buffalo 13
1973 San Francisco 20 New England 7
1972 Kansas City 23 N.Y. Giants 17
1971 L.A. Rams 17 Houston 6
1970 New Orleans 14 Minnesota 13
1969 Green Bay 38 Atlanta 24
1968 Chicago 30 Dallas 24
1967 Philadelphia 28 Cleveland 13
1965 Washington 20 Detroit 3
1964 Baltimore 48 Pittsburgh 17
1963 Pittsburgh 16 Cleveland 7
1962 St. Louis 17 N.Y. Giants 17

HOF Series: Davis' NFL career was short but oh so sweet
August 2, 2017


DENVER (AP) In between the magnificence and the migraines, Terrell Davis' NFL voyage was bookended by two bone-crushing hits that came to define a career remembered as much for its brevity as its brilliance.


The first hit harkened his arrival, the second one his departure.


Davis was just another lost-in-the-shuffle rookie back in 1995 filled with doubts when the Denver Broncos traveled to Tokyo for an exhibition game against the San Francisco 49ers.


''Let's just say if I spoke better Japanese I wouldn't be here,'' said Davis, who contemplated quitting football right then and there. ''I'm telling you, I was this close to walking out of there because I looked at everything around me and I just had no shot of making the team. I was a sixth-round draft pick, I was seventh on the depth chart, I wasn't getting any reps in practice, I had my coach constantly on me. And it just didn't feel like there was any way of me making the team.''


He told himself he could put his degree in consumer economics from the University of Georgia to use instead as he pondered hailing a cab and catching his own flight home.


''Thank God I didn't,'' Davis said. ''And then I made the big hit.''


Summoned to cover a kickoff the next night, the rookie on nobody's radar burst downfield and delivered a savage hit on returner Tyrone Drakeford that left fellow Hall-of-Famer-to-be Shannon Sharpe marveling, ''Who was that?!''


That was the savior who would end the frustrations of a long-suffering franchise, city and larger-than-life quarterback who could never win the big game before Davis came along.


Davis is the only running back with back-to-back Super Bowl titles, an MVP trophy, a Super Bowl MVP honor, a 2,000-yard season and seven consecutive playoff wins in which he topped 100 yards rushing.


He accomplished all this despite playing just four full seasons and enduring migraine headaches like the one he suffered against Green Bay in Super Bowl 32 , when he scored three touchdowns after regaining his vision at halftime.


Davis shudders to think how close he came to frittering it all away.


''For anybody out there struggling, I try to tell them even if your situation seems dire, don't give up,'' said Davis. ''Just keep fighting, keep fighting, keep fighting. You never know.''


Sticking it out gave Davis football immortality. He'll be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next week.


''I'm thrilled for him,'' said John Elway, who called Davis ''the main reason why'' the Broncos won consecutive titles in the late 1990s that ended Denver's string of Super Bowl embarrassments.


Yet, Davis, the only running back other than Jim Brown to average more than 100 yards a game over his career, was long considered too much of a short-timer to be enshrined in Canton. He played only seven seasons and was never the same after blowing out his right knee on Oct. 3, 1999.


Davis was chasing down Jets safety Victor Green after an interception when teammate Matt Lepsis made a lunging tackle that also wiped out a trailing Davis.


''It was a wild play,'' Davis said. ''Wrong place, wrong time.''


Davis, who had averaged an astonishing 1,603 yards and 14 touchdowns over his first four years, missed the rest of that season and would play in just 13 more games and score two touchdowns over the final two years of his career.


Consider this, however, about the play that essentially ended his career: He easily could have saved his health and his chances of putting up more big seasons by pulling up and not chasing down Green.


But is that the hallmark of a Hall of Famer?


His career wasn't long, but as Elway said, ''other than the years he was hurt, he was great.''


Picking up first downs and safety blitzes. Taking pressure off the passer. And yes, chasing down defenders after an interception.


The Hall of Fame selection committee recognized those traits and rewarded him in spite of his truncated time in the league.


''I'm thrilled that they overcame the one thing that was keeping him out, and that was the length of his career,'' Elway said. ''Because, while he was playing, there was nobody better.''


Still, Davis thought his wait would last a little longer because LaDainian Tomlinson was up for election for the first time this year.


''And I said, `T.D., don't say that, because you deserve it,'' recounted Tomlinson, who shared ''the biggest hug'' with Davis after both were elected.


''It was good to see him get in because if he had played just two or three more years, he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer,'' Tomlinson said. ''Because he got hurt, he had to wait a little bit. But all of us players knew he was going to eventually get in. How dominant he was when he played the game, he just couldn't be denied.''

Thursday's Best Bet
August 3, 2017


Thursday NFL Best Bet
Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals


Tonight marks the unofficial start of NFL Football being back in the sports betting landscape as the 2017 NFL Hall of Fame game “hopefully” kicks off this evening. I say “hopefully” because last year's Hall of Fame game was cancelled due to poor field conditions thanks to congealing paint, but I'm sure 365 days later, the NFL has it sorted out this time.


This year's game will be only the 2nd time since 1997 that the Hall of Fame game doesn't feature an AFC team vs a NFC team, and oddly enough the other time it occurred was back in 2012 when the Arizona Cardinals were also involved (lost 17-10 to New Orleans). In the grand scheme of things that's really nothing more than an interesting anecdote, as their isn't a whole lot to take away from the teams playing in the first preseason game of the year.


You are going to see the starters for one or two series' at most (we aren't going to really see any starters from Arizona tonight) and the rest of the time it's guys at the bottom of the depth chart trying to impress the coaching staff enough to potentially earn a roster spot by the end of the month.


So on one hand, while countless NFL fans are through the moon excited that NFL football is finally back tonight, if you go into the Hall of Fame game expecting quality football you'll be greatly disappointed. Probably about 60% of the guys you see on the field won't even make the field come September, and as bettors it's important to not go crazy with unit sizes on these early preseason games.


BetDSI.eu Odds: Dallas (-1); Total set at 35


While handicapping the individual teams involved in the Hall of Fame game may be tough given there is no consistency in knowing who to expect on the field for each side, there are trends for the Hall of Fame game that can be a good starting point.


Before we get there though, Arizona has already stated that third string QB Blaine Gabbert will get the first half and rookie fourth string QB Trevor Knight will get the second half. Even with the minimal talent those guys may have at this level, knowing they are getting a full half of playing time has to give them some level of comfort, and Gabbert has been a starter for significant periods of time in this league before. With Dallas trotting out their four QB's from 1-4 on the depth chart for some time tonight, and the Cowboys never really caring about the preseason under HC Jason Garrett, I believe the edge right there has to go to the Cardinals.


Regarding trends specific to the Hall of Fame game, we typically see low scoring games and the 'under' has gone 4-1 the last five years it was played. However, just like this year's game features that odd anecdote of Arizona being involved in another NFC vs. NFC game here, that lone 'over' the past five years was the last time the Dallas Cowboys showed up to Canton, Ohio to play in this contest. Tonight's total has already seen significant support on the 'under' which is never a surprise in this game, but I'm actually looking to go the other way and here's why:


Preseason games are when journeymen QB's get to see their most action all year and they are out to prove they deserve a roster spot as a backup somewhere. I've already touched on Gabbert being involved tonight and you know he'd love to stick around on a 53-man roster, but Dallas has their own backup QB “battle” with Kellen Moore being tested by Luke McCown. Both of those guys (along with Gabbert for that matter) would love to put up some solid numbers tonight against shell-like defenses to help improve their standing within the organization.


Furthermore, after last year's game got cancelled, I think everyone involved in this year's game would prefer to give the fans a little action to cheer about and a few more points on the scoreboard then they usually see here. The entire situation was bungled from the NFL's perspective and in order to bring some of those slighted fans back this year, putting out a more entertaining game has to be the goal.


Maybe that's why they went with two teams from the same conference again (more familiarity), and you know bookmakers wouldn't mind seeing the scoreboard get lit up – relatively speaking – because they know there are plenty of NFL bettors out there that view the 'under' on the Hall of Fame game as basically free money.


I've got to believe that with this year's game setting up the way it is (year after cancelled game, QB's having more defined plan of playing time, NFC vs NFC) we see quite a few different things then what many have gotten used to in the Hall of Fame game.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


DAL at ARI 08:00 PM


ARI +2.0


U 34.5