[SBRforum Staff]

Hall Of Fame Preview
By Ben Burns

www.BenBurnsConsulting.com

The 2006 preseason kicks off this Sunday, at Canton, with a pair of recent Super Bowl runner-ups looking to return to their former winning ways.

The Eagles are currently favored by a field goal over the Raiders with the 'total' sitting at 36 1/2.

With Reggie White and John Madden participating in Saturday's Hall of Fame Enshrinement ceremony, perhaps its fitting that Philadelphia and Oakland will be the teams which get the ball rolling. Coincidentally, Madden (and Al Michaels) will be making his NBC debut for Sunday's telecast.

A recap of recent Hall of Fame matchups, followed by a closer look at this year's participants appears below.

Hall of Fame History

The 2005 preseason began at Tokyo, with Atlanta knocking off Indianapolis by a 27-21 score. That was followed by an exciting Hall of Fame game between Chicago and Miami. The Bears rallied for a 27-24 victory in that contest, tallying 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Not surprisingly, last year's game finished well 'over' the number. However, the Hall of Fame classic has historically been relatively low scoring. Since 1962, over a span of 43 games, the Hall of Fame game has averaged only 32.7 points.

One may recall that the 2004 matchup, featuring Denver and Washington, was also closely contested. As was the case in 2005, the outcome wasn't decided until the final moments of a wild fourth quarter. Joe Gibbs' Redskins won 20-17 by hitting a 39-yard field goal at the gun. It marked a successful return to pro football for Gibbs, after a 12-year hiatus.

All four other Hall of Fame games, which were played during this millennium, were decided by a minimum of a touchdown.

The Eagles haven't played in the Hall of Fame game since 1992. They were crushed 41-14 by the Jets in that contest. Looking back further and we find that the Eagles defeated the Dolphins 17-3 in 1978 and that they also bested the Browns, 28-13, in 1967.

The Raiders, then playing in Los Angeles, pounded the Packers 19-3 in 1993. The Oakland Raiders were also victorious in their lone Hall of Fame appearance, defeating Dallas 20-13 in 1979.

Oakland

The Raiders haven't been the same team since they were smashed by the Bucs in Super Bowl XXXVII. In fact, they have compiled an awful 13-35 record since then! Bill Callahan, the coach that directed them to the Super Bowl, is long gone. Callahan's replacement, Norv Turner, is also now history.

Art Shell, a former Raider player and coach, has been brought back to restore order. Shell was elected into the Hall of Fame from his fine 15-year career with the Raiders as a tackle. In 1989, Shell became the first African-American head coach of the modern era. Despite leading the Silver and Black to three playoff appearances in five years, and going 54-38 overall, Shell was fired after the 1994 season.

In addition to having a new head coach, the 2006 Raiders will also have a new quarterback. Kerry Collins has been released and replaced by former Saint, Aaron Brooks. Nobody has ever questioned Brooks' talent or athleticism. However, his career in New Orleans was marked with inconsistency.

With offensive stars like Randy Moss and Lamont Jordan around him, Brooks will have plenty of weapons at his disposal.

Philadelphia

Like the Raiders, the Eagles came crashing down to earth after their Super Bowl appearance. After being the top team in the conference in 2004, Philadelphia dropped all the way to 6-10 and the basement of the NFC East last year.

Terrell Owens is gone. Naturally, McNabb and the Eagles insist that this is a case of addition by subtraction. The Eagles proved vulnerable last season when McNabb went down to injury. In an attempt to address that issue, veteran Jeff Garcia, TO's other former quarterback, has been brought in to backup McNabb.

The Eagles have a number of new faces, both via free-agency and via the draft. Most of the offseason moves focused on upgrading a defense that ranked 26th in points allowed and which registered only 29 sacks. Philadelphia should be more aggressive in 2006 with the free-agent signing of veteran defensive end Darren Howard and the addition of defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley, the 14th selection in this year's draft.

Preseason Records

The Eagles were 2-2 'straight-up' and 2-2 'against the spread' last preseason. Since 2001 they are 8-11 SU and 9-10 ATS, including a 3-6 ATS mark when favored.

The Raiders were 1-3 SU and ATS last preseason. Since 2001 they are 10-11 SU and an ugly 7-14 ATS. Under Art Shell (1990-94) the Raiders were 15-9 SU and 12-11-1 ATS in 24 preseason contests.