The Pro Football Hall of Fame will issue refunds to ticket buyers who went home from the NFL’s annual preseason kickoff without watching any football.
The competitors for roster spots with the Colts and the Packers won’t get the game back, though.
“I can tell you this: Every one of those young players are upset,” Buffalo Bills Coach Rex Ryan said.
After Brett Favre stole the show with a humorous, insightful and moving speech during the induction ceremony for his class on Saturday, the talk of league turned the next night to the field. That’s because part of it was congealed, rendering the field unplayable.
The traditional exhibition in Canton, Ohio, an extra preseason contest for each team and source of local pride, was canceled when NFL and team officials deemed the turf unsafe due to hardened paint and loosened rubber pellets.
Neither the Colts nor the Packers were available for comment on Monday, but both coaches expressed disappointment on Sunday night about the lost opportunity to evaluate, even though four more games remain before the regular season.
These exhibitions often become yawners for fans, with most starters standing on the sideline, but they’re serious business for the undrafted and unproven guys trying to make an impression.
“Nothing is guaranteed in this league. Those types of games, you don’t want to miss reps, especially in game-type situations,” said New York Giants safety Cooper Taylor, himself a roster-bubble player.
BROWNS: Despite spending an entire season on Washington’s bench, Robert Griffin III never doubted he’d be a starter again.
His belief became reality Monday, when Coach Hue Jackson said “it’s time” to give Griffin the opportunity to lead the Cleveland Browns on the field.
“As long as you don’t give up and you keep working, you’ll get another opportunity,” Griffin said.
BRONCOS: Aqib Talib made his training camp debut with a warm welcome from his teammates and the fans on hand.
The cornerback was limited in practice but not in enthusiasm after missing the first 10 days of training camp while he recovered from a gunshot wound to his right leg suffered at a Dallas bar on June 5.
• The defending Super Bowl champions released their first depth chart and there’s still little clarification on who will be the Broncos’ starting quarterback in 2016.
JAGUARS: Jacksonville receiver Marqise Lee hopes to play in the team’s preseason opener despite missing most of training camp.
Lee fully practiced Monday for the first time since straining his left hamstring during the opening day of camp.
FALCONS: Veteran wide receiver Lance Moore retired, telling Atlanta his heart wasn’t in it only three days after signing with the team as a free agent.
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