I know all the reasons why I shouldn’t care about the NFL Hall of Fame game tonight between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys.

- I know that by the time week one of the regular season comes around the outcome of the game won’t matter and it will probably take most Cincy and Dallas fans a little while to remember if their team actually won or lost the Hall of Fame game.

- I know that by the time the second quarter starts that rather than seeing Carson Palmer throw passes to T.O. and Ochocinco, I will be watching backup J.T. O’Sullivan throw balls to Quan Cosby and rookie Dezmon Briscoe.

- I know that NBC play by play announcers Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth will spend more time talking about the newly inducted NFL Hall of Fame members then they will spend talking about the actual game.

- I know that Marvin Lewis and Wade Phillips are just trying to get through this and their other preseason contests without getting their starters injured and hoping that some of their players farther down the depth chart will show them something worth getting excited about.

Still, all of those reasons why this game is not important have done nothing to temper my enthusiasm for the 8 o clock start time in Canton, Ohio tonight. For the Cowboys, Bengals, and twenty nine other teams around the league this game marks the beginning of a new season and a chance for redemption for everyone in the league not named the New Orleans Saints. There may not be two teams in the league that are more desperate to start anew after disappointing ends to the season last year than the Cowboys and the Bengals.

The end of the Bengals 2009 campaign draws many comparisons to the way 2005 ended for the Orange and Black. In both seasons the Bengals locked up the AFC-North championship and thus clinched a playoff spot. Unfortunately for Cincinnati fans, before postseason excitement could hit a fever pitch the Bengals were bounced from the playoffs during the Wild Card round. In 05’ the Bengals were tossed by their hated division rivals and the eventual 2005 Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Once again in 09’ a sold out crowd at Paul Brown Stadium drove home disgusted after Head Coach Rex Ryan, quarterback Mark Sanchez, and the upstart New York Jets beat Cincy for the second straight week. That is right; the Jets demolished the Bengals 37-0 to get into the playoffs and then followed up that performance by beating the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium 24-14 in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Cowboys 2009 playoff run lasted a little bit longer than Cincinnati’s but it ended with a much bigger thud. Dallas beat the Eagles for a third straight time in the wild card round, the win gave Dallas their first playoff victory since 1996. That momentum from the wild card victory would be short lived for Cowboy fans though. The next stop on Dallas’ playoff march was a game against Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, and the 2nd seeded Minnesota Vikings. This game was never really in question after the 1st quarter as Favre and the Viking pounded the Cowboys 34-3.

The sting from those postseason losses can finally be put to bed because in less than 12 hours a new season begins for all 32 NFL franchises. While Saints fans are still partying on Bourbon Street over their Super Bowl victory over Indianapolis, everyone else can dream of their team winning the Lombardi trophy in January. It doesn’t matter whether you are a fan of the New England Patriots or Oakland Raiders everyone has Super Bowl dreams right about now. That is why the Hall of Fame game is so exciting. It signals the beginning of a new season and the chance to get redemption for past shortcomings. There may not be two other teams in the league that need a new start and a chance at redemption more than Cincinnati and Dallas.

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