Hall of Fame Game Countdown: 27 Days

Aug 4, 2013; Canton, OH, USA; General view of fireworks during the playing of the national anthem before the 2013 Hall of Fame Game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Football Giants will be taking on the Buffalo Bills in Canton, Ohio on the eve of August 3rd. It’s a Hall of Fame style preseason game for both teams, giving each a fifth match-up before the regular season kicks off.

So is it an advantage/disadvantage having the extra reps in today’s NFL?

For the Giants, it’s a situation that will allow them extra opportunities to really dig through their roster to expose a potential gem, while also giving the Jints extra time to install their new offense under the guidance of first year OC, Ben McAdoo.

At the same time, just like every NFL team, the Bills and the Giants will have to be extra weary about injuries to one of their main starters or vital depth. The team must rely heavily on this group:

"STRENGTH AND CONDITIONINGJerry Palmieri Strength and ConditioningMarkus Paul Assistant Strength and ConditioningJoe Danos Strength and Conditioning Assistant"

Those men need to help make sure the roster is in optimal playing shape and physical condition to play five game before the season even starts.

Currently, the NY Giants have 27 days until the HOF game kicks off. That’s plenty of time for team BLUE to buy into their S & C plan.

Keeping with our Hall of Fame Countdown theme… we’d like to remind fans of a stout number #27 in Giants History, Mr. Rodney Hampton.

Hampton was a first found pick out of the University of Georgia the year the Giants won the Super Bowl in 1990. Don’t remember Rodney Hampton? Stop by Giants.com and watch their fantastic series titled, Giants Chronicles: Rodney Hampton:

Bob Papa chats with Rodney Hampton to talk about his great career with Big Blue!

Having six straight thousand yard seasons, Rodney Hampton was one of the old-school favorite running backs in video games like Madden. Hampton ended up with 8,206 yards and 51 TD’s in his career. When you watch that video, you can see the power running success he had with the Giants and listen to Hampton’s take on his playing days. Excellent stuff.

While Rodney Hampton was a success as a first round pick, a decade later the Giants drafted another 27, Ron Dayne, from the University of Wisconsin. They again reached Super Bowl heights, this time losing to the Baltimore Ravens 34-7.

Ron Dayne started out his career as the thunder to Tiki Barber‘s lighting, but he never developed into the monster back that tore through college defenses in the late 1990’s.

In 2005, the Giants went with yet another 27 — Brandon Jacobs from the University of Southern Illinois in the fourth round. Brandon Jacobs struggled in his final NFL years, but it’s hard to argue with his 5.0 YPC average in 2007-2008, or his 64 TD’s. Jacobs retired from football in January:

"“I’ve had an amazing run and I appreciate all of the support from the fans through the good and the bad,” Jacobs said in a statement. “The New York Giants are a great organization and I am proud to have been a part of it for so long.”"

Who’s the best overall number 27?

With all due respect to the other candidates, GMEN HQ will have to give the nod to Rodney Hampton . There are 27 days until the HOF game, so we’ll rightfully send you off with this Rodney Hampton moment:

Credit: Giants.com

Is it football season yet?