The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars would like to think that today's Hall of Fame Game will do more than prove which team is the best of the worst in the NFL.
"We will have a lot of guys playing together for the first time, but we want to be sharp and professional," Carolina coach Dom Capers said. "This is another step in the evolution of our team, and we want it to be positive."Because it is played within a week or two of the opening of training camps, the Hall of Fame Game is typically the sloppiest of the preseason. But it has generated an unusual amount of interest this year because it features the league's two newest franchises.
It marks the first time two expansion teams have faced each other the first time out. Jacksonville and Carolina will not meet during the regular season.
That means bragging rights between the two teams will be settled, for now, by a game that is hardly a reliable indication of what lies ahead.
"We've got to go out and try to establish that we're not just another new franchise," Panthers safety Bubba McDowell said.
Free agency, coupled with the expansion draft and the college draft, gave the two teams an opportunity to build rosters that include plenty of recognizable names.
The Panthers, for instance, traded to get Pittsburgh running back Barry Foster and will also have former Buffalo quarterback Frank Reich, receiver Don Beebe and tight end Pete Metzelaars on offense. Reich will quarterback the first half Saturday, with first-round pick Kerry Collins handling the third quarter and veteran Jack Trudeau the fourth.
The Carolina defense includes linebacker Sam Mills and cornerback Tim McKyer.
Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin will start Steve Beuerlein at quarterback, with backups Mark Brunell, Andre Ware and rookie Rob Johnson likely to see action later in the game. Among their targets will be Ernest Givins and former Heisman Trophy-winner Desmond Howard.
Missing from the Jacksonville offense will be top pick Tony Boselli, the lineman from Southern California who will be out at least another month because of a sprained knee.
"I don't think you'll see anything real complex from an offensive and defensive standpoint," Coughlin said. "But what you will see is a number of people participating to give us an opportunity to evaluate people pounding on different people."
Both Coughlin and Capers tried to downplay the significance of the game, other than its value as a tool that will help them appraise their players.
"We're more concerned about the Panthers right now than we are the Jaguars," Capers said. "When you don't know much about your opponent, it forces you to concentrate on yourselves. You want to make sure you keep it basic and execute your scheme, make sure you've got everything right on your end."
Even so, the players understand that the game represents an important milestone for fans back home in Jacksonville and Charlotte. A record crowd of about 24,725 is expected at Fawcett Stadium adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where the inductions of Jim Finks, Henry Jordan, Steve Largent, Lee Roy Selmon and Kellen Winslow will be celebrated earlier in the day.
"The thing that makes it important is it's two expansion teams," Jacksonville center Dave Widell said. "If it were the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals, this game wouldn't have such historical importance."