IRVING, Texas – As the Cowboys focus on the offseason, training camp is still in sight.
Coming off two straight 8-8 seasons and three full years removed from the playoffs, the Cowboys have plenty of question marks surrounding the team as they prepare for the 2013 campaign.
As we count down to camp, each day the writers of DallasCowboys.com will take a different question concerning the roster.
With 73 days until the Cowboys take the field in Oxnard, Calif., it's time to take a look at the Hall of Fame game and Larry Allen's enshrinement:
73) What will will an extra preseason game mean for the Cowboys?
The last time the Cowboys played in a Hall of Fame game came in 2010, the same year Emmitt Smith was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
So it only makes sense that the Cowboys are back again in 2013, the same year the Cowboys' most storied No. 73, Larry Allen, is getting enshrined into the majestic Hall.
The last time the Cowboys played in the game, they beat the Bengals, 16-7. This time around the Cowboys will meet the Dolphins on Aug. 4, a day after Allen gets inducted. Allen, who's being presented by owner/general manager Jerry Jones, is part of a seven-member class that also includes former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells.
The Hall of Fame game gives the Cowboys an extra preseason game and allows the team to start camp early, reporting on July 19 in Oxnard, Calif. Last year, they didn't start until the end of July.
That extra week of practice could be a looked at a couple different ways. While some see the additional practice time and additional game as another chance for a Cowboys team that struggled with injuries last season to get hurt. The Cowboys view it as more time for the team to get adjusted in a season that will include a switch from the 3-4 to the 4-3, as well as a multitude of position competitions.
All the returning players who dealt with injuries last season should be ready to compete by the time camp rolls around.
Sticking with our numerical journey to training camp, let's take a closer look at the number 73:
- Allen may be the most revered No. 73 in team history, but he's not the only one who put together a solid career. Offensive tackle Ralph Neely played 13 seasons and 172 games with the Cowboys, while defensive lineman Danny Noonan played six seasons with the team.
- The 1973 NFL Draft brought tight end Billy Joe Dupree, wide receiver Golden Richards and defensive end Harvey Martin to the Cowboys in the first three rounds. Martin still holds the Cowboys' record for sacks with 114, while Dupree made three straight Pro Bowls and Richards started for four years.
- The Cowboys' organization recorded its 100th career victory in 1973 with a 40-3 win at Texas Stadium against the Saints. That same season marked eight straight playoff appearances for the Cowboys, who broke their own NFL record for consecutive appearances. They won the NFC East title that season with a 10-4 record. [embedded_ad]
- Cowboys' opponents scored just 23 touchdowns in 1973, tying for the lowest allowed in team history. However, they did only play 14 regular season games.
- Felix Jones holds the Cowboys' longest run from scrimmage in a playoff game, scoring a 73-yard touchdown against Philadelphia in January 2010.
