The NFL lockout seems to be just hours away from officially ending considering the owners have all agreed to the newest Collective Bargaining Agreement. If the players also agree on the new agreement when they vote later Thursday evening, the NFL will be back to normal within the next week.
One thing that won't happen, according to commissioner Roger Goodell, is the Chicago Bears first scheduled preseason game against the St. Louis Rams.
The game, dubbed the Hall of Fame game because it's played in Canton, Ohio, was originally scheduled to be played on August 7. That date is barely two weeks away, though, forcing this cancellation despite the Bears earlier indicating that the team would be ready whenever the lockout ended.
The Hall of Fame game, of course, is named as such because it's played at the site of Pro Football Hall of Fame during the weekend of the annual induction ceremony. The ceremony will still happen despite the game not being played, of course, but Bears fans will be missing out a bit considering Richard Dent is one of the six being enshrined into the 2011 class.
Regardless, football is (almost) back, baby!