NFL Hall of Fame Game 2014 preview: Bills vs. Giants start preseason play

The NFL is finally here ... sort of. The first preseason game of the 2014 season will be held on Sunday, with the Buffalo Bills taking on the New York Giants in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The annual event kicks off the season and coincides with the Hall of Fame ceremony.

Bills blog: Buffalo Rumblings / Follow Buffalo Rumblings on Twitter

Giants blog: Big Blue View / Follow Big Blue View on Twitter

This year, one of each team's all-time greats will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Michael Strahan, who set the NFL's single-season record for sacks in 2001, will be inducted as a New York Giant, while Andre Reed was a seven-time Pro Bowler for the Buffalo Bills during the 1980s and 1990s. Former Bill Jim Kelly will also be officiating the coin toss.

This will be the Bills' fourth Hall of Fame Game. They last participated in 2009, a 21-18 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The Giants will be playing in their fifth Hall of Fame Game, with their last appearance coming in a 34-17 win in 2002 over the Houston Texans. The Giants also played in the inaugural Hall of Fame Game in 1962, tying the St. Louis Cardinals 21-21. Let's take a look at this year's version of the game.

The Giants are missing a lot of players. Running back David Wilson and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the team's first pick in this year's NFL Draft, are both out. A host of other players missed Thursday's practice, including Mike Patterson, John Jerry, Spencer Paysinger, Spencer Adkins, Trindon Holliday and Travis Howard, while others left early.

The Giants are looking for a bounce-back season this year after a miserable 7-9 campaign that began with a six-game losing streak. Eli Manning had arguably his worst season since becoming a full-time starter in 2005, finishing with 18 touchdowns, 27 interceptions and a 57.5 percent completion percentage. Although the defense improved from 2012, the offense was the third-least efficient in the league last year, according to Football Outsiders. Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was brought in to revamp the entire offense, so it will be interesting to watch the changes on the field.

Over the past few years, the Bills have been overhauling their offense as part of a long rebuilding process. On Sunday, fans will get to see the newest potential star: wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who can do things like this. He joins C.J. Spiller and EJ Manuel to form a former-ACC all-star team on offense, which may finally give Buffalo the tools it needs to be successful in the AFC East.

Still, there are parts of the offense that need some work. We'll get a live look at how the offensive line competition is going, and whether it has made any improvement after being, as Buffalo Rumblings describes it, "roundly abused" by the Bills' star-filled defensive line. This will also be a chance for fans to see that star-filled Buffalo defense, and how the Bills linebackers look without injured star Kiko Alonso, who tore his ACL in the offseason.

Enshrinement comes a year later than it should have for the gap-toothed former New York Giants great, who missed out in his first year on the ballot. It is, however, an honor that is richly deserved for Strahan, probably the second-best defensive player in Giants history behind Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.

Even a 7-year-old could recognize Reed's greatness. His first touchdown against Houston in the comeback game infernal ear infection — which I watched vertically, with Reed gracefully backpedaling into the end zone from the top of my field of vision to the bottom thanks to that infernal ear infection — is my earliest, most vivid memory of Bills football as something more than a way to hang out with Dad.

The Bills next play at the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8. The Giants' next game will be at home on Aug. 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.