Hall-of-Fame Game heralds return of football season

Football returned Sunday night with the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, and it couldn't have been played soon enough.

The game, which ended in a 14-3 Minnesota Vikings win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, didn't count, but it ushered in another season already brimming with questions waiting to be answered on the field.

Adrian Peterson is set to return this season, but did not play Sunday. The Vikings' running back appeared in just one game last year before he was suspended by the National Football League.

The Hall-of-Fame Game obviously coincides with the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame class' enshrinement in Canton.

The class included linebacker Junior Seau — who was enshrined posthumously after a speech by his daughter Sydney — linebacker Charles Haley, guard Will Shields, receiver Tim Brown, center Mick Tingelhoff and running back Jerome Bettis. Ron Wolf and Bill Polian were also inducted.

Wolf traded to bring Brett Favre to Green Bay, and Polian drafted Peyton Manning, two of the men's many accomplishments in the NFL.

The ceremony proved a joyous one for inductees, though sadness lingered because of Seau's absence.

Fellow Hall of Famer Frank Gifford died Sunday before the Vikings' victory.

Gifford played at many positions for the New York Giants, and was also a broadcaster on "ABC's Monday Night Football."

The game was the first on the NFL preseason slate, and heralded the return of football in America after a long offseason.

Though far from Canton, there are plenty of interesting gridiron story lines right here in Alabama.

The sun set on the Larry Blakeney era at Troy last year, and a new day has dawned with new coach Neal Brown's arrival on campus.

The Trojans are adjusting to Brown's system, which worked wonderfully from 2006-09 when Brown was the team's offensive coordinator and Troy won four Sun Belt Conference titles.

The Trojans were 10th in the conference in total offense last season, a ranking Brown will surely look to improve upon this year.

Troy is also working to improve its defense, which finished eighth totally in the Sun Belt last year.

The addition of new defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, who also spent the 2003-04 seasons as Troy's defensive coordinator, could point toward good things on that side of the ball.

At Alabama, which appeared in the first College Football Playoff and lost to eventual national champion Ohio State, one of the biggest question seems to revolve around who will call the Crimson Tide's signals. Transfer Jake Coker, who spent last season as Blake Sims' backup after he transferred to Alabama from Florida State, will have to win the job from a stable of talented young quarterbacks waiting in the wings.

The Tide will also have to replace Amari Cooper and several other key contributors as it looks to repeat as a playoff team.

Auburn has been abuzz with the return of Will Muschamp as its defensive coordinator.

Muschamp's physical defenses, of which the Tigers are familiar with from his past stint on the Plains, will look to improve.

The Auburn offense has plenty to be excited about with Jeremy Johnson, who will probably take the reins at quarterback.

The Tigers are aiming for a playoff berth and beyond this year, but face a schedule with road games in key conference match ups with LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M.

In the high school ranks, the Daleville Warhawks are also looking to make a playoff run.

They return more than enough talent to do it, and they are currently working hard to make it happen.

With a potent defense and an offense which will look to score points in new ways this year, Daleville should be an interesting team to watch this season.

In spite of the many questions left to answer once toe meets leather on the season, last weekend heralded the unquestionable return of football and I can't wait.