5 Steelers to pay close attention to during the Hall of Fame Game

The Pittsburgh Steelers start their pre-season schedule under the lights in Canton, Ohio with some players to keep an eye on. 

The Hall of Fame Game will take place between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. It is always a sloppy game that finds both teams getting their first real taste of football in a stadium atmosphere. Normally starters do not participate in this game as the coaches wish to keep their reps for a later date.

This game is where players fighting for lesser roles and roster spots get a big chunk of snaps. They can show what they can do on a football field and garner some in-game experience for those players that currently lack that. Many rookies will be playing and it is always fun to watch them put on that uniform for the first time in this storied tradition of the NFL Hall of Fame weekend festivities.

Steelers Center Kendrick Green

Kendrick Green is going to be the starting center for the Steelers when the regular season begins, barring injury or massive setback in production. He has a mean streak and some nice talent to work with as a rookie coming out of Illinois. This player has giant shoes to fill after Maurkice Pouncey retired this past offseason.

It will be nice to see him in actual game action and see what he can do. He has had a decent training camp thus far but snapping the ball has been inconsistent at times. Seeing his continued growth in that department is going to be huge going forward. Seeing how Green reacts to playing under the lights and snapping the football will be a nice test for him. This is a player to keep a close eye on in this game and the entire pre-season.