The guys are back to preview the Baltimore Ravens’ first preseason game of 2018 against the Chicago Bears with Bears Wire managing editor Lorin Cox. Since it’s the Hall of Fame Game, Matt and Chibs talk Ray Lewis and what other current players are deserving of a bust in Canton. We also break down the hottest news of the week, which includes the Ravens being oddsmaker’s favorite to sign former Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant. It’s a packed episode and everything you need to listen to before watching the Ravens beat up the Bears. If you like what we do and what access to some exclusive content, like the post show, contribute on Patreon and help us help you.<doc-sep>Bears-Ravens open NFL preseason in Hall of Fame game FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2012, file photo, Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher chases a play against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half of an NFL football game in San Francisco. Urlacher will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) CANTON, Ohio (AP) -- Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, two of the NFL's greatest linebackers, enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week. When their teams meet in Thursday night's preseason opener, the game could very well honor them by being a defensive battle. On one hand, the Chicago Bears are installing a new offense under first-year coach Matt Nagy. On the other side, few if any of the Baltimore Ravens' starters at the offensive skill positions are likely to get much action. So if this winds up 10-9 or something similar, well, the smiles on the faces of Lewis and Urlacher might get a bit broader. Nagy has a second-year quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, who will be taking his first major steps running the new scheme Nagy brought from Kansas City. He seems unconcerned that the second overall pick in the 2017 draft will be overmatched - even though Trubisky has been an interception machine in practices. ''Our guys have picked up everything that we've asked them to do,'' Nagy said. ''There have been mistakes, but they're way ahead of the learning curve. So that's exciting and it tells me that once we get to the regular season we can do more than I initially thought. But we will be growing throughout the season.'' And the preseason. As for the Ravens, don't look for Joe Flacco in this one. The Hall of Fame game is an extra exhibition outing for the participants, and provides an opportunity for Baltimore coach John Harbaugh and his staff to look at first-round draft pick Lamar Jackson and veteran Robert Griffin III , who is attempting a comeback after not playing last year. ''We have that set,'' Harbaugh said of the QB plans for Thursday night. ''I never really talk about that. We just go do it. But we have the quarterback rotation set, and then we'll organize the rest of it ... There'll be some guys who won't play in that game, probably you might guess the guys who haven't practiced as much that first week.'' Story continues Some other things to watch in the Hall of Fame game: A FIFTH GAME The extra preseason contest usually gives low draftees, non-draftees and guys trying to catch on an additional chance to show their stuff. This isn't much different from the final exhibition game, when starters generally sit and others get a last chance to make a roster. ''When you have that extra game, the benefit is it gives you more reps for your players,'' Nagy said. ''The negative is there's health risks, right? So people can get hurt. There's a fine balance of both of those and being able to understand which way you want to go, and right now I feel like our plan as a coaching staff for who we want to play and don't want to play, I feel really good about it.'' O-LINE QUESTIONS Both teams have to find answers regarding their blockers. Baltimore has one of the best in the league in right guard Marshal Yanda, but he's coming off an injury-ravaged 2017 in which he made it into two games. ''That's why they call it training camp,'' Ravens OL coach Joe D'Alessandris said. ''You have an idea of who are going to be your so-called projected players and starters, but that could change overnight. The same thing could happen during the season.'' Considering how stationary Flacco can be, Baltimore needs to solve the offensive line issues quickly if he is its starter. Trubisky at least can move around, and there's no question he will be the Bears' first-stringer. Guard Kyle Long's assortment of health issues doesn't help in the quest to solidify the line. HOMECOMING This is sort of a homecoming for Trubisky. He played at North Carolina but is from this area (Mentor, Ohio). ''I'm excited. The Hall of Fame game is a great opportunity for this team, and it's a unique place to place,'' he said. ''Just going back to the Hall of Fame, I'll have some family coming to the game. It'll be great to see some family, and it's an exciting time for this team.'' NATIONAL ANTHEM With the NFL's new policy on protocol during the national anthem in limbo as both the league and union discuss it, nothing really has changed from last season. Demonstrations by the players aimed toward awareness of social injustice could occur Thursday night. BETTING LINE With legal betting on NFL games in some states, there actually is a line on this game: Baltimore by 2+ points. How the oddsmakers got there is anyone's guess considering there are 90 players on each roster and many of them will get on the field. --- AP Sports Writer David Ginsburg and freelance writer Gene Chamberlain contributed to this report. --- For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL<doc-sep>A reserve role for Jackson wouldn’t inconvenience his development. He could see more reps Thursday than Griffin or Woodrum, and how long he plays might not even matter as much as whom he plays against. Say he enters the game early in the second quarter and plays through the third. Depending on the Bears’ substitution patterns, Jackson could see a mix of first-, second- and third-string talent, all trying to execute a defense that should be about as exotic as, well, Northeast Ohio. To be sure, there are steeper learning curves in professional football.<doc-sep>The Chicago Bears return to live football action Thursday in the Hall of Fame Game, but Matt Nagy won’t be utilzing his full arsenal in this extra exhibition contest. Many starters are expected to sit out, including Mitchell Trubisky, Jordan Howard and Allen Robinson, among others. While that’s disappointing for the fans, it does provide a great opportunity for backups to get extra work and improve their standing on the team. The Bears have some key reserves in line for bigger roles in this first preseason game, which gives us plenty to watch for. Here are five players with something to prove when they take on the Baltimore Ravens. Kevin White With so much change in the Bears’ offense, the one thing that really stayed the same was Kevin White. Healthy once again, he’s hoping his fourth preseason can be the one that puts it all together, and that process starts with a strong showing in the Hall of Fame Game. White has been getting plenty of work in at training camp, seeing a lot of targets while rotating with the starters and backups. So far, he’s been on the right track, but now it’s time for him to translate it into live game action and prove all of his doubters wrong.<doc-sep>
Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, two of the NFL’s greatest linebackers, enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week. When their teams meet in Thursday night’s preseason opener at Canton, Ohio, the game could very well honor them by being a defensive battle. On one hand, the Chicago Bears are installing a new offense under first-year coach Matt Nagy. On the other side, few if any of the Baltimore Ravens’ starters at the offensive skill positions are likely to get much action. So if this winds up 10-9 or something similar, well, the smiles on the faces of Lewis and Urlacher might get a bit broader. Nagy has a second-year quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, who will be taking his first major steps running the new scheme Nagy brought from Kansas City. As for the Ravens, don’t look for Joe Flacco in this one. The Hall of Fame game is an extra exhibition outing for the participants, and provides an opportunity for Baltimore coach John Harbaugh and his staff to look at first-round draft pick Lamar Jackson and veteran Robert Griffin III, who is attempting a comeback after not playing last year. Cowboys’ Gregory is activated The Dallas Cowboys have activated defensive end Randy Gregory off the non-football injury list after a year away from football on a substance-abuse suspension. Gregory has played in just two of the last 32 regular-season games because of multiple suspensions. Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated him not long before the Cowboys reported to training camp in California. The 25-year-old was banned for the first four games of 2016 before a 10-game suspension was announced while he served the first penalty. Gregory was suspended indefinitely after getting his first career sack in the final game of the 2016 regular season. Early retirement Jack Mewhort kept trying to play through knee pain. Eventually, the 26-year-old offensive lineman simply couldn’t any more. After the Indianapolis Colts gave him a second chance last spring, Mewhort abruptly announced he was retiring Wednesday. Mewhort came to Indianapolis as a second-round draft pick in 2014, billed as part of the long-term solution to protecting quarterback Andrew Luck. The devastating knee injuries began in 2016. He missed six of the last 10 games that season and all but five games in 2017, finishing both seasons on injured reserve. Even when he did play, he was rarely at full strength. Wentz takes it slow Carson Wentz is trusting the process. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback didn’t participate in 11-on-11 drills for the third straight practice for precautionary reasons after taking part the first three days. Coach Doug Pederson emphasized that Wentz hasn’t suffered any setbacks. He said he’s encouraged by Wentz’s recovery from surgery to repair a torn left ACL last December. Wentz again was on the field for the seven-on-seven portion of practice. Saints’ additions Veteran receivers Brandon Tate and Michael Floyd joined practice at New Orleans Saints training camp bolstering a receiver corps thinned by injuries and adding to the mix of players competing in the return game. New Orleans also has activated veteran tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, who began training camp on the physically unable to perform list.