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Our long wait is over: Buffalo Bills football is back tonight. Sure, it's just the 2014 preseason opener, and the first of five exhibition contests, but the fact that it's a nationally televised game, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, against the New York Giants helps ramp the excitement up a bit.
It's our first opportunity to catch a glimpse of the new-look Bills, with EJ Manuel hoping to take another step at quarterback surrounded by a deeper stable of running backs and receivers, and a big-play defense adjusting to a new system installed by coordinator Jim Schwartz. Plenty of questions abound, and the answers will start rolling in when the game kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Five Bills will not be suiting up for this contest: wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, tight ends Scott Chandler and Tony Moeaki, and projected starting cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin.
This is your open thread for the first half of tonight's Hall of Fame Game, which could feature Bills starters on the field for up to a full quarter. We'll have a halftime update in a second half open thread, plus a game recap, as the night unfolds. Enjoy the Bills' 2014 season opener, folks!