The preseason finally began this past Sunday as it has been for years now with the annual Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. It finished with the Dallas Cowboys beating the Cincinnati Bengals 16-7. As usual, it was nothing short of a bore fest. Only the first thirty minutes were at least somewhat entertaining with Al Michaels announcing this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame class and the projected starters for both teams playing two or three possessions. The next two and a half hours or so were just filled with second stringers, third stringers, rookies, scrubs, rookie scrubs and guys who won't make the team by month's end while NBC distracted the remaining viewers from this bore fest by interviewing the new Hall of Famers.
In a way, you can use this to describe EVERY preseason game. And yet, the Hall of Fame game is still one of my favorite times of the year as a fan of the NFL and football itself. Why you ask? Simple, because actual NFL football is back. To me, it makes up for every negative side of the preseason (like the fact that it's a worthless game for everyone except for the coaches trying to make up the 53 man roster this upcoming September, played mostly by people who won't start this season and that it does more harm to the teams with the injuries it causes than it helps them)
It's the reason why nearly ten million people tuned in to watch the Hall of Fame game. It's the reason hundreds flock to training camps of their favorite team. For nearly six months since Commissioner Roger Goodell handed the Vince Lombardi trophy to Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints after Super Bowl XLIV, there hasn't been a single NFL game with the Arena Football League and the Canadian Football League as boring distractions (though I do give thanks to the CFL for their great TD celebrations to come out of their the last five seasons, like this one and this one). But this Sunday was different. This Sunday the NFL was back with a game. Yes, it was a preseason game, but it was an NFL game nonetheless, with the team logos and everything.
The other glass half-full thing about the NFL preseason is that this is the first time you get to things things like old faces in new places and a preview of some of the biggest storylines to come when the real show starts on September 9th. So to wrap this pretty pointless post , here are ten things that I will be most looking forward to when watching highlights and the occasional live games during the next four weeks (in no particular order):
1. Brett Favre
August, such a simple time. It's the hottest month of the whole year in the Northern Hemisphere, the dogdays of the baseball season, the beginning of the school years for most students and, for the third year in a row, the third year in a row in which an NFC North team is held hostage by good ole' #4 Brett Favre. For the second year in a row now, it's none other than the Minnesota Vikings, a team desperate to have Favre on their team that they would actually make him the highest player in the league in order to not have Tavaris Jackson start for them. A week ago, it was reported that Favre texted his teammates that he was done, only to have Favre himself shut that rumor up the next day.
So now we are basically in the same position we were the same time last season and ever since the Vikings lost in last season's epic NFC Championship Game: Is Favre gonna come back or not? Will his ankle be healthy enough for him to play? Most of America thinks that he will announce his return to the league by week 3 of the preseason (just like last year), but you really never know at this point.
2. HBO's "Hard Knocks" with the New York Jets
I saw last night's episode, and boy was it great! It was entertaining, the language was crude (no wonder it was rated TV-MA L) and coach Rex Ryan was as awesome as I thought he would be. He was foul mouthed, he was honest, he was great giving speeches to his team...basically he was just like the epic Rex Ryan character created by Drew Magary of Kissing Suzy Kolber. I know it's too early to make this kind of hyperbole, but if the rest of the series will be as good as this one episode, HBO and NFL Films will have no choice but to either put the Jets back on the show next season or stop the show altogether since this season cannot possibly be topped.
3. Ben Roethlisberger's Suspension
Ah, the Ben Roethlisberger rape allegation story. Good times...good times. But now that it's all over, the one remaining thing to ask is whether Roger Goodell will reduce Roethlisberger's suspension which he received for it, or will it stay the same. The Steelers certainly want it reduced, but the rest of the NFL don't want to. We should find out the answer in the next few weeks.
4. Rookies
Always the most intriguing story of any preseason. This preseason is no exception. Almost all of the year's top rookies will be introducing themselves to the NFL audience from #1 overall pick Sam Bradford to college starts like Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, C.J. Spiller and Ndamukong Suh to top picks that are giving their team high hopes like Dex Bryant, Eric Berry and Jimmy Clausen. Although most of them will not start for their teams when the season starts, it should be intersting to see how they adapt to the NFL early on.
5. QB Battles
Like watching the rookies play in the NFL for the first time, watching starting quarterback controversies unravel themselves in the preseason is another one that never gets old. Here are some that I will be interested in seeing:
- The Denver Broncos (probably the most fascinating) with last year's starter Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and the Quarterback Jesus (a.k.a Tim Tebow).
- The Carolina Panthers with Matt Moore (the starter at the end of last season) and Jimmy Clausen.
- The St. Louis Rams with Sam Bradford and A.J. Feeley
- The Cleveland Browns with Jake Delholmme, Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace
- The Arizona Cardinals with Kurt Warner and Derek Anderson
- The awful Buffalo Bills with Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm
6. The New Look Washington Redskins
This past offseason, the Redskins made the most moves to try to become favorites of the 2007 Super Bowl with the acquisitions of Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Larry Johnson and Wilie Parker. Should be interesting to watch, at least that running back tandem. Ah, the washed up feeling is flowing through the airwaves too fast! Make it stop!
Then, there's the whole Albert Haynesworth situation. Oh, Albert Haynesworth! You just had to complain, didn't you? It all began when Haynesworth didn't want to play in the team's 3-4 defense and wanted to be traded despite signing a record deal last season worth up to 7 yrs./ $100 million dollars ($41 million guaranteed) with the team the previous season. Then, when the Redskins refused it was then that he gave up wanting to be traded, lost some weight and expressed his desire to play on the team this season. Of course, it only led to Shanahan making him pass a conditioning test in order to practice with the team in which he failed multiple times before finally passing. I mention this because I can't wait to laugh my ass off when Haynesworth proclaims how awesome this team is and how it could win a Super Bowl next season a few months after not wanting to be on the team at all. I always love it when stuff like that happens.
7. Darrelle Revis
Besides Brett Favre, Revis is the biggest active player not being seen in an NFL training camp. The reason, obviously, is because Revis is holding out of Jets practice to become one of the highest paid cornerbacks in the league (somewhere around $160 million). The problem is that the Jets don't want to pay him $40 million less than that despite this being an uncapped year. Now, it's just gone ugly, with Revis giving up a year of free agency and a bunch of money in fines by not being in trading camp and Revis's agent arguing with the Jets on "Hard Knocks." Now, there's rumors of a possible trade happening and the Jets owner saying that Revis won't play the entire season. Though I do think this will all be settled within a month, don't be surprised if this will be one of the few preseason storylines I just mentioned to not be resolved until October or later.
8. Terrell Owens in Cincinnati
Although the real drama with Owens doesn't start until at least early October, I'm still gonna be interested in seeing how he will match up with Carson Palmer and the Bengals offense. That, or if he will change his name to Terrell Ochouno. Either or at this point. Speaking of wide receivers in new teams, here are some other good receivers that I will be interested in seeing play in their new teams this upcoming preseason:
-Anquan Boldin in Baltimore
- Brandon Marshall in Miami
- Santonio Holmes in New York (Jets)
9. The New Chicago Bears Free Agent Signings
One of the most shocking news to come out of the free agency period in the offseason was the free agent spending spree by the Chicago Bears. That's right, the Chicago Bears! After eons of being quiet in the free agent market, the team had the best free agent week in their history, signing the year's top free agent (DE Julius Peppers), excellent third down back Chester Taylor and TE Brandom Manumaleuna. Hey, if you couldn't get a first and second round draft pick, might as well get some proven players instead, am I right? Now that the deals have been inked and they are all wearing that Bears helmet in training camp, it's time to actually see how well they are playing in the team. Will Chester Taylor be as good as he was pre-Adrian Peterson? Will Manumaleuna become the team's starting TE? Will Julius Peppers at least avoid getting injured? Why am I writing like Jay Marrioti on "Around the Horn" all of a sudden? Hopefully, all these questions (and more) can be solved.
10. The Arizona Cardinals after Kurt Warner
For the Arizona Cardinals, the biggest move in the offseason came not from a free agency signing (though signing Alan Faneca was a pretty good one) or a trade or a draft picks...but from a departure. That departure came on January 29th when two time MVP QB Kurt Warner announced that he will retire from football and not play for the Cardinals, which he led to Super Bowl XLIII two seasons back. That, and Anquan Boldin traded, were two days many Cardinals fans weren't hoping for, but it did. And now, it's time for the team to enter a new era in the franchise history. The only question is who will be the quarterback in this new era. Will it be Matt Leinart, the Heisman trophy winner from the USC who the team took as their first round pick in '06 who lost the team's starting gig before the '08 season to Warner after having it in '06 and '07? Or will it be Derek Anderson, who had that good season for the Browns in '07 only to stink in '08 and '09? The preseason play of the two should help coach Ken Whisenhunt make the decision. Still, I find it unfathomable that whoever he chooses will be able to do a good job replacing Warner. He could've won three Super Bowls, dammit!
Only five more Thursdays to go before Opening Night! Can you feel it? I can barely contain myself! Football season is back, my friends!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 for his next blog entry (tips, perhaps?), e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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