No need to worry, everyone. Arguably the greatest time of the year is upon us.
And who am I kidding, no one can really argue that. It is football season!
The fans are one of the best parts! Just look at 'em.
Okay, while all of you were sitting around moping that there wasn't any football being played on Thursdays, Sundays or Mondays... This is known as the off-season, a depressing time for most, many different "moves" were made throughout the NFL. A few of the game-changing things that occur during this time are trades, suspensions, injuries, training camps and, oh yeah, the draft.
Oakland landed Matt Shaub while Houston received a sixth round draft pick in this year's draft. The Houston Texans landed the number one pick, Jadeveon Clowney, so all is good, right? Is there too much hype for Clowney? Even if there is, Houston's defense appears to be pretty competitive with J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing. Watt alone could instantly make a defense an extreme contender. The man is insane. His latest contract says so establishing that he is now the highest paid defender in football.
Just reinforcing that this guy is insane. And we are grateful for that.
New Orleans lost the quickness of Darren Sproles, but they have Jimmy Graham so everybody else on that offense is irrelevant except for the guy throwing, right? You could make that argument solely looking at the stats of Jimmy Graham. During the 2013-14 season Graham had 86 receptions for 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns. I think it is safe to say that if you were lucky enough to land Graham on your Fantasy Football team, you are in great shape. The Saints are favorites when looking at their roster. Drew Brees is 35 years old, but has aged extremely well within the football world. Marques Colston, Kenny Stills, Brandin Cooks and Brandon Coleman are Brees' other options to throw to besides Graham. Seriously, how can you not win games with that setup? Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram in the backfield, the NFC better take those Saints so seriously.
On the other end of that trade, Philadelphia is gaining Darren Sproles who would be a huge asset to any team. The Eagles will definitely be putting him to good use... Behind LeSean McCoy of course who attained 1,607 yards last season.
Shady McCoy... Went number one in countless Fantasy drafts for a reason.
This may come as no surprise to you or I, but there have been a few key suspensions thus far. Most recently, Wes Welker has been suspended for the first four games due to the use of amphetamines. This should give him a break from his concussions, involuntarily. The Browns may have gained Mr. Football, but they have lost wide receiver Josh Gordon for the entire season. Basing this assumption on Johnny Manziel's actions alone, it is always a possibility that he could be benched for a couple games as well. Really, you never know with that guy. Ray Rice and the Baltimore Ravens lucked out after receiving just a two game suspension for domestic violence. The league has just recently changed their policy on how those cases will be handled from here on out. Aldon Smith, linebacker for the 49ers, had 8.5 sacks last season, but is out for the first nine games for violating the personal conduct policy. Ouch. I am sure that Steeler Nation is thanking the big man above that their star running back, Le'Veon Bell, is safe from any kind of punishment. That might have put a damper on the team that is projected to have a winning season after going 8-8 last year. Big Ben at quarterback, anything is possible.
Speaking of those who went 8-8 last year, how will they end up this season? Winning record or losing? Everyone seems to have some very high hopes that the Chicago Bears will end up far better than 8-8. Jay Cutler for MVP? He's throwing to Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, the odds are in his favor.
Will Tony Romo lead the Cowboys to a winning season? The guy is running out of chances and the December curse has yet to cease, we will all have to stay tuned. Too bad Adrian Peterson didn't make it known that he wanted to be a Cowboy until now.
For kicks and giggles... Does this look too odd to anybody else?
Rex Ryan is confident in his Jets. Surprised? Yeah, neither am I. With Geno Smith and Mike Vick at the quarterback position, they're safe. Eric Decker might have an outstanding year due to the lack of depth that the New York Jets have at wide outs, but Smith and Vick can both rush like no other QB so they do have that going for them. Rex might be right for once.
Now, some might argue that the preseason has no real indication of how the regular season will go so the predictions based off of that are pointless, but there were some notable performances by a few.
Atlanta's fourth round draft, Devonta Freeman had 146 receiving yards on 11 catches and 134 rushing yards on 32 attempts. Attaining triple digit stats as a receiver and a runner is extremely impressive, preseason or not. Kelvin Benjamin outdid Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans and Odell Beckham during Carolina's preseason at wide out with 173 yards from 12 receptions. Florida State's draft picks has shown true potential for this upcoming season. Allen Hurns, an undrafted receiver out of Miami, started two games for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hurns had 14 receptions and went for 232 yards. He is the number five receiver on the Jaguars depth chart, but it might be a good idea to reconsider.
Taking all of that in to account, this NFL season will be FUN. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are greater than ever. Aaron Rodgers is still a baaaaad man, in the words of Stephen A Smith. Andy Reid was extremely dominant with the Chiefs last year, it can only go up from here after gaining playoff experience together. Adrian Peterson is destined to have another record-breaking year.The Seattle Seahawks are the favorites to go back to back, rightfully so. Anybody else beyond excited to watch the Sherman-Crabtree match-up? I pray that Crabtree is ready to take on the "best corner in the game" according to Sherman himself. Oh, and the Cleveland Browns are doing things like the Cleveland Browns do things. This quarterback situation will be interesting to watch unfold. Browns fans hope that when Manziel takes the field the only thing that he is throwing up is touchdowns.
This is what NOT to do.
On a sad note, we won't be watching James Harrison play this year and possibly Champ Bailey. Two of the most talented and most entertaining guys to watch on the field. They gave so much to the NFL.
There are so many different aspects that you can tie into predictions of the upcoming NFL season, but that can take all of the fun out of it. Sit back, relax and enjoy the GREATEST time of all. Seriously, because football never seems to be long enough.
And don't forget... These guys are back!!! Life is so good again.
I will leave you with this image.
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