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Football Is Coming



We are dwindling down to the final moments of the NFL offseason... Thank the good Lord. 
Do you all have your Fantasy squads ready? All drafts are finished so I hope you all got your dream teams. 
I cannot even help but grin as I write this. And no, it is not because Tom Brady is finally serving his four game suspension. (Is Deflategate really about to be over?!)
NFL football is about to be back and that simply means that, soon, all will be right in the world again. 


Never gets old


We just had an amazing college football kickoff weekend, but for me... The real football begins on Thursday night. 

This season is going to be a little different. And no, I am not saying this because of the normal trades and cuts and all that jazz. For starters, there were only about 37 guys to retire last year (okay, I am exaggerating). 
Jared Allen, Justin Tuck, Charles Tillman, Greg Jennings, Matt Hasselback (18 years strong!), Calvin Johnson, Marshawn 'Beast Mode' Lynch, Heath Miller, the great Charles Woodson... Am I forgetting anyone? Nah... Oh wait, Peyton Manning. The man, myth and legend himself decided to hang up the cleats after 14 Pro Bowls, five league MVPs, 71,940 career yards, 539 touchdowns, and a couple Super Bowls. He went out on top after Manning and the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers in a showdown in San Francisco. 


SB MVP Von Miller ($$$$$)


It will be so odd not watching #18 out there this season. "18 is a good number," Manning stated during his retirement press conference. Yeah, I would have to agree. We have cherished our time with you. Grateful is the word that comes to mind when I think of Peyton Manning. He said that he will absolutely miss the game, but we will absolutely miss you, Peyton. 


Another legend down


In other news, Tony Romo got injured during the preseason (surprise, surprise!) and Dallas Cowboy fans are a bit excited over Dak Prescott. Ezekiel Elliott had some suspicion of marijuana association and domestic violence allegations. But that is typical Dallas, right? Good 'ol Jerry Jones holding down the fort. 

DeAndre Hopkins' holdout lasted for only one day, DeMarco Murray headed to the Titans, Le'Veon Bell's suspension got reduced from four games to three (let's just hope he stays healthy, Fantasy owners), Von Miller got PAID, Andrew Luck got PAID, and apparently DeAngelo Williams had a birthday that we all did not know about... Oh, and we finally got an NFL team in Los Angeles. Todd Gurley will surely kick off that franchise the right way. 


The face of the franchise


Good news? The Philadelphia Eagles just named their starting quarterback a few days ago. Nothing like last minute in Philly. Although there was no brotherly love shown towards Sam Bradford. The Eagles spent $34 million on Bradford and Chase Daniel. Their starting QB? Carson Wentz. Interesting things go down in Philly to say the least. 
Sam Bradford is taking the place of Teddy Bridgewater in Minnesota after the second-year star suffered a torn ACL. Tough break, kid. Nonetheless, Sam Bradford is there to save the day (did I really just say that?). Okay, it is more like AP is there to save the day. 

After Manning retired, surely Brock Osweiler was ready to take on the daunting task of replacing him... If that is even possible (no, no it is not). 
Unfortunately Osweiler was all about the money and decided to take his talents to Houston. Are you concerned for Denver? Do not be. They had Mark Sanchez for a moment, but we all know how that ends. Trevor Siemian will be starting for the Super Bowl champions.

As if it really matters... Mark Sanchez headed to Dallas (guys, it is not nice to laugh or chuckle. Please keep comments to yourself). 
I know what you Dallas fans are thinking... KEEP SANCHEZ AWAY FROM OUR PRODIGY, DAK PRESCOTT (PresGOD). It is all going to be okay though. Sanchez will probably be on to the next one in approximately 72 hours. You can only hope at least.


The gods of Dallas



The Washington Redskins said goodbye and good riddance to RGIII, Cleveland said hello to him. That is all I am saying about that. 
Kirk Cousins is supposed to have a pretty upstanding year... You like that, Redskins fans?!
They also landed Josh Norman in Free Agency so that should help at least a little bit. 
Josh Norman (Chants Up!) will not start to kick in until Week 4. Seriously... His match-ups for the first three weeks are Antonio Brown, Dez Bryant (X), and his arch-nemesis Odell Beckham Jr. Good luck, bud. 


This cannot happen again, right?


Speaking of good luck, Tyrod Taylor appears to be the Buffalo Bills' good luck charm. No, it is not Rex Ryan. The Bills are expected to make the playoffs this season with Taylor and Sammie Watkins leading the way. Yes, I just stated that the Buffalo Bills are expected to make their first playoff appearance since 1999. 

Hey, are we supposed to trust Jay Cutler yet?


Is that the look of disappointment of Cutler's face? Nah...


Can the Cincinnati Bengals trust Andy Dalton and Vontaze Burfict? Burfict did crush their playoff dreams last season. If you do not remember, just ask Antonio Brown... Or any Pittsburgh Steeler fan. They would be happy to discuss the hate towards this forbidden name. 


Anybody else still cringe?


It should be an exciting year for Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals. Old man Fitz always shows us that age is just a number. We are all rooting for you, Larry. 


Do not sleep on Larry



If you have not heard (then you likely live under a rock) the San Francisco 49ers are currently in the news. While it is not purely football related, and it does not deal with any of their relevant starting players, Colin Kaepernick seems to be starting a movement as it relates to the Black Lives Matters movement. It will be interesting to see how this plays out once Thursday kicks off. 

Do you all think that the Panthers will return to the Super Bowl? They do have Greg Olsen and Kelvin Benjamin is back. Could Cam actually repeat as the MVP? Will he dab anymore? Now that is the real question. What is up Cam's sleeve this year?


Look at his dab


We can break down the offseason all day long and make our predictions. After all, that is what Fantasy Football is for. The realization is that we never truly know what to expect for the upcoming NFL season. That is why we love it so much!! There are less than 48 hours until kickoff... Let the fun begin. 


How much more fun does it get?




(Shoutout to my copy editor Dr. Andrew Goldsmith. He's the bomb.)














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