Oh boy, can you hear that? If you listen really carefully, you can hear the calm before the storm. Do you hear the complete absence of the sounds of football? With college ball kicking off this weekend and the NFL season set to begin right after that, that calmness is about to be run out of town by the madness that is football season.
I hope that everyone has enjoyed having their Saturdays and Sundays available to them for the past seven months, because as the world turns and the temperature drops, football once again dominates the weekends.
Like a child awaiting Santa Claus’ sleigh touching down on the rooftop, grown men everywhere (and several ladies as well) are preparing for the onslaught of hard hits, deep bombs, game winning drives and T.O. meltdowns. It is a time to get together with friends that you haven’t seen since last season, stock the fridge with ice cold barley pops and keep the pizza delivery guy on speed dial. It’s once again acceptable to spend an entire weekend in the same sweat pants. And if you happen to miss a big play whilst running to the restroom, it’s OK. The neighbors’ explosion of cheers will alert you that something important has happened.
Bread on Saturday afternoon
Just like every college and NFL team, we are all undefeated as of right now. And none of us expect to have a losing season. Last year’s bad beats, missed extra points and San Diego-Pittsburgh refereeing crew are but distant memories. There is no way that any of us could possibly be so unfortunate to be on the wrong side of another Sage Rosenfels FumbleBowl type game again. This year will be different. My remote control will not become a projectile because this year I am a winner. We are all winners.
Now of course none of this is true. Every single football gambler knows the pain that awaits him. But we do not allow this knowledge to deter us, oh no. Actually we are excited to face the frustration and heartache that the game will bestow upon us. It’s a pretty sick cycle when you really break it down.
By the time the bowl games and NFL playoffs roll around, I generally experience a bit of football fatigue. Don’t get me wrong, I love these games, but deep down inside I’m a bit burnt out. By the conclusion of every Super Bowl, I exhale a sigh of relief. This is true whether the season was profitable or not. It just takes a lot out of you.
But I think I speak for many when I say that for the past several weeks, with training camps opening and fantasy football drafts taking place, the excitement has taken on its annual build-up. On Saturday my thumb will be put to the test as I glide from station to station, to bear witness as my football psychic abilities come to fruition (or fail miserably).
And what could be more exciting than the first NFL Sunday? Sure some people enjoy watching the shuttle take off, or taking the family whale watching. But for me, being in a sports bar for opening kickoff for the first round of games, as nine teams boot the ball downfield simultaneously, well that’s as close to nirvana as it gets.
So for at least the next couple of weekends, we are all winners. We have yet to have had a fumble on the goal line. We haven’t lost a fantasy football game. Nobody has started a thread titled “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!” Syracuse has the same record as Florida. It is the calm before the storm, and we are all still winners. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone (me) could keep that streak going? Bring on the hysteria. I’m ready for the pain.
Bread on Sunday night
