The NFL is Here…The Year of Mystery Begins

September 8, 2016

The NFL season has arrived, and for some reason, I don't have my usual excitement. I will watch it, but right now, it is not must-see TV. Maybe this will wear off as the season goes. Perhaps it's because I am not playing Fantasy Football or gambling on a game like Cleveland versus Houston. So, when you strip those things away, you have to watch because you like to see Cleveland and Houston play.

I found last year, with all of the rule changes, televised games, at times, were unwatchable. Some teams racked up more penalty yards than rushing yards, and the constant stoppage of play extended games into the four to five-hour timeframe. The commercial breaks become nauseating, especially between quarters and halves. It has gotten to the point where I will record a game and watch it back speeding through the breaks. You can watch a game in an hour. I know the NFL cringes when they hear this, but until they see a drop-off in viewership or attendance, not much is going to change.

Now we have to endure a round two of Deflategate, endless Kaepernickgate, and concussiongate. So, this is what America's number one sport has become, a barrage of messy situations. What gets lost in all of the tabloid hooplas in the sport and its franchises, ‘Who is going to win the whole enchilada this year?’

I think that Seattle is coming back with a vengeance, with Carolina, New England, Green Bay rounding out the top four elites. The second tier of wannabes is Minnesota, Cincinnati, Pittsburg, Arizona, New York, Giants, and Kansas City. Then you have the teams that can surprise you: Dallas, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Denver, and Buffalo. You have to have a dark horse of the league, and that is Oakland, who is legit this year with all their blue chippers coming of age. My secret surprise and intriguing pick is Baltimore, who is not talked about by anybody.

This will be the year of the quarterback for the fact that it’s a year of who’s who. Who will be playing from week to week is anybody’s guess. Tom Brady is still everybody’s pick to pull off another championship run because he will be ticked off and playing like a badass. Every year, there will be questions about who will ascend in their performance, but this year has more question marks than certainties. Here are my top five question marks; 1. Denver, who's on first?  2. Dallas, can a cool-hand kid come up big? 3. Was the 2015 Carson Palmer a mirage? 4. Is Russell Wilson the best quarterback in the league?  5. What is the fate of Colin Kaepernick?

Okay, the opening night kick-off is less intriguing for me, but then again, I will probably watch and will be on board again. Even though I have zero dollars invested in the season, I might find myself Jonesing for a taste of the gambling dough after getting hit with a slew of sites offering bets as low as a dollar. How is this legal? Duh…this is the NFL. Aside from politics, we look the other way when it comes to anything that appears too messy to mess with. Now kick the damn ball!