As for NFL, below is what is will be watching for.
1. NFL Replacement Ref's. Here is hoping the ref's do much better this Sunday than they did in the last preseason games or in the season opener. Too many missed calls, too much time reviewing calls, inability to explain what penalty was called and on who...ughhh. Praying the regular ref's are back soon. It has been too painful watching these bumbling fools trying to fill in.
2. Five rookie QB's starting for the first time ever week 1 in NFL History. Old school of thought used to me it took a rookie QB 2-3 years to be ready to start, after the success of Ryan, Flacco and more recently Cam Newton and Andy Dalton it seems more coaches are taking their chances and starting their rookies. Andrew Luck, RGI III, Brandon Wheedon, Russell Wilson and Ryan Tannehill will all be starting for their respective teams Sunday. I think everyone knew even before the draft Luck and RG III would start for whomever drafted them, and maybe 28 year old rookie Wheedon (unsuccessful career as a pitcher for the Yankee's in the minors), but Wilson and Tannehill are somewhat surprising. I personally can't wait to see RGI III start. He is such fun to watch play, he just makes things happen out there anyway he can. A bit Tebow'esque but with a better arm and smaller frame. Don't get me wrong, I think Luck will be great too, I just think RG III has a lot more upside and a more well-rounded surrounding cast. It will fun to see how things pan out for all the rookies this year.
3. Tim Tebow. Sorry, I had to include him. Everyone who knows me knows I love all things Tim Tebow and have since his freshman year at Florida. He is one of the all time best college football players and with the right coach I think he can be a great NFL QB. To me he is electrifying to watch on the field and has such a magnetic and at times polarizing personality off the field. Just let him do what he does best and stop trying to convert him to a "traditional" QB. Sorry Sanchez, I know by most standards you are a better QB, but you seem to make horrible mistakes under pressure and can never recover from them. If your coaches and GM were so confident you were the QB for years to come I highly doubt they would have gone out and got Tebow. Tebow is Sparano's dream type of player. Yes he is horrible during practice, but he has always thrived in game time situations and under pressure. My prediction is by week 5 or 6 Tebow will be the starting QB. I just envision Sanchez throwing too many interceptions or having too many turnovers and the crowd starting to chant "TEBOW TEBOW". I would love Sanchez to prove me wrong and not crumble under the pressure but I do not see that happening. As Rob Riggle said at the ESPY'S, "Hey Sanchez, good luck with that".
4. Peyton Manning. Starting for a new team for the first time since 1998 after being out all last season. No doubting he is one of the best if not smartest QB's of all time. Question is how will his body hold up after getting hit all the time. He has some familiar faces from Indy with him in Denver and some decent receivers in Dekker and Thomas. For the sake of good football I hope he has a great season. At his best he can make picking apart a Defense so much fun to watch.
5.New Orleans. Bounty Gate has wreaked havoc on the Saints. The Head Coach is suspended for a season, their GM is suspended, their interim Head Coach is suspended 6 games, their starting LB Jon Vilma is as of now suspended all season. Thank goodness they signed Bree's to a new long term contract. They needed some sort of stability going into this season. Will be interesting to see how well the team does without their offensive guru, Head Coach Sean Payton. Last season Bree's broke the passing record held by Dan Marino since 1984 by throwing for 5,476 yards in a single season. Will he be able to put up those kind of numbers again. I know I will be rooting for him.
6. Player injuries. Maybe I was not really paying attention in previous seasons, but the last 2 years have been filled with torn ACL/MCL'S, ruptured Achilles, torn pec’s, hammy issues. Not sure what the sudden increase is due to, would love to hear people's opinions on the matter. Also, in recent years the league has made an attempt to cut down on the incidence of head injuries and concussions by imposing stiffer penalties and fines. Not sure if it is really working, but always better to err on the side of caution. I'm hoping this season there are a lot less injuries of all kinds. It's always so heartbreaking to watch a player carted off the field.
This blog is still a work in progress and I will try to update as often as possible. Suggestions and comments are welcome.
Till next time,
Sassy
So glad you found an outlet for your passions!
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