Football is Back!

Well I had planned to write this post a day or two ago to talk about how ridiculously excited I am that football is finally back for another season, but I never found the time. Given that I'm writing this a day after my Washington Redskins got trucked by the New York Giants, I expect this will be a little less enthusiastic than it would otherwise have been.

I might as well get that discussion out of the way early. Last night sucked, but I'm not as angry and depressed as I usually am after a loss. We have a new, rookie head coach, almost an entirely new coaching staff, and we're trying to install a brand new offensive system (again), which for most teams will take a full season, if not more, to really do effectively. So while I expected us to look a lot better, or at least moderately competent, in the game last night, I'm also expecting some ugliness, especially early on in the season. This team made the playoffs last year with a pretty crappy offense and lot of people injured. They hardly lost anyone in the offseason, so I see no reason why they can't do it again this year, even in a new system. That said, I won't be surprised to see us stumble to the finish this year and miss the playoffs by a long shot. That would be frustrating, but I'm approaching this season with a level of patience that's surprising even me.

Not his trophies.

Back to the broader topic. Football is back! After another of what always feels like an eternal offseason, we are finally back to days of real, actual football that matters. I LOVE football season. Everything about it. I love watching football, talking about football, fantasy football. Everything. Few things can beat cracking open a few beers, laying out some snacks, maybe getting some wings or firing up the grill, and settling down (or in my case, jumping around and yelling at the TV) to watch large, sweaty men in spandex run around with a ball and hit each other. There are many things that draw me and so many others to the game. I love the scheming and strategy. I'm constantly amazed watching players with more raw athletic talent than I could ever dream of possessing do things on the field every week that would break me in half and have me on crutches for months. And let's be honest, we all love the violence and brutatily of the game. It's awful, and sometimes scary, when players get hurt, but there's something morbidly satisfying about that crunch of the pads and watching a dude get completely knocked out of his shoes.

But above all, for me, it's the Redskins. Most people know that while I am also a huge Virginia Tech fan (Sean Glennon sucks. Just want to put that out there again.), my true football passion lies with the Redskins. Following and rooting for the Redskins is an obsession for me. I follow this team 365 days a year, through good times and bad. It's a part of me, and it always will be. I know I have my dad to thank for it, as he's always been as crazy, or maybe even more so, about the team as I am. When you follow a team so closely all year, finally getting the chance to see what they've put together for the new season, good or bad, is just fantastic. I wonder sometimes how interested I would be in football if I wasn't such a loyal fanatic of the team. I'm sure I would still love the game, but I know it wouldn't be the same. I just wish one of these years they would make my annual prediction come true and actually win a Super Bowl. If I say it every year it has to come true eventually, right?

I will end this post with an ode to Meg, who puts up with me despite this quality (or flaw, depending on who you ask). Not only does she put up with it, she gets excited about the season and the games each week, even wearing her Clinton Portis jersey for every game. Justifiably, she has a hard time maintaining the same level of interest as I do throughout the season, but she tries, and I love that about her. Even if she didn't try to enjoy it herself, the sheer fact that she's able to deal with me is amazing to me, and something I truly appreciate. I'm ridiculous and I know it, but I can't help it. To top it all off, as if she needed to do anything else, my wedding present from her was a Redskins flag to hang from the house every gameday (once I buy a flag holder and a pole), and NFL Sunday Ticket for this season. So I will be showing my spirit and watching not only the Redskins, but any flippin' NFL game I want, in high definition, all season long. Awesome times infinity.

So here's to another season of the greatest sport on Earth! And here's to the Redskins not sucking as much as they did last night anymore! And to all of my non-football-loving friends, my apologies in advance for the next six months. But it's gonna be awesome.

Oh, and I highly recommend checking out Chris Cooley's blog. He's our starting Tight End, and a pretty cool dude. Redskins fan or not, it's pretty entertaining.