NFL Preview

As of Sunday, August 19, there are 3 divisions in Major League Baseball that are in the midst of exciting pennant races. The world spent the first two weeks of August glued to their televisions, watching another exciting summer Olympics. (Authors note: It should be noted that USA was the best country at the Olympics, and really just in general.) But why sit here and discuss that when IT”S FOOTBALL SEASON BABY!!! The time has come to once again spend our Sundays watching physically superior men dish out punishing hits on one another while we dish out punishing hits on a plate of hot wings. Since early February, my Sundays have consisted of foolish activities such as exercising (just kidding) and studying and probably other things that are just entirely too mundane to remember. No longer, though. As the new NFL season approaches, here are some storylines to keep an eye on, if only to avoid hearing about Tim Tebow.

1.     The Giants try to repeat as Super Bowl champs. The last team to repeat championship winning seasons were the ’03-’04 New England Patriots, so the Giants have quite a bit of work to do. They return most of their team’s core, which bodes well for Big Blue. Their defense is pretty darn good, and Eli Manning is coming off an offseason in which he did those Direct TV ads where he dressed up as a fairy, so he’s probably ready for some football. The only problem that the G-Men could face is that they play in the NFC, and are division rivals with the Washington Redskins. And the Redskins are winning the Super Bowl this year. This is the year, guys.

2.     Peyton Manning returns. He’s back! Apparently doing TV adds for literally every company on earth (those Manning brothers are just so damn marketable!) wasn’t enough for Peyton, as he signed a mega-contract to play for the Denver Broncos. This should make the Broncos a formidable opponent, especially in a weaker AFC West division. The only reason I’m not going to jump on the bandwagon and crown them NFL champs is because they would have to play the Redskins in the Super Bowl, and the Redskins are going all the way this year.

3.     Andrew Luck vs. RGIII. The top 2 picks of this year’s NFL draft start off their promising careers. Andrew Luck starts a new chapter in Indianapolis, and through 2 preseason games looks like the real deal. Most in Indy are happy, while some are already clamoring for him to lose his job, purely because of his absolutely horrendous neck beard. (Google it, seriously.) RGIII eats at subway, so you know he’s good. Plus you already know my thoughts on the Redskins.

4.     The Saints come off a tumultuous offseason. Can we please take a moment to recognize a team that gets caught paying players to injure opposing players is named the Saints. These jokes basically write themselves. Coach Sean Peyton is out for the year, as well a few key defensive players. Look for this to be a developmental year for the Saints, as they’ll probably spend the season molding new players that would be willing to take money to hurt players.

5.     Possible replacement referees, due to a contract dispute between the NFL and the NFL Referee Association. (apparently it exists) This is actually good news for the average fan. Now, at any point during the game, when the ref makes a call you don’t agree with, you might actually be right! Your dreams of pretending to know as much about the rules of football as a paid, taught NFL referee are inching closer to reality!

These are just some of the fascinating subplots to what should be another great NFL season. And if your team isn’t doing so hot, you can always just jump on the Giants’ bandwagon. Ask Jets fans, they do it all the time.

 Tunes:

Being a white college-aged male, I feel a certain obligation to listen to reggae. This also happens to be my cooking-dinner song.

I cannot even fathom how fun this would be.

The Grinch that Stole Strasmas

After a hectic 48 hours of traveling/walking around Boston/watching the Red Sox suck, I finally found some down time while up in Maine to write a bit. Sitting dockside and looking out over a lake while waiting for lobster to cook isn't the worst way to get over the fact that Josh Beckett gave up like, 18 home runs today. Safe the say the sox are about as cooked as the lobster I'm about to devour, but I've known that since May. With that in mind, I can now give 100% of my attention to my hometown team/fiery love affair that is the Washington Nationals.

As my good friend blogger Mike Barber so poetically phrases it, "Nats are hot baby!"  He speaks the truth, the Nats are indeed hot. They're young, talented, gritty, etc, you know the deal. The Nats have risen to such national prominence this season, even Teddy's race woes are a nation-wide concern at this point.

However a deadline lures in the not-to-distant future for the Nats, one that could potentially cool down DC's first legitimate chance at happiness since the JaVale McGee/Swaggy P tandem was broken up. (I was not in favor of it. They provided me countless highlights.) Steven Strasburg is running out of innings. GM Mike Rizzo has always been adamant about shutting Strasburg down at the 160 innings mark. While the Nats have a superb rotation, there is no question that Strasburg is the ace, as well the man on the bump in what could potentially be DC's first playoff game since a long time ago. The shutdown of Strasburg has been often debated, with legitimate arguments on both sides. There are the people who say it is in the best interest of both Strasburg and the Nat's future, while there are others who disagree with shutting down the team's ace when a World Series is a definite possibility.

I would have to agree with the latter, I think shutting him down would ruin the Nats, not only this year, but in the future as well. There is no guarantee in sports, and assuming the Nats are going to be in contention for World Series titles going forward is a foolish assumption. Shit happens. Players leave, players get hurt. The Nats can seriously contend this year, so why shouldn't they? Any Nats fan that tells me they are just as confident without Strasburg is crazy. Yes Gonzalez is good, and Jordan Zimmerman has turned into a nice 3rd option, but there is no way in hell the Nats can roar into the playoffs, confident as ever, when their most important and talented player is sitting on the bench in sweats. More importantly, the next 4 years of Strasburg's salary are decided by arbitration, a process that has a reputation of ruining the player-team relationship. If the Nats want to resign Strasburg, they're going to want to have the strongest relationship possible with him, obviously. Going into arbitration after being shut down against Strasburg's will has all the makings of a very messy break-up.

Now lets get hypothetical here for a moment or two. Say the Nats DO win the World Series with Strasburg riding the pine. 1. NATS ARE HOT!!! 2. This would be bad news bears. Doesn't winning without Strasburg show the Nats that he's not really needed? He's needed in the way that I need pizza. It's something I want around for the rest of my life, but if I can't have it, cheeseburgers will do just fine. How in the world could Strasburg resign if the team can win without him? Is that not the ultimate slap in the face?

The Nats have a huge decision to make here. In a season that has ultimately defined the direction this team is headed for the next 5-10 years, they need to make a statement and keep Strasburg in the rotation. The Nats need to come out and show Strasburg and the Washington fanbase that they are committed to winning immediately, in a year where winning is very possible. Whether the Nats like it or not, the future is now in DC. Teams never stay the same, and the Nats are no exception. The team has a bevy of young stars, and the likelihood that they all take a pay cut to stay in DC is an unlikely one. Locking up the important ones like Strasburg (and eventually Harper, but that will be MUCH tougher) is crucial to keeping the excitement in the nation's capital.

Keep Strasburg in the rotation, and the Nats stay hot. Take him out, the Nats are not. (Rhyming!)



Tune:

RIP Jerry Garcia

And then there is this: