NFL: How Can You Not Love The Offseason

Now that the Super Bowl has ended possibly the most exciting part of the season has begun. Now we enter the offseason.

I love this time of year, everything’s new and exciting again. No one knows what can happen, maybe there will be trades and signings galore, maybe there won’t be. This is the time when new coaches get their first tests and old coaches reset the chess board to do it all over again.

Some of us have a chance to watch our teams build on what they did last year. Many Steelers fans are sitting pretty in their post Super Bowl glow and look forward to adding pieces to an already powerful puzzle. Whereas Lions fans now have the chance to see what new leadership can do, because with new leadership comes new hope. 

Plus Matt Millen is gone so how could anything get worse?

It’s this time of year that I go from not caring less about college ball to doing everything to find the talented players. Because I want to know who’s going to get drafted. To see the new talent and wonder not only how well they’ll do in the league, but who’s going to seek their talent, it’s exhilarating.

Watching Vernon Gholston and Chris Long battle it out at the combine was fascinating.

I mean let’s think about what the combine is. It’s a bunch of men in t-shirts and shorts, essentially, working out. And never does that capture America’s attention like it does at the combine.

Even at strongmen competitions they have to do bizarre challenges to get attention. I mean I love watching a guy throw kegs into a dumpster as much as the next guy, but if you think about it...it’s a little ridiculous.

Not only does every fan’s favorite team get new blood, they just might get some new faces. Free agency isn’t always exciting, for the last few years its seemed there have only been one or two important free agents.

However, I think this doesn’t really take away from it. Sometimes your team signs a little known guy who ends up being a star in the system.

Plus free agency, and the draft for that matter, can be affected by something we rarely hear or see happen. Last season, we saw Jared Allen, a significant name in the league due to his great pass rush ability, was traded to the Vikings. I love seeing a trade because in this day and age it so rarely happens, almost never with marquee players.

Two years ago we saw Randy Moss, a guy left for dead on the Raiders, traded for a fourth round draft pick!

It was a steal and I realize you could play the “you only bring this up because you’re a Pats fan” card.

But that’s not really what it is.

I just get excited when any name gets moved around. I loved it when the Broncos traded Clinton Portis for Champ Bailey and I thought it was great when Allen got moved, same with Marcus Stroud. Big changes like that add interest to the league.

Once the draft is over and free agency comes to a close, then it’s time to wait for training camp. No wait is longer than this one, it doesn’t help that everyone’s anxious to see what the new names and faces will bring to the team.

The tension and excitement just builds straight up to preseason, which really just acts like a pressure release valve, it’s never as exciting as that most important day of the year. Opening day, the point at which finally you can rest…wait a minute, no you can’t cause now its game time and that’s exciting.