NFL seems earlier every year

The NFL already is here, and I’m not ready.

 

I love football in a big way – from Pop Warner through the pros – but it seems to arrive earlier every year. I mean, it was relatively hot last night and would have been really hot today except for the nice breeze we had as my brother and my buddy and I painted my porches – okay, they did most of the painting while I supervised – but there hasn’t been much football weather lately. Sometimes you need that to get you into the mood.

 

For example, last night, as the Super Bowl champion New York Giants opened the season with a 16-7 victory over the Washington Redskins, I was at Saranac Thursday. I didn’t get home until the last six minutes of the first half, but that was enough to show me that Eli Manning has actually improved since last year, Plaxico Burress can play with desire and the Giant defense appears to be pretty rugged despite the loss of Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. The last might be difficult to judge, given the limitations of Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell.

 

The second half was totally nondescript, so maybe the Giants are not that good as it seemed late in the first half, but they appear to have the potential to go deep into the post season again.

 

Anyway, the NFL is here, whether I’m ready or not.