Aug 9, 20237 min read

Are You Ready For Football?

NFL training camp is in full swing, as we roll into the first set of games of the NFL preseason. This is the time of the summer that you start feelin' real bittersweet. You want the time to slow; the weather to stay warm; and responsibilities to stay at a minimum- but damnit ya want football season just as BAD. We all know that once the stars of the gridiron, well the up and coming stars of the gridiron take the field in that sweet little preseason action- the tease is too much to handle & you start calling for football over summer. So, are you ready?

The buzz going into this year's regular season is buzzin' strong. The noise meter is chartin' with high decibels. Training Camp has been red hot, as we have seen it all. From players flat out disrespecting their team's starting QB to slaps turning into inner team brawls. It's been nuts and the camp antics followed up a crazy off-season of moves and contract talks that turned haywire. You mash that all together and it creates major anticipation for opening kickoff & we have only seen one preseason game be played. The buzz will just buzz more here in August.

Now, I won't spend too much time talking about the past in this post. Allow me to give a quick no huddle of what to expect as we launch into the first full weekend of games in the NFL preseason, as well as some training camp updates if you haven't had an opportunity to stay tuned in to the camps outside of your favorite team. Let me talk to ya.

Dak Prescott got things started off in a fun way for Cowboys supporters when he announced going into camp, that he would have less than 10 interceptions thrown this regular season. As figured, Dak's bold take had kickstarted a lotta debate and jokes on twitter and throughout NFL media. It may have done something inside the Cowboys locker room as well, the Cowboys' defenders have been all over Dak's a** in camp! I think he has already thrown 10 picks in camp/joint practices alone. A handful of those picks are belonging to Dak's squad mate, and newly extended All-Pro CB Trevon Diggs. Trevon didn't just let his pick speak, he had some words after a play he made off Dak:

Now a lot of people (Dallas fans) are going to say that there isn't anything there to look further into. I disagree. At this level, cmon. The QB is the most vocal player on the field. Leadership is as important of a trait needed for the position as physical athleticism is. Rarely ever do we see a team captain and starting quarterback get that kind of dialogue from a teammate. Especially at the pro-level. With that, after it went down I immediately pointed the blame at Diggs and was hoping the Cowboys would take action. Or hoping the coaches did so behind the cameras (the best option). There's competitive language and there's blatant disrespect to a team captain. Diggs was flat out disrespectful towards a team captain. Before I would look into repercussions however, I need to ask- why?

I stated that you don't EVER see a cat throw that kind of shade towards a QB. Diggs isn't just an average cat- he's one of the franchise's pillars going into 2023. When you consider Dak's reaction and the way Diggs continued his chirp- yeah I'm going to look into it further. Are Cowboys players slowly turning on Dak? I find it hard to believe that all of sudden Dak isn't being a strong; vocal; and respected leader. I bet his teammates aren't fully invested in him as the guy behind the wheel. Dak had the worse season of his career in 2022, and the Cowboys didn't live up to the roster's expectations. If there is any drifts or cracks inside that locker room, then Mike McCarthy and staff have GOT to seal those up, and quick. You can't have two of the franchise's faces not be on the same page. You can't have players bossing up your QB, either. Better tighten the ship up Dallas, before you run out of time.

Welp, the New York Jets are officially over-hyped. Hard Knocks hit that reality over the wall. We all knew the Aaron Rodgers addition was going to have Jets fans acting like Lions fans with over hype in expectations, but I didn't expect everyone else to fall into the nonsense. The problem? The Jets players are some of the worst over-hypers of 'em all. Hard Knocks episode one was just an Aaron Rodgers BJ. Was Zach Wilson really that bad last year? They are looking at Rodgers like he is Zeus. AR12 can sling the laces no doubt and sure, the throw to Lazard in camp was nice, but we need to settle down, yo.

These Jets players are looking a little too confident for a team that was 7-10 last season. Rodgers' arrival doesn't immediately make them Super Bowl worthy- not in the slightest. Rodgers will be 40 in December and is coming off the worst statistical season of his career at 39 for the Packers. Robert Saleh and his staff still have a ton of growth that is needed to become a serious contender in the AFC East, yet alone the entire AFC. The Jets scream in talent across many positions, but they are still young. What does young teams lack in? Discipline. The Jets showed they are still in need of discipline in the penalties department with 12 penalties in the HOF game against Cleveland. We can be easy on them, with it still being week one of preseason. It shows their youth, however. They need to continue to improve their discipline and gel as a unit. The Jets have to improve across the board for some of these expectations to hold some weight. By no means should the team not feel excited with anticipation for the season. Just scale expectations and confidence. The lot I saw in Hard Knocks gave me the impression that the Jets might be rolling into Opening Kickoff with a little too much confidence. Rodgers is a legend, and the team needed a QB. But that doesn't create the puzzle over night. Get to work.

We have a handful of starting job battles for the most important position in football going on. We are officially on QB watch time. Personally, the QB battles will be drawing most of my interest in preseason and will continue my interest throughout camp. You got a neck and neck battle between Baker Mayfield & Kyle Trask in Tampa Bay; Indy is deciding between rookie Anthony Richardson & vet Gardner Minshew; and Sam Howell is trying to beat out Jacoby Brissett in DC.

Those are the three battles for starting jobs. The Malik Willis and Will Levis battle for the backup role in Tennessee is an interesting battle to keep an eye on as well. Focusing on the battle in Tampa, Todd Bowles doesn't seem as if he is decided on who the starter will be. Kyle Trask has stayed in line with Baker and made the battle tight. Sitting a year behind Brady may have him ready and able. Mayfield on the other hand has started 69 games in the NFL and may be the smarter option as a trial and error decision. The Bucs announced Baker to start the first preseason game, as Trask would start the second game. I expect them to announce the winner by the third game. I'm intrigued on watching both guys play in the preseason game. Like Bowles and his staff, I will need to watch both of their play, in order to make an opinion on who I believe the Bucs should roll with for Opening Kickoff.

Indy is different in my opinion. I am completely against starting a rookie QB right away. I feel that same energy regarding Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, as well. It's stupid. Ya know what? Indy will do the same thing and start Richardson. I just know it. I don't agree with it and it wrecks Richardson's true potential. With how that roster is, and the way 2022 ended- take the smart route and start Minshew to begin the season. Allow Richardson to be right under the wing; learning the playbook; and learning the ways of evaluation and analysis via tape and shadowing. Who am I though. Irsay will order them to play Richardson, regardless. We really need to take owners out of front office decision making.

DC isn't totally in the same boat as Indy. Sam Howell has sat a season in the NFL. Second year Howell has a year under his belt in DC with Ron Rivera and has gotten comfortable with the team and culture. Small curveball with Howell is that the Commanders now have a new OC in Eric Bieniemy. That can delay or put a QB back a year. The playbook will definitely be altered as Eric B should be the one play calling on offense now. We saw this similar situation with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia in 2021. Look how he came out that following season. All depends on the QB. Starting Sam Howell is a good move and lets him dive right in the waters with Eric B' and co as the Commanders look to have their skill players reek havoc on NFL defenses. I need to see how the former Tar Heel, Howell, plays in the preseason. Check his confidence levels and how he reacts to being sacked as well as time management- but I fully expect Sam Howell to be the guy come week one of the regular season for Washington.

I said it was a quick no huddle. We score like Pat Mahomes, just need seconds. You all pumped for some preseason action? Psh, I know I am baby. I am intrigued to see how the QB battles turn with seeing the signal callers in live action. We will certainly have adjusted opinions after seeing them in full speed rather clips from camp. QB battles are always fun to evaluate, but just having football back is what's up. Rookies ready to make a name; men fighting for jobs; and gridiron sh** talk. It gets your blood pumping! So lemme ask: Are you ready for some football?

Are You Ready For Football?

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