Trying to navigate the news cycle that surrounds the “Deflategate” scandal has proven to be exhausting. While there is no debating its significance to the 2015 NFL season, it seems like the matter is dominating every conversation that pertains to the game we love, and this isn’t a positive development for league or the sport itself.
For this reason, it’s important to take a step back from the controversy surrounding the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and focus on some other NFL stories that are unfolding as we speak. While we may not be bombarded by rumors and updates every five minutes as we were during the pre-draft process, but that doesn’t mean nothing of significance is happening arpund the league.
NFL Off-Season: A Break From Deflated Footballs
-Rookie mini-camps are always an exciting time of the NFL off-season as draft picks and UDFAs alike see their first action with their new teams. Generally this is a time of year during which there is a lot of optimism in the air. We’ll get to that optimism in a moment but first there are a couple of unfortunate events to cover. Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., the third overall pick in the 2015 draft, tore his ACL and will miss the season, and days later Denver Broncos’ third-round tight end Jeff Heuerman suffered an ACL tear of his own. It is incredibly sad to watch two promising young players endure season-ending injuries like this, but you can bet that both Fowler and Heuerman will get through these setbacks and come back even stronger. Best of luck to both men on their respective roads to recovery. We’re all rooting for both of you.
-On the positive side of the equation, things appear to be off to a smooth start for first overall pick Jameis Winston. The former Florida State signal caller reportedly impressed offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter with his football IQ and work ethic in the early practices and seems to have solid command of everything being thrown at him. This of course, is exactly what you want to hear when it comes to your first overall pick and the new face of your organization and is excellent news for Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans everywhere. The NFC South was a wildly unpredictable division last year, and was up for grabs for much of the season. If this franchise wants to enter the conversation for division contention, they will need a lot out of their newest star.
-There’s no doubt that the 2015 NFL draft will ultimately be defined by the two quarterbacks taken in the opening moments: Winston and second overall pick Marcus Mariota, who opens mini-camp this weekend with the Tennessee Titans. The Former Oregon star and 2014 Heisman Trophy winner has as much pressure on him as Winston entering the start of off-season activities, and if each of these men wins the starting job in training camp, they will face off in a Week One contest that will be much more exciting and noteworthy than it has any right to be. It’s an exciting time for two franchises that didn’t have a lot to be happy about last season. The road to respectability may be on the horizon.
-Finally, the votes are in and it’s official: Odell Beckham Jr. will be the Madden ’16 cover athlete. Much has been made of the fact that Beckham is the youngest athlete (age 22) to ever appear on the cover of the legendary franchise, but let’s examine the issue from another perspective. The real story here is how remarkable it is that a man who has only played in twelve NFL contests has already made his way to an accomplishment most players only dream of. It underscores the brilliance of Beckham’s rookie year, and the Giants’ star will have the sporting world’s attention as he enters his sophomore season.
