The NFL season concluded just over a week ago and I’m sure many of you are starving for some football already. To be certain, the NFL off-season strikes a different tone than the regular season, but that doesn’t mean that the excitement is over. While we may be missing out on thrilling games and championship races, there is an insane amount going on during this time of the year.
The fact is, the football season never really ends. The NFL is brilliant as it relates to the year-round marketing of its product, and that is a big part of why football remains the most popular sport in America. This is the time of year when franchises start looking ahead to free agency and May’s 2014 NFL draft.
There is a substantial amount of decision-making and hand-wringing going on behind the scenes right now. While teams decide which free agents they hope to pursue and formulate their draft boards, fans enjoy sitting back and playing armchair General Manager, crafting an ideal off-season scenario for their favorite teams. While there is certainly a lot less to report today than there will be in the coming weeks, there are still some significant goings on in the football world right now.
NFL Off-Season Report
The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off in Indianapolis later this month. Official workouts and position drills run from February 22 to February 25th. NFL executives and fans alike will get a much closer look at most of the draft’s top prospects as they try to improve their stock during the draft process. There is a tendency (in the media, anyway) to place far too much importance in the results of the combine drills, however, as people tend to fall in love with forty times and bench press numbers. With that said, a good showing at these events has proven time and time again to provide a huge boost to numerous prospects.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this year’s combine is the lack of a consensus top quarterback in the draft class. Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel, and Blake Bortles are generally regarded as the top three signal callers in the field, but there seems to be little agreement as to where they rank in comparison to one another. The draft process will likely sort out these issues, but a great performance in Combine passing drills could help one of these young men gain separation from his peers.
In a recent interview, retired tight end Tony Gonzalez seemed to hint that he might be willing to return down the stretch to join a contending team next season. While it seems insanely premature to discuss this in February, I for one would love to see it happen. Gonzo is one of the NFL’s all-around classiest players. He deserves a fairy-tale ending to his career more than most. He has proven over the last couple of seasons that he still has plenty to offer an NFL team, and I’m hoping to seeing him back on the field at some point down the road, no matter how unlikely it may seem at the moment.
Unquestionably, the biggest news in the football world today is Missouri defensive end Michael Sam. The 24-year-old draft hopeful went public with the fact that he is gay, news that has been picked up by almost every media outlet imaginable. Simply put, the SEC co-defensive player of the year is a pioneer for the game of football, and when his name is called in May’s draft he will become the first openly gay player in NFL history. Much respect and admiration for Sam’s courage, and I look forward to watching him impact the game on the field as well as off of it.
Thanks for reading, everyone. We may be in the early phases of the off-season, but the action is just getting started.
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