100 Days til Football: Let Me Count the Ways
” Here’s a look at 100 pigskin related thoughts, ideas, hopes, dreams, predictions for the 2014 football season. Getting up to that number may be a stretch so I’ll be dipping into fantasy football a bit, which I know is everyone’s favorite topic to read about and discuss openly- at least for some of us degenerates, that is. “
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With 100 days left until the NFL season officially kicks off and a little less than that for college football, I’d thought it would be fun to point out 100 things to look forward to. As you can tell, the never ending NHL and NBA finals are not exactly holding my interest. The Rockies are well, the Rockies and can only do so much to scratch my sports itch.
Here’s a look at 100 pigskin related thoughts, ideas, hopes, dreams, predictions for the 2014 football season. Getting up to that number may be a stretch so I will probably have to dip into fantasy football a bit, which I know is everyone’s favorite topic to read about and discuss openly- at least for some of us degenerates, that is.
1. Johnny Football- Sure, I am way over the hype just like the rest of you. However, it’s going to be a fun ride to watch what happens on that Browns team with him now on the roster.
2. AFC West- Let’s face it, the Broncos division hasn’t exactly been a powerhouse as of late. With Kansas City and San Diego seeing vast improvements and acquiring some decent free agents, the division is on the upswing and should provide great competition this season. Hey, even the Raiders should see a surge in their level of play in 2014.
3. Mike Vick is a Jet- Grab that popcorn, folks and prepare for Act 1 Scene 1.
4. Todd Gurley- Yes, I happen to be a huge UGA homer, but this guy is unbelievably talented and we get to watch him run all over the SEC for one more season.
5. The Texans D- With the addition of Jadeveon Clowney to an already powerful group, these guys will be a straight up force this season. Now, if they could only find someone to toss the rock.
6. Knowshon Moreno’s Tears – Will we see tears of joy or sadness streak across those cheeks in his new home in Miami? My guess is the later as he struggles behind the shoddy Dolphin O-line.
7. Six poor teams are headed to London in 2014- The Jags, Cowboys, Falcons, Lions, Raiders and Dolphins will all cross the pond to play football in 2014. God speed.
8. New College Playoff System- High Five college football fans! A new four-team playoff system will begin in 2014. The details are too much for this piece so just go check out how it will play out. You have about 94 more days to educate yourself on this new format.
9. Broncos still have PFM – I know for some of you this is not encouraging after the Super Bowl debacle; however we need to look at the big picture. Denver could be looking at a choice of Schaub or McGloin behind center. Feel better, yet? You should.
10. Champ Bailey is still getting paid – I’m happy for the guy. While I get that it’s just business in the NFL and the Broncos did what they had to, I’m glad that he gets another year in the league in New Orleans.
11. Fantasy Drafts are inching closer – It’s almost time to be able to think about fantasy football without feeling like a total degenerate. Almost.
12. Michael Sam – While his suspended reality show caused some to sour on his presence in the NFL, it is still incredible that an openly gay player is on an NFL roster. At least for now.
13. Baby Gruden has his own team – It will be interesting to see what Jay Gruden can do with the train wreck that Mike Shanahan left behind.
14. Alabama is no longer pre-ranked #1 – It’s too early for the official AP Top 25 rankings but what we do know is that it’s unlikely that Alabama will be in that #1 spot. Saban haters rejoice!
15. Fantasy Magazines hitting the shelf – I am old school and still love the fantasy football draft magazines. They come out sometime during the summer so should be in production soon. I’m actually contributing to one this season so there’s that, too.
16. Tony Romo – He’s still the signal caller for the Cowboys and that’s just glorious in itself drama-wise.
17. Tampa Bay Bucs new duds – They have redesigned their uniform yet again into an enormous arena football looking swashbuckler. I find this comical.
18. Bengals RB Gio Bernard is rumored to play slot receiver, too – Interesting indeed.
19. Steve Smith is no longer a Panther – It will be strange to see the perennial Carolina receiver in a different uniform. He now gets to catch passes from Joe “elite” Flacco in Baltimore.
20. The “Adam Carolla” Rule – The goal posts have been extended five feet higher. Carolla has been a huge proponent of this as it prevents refs from having to guess if it sailed over in or out of the uprights.
21. Ritchie Incognito is still available – Any takers?
22. Three new Broncos are going into the Ring of Fame – Gene Mingo, Rick Upchurch and Dan Reeves will all be forever sealed in Denver Broncos history as the newest members of this elite fraternity.
23. Brett Favre is still retired – and resembles a scruffy Wolverine.
24. Can Florida State repeat a National Championship – With Heisman quarterback Jameis Winston back in Tallahassee, will they pull off a near impossible repeat? They will need to keep him out of the pokey first.
25. The QB situation in Minnesota- It will be interesting to see who emerges as their signal caller this season. They currently have Matt Cassel, Christian Ponder and rookie Teddy Bridgewater on the roster all of who could end up in that starting role.
26. Just say no to dunking – Sadly, it is now illegal to dunk the football in a celebratory fashion over the goal post. Boo.
27. David Carr’s little brother is in the league- Will he get pounded in Oakland as much as David did in Houston?
28. Vegas Odds for Super Bowl – Currently the Seahawks and Broncos are favored to return to the big game at 5-1 odds. We all know that has very little to no chance of actually happening.
29. Fall Weather – While it’s barely summer, I already long for those cool fall football Saturdays and Sundays.
30. Fantasy rookies – I am looking forward to this new crop of rookies and how they perform from a fantasy football perspective. Where will they be drafted and will they contribute?
31. Broncos Defense- The acquisitions of T.J. Ward, Demarcus Ware and Aqib Talib during free agency should provide a much needed boost in Denver’s defense. At least we hope so.
32. Gronk and Manziel – Pictures surfaced of these two partying together in Vegas over the weekend. You can’t ask for a douche-ier bromance than that.
33. The Jags drafted Blake Bortles – ahead of many guys ranked above him. Did they know something others didn’t or are they just being the Jags?
34. The Buffalo Jills – The Bills cheerleading squad suspended operations over allegations of no or low pay and degrading treatment by staffers. The struggling team may now have to go at it without sideline support for the 2014 season.
35. Ray Rice – Sigh
36. Chris Berman is one year closer to retirement – Father time always wins and in this case we can only hope it happens sooner than later.
37. Rocky Mountain Showdown – The 2014 version of CU vs CSU will be on a Friday night for the first time in the history of the rivalry.
38. Eric Decker and Jessie James are no longer in the Mile High City – We will no longer be subjected to his horrible radio spots and cheesy commercials. Yippee!
39. Drew Soicher still is, though – Sigh
40. Darrelle Revis and the Hoodie – That should make for an interesting combination in New England.
41. Year two of the no bag rule – I’m not sure if they’ve made any tweaks to the no purse or backpack rule at NFL stadiums. Either way, the second year should go smoother and without too much confusion.
42. Hakeem Nicks – He gets Andrew Luck as his quarterback now but can he stay healthy enough to reap the rewards? My vote is no.
43. Mark Sanchez in an Eagle – As if the guy didn’t get ripped a new one enough as a Jet. Now he gets Philly fans, the worst of the worst. Good luck with that.
44. The Bills are up in the air – With the passing of owner Ralph Wilson, it is still unknown who will step up to purchase the franchise.
45. Richard Sherman – It doesn’t matter what happens, the guy is always entertaining.
46. 100 more days of trouble- We all know what the police blotter looks like during the summer for NFL and college football players. Who will be on there next?
47. A fresh girlfriend crop – With AJ McCarron and Aaron Murray gone to the NFL, a new crop of college football girlfriends will emerge to keep horny broadcasters and fans entertained.
48. RGIII – Will he remain healthy and live up to the hype?
49. Aaron Hernandez is still in jail – and rightfully so. He’s a sick son of a biatch.
50. Chris Johnson is a Jet – Once again, grab that popcorn. Anything involving the NY Jets is guaranteed drama.
51. Recovery of a loose ball is now reviewable – Remember the Navorro Bowman play during the NFC Championship game last year? Well, that is now a reviewable play. Thank goodness.
52. 49ers had 12 draft picks- Those picks along with free agency; the Niners should be a serious force to be reckoned with in the NFC West this season.
53. Will new Head Coach Charlie Strong return Texas to glory – Longhorn fans sure hope so.
54. Desean Jackson’s fantasy value- Now that he will be catching passes from RGIII, it’s most likely that his numbers will drop for 2014.
55. Can Montee Ball be a number one back – John Elway and his band of brothers seem to think so. Me, not so much.
56. Super Bowl Half Time Show – I know it’s way too early for speculation on this; however I am curious what direction the NFL will go.
57. Andre Johnson – He seems vocal about wanting out of Houston. Will his wish be granted sometime in 2014?
58. Steve Spurrier’s Visor – Will he throw it on the ground before the end of the first quarter of opening weekend? I say a resounding yes.
59. Lovie Smith – After being the man in Chicago from 2004-2012, he starts a new chapter in Tampa Bay in 2014.
60. Hard Knocks – Which team will be the one to open themselves up to cameras and all of us during training camp this season?
61. The Harbaugh Brothers – The brother Head Coaches are always good for some good story lines throughout the NFL season. I look forward to 2014’s version.
62. Maurice Jones-Drew – The Oakland native returns home to play for the silver and black. For his sake, I hope it revives his career which has been lackluster as of late.
63. Will someone draft Michael Turner in fantasy football – Last year someone in the South Sands league drafted him in the second round. Who will be this year’s Michael Turner?
64. Kapri Bibbs – Will this undrafted former CSU running back make the Broncos final 53-man roster?
65. Ziplocs full of Whiskey – This probably has no meaning to those of you here in Colorado but college football reminds me of taping baggies of Whiskey or Bourbon to the inside of your leg to sneak into the stadium on game day. It’s an SEC thing.
66. Thursday Night Football – Let’s hope the product is better in 2014 than it was last year.
67. Ben Tate in Cleveland – Arian Foster’s former backup finally has a shot at being the man in the backfield for the Browns.
68. Game Day Twitter – Social media is a hoot on game day. I love the energy and camaraderie displayed among fans and rivals during the season on game day.
69. Hochuli 2.0 – Shawn Hochuli, the son of longtime NFL referee Ed Hochuli joins the NFL this season as a side judge. He comes to the league from the Pac-12.
70. The Red Zone channel – It has revolutionized the way we watch football. At least in my house. I’m talking about eight-ish hours of commercial free football each and every Sunday during the season.
71. Von Miller relaunch – Hopefully this season will be a very different one for the linebacker. It would be really nice to see him a bit more mature and healthy.
72. Matt Ryan’s survival- Did the Falcons do enough this offseason to keep him off the ground this season?
73. New Fantasy Football Team Names- Clowney Car, The Johnny Football Experience, Gronk If You’re Horny, Romophobic. You’re welcome.
74. Willis Mcgahee –He’s still out there. Along with Felix Jones.
75. Will Muschamp needs to win now – If the Florida coach doesn’t produce this season he most likely will be another member of the college football coaching carousel.
76. The League – While it has taken a turn for the worse over the past season or so, The League on FXX is just hilarious. My only complaint is that the season is way too short; it always ends even before the NFL regular season does.
77. Manning Faces – Both Peyton and his younger brother Eli make the kind of faces that comics and meme creators dream of while on the football field.
78. NCAA Football gaming – EAS Sports has dropped their NCAA game due to legality issues and no other company has decided to pick it up. It’s a bummer for those who love the game.
79. Josh Gordon – How long will his suspension end up being for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy? I’m pretty sure those who own him in dynasty and keeper leagues are paying pretty close attention to his situation.
80. Outrageous Uniforms – New uniform changes in college football every season bring more fodder for us to make fun of.
81. Trent Richardson – Will he get that bust label off his back both in the real NFL and fantasy football this season?
82. Super Bowl Commercials – They are always entertaining and good for some legit water cooler talk.
83. First NFL coach fired- I’ll go with a handful of very plausible options here: Joe Philbin, Jason Garrett, Dennis Allen or perhaps Rex Ryan.
84. Julio Jones- His health was certainly an issue last season. The Falcons need him to bounce back, badly.
85. Waiver wire to starter – Which midgrade receiver or running back will emerge as a stud within the first few weeks of the season becoming the hero to many fantasy owners?
86. Have I mentioned college football playoff system???????????????
87. 5280 Shirt Shop – We love these local guys who create amazing designs for all seasons, but especially love their football swag.
88. Tim Tebow – There really isn’t any news with him but you can’t really have a football piece of this magnitude without including him somewhere.
89. South Stands Denver – We churn out great content year round. However, I personally feel more on point during football season.
90. Jim Irsay – What will Roger Goodell’s punishment be for Irsay’s two counts of impaired driving? We are all waiting and wondering how the commish will handle it.
91. Mangrate – It’s the ultimate in grilling, an essential for the football season. Use the promo code DENVER at mangrate.com and save $10 on two.
92. Legit Hope – Those of us in Denver are fortunate enough to have a team that has a real chance at a deep playoff run. As bad as that Super Bowl massacre was, you could be a fan Buffalo.
93. CU Football program- They recently broke ground on a long overdue expansion of their athletics facilities, setting up the football program for years to come.
94. Brandon Weeden is in Dallas – The 30 year old former Browns quarterback seems like an odd fit in the big D to me, but we will have to see how it shakes out.
95. Tailgating – While I did see some people having a few beers at their cars before a Rapids game, for some reason tailgating is associated solely with football. I miss it and anxiously await its arrival.
96. Dove Valley Revamp – Some renovations to the Bronco facility are causing changes to training camp this season. Fans will only be allowed to attend the practices and scrimmages located at Sports Authority Field.
97. Adrian Peterson – His decline is on the horizon, will it be in 2014?
98. Beast Mode – The most media unfriendly guy in the league is apparently going to star in a movie about his life entitled Family First. I assume the snack of choice for the flick would be Skittles.
99. Fantasyville – Coming soon to this very site: a fantasy football podcast much like our show on Mile High Sports last season.
100. I cannot believe that I actually made it to 100. I guess I really am ready for some football.
