The NFL Is Back: We Made It!

Thank goodness for Rio.

And not just the athletics within Olympic Games - the corruption, spectacle, and dialogue that has surrounded the event thus far has been a blessing, because without any of it, the sports fan would have had nowhere to turn.

As far as what exactly we've seen in the Olympics I'll get to another time, but already we can appreciate them as a veritable lifesaver, bridging the rest of the gap into NFL season with two weeks of swimming, gymnastics, sprinting, and whatever "dressage" is.

Without Rio we would have been stuck arguing about the merits of cancelling the NFL Hall of Fame Game because of faulty field paint. Without Rio the retirement of Mark Teixeira may have made headlines. Without Rio, Lebron James re-signing with the Cavaliers would have been treated like a landmark development instead of a dragged-out formality.

I discussed before just how bland the late-summer slate of sports is for the average fan, but the good news is, we're just now beginning to break out into sunlight. NFL preseason football is here in earnest, which means it's time settle in and answer the pervading questions that dominate the brains of football fans this time of year, such as:

Who is the undrafted camp hero?     Most likely the short speedy wideout from a tiny college.
Is the offensive line going to be terrible again?     Probably. 
Is Joe Flacco Elite?     Some questions are best left unanswered.
Why did my GM pay so much money to (player)?     Contracts aren't guaranteed.
How guilty am I going to feel for watching football this year?     Try not to think about it.

Embrace it.

Welcome back, football.