Just in case you were among those recently bemoaning a ‘quiet’ or even ‘boring’ offseason, the NFL just recently served up a couple of reminders that silence at this time of year is nearly always golden.
When it comes to down time, especially during the period between the end of the season and the start of the offseason program, or during the current period we’re now facing between minicamp and the start of training camp, I basically am hoping to be as bored as possible, from a football standpoint. I don’t want to hear about my team, because the odds are that it’s bad news.
Take, for example, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who just recently injured his hand in the midst of celebrating the fourth of July. While initial reports suggesting extreme severity appear to have been exaggerated, it seems that it’s possible he may have suffered some nerve damage in his hand.
Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Ramon Foster was no doubt among many celebrating the fourth over the weekend, and he did so by showing off an aerial view of his own fireworks display, from which he exited mercifully unscathed.
That was not the case for many other teams last week whose players were hit with suspensions over the league’s PED and substance abuse policies, which included some high profile and surprising names. Yet another example of why you don’t want to hear about the players on your favorite team during this time of the year.
No, I can wait a couple more weeks before I hear the Steelers and their players associated with loud bangs, when they open up training camp toward the end of this month.
Unless it pertains to signing a new contract or going through an intense workout regimen to prepare him for the season, it’s quite frankly better for an athlete during this time period to be persona non grata. The time to grab the headlines spans from August through February.
So, again, if you’re one of those fans sitting at home bored out of your mind because there’s nothing new going on regarding your favorite team, be glad for your boredom, because it means that it’s probably in pretty good shape. It will all be over shortly before we get to enjoy the avalanche and oversaturation of NFL news for the next seven months.
