Football Is NOT Back

Unless your name is Jon Gruden, football is not back, and deep down, you know it. The Hall of Fame Game sucks. Let’s call it what it is. The HOF Game gets hyped every year like it’s Christmas morning, but 90% of the time it either gets delayed by weather or kicks off with five minutes of actual excitement before nose diving into a pile of dog shit. You might get one or two fun drives, maybe one big play if you’re lucky, and then boom, your local car wash assistant is under center running the world’s most uninspired offense you’ve ever seen.

It’s not the football we love. Not even close. The stars aren’t playing. The schemes are bland, the play calling is vanilla, and there’s no chess match going on. There’s no Mahomes no look passes, no last second heroics, no fourth and one put your nut sack on the line play calls. Just sixth string linemen whiffing blocks while a fourth string quarterback runs for his life trying to impress a coach who’s already made up his mind.

Now look, if you’re a diehard, the type who rewatches preseason tape and knows every UDFA on the roster, this might be your Super Bowl. You live for the no name guys grinding for a roster spot. You love the chaos, the drama, the desperation. And that’s great. But for the rest of us, the “football is back” claims are a little premature. And that’s okay.

So let's cut the BS and call it what it is- Football is almost back. And honestly, that’s part of what makes this time so special. The anticipation. The countdown. It’s the build up that makes Week 1 feel like you busted a nut after 15 minutes of fighting for your life not to finish fast. You can’t rush that. You gotta hold the line, we’re almost there. I promise. 

I’m not trying to play the role of the Grinch here, I love football just as much as the next guy. But some of y’all are smoking dope thinking the return of the Hall of Fame Game means we’re officially back. We’re not. It’s July 31st, and we’re still in the preseason trenches. Hang tight, be patient, and let it build. Because when real football actually is back , it’s going to hit like crack.