Preseason football kicks off at the Death Star (Cowboys Stadium) in Arlington tonight, marking my favorite part of the year.
Football Season is here.
Now if most of you are like I am, you usually set your TiVo to record about the first half of the game, watch it in fast forward, and you're done with it. It's preseason for crying out loud.
But tonight, I will most likely be watching the game in it's entirety. Not only because I did not think I'd be in this situation a few months ago while the Lockout was still around, but also because there will be former Oklahoma State players everywhere.
That, among other reasons, is why I will be in front of my couch for most, if not all, of the game tonight. Here are my top 5 reasons:
Number 5: What will the defense look like under Rob Ryan?
Coach Ryan has done a lot of talking this off-season, which is why I like him. Not only does he keep the spotlight around, but he gives the players motivation to have his back on what he's talking about. The Ryan brothers are evil geniuses (His twin brother is Rex Ryan, Head Coach of the NY Jets), and I'm very excited to see what Rob does with the Dallas D.
Number 4: Dan Bailey's Position Battle
I've always loved Dan. The first thing I noticed about him during my first Oklahoma State game was his bright orange shoes he wore. I love that. Could we see some bright blue shoes tonight from him? Eh, probably not. But we will see an intense position battle between him and last year's kicker David Buehler. Buehler has the edge on kickoff's, but struggled on place kicking last year, area that Bailey is known for excelling it (He won the 2010 Groza Award). Coach Garrett said he'd be "Systematically" rotating them in to give each a fair shot. That doesn't mean they'll switch off every kick, but that they'll both have seen equal time when the final horn sounds.
Number 3: The Imminent Confusion That Is Bound To Take Place
The players had all summer off. The rookie's didn't have coaches running their practices, they had peers. The veterans weren't taught the new plays, formations, and schemes until two weeks ago. Even though these are the best athletes in the world, humans can only attain so much knowledge in such a little amount of time. That, combined with the fact that they spent all summer doing drills, and have only been playing true football for about two weeks, will show not only some mental confusion, but also some missed tackles and blown coverages. That could mean fireworks.
Number 2: The Kyle Orton/Tim Tebow Saga Comes To Town
Before I say anything else, I want to get out there that I'm a Tebow lover. I understand why people don't like him (He's too perfect, The media loves him, etc.), and that's fine, but he remains in the #4 spot on my "Top 5 Favorite Athletes" list. Yes, I have one of those. Anyway, this position battle is one for the ages. The Bronco's kind of been lost at QB since John Elway retired. Yes, they've had Jake Plummer, Cutler, etc, but no one has solidified themselves as a "Without A Doubt" starter. Tebow is the future, Kyle Orton the present, and I'm very interested in seeing what Denver does in this position. Team Tebow!
Number 1: The Return Of Dez Bryant
For those of you who were wondering about the rest of my "Top 5 Favorite Athletes List", 5: Brandon Weeden/Mark Ingram 4: Tebow 3: Von Miller 2: Dirk 1: Dez Bryant. He's coming back from his season-ending leg injury last year, and I'm hoping he'll pick up right where he left off. What I like about Dez is that, in terms of a football players, he's me. Not only does he work hard to be the best player on the field, but he also plays with a ton of emotion. My background on my computer will forever be the picture of him on the entrance gate at Boone Pickens, pointing to the sky with a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt. I love how pumped up he can get, and I firmly believe that if he straightens out whatever issues he has off the field, if there truly even are any, then he could not only be one of the best receivers to play in the NFL, but one of the best players to ever play in the NFL. Period.
That's all I've got! The Oklahoma State season breakdown will continue soon, as well as what I thought about the Cowboys game tonight.
Be sure to watch my twitter account (@bmorris_ocolly) for questions and discussions!
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