Chris Snan, Staff Columnist~
Since Feb. 5, 2017, fans across the country have waited patiently to get back to their routine Sundays again. And now, the wait is over.
A new season has begun, and fans can once again cheer their beloved teams on as they battle to prove who is the most dominant. Ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about the return of the National Football League (NFL), touchdown celebrations and a brand new draft class with promising talent. For the next four-and-a-half months, let us gather and enjoy the return of football.
Throughout the offseason, fans pondered what the new season would bring to their city, while athletes and their teams made headlines with the moves they were making to live up to these expectations from their fans. Because who likes to be disappointed? Certainly not the fans.
These moves only built up the hype surrounding the return of the NFL. Moves such as star wide-receiver Brandon Cooks leaving the New Orleans Saints to join the already juggernaut New England Patriots. Or, how about the shocking return of the future Hall of Fame running back Marshawn Lynch to his hometown in Oakland, California? Lynch shocked the league when he came out of retirement to join the Oakland Raiders.
Let’s not forget the departure of Adrian Peterson from the Minnesota Vikings to continue his career with the New Orleans Saints. Peterson is currently known as, arguably, the best running back in the league and perhaps even of all time. He spent all his career with Minnesota, and until these past few years, he dominated the league without bringing a title home. But last year things changed and, due to controversy, the all-star was quickly despised and forced to leave the team.
Stories like Peterson’s were just a small part of drama that occurred during the offseason. Much like Peterson, former starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick, was released by his former team because of controversy. Many critics believe this is due to the drama Kaepernick caused when he kneeled during the Pledge of Allegiance last year.
A lot of teams and players disagree with the hatred being shown toward Kaepernick by the league and the teams. Kaepernick, as we’ve seen before, is very talented and surely has the caliber to be a starting quarterback for most teams in the league. However, the young and promising quarterback did not get signed by any of the 32 teams.
But now all the drama and excitement is over, and last weekend kicked off the return of football on Sundays. Who will emerge on top this year? Who will crumble or fall just short of glory in the Super Bowl? Only the next 25 weeks will tell.
