I know it will happen. Its bound to. At some point of today, you’re going to watch a game and a star will be lying on the grass a little bit longer than you’d like.
You’re going to start yelling at the television when it starts to process in your head. His season is over. It won’t matter that the ticker on the bottom of the screen and the announcer says that more info is coming. You don’t need to be a doctor to know that when a guy’s knee bends back like that, he’s not coming back for a while.
Football’s a violent sport and while it remains one of the more entertaining aspects of it, its can also be the most devastating.
Even fantasy has added an element to our misery some people miss. Most Americans who participate in fantasy football don’t just do one, they do multiple and since the odds of having the exact same roster in each league are slim to none, its within reason to expect that everyone will complain about one player going down this season.
How much does that suck?
The disappointment however doesn’t have to destroy your season. A waiver wire pick up in fantasy land or a Tom Brady/Kurt Warner in real life football can come along and right the fortunes of the franchise.
But most of the time, you’re left with very little to go on. Football’s first weekend is supposed to be the best time in the world. But I’m reminded of the 2 most shocking injuries that I can remember:
1. Vinny Testaverde was the QB of the New York Jets that went to the AFC championship game the year before against the Denver Broncos and led at halftime before a future NFL Hall of Famer led a second half surge to win the game. Not that the sequence of events sounds familiar, but expectations were high the next year. In the first quarter of the game, Testaverde tore his ACL, was out for the year and there went the Jets season.
2. A year after going 18-1, Tom Brady and the Pats were everyones pick to go back to the Super Bowl and win it. Bernard Pollard became famous for rolling on to Brady’s knee and he was out for the year. The Pats went on to a respectable season with Matt Cassel, but they were no longer the feared team they were.
Both franchises had huge hopes coming into that season and even before the fans were able to get their seats warmed, their seasons were done in the fans minds.
That’s how quickly fortunes can turn. That’s how quick the excitement of football coming back can be ruined. It takes one play.
So enjoy today. You’ve earned it with your patience. Just temper expectations. Its a marathon not a sprint. MY advice is to allow the season to play out. Don’t get too up or too down. Its ok to get excited. This may be the Jets season like I am predicting. This may be the Giants season like I hope. Either way, someones season will be done on one play today: DONT let that ruin football for you today.
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The Lazy Eye of Sports 