Offseason Offerings

I hope you enjoyed Super Bowl XLVI!  I can’t believe that not a single one of my Super Bowl Game Changers made an appearance, but that didn’t make it any less exciting.  Believe it or not, very few Super Bowls have been decided on the final play of the game like this was. 

By the way, just to throw my two cents in, I say "way to go" to Gisele Bundchen, wife of New England QB Tom Brady, for standing by her man when goaded by a heckler after the game.  For those of you unaware of the incident and the controversy it has raised, Gisele commented to a heckler:  “My husband can not *bleep*ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.  I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times.”  People can debate about whether she should have made such a comment, especially with how tight-lipped the Patriots are as an organization.  However, she had a point (the Patriots receivers, including Brady’s go-to receiver Wes Welker, dropped four passes in a row in the team’s last two critical possessions) and isn’t a good thing that a wife’s instinct is to stick up for her husband?  It’s not like she was drunk or threw anything!  C’mon!

Anyway…

So, people have been asking me what I’ll be doing with Naptime Huddle during the offseason.  I thought I’d take up a post with answering that question, and to give you an idea of what happens in the NFL during the period between seasons.

 

First things first—there is still plenty to talk about even when there aren’t games to be played, so you will see plenty of NH now until the preseason starts up in August.   That being said, you will see a little less of NH.  Instead of writing every weekday, I’ll probably cut it down to about three posts a week.

As is true with so many things in life, though, it’s not about quantity, but quality.  I promise that the posts you do see will be informative, thought-provoking, and fun.  Here is a sampling of my ideas for the offseason:

·   The Naptime Huddle Book Club:  I am very excited about this new aspect of my blog.  Over the next several months, I will introduce you to some football-related literature.  Of course, there will be some autobiographies and biographies of players and coaches.   However, there are fiction works authored by former players and some with plots centered around the sport.  Our first selection is coming soon.  I’ll introduce the book and its author in its own post and then, a few weeks later, I will post discussion questions.  I’m not sure that we will be able to have live discussions about the book, but anyone who wants to comment can do so in the Comments section on the blog page.  Also, if you are a member of a book club outside of NH, feel free to share our selections and questions with that group.

·   Fewer Rules, More History:  My learning style is visual and hands-on; I tend to retain information better when I can see its application first-hand.  Assuming that many of you are like me, there won’t be as many posts about the rules of football and how the game works, since there won’t be weekly opportunities to see these things in action.  Instead, we'll learn more about the history of the NFL:  how the league started, survived and has evolved; individual team histories; how the NFL has been influenced by the outside world; and the personal histories of the more dynamic personalities in the sport’s present and past.

·   Guest Writers:  Every blog could use some fresh content, and every blog writer could use a break, so I’m hoping to make both happen with some guest writers.  I’ve already got one lined up for next week, so stay tuned!  I’ve read his post and I guarantee two things:  (1) it’s very different from anything you’ve seen on NH to date and (2) it will give you a fresh perspective on football and its place in pop culture.

·   And, of course, more recipes!

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to stay plugged in to Naptime Huddle in the coming months.  In addition to the plans above, I’ll also fill you in on the offseason events that fill the NFL calendar.  Some are coming sooner than you’d think: 

·   February 22nd through the 28th, the NFL Combine will be held in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Super Bowl was just held.  The Combine is where the best prospects coming out of college are put through various workouts and skill drills so they can be evaluated by the scouts of all the NFL teams.  Why?  So the teams will be prepared for …

·   The NFL Draft, the biggest event in the offseason.  This year, as it is every year, the draft will be held in Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  The Draft will take place April 26-28.  Much more on the Draft later…

·   The offseason is also a time for the owners of NFL teams to have various meetings on a variety of topics, including potential rule changes and the business aspects of the game (such as TV contracts, licensing and the like).  Naptime Huddle will keep you apprised of any developments from these “owner huddles.”

·   As spring turns to summer, we’ll witness the start of the season before the season—offseason training activities/organized team activities (a.k.a. “OTAs”) and, eventually, training camp.  Much, much more on these as their dates draw near.

Whew!  What did I say about not writing as often?!?  I may need to give that some more thought…