OFD Opinions: The NFL New Year

The new NFL year officially began with a boom on Tuesday which included several big free agent signings and trades.  Which NFL team do you follow (regardless of how close) and how have they been doing so far this offseason?

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Jim Miesle:

Having spent most of my life in the state of Indiana, I follow the Colts.  I'm not a super fan by any stretch of the imagination, but they have been fun to watch since they drafted Peyton all those years ago (see, you were wrong Ryan Leaf supporters!).  They appear to be going all-in for a run at a Super Bowl in 2015 by resigning a number of key players as well as beefing up their DL and pass rush.  They have the luxury of having the cap space this offseason, and most of the moves look to be short-term, as they need to pay Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton after this season.

Punter Bro:

Like Jim, I also follow the local team that I grew up with.  Unfortunately, that team, the Washington Redskins Football Club, has given me just as much indigestion as Notre Dame.  They are absolutely nowhere near where they need to be to even be remotely competitive in the NFL.  They have questions at practically every single position, save for a couple.  Our best player on the roster who provides the most successful consistent performance is, ironically for me, the punter.  Still, the hiring of Scot McCloughan was exciting, however I have absolutely no trust or faith in the power-that-be that run the Skins (i.e. Dan Snyder).  The fact that they didn't throw stupid money at Ndamukong Suh might mean that they have turned a corner, but they are most certainly in "show me" mode for me as a fan, at least for the next 2-3 seasons.

Eric Murtaugh:

I am sports agnostic outside of Notre Dame and I've been this way since my early teens. I have recently attached myself to Tottenham Hotspur in the EPL but even with soccer I enjoy plenty of other European teams, as well.

I didn't do this on purpose although now I feel like there just isn't enough room, time wise and emotionally, to fit in another NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, etc. team in my life. Plus, in my view this makes sports much more enjoyable. I know it can be sacrilegious to a lot of fans and that's fine. But a sport like the NFL is more fun when you can bounce around to different teams from year to year depending on interest and entertainment. The payoff when a team wins isn't nearly the same but it allows me to sit back and just enjoy the athletic feats on television, free from any suffering or bias.

So in general I follow players instead of teams. I can watch both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady without having to 'pick a side' because of any petty team rivalries and such. Although, I've always been fond of the Browns but I wouldn't dare say that I'm anywhere near the level of even the most lazy Cleveland fan. I do look forward to Nike's re-design of their uniforms though.

I found the moves by Chip Kelly so far pretty interesting. From trading LeSean McCoy because apparently he's smart and doesn't want to sink too much money into the replaceable running back position, to paying out around $18.5 million in 2015 to 3 separate tailbacks. Okay, then.

ndroyalsfan:

As a Chiefs fan, I was truly blessed to watch the Chiefs go an entire season without a WR catching a TD pass. We came oh so close in the last game of the season when Dwayne Bowe fumbled at the one foot line before TE Travis Kelce recovered in the end zone for a TD. We also saw Bowe drop a TD pass in the second to last game, but this streak of destiny couldn't be denied. With Jeremy Maclin signing, it's hard to think this will continue, as the former Mizzou WR can do things like "get open," "catch the ball," and "run into the endzone." Chiefs' WRs found all three of these things impossible, so it will definitely help the team to have a player that can do all three on the same play. While the move, coupled with releasing Bowe is probably good for the team, I'm saddened that this chapter in Chiefs history will soon come to a close. Like many ND fans, I just don't know if it's worth rooting for a team that will no longer have its fullback catch more TD passes than its entire roster of wide receivers. Thankfully, by franchising NFL sack leader Justin Houston and getting Tamba Hali to restructure his deal, the glorious and impenetrable CHIEFENSE looks to be as strong as ever.