Into the Fire: Marking W’s and L’s

Posted by on in , ,

The NFL’s annual schedule release is a tradition many people take very seriously as the first real glimpse into the coming season for the hardcore football fan. At the very least, the release of the schedule is a symbolic start to the beginning of preparations for NFL fans across the league. These dates and times now make the new season a real thing that fans can adjust their real lives around. Road trips, arrangements for visiting family members, and even menus are being curated right this very second by the millions of NFL fans who schedule their own lives around this schedule that came out yesterday. The best part about the NFL schedule being released; the part that the die hards and casuals both enjoy equal, is mapping out how their teams will fare with the slate that is front of them.

While a lot of fans will be planning for memories with trips to exotic cities like Cincinnati and East Rutherford, every fan will be taking a sharpie to a printed out schedule or checking a computer monitor with their finger as they predict how this season will fare with two simple letters: the W and the L. Those two letters will cover the schedule of every team’s schedule, up and down the 16 weeks as their fans try to justify to themselves how realistic a Super Bowl really is this season. The NFL schedule release is the most hopeful day for an NFL fan, because unlike other leagues, there really is a legitimate chance that the mental gymnastics fans play to justify their team’s championship odds do indeed become legitimate.

In a league where Nick Foles can beat Tom Brady for a Super Bowl title, this day is a reminder that no matter where your team was last year or how much the so-called experts like the other team’s off season moves, your team is going to have a chance to contend this season. Sure the Rams and Vikings have bolstered their rosters with marquee free agents, but the Saints still had an all time draft last year and have yet to draft this year. Sure the Patriots have Belichick and intimidate every team out there, the Eagles still beat them and if they can do it, certainly your team can. There isn’t a date on the calendar where NFL fans collectively believe their own hype more.

In the case of the New Orleans Saints, I honestly think Who Dats should have one of the easier times marking W’s and L’s on their schedules. The arrivals of Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore last year were just a glimpse into what this season could be. Some might argue a sophomore slump is in order, but with a nearly perfect mixture of veterans and youth, the Saints are primed and ready to rack up a ton of W’s this season. The Saints earned themselves five prime time games this season after only having two last year. You get the spotlight on the schedule when the league knows you are going to be one of it’s better teams. This doesn’t always pan out, but in the case of the New Orleans Saints, I don’t think it’s too crazy or cocky for a Who Dat to go ahead and mark 16 W’s on that schedule right now. Sure those are lofty expectations, but really, how can you see any of these teams beating a roster like this?

– Alan Michael