Jens Deju
Daily Egyptian
With Saturday's American Bowl in Osaka, Japan, another NFL season kicks off, and I for one can't wait.
Raised in the football hotbed of Miami, there has always been something special to me about the game.
It's almost like the love of football is bred into everyone who lives in the area, and it's continually reinforced year after year.
For as long as I can remember, I would sit in front of the TV with my grandparents and my parents and watch the Miami Dolphins beat up on the competition.
And in their off years, we'd watch the competition whoop up on them.
Like in years past, there are several aspects of the upcoming NFL season that have me on the edge of my seat.
Will Tony Dungy be able to finally make the Indianapolis Colts play defense?
Will this be the year the Cincinnati Bengals finally rise back up to the mediocre level?
How will Steve Spurrier do now that he has left the swamps of Florida?
The Spurrier question is one of the ones that intrigues me the most as I have followed him for over a decade as he headed the upstate Gators.
He always left everyone on the edge of their seats trying to figure out who he would belittle next.
My personal favorite is when he made fun of the fact Tennessee never could get past the Gators and always ended up in the Citrus Bowl.
He said, "You can't spell Citrus without UT."
Following this past season, Spurrier resigned at Florida and took over the reigns of the Washington Redskins, with whom he'll make his debut Saturday when ESPN televises their game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Another thing I'm looking forward to seeing is how Bart Scott does with the revamped Baltimore Ravens.
After winning the Super Bowl just two years ago, the Ravens tore their team to shreds this past offseason in order to get under the salary cap.
Those moves created an opportunity, for Scott and I can't wait to see him start lighting up some NFL players they way he did to opponents here at SIU.
Ricky Williams going from the New Orleans Saints to Miami is another offseason move I am anxious to see pan out as it is the first time my Dolphins have had a legitimate running back since I've been alive.
Gone are the days of relying on the Mark Higgses, Karim Abdul-Jabbars and Lamar Smiths of the world.
I just hope Williams can continue to improve and show the play that won him the Heisman Trophy during his college days at Texas.
Regardless of what the answers to these questions are, the one thing I know is that I will be glued to the TV set every Sunday.
I will surround myself with snacks and watch the games, whether it be in the comfort of my apartment, or while I sit here at the DE and type away on whatever story I'm working on at the time.
I don't care if I get to see my Dolphins play the New York Jets or if it's a pitiful match-up like the Detroit Lions against the Carolina Panthers. I'll still watch just because it's a football game.
There's just nothing like watching a linebacker come flying around the corner and hitting either the running back or the quarterback so hard that it knocks their helmet clear across the field.
That is not the only thing that makes football great.
The sound that comes from the big ugly's up front slamming into each other at the start of a play.
Seeing the wide receivers put the moves on a corner back to get open.
Watching a play unfold in slow motion as a great play for your team.
That is what makes football great.
They say blood is thicker than water.
What happens when football is in your blood?
All I know is that I'm ready for some football.
Who's with me?
Reporter Jens Deju can be reached at jdeju@dailyegyptian.com
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
