On Second Thought: NFL season outlook

Joe Fleming, Katie McMillin, Mitchell Wilson

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Joe Fleming

For me, the NFL season always arrives just in time. Baseball will always be my first love, but the change of tempo football brings is a nice shift of gears – besides, it doesn’t look good for my San Francisco Giants this year.

I usually receive copious amounts of ridicule from my friends because I root for the San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers. My argument is they are in different conferences and under certain situations it’s OK to support two teams. I lived in San Diego for four years and I could not help but be a “bolt-backer.” I know, I know, you don’t agree.

To be honest, the most exciting part of the football season is not whoever hoists the Lombardi Trophy. It’s usually around this time of year when NFL fantasy drafts start.

Several writers on the Hornet participate in a fantasy league and, of course, our draft time was smack dab in the middle of one of my classes. What would you do? I put up my computer, looked like I was intensely taking notes, when actually it was all draft baby. Unfortunately, I auto-picked Darren McFadden at No. 2. Don’t know what my computer was thinking.

So, good luck to you fantasy freaks out there and enjoy the gridiron games this fall.

Joe Fleming can be reached at [email protected].

 

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Katie McMillin

I regret to say this, mostly due to the hate mail I expect to receive, but I don’t care about the NFL. Appreciation of sports is ingrained at an early age and I didn’t watch football growing up except for the occasional Super Bowl, which was muted during the game and unmuted during commercials.

I am a fan of MLB and the NBA. I went to my first San Francisco Giants’ game when I was 5 years old and my first Sacramento Kings game at 11 years old. Some of my best memories from childhood were sitting at home watching Giants’ games with my dad and I didn’t have that experience with football.

As an adult, I try to watch NFL games and they bore me to tears. The frequent stops in the action make it difficult for me to concentrate on the game. If I had a bladder control problem, maybe I would appreciate the breaks in the action more. Call it attention deficit disorder if you want. The Super Bowl commercials and halftime shows, which are sometimes horrific, but usually worth watching, are now available to watch online. Therefore, I have no reason to tune in.

Katie McMillin can be reached at [email protected].

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Mitchell Wilson

As a devoted San Francisco 49ers fan, the realization Alex Smith is my quarterback once again for some torturous reason leaves me lethargic about the upcoming season.

Sure, Frank Gore can run through a defense and lead a team to a win if his offensive linemen have a good game. Eventually, teams are going to stack the box and make Smith throw the ball, which he will do quite effectively into the arms of defensive backs, safeties and possibly a linebacker just to spread his interceptions around.

If the 49ers can finish the season with a record better than 2-14, that would be great. But few should be surprised if Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck are reunited in 2012.

Watching Michael Vick and Cam Newton scramble and make incredible plays will be the highlight of the season for me. Far too often mobile quarterbacks get looked at as leaders who cannot lead their teams all the way. Vick has a chance to go all the way. Newton’s road is going to be a lot tougher with rebuilding Panthers squad.

Fantasy football will be an oasis for me, as I will be able to enjoy football without having to deal with Smith as my quarterback.

Mitchell Wilson can be reached at [email protected].