I’m sitting in the press box at the Indianapolis MotoGP race, waiting for it to start. Since I could care less about auto racing — and even LESS about European motorcycle riders whose names sound like pasta dishes — I decided now’s a good time to dust off the blog and start talking some good old (American) football.
The preseason is in full swing.
Are you ready for some meaningless football? Curtis Painter is.
Outside of the Brett Favre and Michael Vick media circus, not much has happened on the field. There are usually several compelling position battles in the preseason, but this year, it seems most teams are just sifting through their bench fodder, deciding who gets to stand on the sideline with a clean uniform each week.
There have been a few notable position battles at quarterback — Matthew Stafford vs. Daunte Culpepper in Detroit, Byron Leftwich vs. Luke McCown in Tampa, and Derek Anderson vs. Brady Quinn in Cleveland. But you can’t help but feel that each of those “battles” is a little pointless, as it’s only a matter of time until the Lions, Bucs, and Browns turn to their young quarterbacks — Josh Freeman, in Tampa’s case.
For the Indianapolis Colts, this preseason marks the beginning of a new chapter in the team’s history. With a new coach, several first-year coordinators, and plenty of new faces on the roster, it’s obviously going to be a season of change. But with three glorified scrimmages down and one to go Thursday at Cincinnati, it’s obvious not that much has changed with the Colts.
The Peyton Manning-led passing game still looks sharp. The run still needs work — both stopping it and creating it. Bob Sanders and Adam Vinatieri have been, and still are MIA.
With a 1-2 record, it’s a poor preseason as usual in Indianapolis. But there have been a few surprising exceptions. This year’s rookie class — especially RB Donald Brown, CB Jerraud Powers, WR Austin Collie, and punter Pat McAfee has looked solid. Brown could make Colts fans quickly forget about Dominic Rhodes, and Powers is making a strong case to put Tim Jennings out of a job.
So even though the preseason is mostly just a bunch of fourth-stringers grasping for a roster spot, I’ll still watch it. What’s the alternative?
The chase for stupid points in auto racing? No thanks.
Late-August baseball? Wake me when it’s October.
Luckily, college football is days away. But for now, the meaningless NFL preseason beats anything else going on in sports.
