So here’s the thing: I missed the waiver wire, but it doesn’t mean that I didn’t want to write about football. If anything, I’m a bit superstitious about saying anything in the midst of a Giants winning streak. I’m hoping against hope for a 9-7 finish and a playoff birth that carries my team into the Superbowl–even more spectacularly–against the New York Jets. Both options seem long shots but possible in the scope of this crazy season. This is more than just the talk of a crazy overzealous fan. The jets are over .500 and already beat the Pats. The Giants have the weakest part of their schedule and several divisional games ahead of them. If both can come out on top of their divisions, the playoff road could be paved with injury-laden franchises.
The injury bug is the story of 2012-13 in a year where safety was supposed to be job #1. Instead of making the game safer, new rules threaten to maim players in their prime. If you cannot hit high, and cannot hit middle for fear of the player ducking and the head hit coming accidentally. Now the only way to be safe is to go for the legs, and the legs are what makes and breaks a career.
Despite the rule changes and uncertain franchises, I’m enjoying this season more than any since the G-men took it all. I like more things about more teams, so I watch a lot more football as a result. Say what you will about college football and how players supposedly play harder at that level, the level of parity in the NFL is higher now than it has been in a while. Sure, you have your Jaguars and your Bucs, but on any given Sunday any team can beat anyone else. Ask the Colts who were beat down to the tune of 38-8 this weekend by a Rams team starting their back up QB.
Football is always going to be a part of my life, and despite all the drama attached to it, football is a hell of a sport.