NFL Notes:

• The pre-season schedule begins in earnest tonight, with 7 games, “highlighted” by a game of musical QB chairs in Chicago between the Bears & Broncos.
  • Elway could come out of the box & be as effective. Hell – mid-stroke Kubiak would be better than most of what we’ll see tonight.

• Ooh – look who’s friends again?!
  • The Dongslinger was speaking at a Green Bay charity dinner, and had a fair bit to say – positively – about #12 and his desire to keep playing until he’s 40 & for the Packers.
    • I’m sure no teeth were ground about how that’s what someone else wanted too, but the team totes let that unknown person down, so then he was all “Jets 4 Life!” before **record scratch** “LOLs – Vikings, bitches!”

• Speaking of the Packers have decided to call one of their defensive packages “Nitro”, which will allow Clay Matthews more freedom to hunt his targets. I can’t wait to see the others, especially, “Gemini”, “Blaze” and “Lazer”.

      The resemblance is uncanny.

• In an ultimate show of pointlessness, the Rams & Chargers held a joint practice where – SURPRISE! – fights broke out.
  • But, GRIT!

Finally, talk of “collusion” in the Kaepernick unemployment saga is getting louder. Forbes is the latest mainstream outlet to question why no one has hired someone with better 2016 numbers than 3/4 of the free agent signings at that position. CBS has an article on its sports website detailing the various theories behind who is doing what to keep Kaep benched.

• The change.org petition threatening to boycott the NFL over this has reached 130,000 “signatures”.
  • Mind you, the petition to force Trump to release his tax returns has over 439,000 signatures, and I believe he totally did.
    • So I’m sure Roger Goodell is quaking in his Oxfords over this one.
• Bleacher Report says that #2 on the Dolphins wish list was Christian Ponder. Kaepernick wasn’t even an option.
• It’s gotten to the point that even lickspittles like Florio are noticing the changes in verbiage Roger Goodell is using when asked the inevitable questions at every presser.
  • Prior to August, his tone was about how each organization does what they can to “improve their team”.
  • This month, the tone now is about decisions are about “what’s in the best interest of their team”.

Any real noise will be made during the regular season, when – not if – someone high-profile goes down and Kaep doesn’t get a call.

So, a box was delivered to my door yesterday afternoon.

SQUEE! It actually means the season is actually almost here.

It contained the usual minimalist provisions for a >10 year season ticket holder:

Still, it’s nice to see what my $2350 CDN gets me:

• two ticket books
• a fan guide / new stadium rules guidebook
• a team portrait in a delightful tube the puppy will enjoy chewing on.

One possible improvement spotted in the fan guide: the Seahawks have apparently brought the food & beverage operations in-house.

Hopefully, this means fewer cold hot-offerings, and an actual way to complain – versus the old response of “Charity volunteers.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  LOL!” I’m just hoping they keep the delicious beer selections they introduced last season, to offset the #UpForEverything taps at every station.

Game preview: Broncos at Bears

Oof. If you thought last night’s QB feeling out / discovery process was rough, tonight is going to be probably more painful. The Broncos starting three of

• Trevor Siemian,
• Paxton Lynch &
• Chad “Not Jim” Kelly

look like Staubach & Grogan (or Elway & Kubiak) compared to the Bears tranquilizing threesome of

• Mike Glennon
• Mark Sanchez
• Mitch Trubisky

The best receiver on both teams could end up being some kid in the fourth row of the end zone, who will no doubt be the beneficiary of some hilarious overthrows.

Although neither team’s fan site wanted to really pump the tires on this game, I’m still thanking the Mile High Report & the Windy City Gridiron for sharing their paucity of interest in this game.

Tonight’s sports:

• NFL:
  • Broncos at Bears – 8:00PM | NFL Network

• CFL:
  • Eskimos vs. Redblacks – 7:30PM | TSN

• Baseball:
  • MLB:
    • Yankees at Blue Jays – 7:00PM | Sportsnet
  • Little League Baseball:
    • Mid-Atlantic Regional semifinal – 7:00PM | ESPN
    • West Regional semifinal – 9:00PM | ESPN

I think – and this is just me – it might be preferable to view tonight not as Broncos versus Bears, but as Coors versus Goose Island. WHO YA DRINKIN’?!