How is everyone doing today? I imagine pretty well if you are a football fan because today marks the start of the regular season. To honor this day, I figured I would write a piece about my thoughts on the current era of the NFL.

I grew up a massive football fan. My favorite team was the Houston Oilers. Yes, the Oilers. Why, you may ask? Is it because I lived near Texas? Nope. Is it because my favorite player played for the team? Not exactly. I chose the Houston Oilers because I received a mini Oilers football helmet from a quarter machine at a grocery store. I was enthralled by the Oil Tower logo (not knowing what it was then). And the white, Columbia blue, and red colors spoke to me. I suppose when you are a child, those things are important.

I remember when I would tell people I was an Oiler fan, I would get a response like, “Really, the Oilers?” But they were my team, and I loved them. It also helped that a couple of young players named Eddie George and Steve McNair came to the franchise's rescue and got people to change their opinions. 

The Oilers were eventually uprooted from their hometown to start a new journey in Tennessee. The move devastated many fans, and I understood that, but since I wasn’t from Houston or even Texas, I decided to follow the team to their new state. 

Shortly after the move, our owner (Bud Adams) decided to rebrand the team, and the Tennessee Titans were born. I missed the white and blue uniforms with the red accents but embraced the new look. My fandom grew and grew. I watched players like McNair, Eddie George, Jevon Kearse, Steve Young, and Chris Johnson. I studied the greats like Earl Campbell, Warren Moon, Billy White Shoes Johnson, Elvin Bethea, and Billy Cannon. I also studied other great teams: the Cowboys, 49ers, Packers, and Patriots, as well as players like Lawrence Taylor and Fran Tarkenton.

My point is that I loved this sport. I couldn’t help but love it.

Fast-forward to the modern era. With the length of games, the number of commercials or ads, and the many rules changes every year, the love is starting to fade.

I no longer have time to dedicate three and a half hours straight to watching TV. Commercials have always been there, but being bombarded by ads trying to convince me to part ways with my money for things I don’t need is not fun. I already use my hard-earned money to buy things I don’t need, like more sports cards!

Kickoff, commercial. Time out, commercial. Punt return, commercial. Quarter change, first play, penalties. Commercials, commercials, commercials. It feels like half of the game is ads.

And don’t get me started on the rule changes. The owners get together every year and nitpick the sport until they come up with a rule change that they hope will bring them good PR. I mean, some safety rules are a must. Everyone wants to cut down on injuries, especially life-altering head injuries. However, this is a contact sport, a rough sport, and some things we just can’t prevent. Unless we want to turn it into flag football, which sometimes feels like the direction we are headed.

Rule changes also cause officiating problems. The number of flags I see every year is ridiculous. Punt returns are almost unwatchable because there is a holding call every time. Not all the blame should be put on the refs, either. When the rule book is changed more than we can blink, how do we expect the referees to be able to keep up?

The games are too long, the commercials are too much, and the rule changes need to stop.

Now, HOLD ON for a second. Before you get mad, let me explain.

Some of that was an exaggeration. Are they changing the rulebook more than we can blink? No. The game has always been long, and commercials are nothing new. I guess I’m just stuck in the past, wanting to enjoy the game like I did when I was a kid.

I do believe there are positive things to say about the modern game.

The talent in the league gets better and better every year. I don’t think Tom Brady was wrong when he said some of the rule changes are weakening the talent pool and making the game soft, but I do think the quarterback talent, in my opinion, gets more and more interesting.

Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are good for the sport. They are dual threats with accurate arms and quick on their feet. If Lamar Jackson can stay consistent, we could have a Messi Vs. Ronaldo like era. 

The younger quarterbacks in the league are also exciting. Will Levis (yeah, I did it. I put him first), C.J. Stroud, Richardson, and Lawrence all have great potential and create interesting conversations, especially in the card-collecting world. 

This game still provides great entertainment, and I like how they are making some corrections, like the new kickoff rule. 

The kids growing up today who love football will cherish this era as much as I cherished mine. That is something to always remember. Maybe I don’t understand this generation as much as I would like, but others do, and who am I to put them down?

If you love this era of football, I salute you. Do not let my inner cranky old-man monologue change that. This era still has a lot to offer.

Thank you for taking the time to read my rant. As you can tell, I am not a professional writer, but I find this platform a great way to express opinions that might otherwise just end up as a popped blood vessel.

Thank you.