With the NFL season officially 6 weeks away football fans have a lot to get excited about. In light of all of the media issues surrounding the league, I could choose to write some insightful socio-political commentary but I’m not going to. The dog days of summer are taking their toll on me and I want to simply focus on what’s great about football… I need this season to start already, and so do you!

Here are my top 10 reasons to get excited about the NFL in 2015:

10) Rookie WR’s.     This year’s rookie class is touted as one of the best the NFL has ever seen, at least as far as wideouts are concerned. NFL rules and strategies have paved the way for some of the most prolific passing offenses of all time, and 2015 could prove to be one for the record books thanks to all of the incoming rookie talent. Amari Cooper, Kevin White, DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor… I could go on, but these are just a few of what should be immediate impact players this year.

9) Adrian Peterson.     AP is coming back this year and is ready to go. His legs are fresh, his health is as impeccable as it always has been and he’s out to prove his greatness again. Now that he and the Vikings have come to terms on a newly structured contract there’s nothing holding him back from focusing on one thing and one thing alone- punishing NFL defenses. He is one of the most dominant RBs in the last 30 years, and let’s not forget that he came just 9 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s rushing record in 2013.

8) Eagles @ Cowboys Wk 9.     DeMarco Murray’s 1,845 yards in 2014 was good for 17th all time (still a far cry from AP and ED) and the Cowboys’ choice to not sign him in 2015 was certainly one of the more criticized decisions of the off-season. The failure to re-sign Murray was probably second only to the Eagles’ trading LeSean McCoy, which conveniently enough made room for DeMarco in Philly. This will be his first return to Dallas as an opposing player, and a heated prime time divisional matchup under the lights in Jerry’s World ought to be one of the more intriguing games of the season.

7) JJ Watt.     I don’t think there’s any other defensive player who can single-handedly Impact a game as much as this dude. He’s tough, athletic and just loves to play football. He’s one of the bright spots in an otherwise abysmal AFC South, and I’ll tune in to watch “JJ Swatt” highlights anytime. He can rush the QB, stop the run, defend short passes and even run back 1…2…3 TDs, maybe more?

6) Odell Beckham version 2.0.     Okay so just to clarify, I’m not looking for another Odell Beckham. I’m not even banking on the first Odell Beckham to take over the reigns as the #1 elite WR in the league. I just want to witness another shocking, out of nowhere, crazy insane play from somebody this year. Do you remember seeing his one-handed TD catch against the Cowboys when you screamed “Holy $***!” and realized there was a load in your pants? There is bound to be another eye-popping play like that this year (or hopefully several with any luck). I don’t know when, or in what game, or by which player, but when it happens I hope I have a change of shorts on standby.

5) Jon Gruden.     THIS GUY makes me smile. The quintessential anti-Collinsworth is easily the best part of Monday Night Football. We’ve seen him interrogate incoming rookie QBs. We’ve seen him lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a SuperBowl victory in 2002. I can only hope that we see him on MNF for years to come. He calls it like he sees it and doesn’t hold back. Rather than sucking on the tiits of NFL franchises and entitled athletes, he has no problem ripping apart bad plays, bad decisions, or just downright bad football. Good. Honest. Football.

4) Seahawks @ Packers Wk 2.     These two teams have had some epic battles over the last few years, and this will be yet another installment in what is shaping up to be one of the best modern day rivalries in the game. Yes, this is a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship game, however the bad blood dates further back than that. I still remember the atrocity that was the “Fail Mary” in 2012, and since that day Packers vs. Seahawks games are always exciting to watch. This time it will be at Lambeau Field rather than at the Link, so maybe that will translate to a win for the Pack.

3) Gronk.     Let’s face it, Rob Gronkowski is the man. He’s a good looking, 6’6″, cool, funny, goofy dude and he makes millions of dollars playing football. Admit it, if you could be Gronk you’d do it in a heartbeat. Whether he’s dancing on the sidelines, head butting Tom Brady or throwing someone out of the club, there’s no one that gets me pumped up on a weekly basis more than Gronk. You have to be one of the best to have a one word nickname, just saying.

2) Patriots @ Colts Wk 6.     This could be the first game back for Tom Brady, and there might be tons of haters out there that believe in smear campaigns, but this bloody slugfest should put everything to rest. It’s exactly what the league wants to see, and the schedule makers are probably nerding out like a high school band geek who just leveled up on World of Warcraft. It’s time for the big boys to come out to play. If the Colts win (cough cough…

  
hahaha) they’ll prove they’re a contender and if the Pats win they’ll shut everyone up once and for all. Either way, buckle up.

1) Fantasy Football!!!     My league (Hub Club) is picking our draft order this weekend and I can finally mock draft. I’m really pulling for a 9/10 pick, but we’ll see what happens. This is a stacked draft with a lot of high-end talent in the early rounds so it should be interesting. (Stay tuned for more draft strategy and recommendations) This is a tough and trying time for all of us fantasy addicts. Every Sunday we are deprived of time with our families and loved ones. But it’s okay because now we’ll have endless hours to check our rosters, troll the waiver wire for any last minute additions, and talk trash with all of our friends. That, and some good beers of course. Whoooooo!