Game Girl

The long wait is over. We made it through the drought...through endless weekends without our favorite pre and post-game shows, without Monday morning talk radio, without The NFL Redzone Channel (that amazing addition to our lives I'm not quite sure how we ever lived without). We made it through endless Sundays with nothing to watch but bike racing, golf and the occasional baseball game (thanks, Nats!) Granted, we had the winter Olympics to divert our attention for a little while, but come on, that was way back in the February doldrums. For me, at least, it's been a LONG time coming, this football season of ours, and I'm ready to savor every minute of it.

Tonight is going to be just like coming home again. Like going back to college after a long summer break...and those hideous summer jobs we all hated. Football is BACK! It's time! Aren't you ready? I sure am!

OK, I know it's just a preseason game, and it doesn't count. I KNOW Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson aren't even in the lineup, along with Jason Hatcher and Ryan Clark and a few other starters. I totally get it's only the first of four seemingly endless, and meaningless, preseason games. I know we still have another 2 weeks of training camp, plenty of roster cuts, and probably a preseason injury or two to get through before the real season officially kicks off in September.

I know all of that. I do. But honestly, when you see the Skins (or really, ANY of our NFL teams) suiting up to head back onto that field tonight, doesn't it just give your heart a little giddy-up? Doesn't it make you forget that long, long wait through those endless boring Sunday television weekends? Can't you just feel the excitement?

I'm not sure what's going to become of our Skins this season. I have no clue how Jay Gruden is going to coach, how Griffin is going to play, or if Santana Moss is going to make the team. I have absolutely zero feel for how this team is going to play together, or not. I don't even know who our kicker is going to be yet.

But for now, just for tonight, none of that matters. Football is back, and that's good enough for me.