The 2013 NFL season starts now with Aaron Hernandez inside a prison cell, awaiting trial for murder. It begins with the family of Odin Lloyd mourning his senseless death.
The 2013 NFL season begins tomorrow with Peyton Manning against the defending champion Ravens, without Ray Lewis. It begins with the safety of Roger Goodell’s players at the forefront of NFL vigilance, in an effort aimed at limiting the tragedy of post-concussion syndrome and CTE and multi-million-dollar litigation quagmire.
The 2013 NFL season begins with Sean Payton back on the Saints’ sidelines and Gregg Williams back, this time with the Titans, their one-year Bountygate suspensions behind them.
The 2013 NFL season begins with Darrelle Revis in Tampa, Osi Umenyiora in Atlanta, Tim Tebow in limbo, and Ahmad Bradshaw in Indianapolis.
The 2013 NFL season begins with new head coaches in Philadelphia (Chip Kelly), Arizona (Bruce Arians), Chicago (Marc Trestman), Jacksonville (Gus Bradley), Cleveland (Rob Chudzinski), San Diego (Mike McCoy) and Buffalo (Doug Marrone).
The 2013 NFL season begins with desperate quarterbacks: Tony Romo still chasing a Super Bowl that would shake the monkey off his back; Tom Brady still chasing that fourth ring a decade after his third; Manning, back from the dead to chase his second; Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub still trying to get over their Super Bowl humps.
The 2013 NFL season begins with the best and brightest minds trying to solve the read option that Robert Griffin III and Colin Kaepernick dropped with scorched-earth devastation on the football landscape. It begins with Mike Shanahan and Dr. James Andrews treating RG-Knee’s return to the field with caution and conservatism instead of the neglect they exhibited in the playoffs against the Seahawks by letting their crown jewel play on one leg.
The 2013 NFL season begins with defensive players somewhat confused over the nebulous new strike zone that delineates legal and illegal tackles. It begins with running backs adjusting to the controversial new rule prohibiting them from using the crown of their helmets outside the tackle box.
The 2013 NFL season begins with a boiling rivalry featuring Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers and Pete Carroll’s Seahawks.
The 2013 season begins with Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson building on their precocious rookie seasons.
The 2013 NFL season begins with quarterbacks — Mark Sanchez (Jets), Josh Freeman (Bucs), Blaine Gabbert (Jaguars), Christian Ponder (Vikings), Jake Locker (Titans), Michael Vick (Eagles) — on the hot seat .
The 2013 NFL season begins with reason for legitimate hope in more cities than ever before, cities not named Oakland and Jacksonville and Buffalo, and a town not named Florham Park.
The 2013 NFL season begins with Eli Manning and the Giants counting down the days to the first Super Bowl in their own backyard.
The 2013 NFL season ends on Feb. 2, 2014, ends on a Sunday night inside MetLife Stadium following a week-long party thrown by The City That Never Sleeps. It ends with the world glued to the first New York-New Jersey Super Bowl, snow or no.