Sure, it’s only the preseason, but this is just another sign we’re in for a strange year in the NFL.
Add Ochocinco’s kicking skills to the return of Michael Vick.
The Brett Favre circus.
Prison time for Plaxico Burress.
A season-long suspension for Donte' Stallworth.
One Raider coach under investigation for allegedly breaking another Raider coach's jaw.
Jay Cutler playing peacemaker.
Brandon Marshall asking for a raise in Denver before he knows the playbook.
T.O. being real in the least scripted way possible.
Michael Crabtree (the second receiver taken in the draft) holding out because he was ranked as the top receiver in several mock drafts.
Eli Manning signing a $97.5 extension that will pay him an average of $15.3 million next year.
Bill Belichick reading the Riot Act to the Patriots after getting embarrassed by the Bengals.
Those same Bengals appearing as the featured team on HBO’s Hard Knocks.
And the threat of a lockout in 2011 looming over the entire league.
The current state of the National Football League is beginning to resemble another famous show.
You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension – a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone.
Usually, the most exciting thing that happens during the NFL preseason is a rookie gets taped to the goalposts or cracks up his new team doing a spot-on impersonation of the head coach who's wound tighter than an antique pocket watch.
Not this year. There already has been enough action to fill a James Bond movie.
Just wait until the real season starts.
When Favre faces the Packers for the first time and makes a trip to Lambeau Field wearing purple.
The Eagles roll out the Wildcat formation with Michael Vick running the option.
Señor Ochocinco becomes a spokesman for McDonald’s (his favorite source of nutrition) and then gets an invitation to play on the U.S. World Cup team.
Matt Cassel leads the Chiefs to the playoffs.
Kurt Warner admits he’s actually 87 years old and has used cryonics to extend his playing career.
Rex Ryan and Belichick meet at midfield for the customary postgame handshake and Indian wrestle instead.
Jon Gruden forgives Al Davis on Monday Night Football.
Rodney Harrison becomes the most outspoken broadcaster this side of Charles Barkley.
John Madden unretires, heads for the trenches and becomes the first virtual All-Pro in NFL history.
And, last but not least, the Lions win the Super Bowl.
OK, maybe that’s going too far. But these are strange days in the NFL. So strange that nothing is beyond the realm of possibilities.
Preseason or not, nobody in their right mind thought the Bengals would hold the Patriots to six points at Gillette Stadium. But if Cincinnati can expose the weaknesses on New England’s offensive line, turn Tom Brady into a crash test dummy and infuriate Belichick enough so that his veins are popping in late August — this NFL season has all the makings of an entertaining, unpredictable and enjoyable journey.
Somehow, we get the feeling Rod Serling would approve.
