The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT July 17, 2010
The crack of the pads, watching the throws and multi-million-dollar deals.
It is the time of the year that 32 NFL teams are trying to be the next one to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy when the season comes to a conclusion in early February.
TRAINING CAMP is the time of year when teams are trying to fine-tune their offense and get their defense ready for what will be a long season.
Should the league adopt an 18-game schedule, those practice sessions in the mid-90s to 100s will intensify as teams have fewer practices to prepare for the start of the season while playing more games that count than ones that are auditions for third- and fourth-string players.
After a couple preseason games, I am ready for the season to begin and during the final two games I find myself having a hard time watching games because I've usually gotten my tickets for the home opener months in advance.
Over the past two years, I've seen four more college games than in the previous 30 years of my life, and each trip gets better. Three were trips to Washington-Grizzly Stadium, with each Montana game ending with a win.
The only loss came last November when the Utah State Aggies defeated Idaho - but the game was nothing short of amazing.
IT IS also about the time that most high school teams are gearing up with two-a-days for some Friday night football.
With football comes other fall sports such as volleyball, cross country and soccer, with practices starting just as soon as the calendar turns to August.
Just standing back in awe at the first eight-man football game that I'd covered, it became difficult to keep track of each touchdown and 40-yard gain.
Suddenly, I got the hang of it after about two years, though the fast action of the games is still something that was tough to handle while getting photos at the same time.
Those afternoon games were always a good way to start a weekend of college and professional football, with focus on Sunday games.
ONE THING that I continue to look forward to is the optimism that this is the year that the Seattle Seahawks will break through and return to the Super Bowl.
Not even the year that they caught fire did I think it was possible, but after going 2-2 to start the season, losing only to the Green Bay Packers in the regular season finale when they sat most of their offensive starters in what was Brett Favre's first of four so-called final games before retirement and to Pittsburgh in that February game at Ford Field.
The past two years, the only way I could remain upbeat was to take great pride in wins over the St. Louis Rams, because no matter how bad the Seahawks were, you could always count on the Rams to be just as bad.
Regardless of how it concludes, I am just excited to start watching some football once again - even if it means a 4-12 season from the Seahawks.
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via e-mail at [email protected].