Ladies & gentleman, boys & girls, children of all ages IT is back. Three letters that have such a resounding effect on the ear when heard, NFL. Grown men running around a field in front of thousands of fans who have been constantly preparing for this moment for soooo long. The greatest game our country has. Who would have thought that 4 months ago when the only NFL news was being forced to watch Roger Goodells double chin and Demaurice Smiths' ridiculous fedora hats that we would be at this moment about to watch NFL week one?? I can't begin to explain how excited and pumped I am to be getting ready to watch our Atlanta Falcons take on the Chicago Bears on such a beautiful Sunday and such a important day in our history. Behind all of the excitement of the NFL opening is the rememberance of September 11, 2001. One of the main reasons that I have such respect for NFL football is that it brings everyone together and in a special case like today it is an opportunity for players, coaches, and whole organizations to express their gratitude to those heroes who fell on that day. Every NFL stadium this Sunday will honor those people affected by this tragedy in their own way. One of the best things that I have read all week about this upcoming Sunday of football was not players talking trash about their upcoming opponent or the X's and O's about their opponent, rather how they all seem to be embracing this Sunday as way for them to honor everyone affected by the tragedy of 9/11. Until the NFL announced that they would not be enforcing fines on those players who decided to wear specially designed gloves and cleats that honor those heroes, players were fully prepared to pay them and said it would be the single greatest amount of money they have ever spent. So on this exciting Sunday there is also a much more important aspect of rememberance and it is an honor to do anything, no matter the size, that helps people remember the heroic acts on that very memorable day 10 years ago.
Food
- For the opening game of the 2011 Atlanta Falcons season I was going to prepare two racks of ribs, but my dad and I fixed some last week so I figured I would switch it up a little. I decided on a homemade brunswick stew, jalapeno cornbread, and some nachos for a little pregame snack. The preparation for these items is really not that hard either. Here is a list of the items needed for the brunswick stew:
1. 1 can diced tomatoes
2. 1 can tomato paste
3. 3 cups chicken, cooked & cubed
4. 1 1/2 cups of frozen okra
5. 1 cup corn kernels
6. 1 cup chopped onion
7. 1 bay leaf
8. 1 teaspoon salt
9. 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
10. 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
11. 1/2 teaspoon pepper
12. 1 dash ground cloves
13. 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
I added a cup of some of the cooked rib meat that I had left over, a teaspoon of my own personal BBQ rub, and also a couple splashes of the classic Tabasco hot sauce just to give it my own little touch. You basically mix all the ingredients in the crockpot mixing in the chicken and onions. Once all ingredients are in, stir and make sure to get all the tomato paste and diced tomatoes from the bottom. Take a big whiff of all that in the crockpot and you can just smell the excitement pouring out, and if your like me take a picture of it on your phone just to add to the collection!! Next, your going to want to cover the crockpot with the lid and cook it on LOW for 6 hours. And as always when you are preparing any food in the crockpot, remember DO NOT take the lid off at any time!!!!! I repeat DO NOT, big mistake. 6 hours later remove the lid and take another big whiff and get ready for greatness! For the cornbread you just simply buy some cornbread mix and put in the jalapenos, follow directions. Pretty simple.
Falcons Game
- This might be the only time that I am excited to be going into another city and having an away game. Usually I and the players do not like the travel that is involved and obviously going into the very hostile environment that is Soldier Field is never a walk in the park. However, I feel that this will be a very good test for the Falcons who are dealing with a lot of question marks (according to the media.....). The draft day trade to acquire Julio Jones, mixed with the lack of an offseason, going winless in the preseason, and of course everybody will always remember the complete dismantling that the Packers inflicted on us in our Dome. Another reason I enjoy playing Da Bears at Soldier Field is that it is an outdoor stadium and thats always a plus. For the Falcons to be able to shake some of the nay-sayers I think they need this game. It gives them a chance to play in a colder environment and very hostile stadium, against an always respected defense, and most importantly the Bears made it to the NFC Championship game last year. While I am not a big fan of the new kickoff rules, I do like it in this game because hopefully it reduces the impact that Devin Hester can have on the game, hopefully.
A couple things I am excited about:
- The unveiling of our entire offense. Mike Mularkey has been teaching and preparing for this in his 4th season with the Falcons. Matt Ryan has been the starting quarterback since the Falcons put together this brain trust of Dimitroff and Mike Smith. I feel that now in his 4th season Matt Ryan has a complete hold on the playbook and I look for a lot of new looks, but still sticking with our backbone the rushing attack. Many fans are alway hoping for this as well as they seem to get irritated when Mularkey runs some vanilla playcalls throughout the game.
- Our defense matching up with the Bears potent offense. I dont care how much flack Jay Cutler receives from the media and fans he still can fling the ball and fling it deep. I look for our secondary and newly acquired guys to make an impact on this game, which will hopefully let our defensive line to break free for some sacks. I think our defense will come into this year under rated and finsih the season top 10 in the league.
- Last thing I am excited for is what I like to call the "Big 2". Julio Jones and Ray Edwards were our main splashes this offseason. All offseason the Falcons and everyone in the media said they needed to get more explosive on both sides of the ball. Well folks we couldnt have done that any better! Julio is rare rookie that is used to a pro style offense and organization. I mean he played for Saban and the Tide, that whole football program is basically an NFL organization, mad respect. He is not a big talker, a very nice blocker, and strong as an ox. If Tony Gonzalez showers you with compliments and says you are the best rookie he has ever seen, Im taking his word for it. Ray Edwards on the other side of the ball is what I like to call a BEAST. He had Jared Allen in Minnesota and now he has the Predator, John Abraham. I look for our denfensive line to surprise some people with those two and also hopefully a return to form for Peria Jerry. In an article I read on AJC Edwards described his way of playing as Rugged!! Nuff Said.
Overall, the Bears are a very formidable opponent but I do believe that we can get out of Chicago with a victory. A victory that is much needed for a ton of reasons, but also to give us some momentum for the highly anticipated Sunday Night return of Michael Vick to the Georgia Dome. Todd McLure is out which is never a good thing when your starting center is injured and I think we might see some rust there. Sean Weatherspoon Im looking at you for a big game. Hopefully y'all enjoy the game as much as I will. Who else is excited for this season baby?!?!?!?!?!?! Enjoy the food, the game, the environment, and those that you are with.
-Bon appetit, Long may you eat!!
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