But fans like Sanders are not only interested in their own team’s draft.
“There are a lot of interesting stories this year. Can Peyton repeat? How will Moss fit in with the Patriots? Can LT do it again? Can the Saints win a Super Bowl and revive their ailing city?
“And frankly I could care less about any of them. JaMarcus Russell’s meteoric rise, Brady Quinn’s tragic fall and ultimate redemption, LaRon Landry’s forty time and vertical, Levi Brown’s Wonderlic test. Jesus! Nothing compares to the drama of draft day.”
However, it seems the majority of NFL fans still enjoy rooting for their team during the regular season, but mainly just see it as build-up to the ultimate football day:
"I can't wait for the Super Bowl," said Indianapolis Colts fans David Lederer. "Not because I care about the game or who wins it, but because that means ESPN’s full draft coverage starts the next day.
“But overall this season is going to be extremely long and difficult to watch. Every touchdown Peyton throws, every game we win just means we’re sliding further down the draft order board.”
On the other hand, fans of teams sure to fair horribly this season are full of optimism.
“I’ll be honest,” said Oakland Raiders fan Ben Jefferson. “I’m as hard as Mel Kiper, Jr’s hair. This is our year. I think if all goes well we’ll finish with the worst record again and get the number one pick.
“Al Davis has a great system in place: maintain a revolving door of mediocre coaches, finish with the worst record in the league, get the number 1 pick, don’t sign him, and repeat. It’s brilliant.”
Indeed, for most NFL fans draft day is the highlight of the season, an event holding an almost religious significance. And for fans like Jefferson, the sight of Mel Kiper, Jr. is akin to a vision of the messiah.
"Seeing Mel Kiper, Jr. appear on ESPN after the end of every football season is like
seeing Jesus rise from the dead. For me, the only difference between Jesus and Mel Kiper, Jr. is that Kiper has a thicker head of hair.“
But it appears NFL draft fans won’t have to wait until next year to renew their spiritual journey. Succumbing to popular demand, the NFL has moved up its Supplemental Draft to November 4.
All NFL games for that week have been cancelled and ESPN has announced that for two weeks prior to the event it will preempt all programming on all of its stations for Supplemental NFL Draft coverage.
Fans of NFL Draft Settle in to Endure Endless Drudgery of Regular Season & Playoffs
Jets fans have already gathered at Radio City Music Hall in anticipation of the 2008 NFL Draft.
By MATTHEW MONROE
NEW YORK—The NFL has completed its first week of games, and football fans everywhere are already dying with anticipation and counting the days until the NFL Draft.
NEW YORK—The NFL has completed its first week of games, and football fans everywhere are already dying with anticipation and counting the days until the NFL Draft.
“This season is going to kill me,” said Joseph Sanders, a loyal fan of the Patriots’ front office and scouting service. “Yeah, we might win the Super Bowl this year, but I’m just dying to see what Belichick and Kraft come up with in the draft. And more importantly, for me to speculate who they will take.”
Pro Football
Free Daily
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September 3, 2008
