Football anyone?

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy baseball season. I have been following Major League Baseball, and namely the Braves for about 35 years now. Having said that, in two weeks MLB and the Braves will take a back seat to a much anticipated football season.

It all starts on Friday, August 14 when our own ECI Bulldogs will travel to Evans to play the Knights in their 2009 scrimmage game. Yeah, I know it's only a scrimmage. But to me, it gets the football juices flowing and paves the way for what's to come. This will be an especially interesting year in Twin City. Gone are the seniors who compiled a 39-2 record and a state championship over the last three years. This 2009 team will be forced to mold their very own identity, and I for one believe they are ready to do just that.

On Saturday the 15th, the Falcons will play the Detroit Lions in both teams' preseason opener. This one will be interesting to look in on for a couple of reasons. It's going to be fun to see the Falcons offense with newly signed weapon Tony Gonzalez in the mix. Matt Ryan's sophomore season should be even better than his great rookie campaign in which he led the Falcons to an improbable playoff appearance. We will also get our first look at Matthew Stafford in an NFL uniform. He is currently battling Duante Culpepper for the starting QB job. Many reports indicate that the young QB out of Athens has been pretty impressive thus far.

In a little over a month, the University of Georgia Bulldogs will open the 2009 season with a huge road game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Gone are the aforementioned Stafford and the talented Knowshon Moreno who was drafted, but not yet signed, by the Denver Broncos. Joe Cox will be the Bulldogs' new quarterback and Georgia's success will greatly depend on his ability to step in and effectively run the offense. Caleb King is the early favorite to get the bulk of the carries in Moreno's stead. If King stumbles, there are a stable of highly touted backs who could step in and contribute.

These are just a few of the story lines I am looking forward to following with a close eye in the coming weeks. In a way I can't believe it's only two weeks away. On the other hand, two more weeks without football will seem like an eternity.