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Did anyone else begin planning their Sunday tailgating menus last night?  Did anyone else go into work today and request days off based on your team playing Sunday and Monday night games?

The NFL schedule has been released.

And as much fun as it is to predict wins and losses, in the end it’s all a guess.  As they always say, “any given Sunday.”  So while we may not be able to accurately gauge how successful our teams will be this season we CAN begin planning or dreaming up our tailgating menus and schedules.

A schedule heavy in 1 o’clock starts means early morning drives to the lot and mixing in some greasy breakfast foods to rid yourself of a Saturday evening hangover.  A heavy dose of 1 o’clock starts also means that tailgating may be the highlight of your Sunday as the performance of your team didn’t warrant any prime time games.

A 4 o’clock start most likely means a full stomach and some obnoxious (though creative) yelling once you get inside for the game.  Hey, it’s expected after having a good 8 hours of drinking, eating, and partying before the game kicks-off.

A Sunday night start means that there may be a few “to do” items at the house before heading out.  I can hang with the best of fans, but getting down to the stadium for tailgating anytime before noon for an 8:15 kickoff is just asking for trouble.  A few too many and you won’t even remember watching the game.

Monday night means a half day or no work at all.  And if you choose the half day, well that probably means not getting any work done as you instead stare at the jersey hanging on your office door.  It’s much more fun to imagine the evening that awaits then listen to a boss blab on about status reports.

We now know the time and place for our teams.  September can’t get here soon enough!