It’s time for a Cinderella story. When Rudy is carried off as a hero or Rocky beats Apollo Creed we think of that as a Cinderella story, but that is only telling half of the tale. If you are one of the horses in Cinderella you don’t end up so good in the end. At midnight you are once again merely a mouse. For some teams that felt like Cinderella in week one, the clock is about the strike midnight and a new day will dawn, and it isn’t such a pretty Cinderella story.
It Always Happens
This is how it goes every year. Some surprises happen in week one of the NFL season and some teams feel as though they have turned a magic corner and have become princes of the league. The truth is that week two is upon us and there are more than a few fan bases that will be hit with a very cold reality. They are not princes or beautiful horses of the league. Instead, they will be revealed for what they really are, mere mice.
Are the Jacksonville Jaguars for real and are the Washington Red—-errrr—-Football Team epic stallions to ride off as heroes? Are the Bears finally for real?
On the flip side, the question arises, “Are the Buccaneers in trouble?” Was week one a fluke? For some teams week one will soon be a distant memory. For some teams, victory is merely a few more ticks of the clock from revealing itself. The bell is about to toll for others.
Tick Tock
This Buccaneers team has a new captain at the helm. If the fan base was honest and realistic (and when does that ever happen?) struggles can be expected early this season. There has to be marked improvement. It must be very clear that midnight means that this will be a good Cinderella story. If Donovan Smith once again turns into a mouse at kickoff it might be a longer than expected season. I think that there will be a happy ending to this story and I look forward to telling it from here in the Cheap Seats.
