At present, there are only 30 NFL teams, but the number of professional football teams in the US is open to debate depending on one’s definition of professional. What is clear is the number of people podcasting, writing, posting, opining on radio, television and other broadcast mediums. There are currently 27,372 experts (nod to Pat Hughes) with something to say about the game in general or any number of subspecialties like linebackers with multiple apostrophes in their first names, left-footed punters who played in the Big Ten, and third-year quarterbacks.

As some fans only like to find experts who agree with their opinions about their team, there are usually enough to choose from. However, other folks prefer to hear from the haters, believing that rooting with a chip on the shoulder is akin to what the players do. Clever writers (the general term for all the experts) will do a nifty job of balancing the positive pieces with the rips.

I’ve already heard several local and national experts caution particular fanbases on judging rashly-especially after a first preseason game. And yet, the League thrives on overreaction and hash tags. It seems that nobody likes reasoned explanations, least of all in August.

Ordinarily, at this point in the blog, I’d suggest fans kick back and enjoy the game, but I know NFL fans prefer the sound and fury-even if it really signifies nothing.