There was a time back in the early 2000's where I craved anything football in the offseason, nearly to the point of madness. Back in the offseason dark ages message boards were still in their infancy and channels like NFL Network were only available on tier 39,484 of satellite packages. Also internet in spite of getting better still wasn't exactly lightning fast.
There was actually a point where anytime ESPN Classic would air a classic college football game I would rush to get a tape to record it. Didn't matter if it had my first birthday, steps, hair cut, parents wedding, etc. I NEEDED to see football. Okay so really I only taped over old wrasslin shows and my Mom's soap operas but the point remains that I was, and still am, an offseason junkie.
Heck I use to at least have the TV on for every XFL game in 2001. When Tommy Maddox came back into the league to play for the Steelers, I didn't know him as the former Broncos first round pick. I knew him as the QB for the LA Extreme that led his team to victory over the San Francisco Demons in the
Million Dollar Game. When Rod Smart came back in the league, sure everyone knew about the "He Hate Me" moniker but I knew him as "He Hate Me" running back for the Las Vegas Outlaws.
The NFL schedule release show is probably the first time I've looked at offseason and said, okay thats probably a little too much. Which is basically the equivalent of offering a crack fiend a rock at the start of a bender and having him say 'nah man I'm good.'