Sports Gal is back! And she’s ready to kick off a whole new season!

As much as I like all sports, I must admit the weeks between the end of the basketball season and the beginning of the football season are the longest weeks of the year for me, sports-wise.

So I look forward to the first NFL game of the year, the Hall of Fame game. This year’s game featured the Dallas Cowboys versus the Cincinnati Bengals, which went down on Sunday. Dallas took the pre-game, 16 to 7.

Dallas’ first drive was crisp. Quarterback Tony Romo’s receivers executed their routes well and the running game got the yards needed. It’s just the first drive, but it does bode well for a team that expected to play at home in Super Bowl 2011.

Another good sign was the defense forcing a punt to end the Bengals’ first drive. Dallas is favored to win the NFC East. But in a division filled with teams with a lot to prove this year, Dallas will not be able to slack in any game this season. Divisional games, for obvious reasons, are most important for the playoffs. While non-divisional games must be viewed as must win record enhancers.

Through two drives, the much hyped Bengals combination of Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens didn’t produce much in my book. Additionally, the running game failed to impress. QB Carson Palmer has a lot work to do to get this offense in sync. Cincinnati won the AFC North last season but lost in the first game of the playoffs. Already high expectations have been raised even higher with the signing of Owens. Unfortunately, this team looks like it’s beginning this season the same way it ended last season, and that can’t be good.

Even with those odds, the season can’t come fast enough. Are you ready for some football? ‘Cause I sure am!

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