The Last Sunday Without Football...

The last NFL football game we saw was Super Bowl XLVI played February 5, 2012. As we all know, the Denver Broncos and their fans had no choice but to watch the big game from home. In the twenty-five weeks since then, a great deal has changed for the Broncos. Out with Tim Tebow, Eddie Royal and Brodrick Bunkley. In with Peyton Manning, Tracy Porter, Jacob Tamme and Brandon Stokley. In the draft, the Broncos maneuvered their way out of the first round and went on to select Derek Wolfe and Ronnie Hillman. Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen departed (to become the next coach the Raiders are going to prematurely fire) and Jack Del Rio was brought on to replace him. While all this was going on, D. J. Williams busied himself trying to outsmart NFL drug testers.

While the soap opera drama of the off season is at times as exciting as the season itself, the time has finally come when all those maneuvers and acquisitions pay off. While preseason football obviously isn't as exciting as the regular season, football is football and I'm excited to watch.

The Hall of Fame festivities kick off on August 4th culminating with the Hall of Fame Game between the Cardinals and Saints on the 5th. That means that this Sunday is the last Sunday without NFL football until February of 2013. Ladies and gentlemen, the week just got one day shorter. Follow me after the jump for my suggestions of things you can do with your last Sunday before football starts.

1. If you're unlucky enough to have a spouse or kids who aren't Broncos fans, spend time with them this Sunday. Take them shopping while you buy yourself a new Broncos jersey.

2. It's never too early to hang the Christmas lights. You'll thank me in December.

3. Take tailgate inventory. The last thing you want is to find that your lucky chip bowl is cracked or dirty on gameday.

4. Drop your jerseys off at the dry cleaner. You have to make way for new beer and wing stains.

5. Call DirecTV and threaten them with cancellation if they don't hook you up with a good deal on Sunday Ticket (can't emphasize this enough.... it works).

6. Invest some time in your Madden/Fantasy team. The regular season has a way of sneaking up on you. It'll be time well spent.

7. Buy a bigger TV for the mancave. If not now, when?

8. Iron your Broncos flag.

9. Buy a thesaurus. Stockpile creative insults for use against Raiders, Chiefs and Chargers fans.

10. Try to prepare yourself for the inane commentaries of Dan Fouts, Phil Simms, Ron Jaworski, Boomer Esiason and Terry Bradshaw. Nevermind, there's no way you can prepare yourself for that.

What are you doing with your last Sunday? How are you getting ready for football?

Go Broncos!