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Well the time has come to to take those rumors and snide comments and make them live in infamy; at least as famous as the internet can be! The regular season is upon us, but there is unfinished business, after the jump...
Preseason football is the purist evidence that hope springs eternal. For every Tom Brady or Richard Dent drafted in the late rounds that go on to have Hall of Fame careers, there is a glimmer of possibility that another unknown superstar waits undiscovered among the 54+ waiting anxiously to hear their name called from the preseason sideline. 4 catches for 89 yards in the second half (of the first game of the preseason) or 2 interceptions off the 3rd string QB from last year's 3-13 lottery winners and the anticipation mounts. No overpaid or over-hyped free agent. No "should've been a first-rounder" draftee. Not since the Broncos drafted the angelic Tebow has an NFL savior been so close in our grasp.
But alas, as the heat of summer breaks for that first cool hint of autumn nights, the reality of preseason eventually comes hurtling back to earth. Lightning in a bottle was really just a the fading glow of a dead beetle buried under a handful of grass. Cancel the press conferences. Call the "Worldwide Leader" and have the the screen crawl amended. It's time to award the 2011 Hass-Rideau Trophy for the player that was supposed to save us from another season of abject mediocrity at a position of need. Vote for your favorite:
Your rationale is greatly appreciated! I will tally the votes and post the winner prior to the season opener on Sunday!