Are You Ready for Some Football? Better Bone Up on the Changes!

We may have to go to YouTube in order to hear ole Hank belt that familiar phrase out, but it will always be one that fans everywhere will look forward to answering. Well, sports fans, the time to answer that question is drawing near!

After a long, litigious off-season full of drama that had to make some of the Real Housewives of --insert city-- jealous. Much of that drama still has to play out, but at least it will do so on the backdrop of another season of the NFL.

Training camps for all 32 teams will be underway by this time next week. A lot of rookies have already reported with hopes of getting a little extra face  time with the coaches before those pesky veterans report.  In a few short weeks we'll get to see the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints in the Hall of Fame Game (August 5th at 8 PM ET).

A month later it will be time for the real deal as the 2012 regular season kicks off on a Wednesday for the first time in the history of the NFL (darn Democratic National Convention that President Obama just has to speak at!) when the defending Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants, take on their hated rivals, the Dallas Cowboys.

Hopefully by then the players will be familiar with the new rule changes. Yes, the owners have decided to tinker with the game a little bit more. I kind of have to pat the owners on the back this time. Some of these should actually make the game better:

• regular season overtime rules will now be the same as the postseason (game can't end with a field goal on the opening drive of the OT period)
• kicking the ball during play will result in a loss of down (no kicking it out of bounds to keep the other team from recovering the ball)
• too many men on the field will be a dead ball foul and a five yard penalty (thank Tom Coughlin for that one folks)
• the defenseless player rule will include guys getting hit on crack back blocks
• all turnovers will now be reviewed by the replay official (best one of the bunch)

Nothing that can be called major with the exception of all turnovers being reviewed now and the OT rules now being applied to the regular season. Now when the first turnover of the season happens you can impress your friends and hopefully the hot waitress with your in-depth knowledge of the game!

(In case you miss Hank asking if your ready...)