Are You Ready For Some Football?

The third NFL preseason game is usually considered the dress rehearsal for the regular season. Starters generally play at least the first half and into the third quarter and then don’t appear at all in the final preseason game.

Position battles can be won and lost, and roster decisions also will follow this weekend’s game. So plunk your heiner in your recliner and prepare yourself to follow the bouncing football. Now, your Weekend TV Six-Pack…

If you think the Cleveland Browns can ever escape mediocrity (and you are an eternal optimist), you might want to take a peek at Friday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Browns seem pleased with new quarterback Robert Griffin III and this will be a long look at him, even with the Browns a bit thin at receiver right now. CBS, 8 p.m. ET

Take a break during the fourth quarter when the substitutes come in, wash up, and then settle back in your chair for the Green Bay Packers-San Francisco 49ers at 11 p.m. on NFL Network. The Packers want to run the ball a bit more effectively this year, and we’ll be checking that out.

If you like football but don’t care about the preseason games, let us offer an invite to see the first college football game. At 10 p.m., Hawaii plays California … live from Australia. The novelty of that alone should be worth a glance.

The Tennessee Titans-Oakland Raiders game on Saturday night (CBS, 8 p.m.) ought to be interesting, as many pundits think the Raiders can win the AFC West. They’ve been carefully rebuilt over the past few years and here’s an opportunity to see if they can dethrone the Denver Broncos.

The Little League World Series comes to a close on Sunday with its championship game. That’s on ABC at 3 p.m.

Lastly, the final round of The Barclays golf tournament is Sunday at 2 p.m. This event may be critical to the hopes of several players hoping to be selected for the Ryder Cup team. As an alternative, you might like the Chicago Cubs-Los Angeles Dodgers game at 4 p.m. on TBS as a possible preview of a National League postseason matchup.

Get those eyeballs ready! And, as always, watch responsibly.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman