• strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Declaration of views_handler_argument::init() should be compatible with views_handler::init(&$view, $options) in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/handlers/views_handler_argument.inc on line 0.
  • strict warning: Declaration of views_handler_filter::options_validate() should be compatible with views_handler::options_validate($form, &$form_state) in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/handlers/views_handler_filter.inc on line 0.
  • strict warning: Declaration of views_handler_filter::options_submit() should be compatible with views_handler::options_submit($form, &$form_state) in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/handlers/views_handler_filter.inc on line 0.
  • strict warning: Declaration of views_handler_filter_node_status::operator_form() should be compatible with views_handler_filter::operator_form(&$form, &$form_state) in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/modules/node/views_handler_filter_node_status.inc on line 0.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.
  • strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/glencoenews/www/www/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 906.

From football frump to football fanatic

There’s nothing better on an autumn Sunday afternoon than the sound of whistles blowing, face-painted fans cheering, grumpy-looking coaches arguing and NFL broadcasters analyzing blitzes and quarterback sacks.
Yes, football is here!
Never in a million years did I think I would be excited for NFL Sundays (and Thursdays and Mondays), but our recent football picks competition at work has me surfing the web for expert opinions on teams, players’ stats and playoff predictions.
Who am I?
My dad would be so proud, especially since I took home the coveted $5 Coborn’s gift card last week for winning picks.
But I didn’t always love football.
Growing up with three brothers and a football-fanatic dad, who put Cleveland Browns window clings on the living room windows and Tim Couch figurines and mini Browns helmets atop the television set, guaranteed a Sunday filled only with football.
And as a teenage girl, I was sick of it. I loathed going home after church and when Dad turned on the TV for the noon game, I whined, “Isn’t there anything else on?”
Sometimes Mom and I went for walks around the block, but once the sub-zero temperatures arrived, we opted to stay indoors, and so I’d spend afternoons in my room, reading a book, listening to music and drowning myself in a bowl of buttered popcorn mixed with cheesy Doritos chips.
Dad knows his game-day snacks.
For those who don’t know, my Dad is a super fan of the Cleveland Browns. He’s liked them since he was in the fourth-grade, and he has been an avid fan since.
I remember one November Sunday vividly, as it was the only Sunday I ran upstairs into the kitchen bawling after Dad dubbed me “bad luck” for the Browns and yelled at me to get out of the living room.
It was November 2001, I was in the 10th grade and the Browns were playing the Chicago Bears. With only 1:46 left in the fourth quarter, the Browns were up, 21-0.
It had to be a sure win.
But the Bears scored a touchdown in that time, and after two successful onside kicks, they scored two more touchdowns before the clock ran out to tie the game.
At this point, my Dad’s stress level was already boiling, and I remember him standing in front of the TV, swaying back and forth and biting his nails, waiting for overtime.
Ignorantly, I ran downstairs  into the lions’ den to ask what Dad wanted for supper, and as I jumped off the last step, Tim Couch, quarterback for the Browns at the time, threw an interception, and the Bears ran it to the end zone for the win.
In the heat of the moment, Dad cursed just a bit, said I was “bad luck,” pointed towards the steps and told me to never come downstairs during football again.
You can imagine my utter devastation as a 10th-grade girl.
Things have cooled down since then, and for some time now, I’ve been readmitted into the basement living room and am actually excited to watch football.
I’ve even acquired Dad’s dramatic personality, as last Sunday I was jumping up and down in the air, leaping off couches and shouting at the TV at my friend Jessica’s house during the Denver-Seattle game.
In a recent phone call home, Dad and I laughed about that Bears-Browns incident and excitedly talked about the latest NFL news  and our picks for the next week.
Is it Sunday yet?