I am sitting here watching the Giants and Ravens play Sunday Night Football on NBC 30 tonight, and I know I am not the first person to say this but, is there anything more boring than preseason football? I have actually never been to an NFL game, and even though I would love to see my Dolphins play someday, I would pass at seeing them play any exhibition game.

I actually cannot get into the football season right away even when the regular season starts for both the NFL and the NCAA. I just don't get really excited until after baseball season is over and the weather gets cooler. On the other hand, Kevin has been drooling for kick-off since probably about March.

One observation I made during this off season regards Giant quarterback Eli Manning. He is going to be really scrutinized this season to become more of a leader and take steps forward instead of back. My opinion is that he is just an average or ever-so-slightly above average quarterback. I don't think he has the winning and tough mentality that his brother Peyton eventually got.

Anyway, my observation of Eli came not on the football field, but instead in a commercial for DirecTV. His brother Peyton (who I personally don't like because of his breaking and challenging Dan Marino's records) is great in every commercial he has been in. In this new one, it is the entire Manning family. Peyton and Eli come to visit their parents and are looking for their dad Archie. Well they make it out to the backyard and Archie has "adopted" Matt Leinart as a part of the family. I am not going to get into all the funny dialogue, but Peyton has all the lines and Eli is just standing there staring with a blank look on his face saying nothing. Now Eli has had lines in commercials with his family before, so this doesn't mean anything, but I still find it hysterical that his role in this commercial is exactly how I see him - second fiddle to his brother and not assertive enough on the field.

Maybe I'm wrong about Eli. He'll probably have fairly decent numbers this year, but I don't know if I ever see him winning the big game and taking the Giants on his back. And he is lucky that his father and brother are big names to carry him on their backs in his off season work.