Welcome To The NFL's Happiest Time Of The Year When Everything Is Awesome

No matter what you hear from the NFL media this time of year – be it about players holding out of OTAs, or not thrilled about their contracts or looming extensions, or practically anything else that isn't great news -- you must recall it's all just misplaced negativity during the happiest time of the year.

Everyone knows that, serious issues or problems aside, these are the Happy Days for the NFL.

Yippie!

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 27:  Commissioner of the NFL Paul Tagliabue (L) holding the Vince Lombardi trophy and Former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle (R) holding the first ever Pete Rozelle trophy prior to the start of Super Bowl XXV between the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida.  (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Everyone Positive And Upbeat

It is a league bylaw written long ago by Pete Rozelle that everyone this time is upbeat. So, we are all undefeated. We are all improving. Or getting healthy. Or renewing our minds. Or getting in the best shape of our lives in preparation for the best season of our careers.

All the new coaches on staff have a refreshing way of doing things, of re-inventing the game for us. Last year's failures have been addressed and forgotten – how dare you remember? – and what lies ahead is very exciting.

So, in short, there are no discontented people in the NFL this time of year.

Why, even Bill Belichick was seen laughing a couple of times on television the past five weeks. And if Dr. Evil can be cheerful, everyone else must be jubilant.

The NFL calendar is in the blooming season now, when players, coaches and clubs have already addressed the problems from last year. And the season ahead promises great things. 

Falcons QB Marcus Mariota celebrates with teammates at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Face Of Joy Marcus Mariota

So it's happy story time around the league:

In that light we present Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota. He was once drafted to be the face of the franchise for the Tennessee Titans. But that failed. And he never captured his Oregon magic in Las Vegas, Atlanta or Philadelphia.

So now he's with the Commanders and first-round pick Jayden Daniels, who is likely to make Mariota the backup again.

How you feeling about not being Plan A again this season, Marcus?

"So regardless of what my situation entails, I put a smile on my face and I love coming to work and that's not going to be any different if I'm here or somewhere else," Mariota said this week, perfectly capturing the theme of every NFL spring. "I don't change that mentality for anything."

These are amazing days for the Commanders. They've have a new coach in Dan Quinn, a new GM in Adam Peters, relatively new ownership, and new hope in Daniels. 

Daniels is amazing, right coach?

"I think what jumps out, not only off the tape here, what you guys don't see in the meeting room is just the competitive nature and the learning and the command that he has already," Quinn said.

Awesome.

Chiefs Can Win Anytime, Anywhere

The Chiefs are working in their OTAs and in his first opportunity to address a killer schedule that could be the toughest in the NFL, coach Andy Reid picked up the Happy Days baton. 

Reid's team faces Super Bowl contenders the Ravens and Bengals immediately to start the season, get a too-early bye in Week 6, play two Monday Night games, a Wednesday game, a Thursday game, and a Black Friday game, and a Saturday game.

But Reid is good with it. Remember, be positive.

"It’s the first time in my career that this has happened," Reid said. "It’s unique and you know how we are, we don’t really care. They can give us a Tuesday game if they want, and we’ll be OK there, too. We work through it, we’ll play anybody, anywhere, whatever they want to do. We’re on board."

Let's check in on some quarterbacks:

In New York, coach Robert Saleh says Aaron Rodgers is on a perfect trajectory for being 100 percent by training camp. And Rodgers, at 41 in December, "can still sling it."

Robert Saleh talks biggest coaching pet peeve on "Hard Knocks" finale. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

No Doubts For Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones, who obviously didn't get the happy memo, told reporters on Thursday he wasn't fired up the Giants were effectively trying to replace him with Drake Maye during the draft.

But Jones recovered during the second half of his press conference and even showed a little optimism and confidence about starting in 2024.

"No, I don't have any doubt about it right now," Jones said. 

In Chicago, rookie Caleb Williams hasn't thrown one regular-season pass and fellow first-rounder, receiver Rome Odunze, hasn't caught a pass.

But the Chicago receiver trio of Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore and Udunze are talking about being the best in the NFL.

Caleb Williams got brutally honest about not initially starting at Oklahoma. Watch a video of his comments. (Credit: Getty Images)

Bears Boast Best WRs?

"You’ve got Keenan, Rome. You’ve got Velus [Jones Jr.]. You’ve got Tyler [Scott]," Moore said Thursday. "You got endless playmakers in there. It’s probably going to be a race to 1,000 [yards] now. I don’t know who’s going to get there first, but it’s going to be a race."

Even Zach Wilson, who washed out with the Jets after being the No. 2 overall selection in 2021, is optimistic about his prospects.

"…Three years of things being challenging you can learn a lot of things," Wilson told Denver reporters. "Hopefully, I can carry those with me."

The smell of optimism everywhere is putting a fresh scent on coaches, too. Brandon Staley basically stunk his final year as the Chargers coach and was fired before the season even ended. 

Now he's with the 49ers as an assistant head coach/defense and, voila, things are good.

"Talking to Kyle [Shanahan] and John [Lynch], there is a lot of common ground in how to lead a football team," Staley said. "That is what I was looking for more than anything, an opportunity where you feel you’ll be aligned with the right people, who do things the right way, and you have a chance to improve, and where you also have a chance to affect a team that can compete for a championship. 

"All those stars kind of aligned. It’s been energizing. That reset has allowed me to do that."

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 28: Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions reacts prior to a game against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at Levi's Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Dan Campbell Eyes The Super Bowl

Everyone during this happy time of the year is working toward winning the Super Bowl in February. Of course, they are!

That includes Detroit, where losing in the NFL championship game was a disappointment last season and winning it all is the thing this season.

So it's Super Bowl or bust for the Lions. Sort of.

"I don’t see bust. I see Super Bowl," Lions coach Campbell said. "I don’t know what bust is."

There you have it. It's good times all around the NFL.