I’ve long considered NFL seasons to have four acts.
There is the offseason, which involves the initial wave of free agency, the draft and piecing together the original cast of characters that the team will use as the backbone of the next season. Then there is the preseason, consisting of OTAs, mandatory minicamps, training camp and the preseason. The regular season is the third act — the meat-and-potatoes of the season, where divisions are decided and the playoff cast of characters is determined. The final and most memorable act is the playoffs. Win that and your team goes down as immortal.