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Finally. The season is here.

With the regular season opener this week, it has hit me that this is where the fun part begins. Don't get me wrong, the off-season and preseason are fun for me too, but the meaningful games and the intensity are what I look forward to.

This off-season has been good to me compared with past years. Last year in particular, where I spent the off-season rehabbing from shoulder surgery, was tough. In that case the preseason games were a huge obstacle for me. I had to prove to myself, and the coaches, that I was ready for the season. This year, I was more focused on just working hard and being ready to play all three linebacker spots if necessary.

With the start of the season also comes the cutdown day. Just a few days ago, about 22 members of our team were cut from the squad. Just a week earlier, 10 more had been let go. I have not had to worry about cutdown day for myself, but I have seen lots of good friends and teammates let go by the team the past three years. It's a business. As players, we are all reminded about that this time of the year.

With every team cutting over 30 players, I know a lot of players who get released by their teams this time of the year. Some were Bengals the past few years, others were college teammates at Purdue. Either way, I

know how tough it is to make it in the NFL. I wish the best for every

guy who gets cut. It's especially tough when the player has a family to

worry about.

For the 53 of us on the roster right now, this is where the fun begins.

It's more than fun, though. It's really about an entire off-season of

training and working hard so that we can be better than we were last

season. I know we can be great, and that's exciting.