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Football is awesome. Football-tangential things to look forward to during the 2026 NFL regular season These are the things I love about football, beyond the actual football You’re likely not reading this if you don’t think football is awesome. The most casual of observers don’t come to SB Nation sites and click on stories to read on a random weekday. Thus, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. But it’s not just the actual sport of football, played between whistles, that makes us love football so much. It’s all the phenomena that are football-related that add to our enjoyment of the season that always seemed too short. First, I would encourage you to share the non-football events, moments, or traditions that make the sport’s 18+ weeks so much fun for you in the comments below (maybe someone can pick up an enjoyable idea). Secondly, I’ll share some of mine here: Food I strongly ascribe to the belief that traditional food calendars should not influence your culinary choices. If you want stew on a hot summer day, you should have it. If it’s the dead of winter and you want some ice cream, get some ice cream. Whether it’s a usually-prepared “summer food” or not should not stop you from enjoying it. When it’s considered seasonally appropriate, who knows if it’ll hit the spot then? I will not be oppressed by the tyranny of the fictitious food calendar! That being said, certain people and restaurants do not ascribe to my progressive culinary thinking. Because of that, my food options are sometimes slightly limited by what the person or establishment deems appropriate for the season, and that exclusion stops now. If I was a pumpkin spice person like my wife (to complete the ensemble with the Ugg boots and leggings), I’d be blocked off from getting it until the Starbucks overlords deemed appropriate to bless the peasants with that overly-nutmegged (that’s totally a word) liquid concoction. So I’m excited for the new wing flavors. I’m excited for all the caramel apple desserts. I’m excited for my local shop to start offering their pumpkin rolls again. As long as I’m forced to live in a society that doesn’t let me have the easiest access to apple fritters in June, I’ll be grateful for the return of some elite-tier foods. Hoodies Much like my above take on food, I’m a “wear what you want, when you want”-kind of guy… …but you know, the weather and stuff. As long as you live in the Northern Hemisphere, fall and winter are cooler than summer. How much cooler depends on your location, but for a lot of people, American football season (and the immediate aftermath) is the only time they can wear a hooded sweatshirt outside their house without it quickly serving as an inadvertent sauna suit. The joy of this article of clothing is also related to the first point identified above, as the magic of the hoodie allows for a few extra fall pounds to be packed onto a human body secretly, well hidden by the sweatshirt until which time as the spring comes and we begin to slightly regret our football-related consumption choices. Insane Radio Callers Maybe the Bills should play Josh Allen at linebacker. Maybe Aaron Kromer should have been made the head coach. Win or lose, the people who call into stations like WGR 550 or 97 Rock (the new Buffalo Bills flagship station) immediately post-game can provide some of the most unhinged and galaxy-brained ideas and takes that anyone sober could ever truly appreciate. No matter what you believe to be the most relevant issues surrounding the team after a regular season or playoff game, the hard left and right turns provided to you by some of the individuals who call into the post-game radio shows make the programs must-listen simply for the entertainment value of their takes alone, completely apart from the competence of the radio hosts themselves. Tailgating stories I don’t typically go to Bills games. I went to the first football game ever played in the new Highmark Stadium when Buffalo took on the Carolina Panthers in the preseason, but I hadn’t been in years prior to that and likely won’t go again for a while. But even I love the adventures that can only come from Bills tailgating. Throwing the football with strangers who become friends over some grilled food, irresponsibly jumping into tables, spraying ketchup and mustard all over yourself (for some reason I still haven’t quite figured out)…it all makes for adventures and stories that people can tell each other for years to come. It’s part of the quintessential Buffalo football experience. Other sports try it, other teams try it, but there’s something special about it specifically for members of Bills Mafia. I smile every time the TV feed shows people who have obviously been tailgating for hours or ever days prior to the game, and I root for all y’all to have an excellent, yet safe, time. Social media gameday traditions Brother Bill (@TheeBrotherBill on Twitter) announced recently that his famous gameday morning opponent-specific videos (set to the tune of “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes) would be discontinued after seven years of providing laughs and coffee-beers to the member of Bills Mafia on social media, but other traditions remain. Greg Tompsett of Cover 1 (@GregTompsett) will still attempt to make the perfect steak the night before the game to “earn the right to win”. His teammate Aaron Quinn (@AaronQuinn716) will still post his breakfast sandwiches. I will still type out the word “I hope the Bills win today” and post it every game day (I’ll chuckle when I do it). Traditions, even the tiniest ones, help create a shared community. And for Bills fans all over the globe who can’t be physically in each other’s presence like the tailgaters mentioned above, social media and websites like Buffalo Rumblings can help provide a venue for that community. I love that football is back. But I love all the other little things that come alongside our beloved sport. Let’s do all of it together once again. ...and that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I’m Bruce Nolan with Buffalo Rumblings. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceExclusive and look for new episodes of “The Bruce Exclusive” every Thursday on the Rumblings Cast Network — see more in my LinkTree!