My favorite thing about the 2011 Atlanta Falcons schedule: so few cold-weather games. Seriously, an early-October game in Seattle and a December game in Charlotte could be the two coldest outdoor games. For a dome team from the southeast, that's pretty great.
Which brings us to the Chicago Bears and why it's not so bad to be playing them in Week 1 (at 1 pm ET, Sept. 11 on FOX throughout most of the country). It's supposed to be 77 degrees and partly cloudy in Chicago on Sunday!
Spending too much time on the weather, you say? What else is there to talk about in Week 1? The Falcons have some new players. You know who they are. The Bears have some new players. If you care who they are, you already know, and if you don't, I won't be able to convince you to care. Seeing Julio Jones and Jacquizz Rodgers take on a veteran defense will be something, as will new defensive backs James Sanders and Kelvin Hayden looking to pick off Jay Cutler.
More to come, most of it focused more on football than the weather. I love weather.
For more, head to Falcons blog The Falcoholic and Bears blog Windy City Gridiron.