Aw, go on and salivate a little bit, LA Rams fans. You've earned the right.

The LA Rams may be getting to know their new players, but this is as much about feeling good about the new rookies on the roster as it is about assessing how effectively they may or may not contribute in this offense. After all, isn't part of the offseason about building excitement and enthusiasm about the upcoming NFL season?

The images and reports about an NFL team's offseason highlights are not intended to be critical assessments of that player or the team. Information is shared, limited though it may be, to build excitement and anticipation about the new faces, about the sprinkling of plays that make the highlight reels. The excitement starts from the moment a rookie gets the call that they will be selected in the NFL Draft, and lasts throughout training camp.

Think of it this way. Video clips and reports are to fans what the smell of roasting turkey and pumpkin pie baking is to the guess who will ultimately sit down to a Thanksgiving Dinner feast. The aroma in the air that makes you salivate with the glorious taste explosions always seem to have far more positive effect while the food is being prepared than when the dinner is served. Even if you go back for a robust second helping, the eyes and the taste buds do not seem to trigger the uncomfortable feeling of pushing yourself away from the table.

Enjoy the offseason, Rams fans! You've earned it

We know all too well that no pad workouts are more showmanship than simulation. This is the time when players are learning the very basic lessons of the routes, the coverage, the timing, and practically everything else that is assumed to be automatic when the pads do go on.

That doesn't men that you have to bring that expectation to the forefront with each positive image or glowing report. It's okay to salivate a little. It's fine just to enjoy the moment, and to let positive energy of a new rookie class wash away the disappointment of the 2022 NFL season.

We don't always need to keep both feet on the ground. As long as we are not professing to be surefire Super Bowl winners this season, it's okay to like a rookie who makes a circus catch, to believe in a young players chances, or to envision the Rams team finding a way to string more than the expected number of wins.

This is that magical time of year when the NFL pops the turkey into one oven to roast, a pumpkin pie into another oven to bake, and Rams fans sit back, breathe in deeply, and enjoy the aroma of another NFL season that will eventually be served up to each of us. When I smell a turkey dinner, I never think of the discomfort of eating my fill - even though I know it can happen.

I simply enjoy the aroma, and my mouth waters a little in anticipation. So let your mouth water over the upcoming LA Rams 2023 NFL season. It may be few wins or it may be many wins. But it's football, and it will absolutely be very entertaining this season.