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Finally.

The season is finally here. The never-ending 2012 offseason is finally over. 

The 2011 season seems such a distant memory.  So much has happened since then. 

The whirlwind began the day the 2011 season ended.  Speculation about wholesale changes engulfed the franchise, including many who said changes were imminent.  However, Dean Spanos cited stability and displayed confidence in his leadership team, leading his troops through one of the most aggressive offseasons in franchise history. Spanos, General Manager A.J. Smith, Head Coach Norv Turner and their leadership team put together a comprehensive plan to improve the team and we watched their plan materialize before our eyes.

It began immediately after the end of the 2011 season when Turner named John Pagano the team’s new defensive coordinator. Once the free agency signing period began, the team struck quickly. Within the first week, the team added a shopping list of key new faces: LB Demorrio Williams, WR Robert Meachem, WR Eddie Royal, OLB Jarret Johnson, FB Le’Ron McClain, SS Atari Bigby, TE Dante Rosario and QB Charlie Whitehurst. Later came more veterans from around the league: C-G Rex Hadnot, SS Corey Lynch, RB Ronnie Brown and RB Jackie Battle.

The team’s plan for the draft was clear: defense. The team’s first three choices – OLB Melvin Ingram, DE Kendall Reyes and SS Brandon Taylor – have shown well thus far.

The current roster sits at 52 players, including 21 new to the active squad this season. That kind of activity is almost unprecedented for San Diego.

It was an offseason of optimism as we welcomed so many new players, but it was also an offseason of too many goodbyes.

Back in March we had to say goodbye to one of the greatest offensive lineman in team history when Kris Dielman announced his retirement. Diels is a man’s man, seemingly created to be a football player, yet he decided to walk away.

We also saw one of the greatest players – if not THE greatest player – in franchise history walk away when LaDainian Tomlinson hung up his cleats. He was one of the NFL’s greatest escape artists ever, yet he couldn’t escape Father Time.

And, finally, the San Diego and NFL communities were shaken with the passing of one of our native sons, Junior Seau. I still can’t believe he’s gone.

These are three of our favorites. We want them to play forever. Sometimes we think they’re larger than life, but reality says they’re not.

As much as I love this game, I hate having to say goodbye to those I loved watching.

Now the offseason is behind us and we get to love the games again. 

Finally.