You Make Too Much Money For Privacy

News finally broke today that Eagles WR2 Jeremy Maclin, a huge part of their offense, has been cleared to return to football activities after a long time away. The illness, which was undisclosed for months, turns out to have been a cancer scare, which is more than a little trippy for a 24-year-old guy, but since the biopsy, bone marrow, blood and a battery of other tests have come back negative, we're all systems go.

Which isn't terribly reassuring if you are a Maclin owner in your roto league, since part of what the man has been dealing with is weight loss and mono-like symptoms. And for the life of me, I understand the desire to be private about your health and all... but dude? You make large coin living the American Dream, wearing the laundry of a fan base that starts at obsessed and goes, well, to obsessive. Big time obsessive. So just expecting them to sit back and be quiet until you and the doctors end the suspense just ain't realistic. Nothing personal, dude, but if you want to keep your physical ailments quiet, go get a job that doesn't involve tens of millions of people watching and wagering over your actions.

While Mac should be able to make the September 11 loss against the Rams (loss? Yes -- remember, I'm going to that game), you have to think that he's not going to be on the field for the majority of plays until the second half of the year... but, um, if he *does* get to full strength then, around the same time that Steve Smith might be able to turn it loose? We could be in for some Fun Times here, people, on both sides of the ball. Which isn't to say that they'd fall into the gutter without him; Jason Avant is a thoroughly acceptable guy to have in your mix, and I hold out long-term hope for the utility of Riley Cooper. There's also been signs in preseason that tight end Brent Celek is looking like something more than a non-blocker who is kept behind to get a close up look of Michael Vick running, and LeSean McCoy and Ronnie Brown can take a ball in the flat as well. Just an ordinary line and average accuracy from Vick could make this a team where you need to score 30+ points to have a shot, and against this seconary, that just shouldn't happen too often.

But all of that, of course, is beyond the point of relief that Maclin is OK, and will go back to doing what he does best -- giving my laundry the best 1-2 combo of young wideouts in the league, and a pairing that's in the top five at worst. And just like everyone else on the team, and in football, it comes with just two words of Bummer Factor...

Health Permitting. Which is, at least, looking a lot better than it did 24 hours ago.