It’s time to tweak a common metaphor among coaches and athletes: “This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

I recall at least one Major League Baseball manager comparing a season to a marathon years ago when I covered Major League Baseball – and still cared about it. And indeed, a pro baseball season at about any level seems like a marathon, given the volume of games. The season-asmarathon analogy also seems apt for the NBA and NHL, where the everlengthening playoffs make those sports increasingly exhausting for aging fans like me to follow (maybe they should say, “This is an ultramarathon, not a regular marathon”).

On the other hand, a football season is not like a marathon. It seems I’ve heard a pro coach or two compare an NFL season to the 26.2-mile distance race that traces its roots to ancient Greece. If memory serves, I heard the comparison while covering the Kansas City Chiefs. That was back when I still attended games in person – and still cared about the Chiefs.

That’s not to say footba…