It's August, and football is in the scorching air

The Southeast Missouri State football team began preseason practice Saturday.

A few hours to the north, the University of Missouri held its first practice Thursday.

The St. Louis Rams are well under way with their training camp after that ridiculous NFL lockout finally ended.

And area high school football squads are preparing for their first practices today.

Yes, it's that time of the year again, which is music to the ears of people who love the sport. Count me among the group.

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I attended much of Southeast's opening practice Saturday afternoon and let me tell you, it was hot, hot, hot.

Just standing around watching, I was dripping with sweat in a matter of minutes. Imagine how soaked the players and coaches were, although they seemed to handle the sweltering conditions really well.

Many of Southeast's practices during preseason camp are scheduled for early in the morning, so that helps the Redhawks avoid some of the heat.

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Southern Illinois-Carbondale, Southeast's season-opening opponent Sept. 3 at Houck Stadium, was picked third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll announced last week.

The Salukis no doubt will be motivated to get back at the Redhawks for last year's loss in Carbondale that at the time was a stunning upset. It helped jump-start Southeast's historic season and helped send SIU to a rare losing record of 5-6.

Missouri State, not on Southeast's schedule, is picked to finish last in the MVC after being part of a six-way tie for third place last year that also included SIU.

By the way, Missouri State not only faces a major rebuilding situation but plays two of its first three games against major-college powers, visiting Arkansas on Sept. 3 and 2010 BCS national runner-up Oregon on Sept. 17.

Those opponents will pay Missouri State a total of nearly $850,000. That's a nice chunk of change -- as long as the Bears still are standing after that gauntlet.

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Former Southeast All-American cornerback Dimitri Patterson signed with the Cleveland Browns last week after spending the past two years with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Patterson, who was an unrestricted free agent, saw the most action of his NFL career last season. Not only did he get his first NFL start, he started 10 games, including the Eagles' playoff loss to Green Bay. He had 52 tackles, four interceptions, a sack and 11 passes defended. He returned one interception for a 40-yard touchdown.

Patterson, 28, also has played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins during an NFL career that began in 2005. He has five career interceptions.

While Patterson just changed teams, two other Southeast products remain established with their squads.

Former Southeast All-American offensive lineman Eugene Amano will be in his eighth season with the Tennessee Titans after being drafted in the seventh and final round. He has been a starter the past three years at both guard and center.

New England Patriots offensive lineman Dan Connolly, who will be in his sixth NFL season, became a full-time starter last year.

Connolly and Patterson originally made the NFL as undrafted free agents.

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Central High School graduate Talley Haines, a former professional pitcher, recently was hired as the baseball coach at Mobile Christian High School in Mobile, Ala.

Haines spent last season as the pitching coach at Division II Harding (Ark.) University. He spent 10 years in the minor leagues, reaching as high as Class AAA.

Haines is the son of former longtime Southeast track and field coach Joey Haines.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.