ShareThisFive questions to ponder about the upcoming NFL season:
1) Will Saints party on in New Orleans?
Probably not. Of the past 11 Super Bowl winners, only the 2004 New England Patriots made it back to the Super Bowl. Five of those 11 champions didn't even make it back to the playoffs the following season. There's also never been a repeat champion in the NFC South. Yes, the Saints will contend with an offense led by Drew Brees and Sean Payton, and an aggressive defense that matches coordinator Gregg Williams' personality. But can a defense led by 34-year-old safety Darren Sharper duplicate last year's 47 takeaways (including postseason)? That's an awful lot to count on.
2) Will the Washington Redskins rise under McNabb, Shanahan?
Yes, but not high enough to overtake the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East. Will it be enough to embarrass the Philadelphia Eagles for trading quarterback Donovan McNabb within the division? Stay tuned 'cuz this will get real interesting, especially on Oct. 3 when McNabb returns to Philly for the first time. Redskins owner Dan Snyder finally threw his wallet in the right direction when he hired Mike Shanahan. It will take time to build a winner, but adding McNabb helps a team that lost seven games by seven points or fewer last season. One doesn't envy new Eagles QB Kevin Kolb, an unproven player who has to outperform McNabb while holding off backup Michael Vick.
3) Can the Pittsburgh Steelers weather the Year of the Suspension?
It's a banner year for banning the bad boys. At least ones not protected by the Minnesota legal system. A two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback (Ben Roethlisberger), a former Super Bowl MVP (Santonio Holmes) and the reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (Brian Cushing) are among those serving suspensions. The focus will be on Big Ben and the Steelers, who must ride Byron Leftwich for at least the first four games, which include two on the road and home games against the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons. The Steelers could lose Roethlisberger for as many as six games. Either way, it's been an awful offseason that the Steelers won't bounce back from in 2010.
4) Is the Pete Carroll hiring a big deal?
Probably not this year, but stay tuned. People forget Carroll wasn't that bad of an NFL coach. In three years with the Patriots (1997-99), he went to the playoffs twice and never had a losing season. He was 6-10 with the Jets, but had only one season there. Since his last NFL game, Carroll has won 97 games and two national titles at USC. Seattle is a bad NFL team with a bad defense, a shaky quarterback situation and questions throughout the roster. Carroll, however, does get to compete in the NFC West, which includes the pitiful St. Louis Rams, Alex Smith at QB in San Fran and no Kurt Warner in Arizona.
5) Who is ready to rule to rule the rugged AFC?
The Ravens have become a popular Super Bowl pick since beefing up their receiving corps, including Anquan Boldin, to match a championship-caliber defense and running game. But the AFC will be loaded again with strong teams and great QBs. The Indianapolis Colts are a favorite as long as Peyton Manning is upright. The Patriots are a shell of their former dynasty, but still a threat with Tom Brady. The New York Jets are coming off the AFC title game and were the team that most aggressively improved itself. The Houston Texans are a solid dark horse with the best QB-WR tandem (Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson) no one talks about. And the San Diego Chargers have great talent, plus the benefit of the easiest path to a division title and home-field advantage. Maybe one of these years, the Chargers might actually capitalize on that advantage.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit Minneapolis Star Tribune
