Post by TheShadow on Aug 5, 2007 14:37:30 GMT -5
www.bbc.co.uk
By Martin Gough
Pittsburgh and New Orleans kicked off the NFL pre-season in the annual Hall of Fame game on Sunday, while the rest of the league will begin their first forays into the 2007 season over the coming week.
The regular season does not get under way until 6 September and results in August games rarely have any bearing on which team lifts the Vince Lombardi trophy after February’s Super Bowl.
But there will be some clues on offer right away as to how some of the key questions will resolve themselves over the next few months.
Can the Colts repeat as champions?
Indianapolis were coming to the end of their window of opportunity when they finally won the Super Bowl in Miami in February after three seasons of coming perilously close.
The expansion of the NFL salary cap from $85.5 million (£42m) in 2005 to $109m this season has left the Colts with a little more room to play with but star turns Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison still eat up a lot of space.
The fall-out was felt this summer as four players who were key to victory in Super Bowl XLI - linebacker Cato June, cornerbacks Jason David and Nick Harper and running back Dominic Rhodes – left for better deals elsewhere.
The pressure will be on defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis to make up for lesser talent behind them, and on Manning, Harrison et al to keep scoring without extra offensive support.
Among their rivals in the AFC, San Diego are just as strong, Baltimore have bolstered their running game and Cincinnati have enjoyed a relatively quiet summer after having nine players arrested in a nine-month period through January.
Pre-season answer: No
How will New England manage Moss?
Under coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have become famous for their team-first philosophy, and won three of the last six Super Bowls, but a relatively disappointing season saw them take drastic measures over the summer.
Randy Moss, the five-time Pro Bowler who wore out his welcome with selfish play in Minnesota and Oakland, was brought on board with a bargain basement contract, apparently keen to turn over a new leaf. Let’s see if he tears through it.
Quarterback Tom Brady complained openly about the quality of his receiving corps last year, and the Pats have bolstered it across the board, also bringing in free agents Donte' Stallworth and Wes Welker.
Belichick won’t hesitate to turn elsewhere if Moss proves too much bother but the sideshow could still prove an unnecessary distraction.
Pre-season answer: Just fine
Can the Falcons cope without Vick?
The story of the summer has been the charges levelled against Atlanta QB Michael Vick – the Michael Jordan of the NFL – of organising dog fights in his Virginia home.
Vick has denied the charges – which are hideous in their detail - but a court case looms in November and he has been told to stay away from the Falcons pending an NFL investigation.
Without Vick, who last year become the first QB in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season, the Falcs will be decidedly average.
They didn’t help matters by trading Vick’s back-up Matt Schaub to Houston barely a month before the dog-fighting scandal erupted. In his stead they have Joey Harrington, now on his third club and yet to impress.
Pre-season answer: No
Are the Bears still the pick of the NFC?
Teams in the National Football Conference, like the 49ers and Cowboys, dominated the league during the 1990s but for six of the last seven years it has been a question of which side the AFC champion will beat in the Super Bowl.
Chicago were the pick of the NFC last year but four AFC teams were considered at least their equals.
Coach Lovie Smith has not been a slouch, though, replacing five assistant coaches including Ron Rivera, coordinator of a defence that allowed just 15.9 points per game last year.
But much rests on the play of Rex Grossman, the quarterback who saw his Super Bowl dream turn into a nightmare as he threw two interceptions and dropped two snaps. This is a make-or-break year for him.
New Orleans, who the Bears demolished in snowy Chicago in January, look the pick of the conference now, with Dallas and Philadelphia also in the mix.
Pre-season answer: No
Who will be the rookie star of 2007?
Last year, Colts running back Joseph Addai, Saints back Reggie Bush and Titans quarterback Vince Young lit up the league. This year the stars don’t look quite so bright.
Burly QB JaMarcus Russell, was first pick in the college draft, taken by the Raiders, but he may be asked to wait behind veteran Daunte Culpepper, who signed on a one-year deal recently.
Defenders and offensive linemen dominated the early stages of the draft but two running backs stand out - Adrian Peterson, who went to Minnesota, and Buffalo draftee Marshawn Lynch.
If Peterson can overcome the injuries that dogged his college career at Oklahoma he could join the upper echelon of NFL backs.
Pre-season answer: Dolphins
Who will win at Wembley?
For the first time ever, on 28 October, the NFL will play a regular season game on a different continent, with the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants doing battle at Wembley Stadium.
Thanks mainly to Channel Four coverage in the 1980s, these are two of the best-supported teams in the UK. Unfortunately they won’t be two of the best in the league this year as both are rebuilding.
The Giants have all the ingredients, including quarterback Eli Manning, but they never seem to have become consistent under fourth-year coach Tom Coughlin – an old-school disciplinarian who seems to divide opinion as much among his team and among observers.
Star running back Tiki Barber’s retirement is bound to be felt in a team that lost as many games as it won last year, although bullocking rusher Brandon Jacobs should be fun to watch as he takes a starring role.
Nick Saban never managed to establish himself in two years as head coach of Miami, and Cam Cameron – the former San Diego offensive coordinator – has inherited the job for this season.
Cameron’s surprise choice as his new quarterback was 37-year-old Trent Green but the former Chief could well do the job in the short term. The addition of outside linebacker Joey Porter from the Steelers will make the Dolphins D far more aggressive too.
Pre-season answer: Peterson
And a sneaky seventh question: How will my fantasy team get on?
For the last three years I’ve played fantasy football on Yahoo! with a group of friends-of-friends, mainly based in the States.
None is particularly fond of the fact that a know-nothing Brit can compete against those whose lifetimes are steeped in football folklore.
This year’s team, “L-I-M-E-Y – no alibi”, will be aiming to improve on last year’s first-round playoff loss.
The draft takes place on 31 August and - as ever - I’ll be looking to bolster the running game early, pick a QB who avoids making errors, then stock up on defenders.
Pre-season answer: Fingers crossed