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5 QUESTIONS HEADING INTO THE 2012 NFL SEASON

30 Aug

With the 2012 NFL season only a few days away, there are a ton of questions about the upcoming season about to be answered. Several prominent headlines have been dominating the NFL starved sports world since the Superbowl, and this piece looks at 5 of the biggest questions surrounding these hot topics.

Question 1: Will the Peyton Manning Experiment Succeed?

While he was known to throw caution to the wind on the Grid Iron, John Elway’s decisions this off-season as GM of the Broncos proves he is no different in his post-playing days. Not only did Elway jettison Denver American fan favorite Tim Tebow for pennies on the dollar, he did so in order to bring in the biggest question mark in the game right now, Peyton Manning. Given Tebow’s relegation to the quagmire that is the New York Jets and Peyton Manning’s proven reputation as being one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, the gamble could pay off. However, while most people (especially in the media) seem to love this move by Elway, I am not nearly as emphatic about it. If it turns out that the 36 year old Manning who just signed a five-year contract worth $96 million contract with the Broncos and who is a year removed from playing a single down in the NFL due to persistent neck problems has any sort of set-back, you can believe that all the people who were in favor of this high risk move will be singing quite a different tune come 2013.

Question 2: Who will have the better rookie campaign, Andrew Luck or Robert Griffen III?

Even if you know nothing about football, the fact that Andrew Luck was selected first overall naturally makes you think that Andrew Luck has the inside track in this two man race. However, once you look at the two of them, their skill set and their new environment, this two man race turns of Luck v. Griffen looks like Bolt v. Porky Pig. Of course we have all heard the hype about Andrew Luck, I have watched a few of his games and the man has that “it” factor you see in all the greats. For example, while its only the preseason, Luck has looked fantastic in terms of poise in the pocket, accuracy and decision making. And again, while anyone should be cautious when they are making reference to anything that happens in the preseason, if you watch Luck’s command of the game when he plays it leaves no doubt as to why Jim Isray did not hesitate to flush Peyton Manning down the toilet.

With regards to RG, while his skill set make him great on paper, not only he is in a terrible situation in Washington with a terrible owner and the erratic coaching of Mike Shannahan, but like many “mobile” quarterbacks before him, unless he stays in the pocket his athletic ability won’t be enough to avoid the big hits at the NFL level.  Even if Griffen beats the odds and has a great year, barring injury it should pale in comparison to Luck and Luck’s good fortune to play in a weak enough division where there is a very good chance he takes his team to the playoffs as a rookie.

Question 3: Will the Eagles finally live up to their roster?

After they drew comparisons to the Miami Heat for all of their high profile signings, the Eagles quickly found out that it probably  wasn’t the best compliment in 2011. This year however, the Miami Heat lived up to their hype and captured their title, will the Eagles be able to match this success now that they too have had a year to work out their kinks too? Without a doubt the Eagles on paper have the talent to compete at the highest level (especially if DeSean Jackson takes the pacifier out of his mouth and comes to playthis year), but can the Eagles, who have never won a title in the decade plus tenure of Andy Reid find a way to win on the field? It’s a tough question to answer definitively, but it seems that only Michael Vick’s ability to stay in games will determine this question in the affirmative.

However, should the Eagles not succeed again this year despite the talent on their roster, you can bet that any questions relating to Andy Reid’s future with the franchise will be a lot easier to answer.

Question 4: How long will it be before the Jets Self-Destruct?

This question of course is premised on the belief that the Jets have not self-destructed already. The agony of being a Jets fan  continues as the Rex Ryan led Jets went from being an underdog fan-favorite to a brassy all-hype squad in just a matter of a few years. Will this be the year the Jets get on track or will this mark the end of the line for Rex Ryan and/or Mike Tannebaum? In order to succeed the Jets will have to redevelop the run, step-up their once heralded defence, hope that one of the Wide Receivers they have left will step up, and most importantly, hope that the Mark Sanchez experiment works out. Of course for the latter to happen one must hope that the decision to bring in Tim Tebow, and the side-show that comes with it, will not be the definitive force that knocks this already constitutionally weak team off its rails for good.

After watching the Jets get progressively worse with stalled playoff appearances, a loud mouthed coach, a roster packed with headcases and a ton of empty promises, I would advise everyone who lives in the vicinity of East Rutherford, New Jersey to duck and cover around Week  8.

Question 5: Will this be the year Tony Romo is Finally able to shed his Loser Image?

When you think of Tony Romo, you think of a loser right? Given the way the mainstream media perpetually bashes this guy why would you think anything else?  However, if you actually watch the Dallas Cowboys and watch the man play, you would see that Tony Romo is actually a phenomenal quarterback, one who puts his team on his back and leaves it all on the field. His numbers support this as his lifetime QB rating of 96.9 is amongst the highest all-time, his lifetime TD-INT ratio is better than 2-1 and last year even while being lambasted by the media he put up over 4100 yards, 31 TDs (vs 10 INTs) and had a passer rating of 102.5 . So why all the hate for Romo? Well the answer seems to lie with the fact that as great as Romo is, things always seem to go great up until December, when the Romo-led Cowboys seem to collapse almost like clockwork . But again, if you actually watch Dallas play, you will notice that for every bonehead decision Romo makes, he usually puts up 20-25 good ones.  Not only that, but the Dallas defense has been absolutely brutal in big play situations for the last decade, especially in the secondary. As a Cowboys fan I have watched Terrance Newman and the rest of the paper mache defensive backs get burned badly on almost every make or break play for the last ten-years. Fortunately for the Cowboys and their fans, Newman is gone and some of the other fire-extinguisher ready DBs are also gone too, replaced by Brandon Carr and much heralded rookie Cornerback Morris Claiborne.

Only time will tell if Romo can ever get the monkey and the media off his back, but this season he has no more excuses. Dallas has a solid roster from top to bottom and Romo’s time is now. He’s got the numbers, so its on him to pick once and for all whether he wants to be remembered as the next Troy Aikman or stay the next Danny White.

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