Are You Ready?

The NFL is back and I take a look at some major story lines and ask some major questions that you should be looking at as we enter the upcoming season. Respond to the questions in the comments

The Philly "Dream Team": The Eagles had the biggest offseason that I can remember but are they turning into the Heat? With the signing of the top free agent Nnamdi Asomugha along with picking up Dominque Rodgers Cromartie from the Cardinals the Eagles now have arguable the best secondary in the league. Steve Smith, Vince Young, Ronnie Brown, Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin are also headed to Philly. Can they top the Packers?

McNabb looks to bounce back in Minnesota
after a season to forget for the Redskins

Out of the System: Quarterbacks Donovan McNabb, Matt Hasselbeck, Kevin Kolb, and Tavaris Jackson are all off on new teams and looking to thrive. McNabb struggled last year out of the Philly system but can he become a star in Minnesota? Hasselbeck, Kolb, and Jackson have been in the same systems their entire careers, can they succeed in a new one?

The Pack: The Packers are back and favorites to win repeat but no one has done it since the Patriot's back in the early 2000's. They get players like Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant back and look to be better than ever but will that translate to another championship in Green Bay or will there be a Super Bowl hangover?

New York: The Giants and the Jets have been hit hard in the off season. Eli Manning lost several weapons from his offense when Kevin Boss went to Oakland and Steve Smith went to NFC East rival Philly. The Jets on the other hand lost two of their top three receivers in Baylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery while Shaun Ellis headed to the Pat's and wildcat threat Brad Smith went to the Bills. Will the Meadowlands produce two playoff teams this season?

Calvin Johnson aka Megatron has been one of
the leagues best receivers since he was drafted

80 yard drives: With the new rule that moved the kickoff spot up five yards we will likely be seeing most of the drives starting on the 20 yard line. That doesn't help teams like the Browns or the Bears with superstars in the return game.

Lions: The Lions made huge strides towards a winning season last year and it only looks to get better with Matt Stafford back from injury. the Lions finished with four straight wins and a 6-10 season. Can Megatron,
Stafford, and Ndamukong Suh lead the Lions to their first playoff birth since 1999?

Cam Newton: The Heisman winner and #1 overall pick is in a battle for the starting job with 2nd year play Jimmy Clausen. Will the Heisman winner be the one leading the Panthers come September 11th and how will he do?

Cutler during the Bears NFC finals
loss to the Packers 

Buc's to the Playoffs: A young Buc's team lead by Josh Freeman surprised everyone last season by posting a 10-6 season. Despite the 10 win season they failed to make the playoffs. Freeman is back along with targets Mike Williams, Kellen Winslow, and Arrelious Benn and LeGarrette Blount in the backfield. Is this young team poised for the playoffs?

Tony Romo: Romo was out for 10 games last season and the Cowboys failed to make another postseason while Wade Phillips was fired and Josh McDaniels put in charge. Can the Cowboys get back to the postseason with their franchise quarterback back in the line up and Rob Ryan leading the defense?

Cutler bounce back: After ending the season in the worst way possible Jay Cutler comes back to the field in 2011. Cutler will once again be under heavy scrutiny by the die hard Bears fans but will he thrive under all that pressure or will he crumble?

Can the Packers Repeat?

The Packers won their 14th NFL Title and their 4th Super Bowl with a 31-26 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dallas on Sunday. After the celebration was over people, including me, started to look towards next season. My question for the next seven months is whether or not the Packers can repeat as NFL Champs, even with that target on their back.
No team has done it since the Patriots nine years back and the Packers may need till 2013 to wait for their 5th Super Bowl title with a possible lockout for next season.
Aaron Rodgers will be the key for this team and they should have more talent on the field than they did in their Super Bowl run. They will return All star Greg Jennings at WR and they will try and keep their entire O-line. Athletic Tight End JerMichael Finley will return from injury to add another receiving weapon for Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers.  Running Back Ryan Grant will return to the backfield along with John Starks, who came alive in the playoffs, to try and add another dimension to their offense. Their offense was a Top 10 offense last season and look to be poised for a one than better last season.
On the defensive side the Packers will return All-star's CB Charles Woodson and OLB Clay Matthews along with DT B.J. Raji, CB Tremon Williams, S Nick Collins, and LB A.J. Hawk. S Atari Bigby and LB Nick Barnett will return from injuries. The Packers are also negotiating to get Johnny Jolly back to the line-up after a suspension last season. If this defense stays healthy then they can be one of the best in the league.
It will be hard for the Packers to get back to the pinnacle of the sports world but it can be done with this young team. If they stay relatively healthy for the season you could very possibly see them collecting their 5th Lombardi Trophy in Indianapolis.

5 Teams looking to knock off the Packers...

Jets- They could head into the season as favorites in the AFC after two straight AFC Championship appearances and returning a strong young team.
Colts- As long as Peyton Manning is on the roster the Colts are in the Super Bowl race. Hopefully they will have a healthy receiving core this season and Bob Sanders can be healthy for once.
Falcons- The Falcons surprised everyone with a stellar season but it was cut short by the Packers. Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Michael Turner will be the stars but the defense needs to get better.
Ravens- This team is aging on defense but their offense in getting better every season. We'll see if Joe Flacco and Ray Rice can counter the strong defense.
Patriots- NFL MVP Tom Brady will look to take the Lombardi Trophy back to Foxboro after a disappointing end to their 2010-2011 campaign.

Others that could surprise...


Texans- Everyone thought they would have a breakout season last year but it didn't work out. With all the hype died down look for them to make their first playoff appearance in the franchise history.
Lions- The Lions won four straight heading into the end of the 2010-2011 season, including one over the Packers and can't wait to get Matt Stafford back under center. This young team could be successful for a losing franchise.
49ers- High expectations in the pre-season last year didn't work out but with Jim Harbaugh taking over command they could take over in the weak NFC West.