5 Questions for the NFL Season

Greetings readers!

If you're currently reading this then you are just hours away from the long awaited start to the NFL regular season. I myself have patiently waited for many months for this moment, pining away for countless hours on talk of ERA, WHIP and batting averages just to keep myself sane until the real deal, the epitome of the American sports reality came back around. Here we are, approaching the last days of baseball season, and as brutal pennant races are playing out I'm glued to my fantasy football lineups like thats what I'm going to school for (It's not). I can say goodbye to Sunday as a day of relative productivity, as I will almost definitely be glued to the TV as well as flipping between 4 or 5 periodically refreshing box scores. I'm going to worship all things Bears in the middle of what has become proud Lion country, and I'm going to do it proudly. I'm going to yell at the TV, I'm gonna laugh, I might cry, I'm gonna pull at my hair in frustration. And I am going to do all of these things and love every damn second of it, because this is football, and it's back.

Now that I'm done gushing about my man crush for football, here are five major questions heading into season and how they could possibly play out.


1. Will the NFL reach a deal with its' veteran referees soon or will the league be stuck with replacement officials?

By all accounts, replacement referees will be used by the NFL for the first week of games, and from there as needed. This group of replacements has done an abysmal job this preseason, botching spots, forgetting rules, making up new rules and just all around creating a joke out of the preseason, which was already a joke to begin with. In the end, the issue comes down to money, as it frequently does in situations like this, and eventually the NFL is going to have to pony up, or see their league turned into a mockery. Their choice.

2. How much will Tim Tebow see the field for the Jets, and how much time should he see?

Tim Tebow going to the Jets in the first place was a weird concept, and then they went ahead and talked about him being part of their punt team, and then, as things often go with the Jets, it became a media circus. Jets coach Rex Ryan insists that Tebow is the backup and troubled starter Mark Sanchez has nothing to worry about, but I'm not really buying it. Frankly, they have a backup quarterback who can't throw and who's only asset will be in the Wildcat, in which case, who cares? He'll get some snaps every game but at the end of the day he's going to get more attention than he deserves.

3. Will Peyton Manning thrive at Mile High?

I think Peyton will do just fine in his new surroundings, and will probably be embraced by the fans there as Elways was before him. I mean hell, they thought Tebow was a football god, just wait until they see No.18 throw a few passes or two. Peyton hasn't thrown for under 4,000 yards since 2005 and only twice in his 13 seasons has he not surpassed that mark. He's old, but he's not done, and I don't see this trend changing, he'll have a pretty good season if he can stay healthy, and with him, Denver will be a contender, at least on paper. At the very least he should be able to get a bit more distance on those bombs in the thin air up there.

4. Which division will see the toughest competition and have the best quality teams?

For me, this is an easy pick. All bias aside, the NFC North has quickly risen to relevancy as of late and will continue to do so this season. This division headlines two top tier quarterbacks in Matt Stafford and Aaron Rodgers, a handful of great receivers and also brings some defense into the mix. Honestly this division could get real interesting as I see Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay all vying for the title, and Minnesota could even get involved if they get hot during the season. It'll get colder than ice at their stadiums but make no mistake, this division is the hottest in football.

5. Can the Giants repeat as Super Bowl champions, and if not, who will hoist the Lombardi this year?

The Giants turned alot of heads last year and it was for good reason. Traditionally, this team has struggled with consistency, yet has still managed to put together a run of success over the past few seasons. Problem is, no team has repeated as Super Bowl Champions since the Patriots did it back in 2004 and 2005. The Giants will have alot of teams gunning for them this season and it will be very difficult to fend off teams such as Green Bay, New England, San Fransisco and Pittsburgh, all of which I see potentially vying for the championship, with it likely going to Green Bay.



Well thats it, my five big questions for this season. I hope it was an interesting read, and I wish a good season on all of you happy fans. If you're NOT going to be watching any football this season, then I hope Gossip Girl keeps you riveted to your seat as much as football does for me.