Ten Questions for the 2009 NFL Season

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

The NFL is full of drama. There always seems to be a storyline that is looming or waiting to be resolved—any bets on how long it will be before Brett Favre makes up his mind?

That said, I have posed some questions of my own for the upcoming season.

This isn't a list, and some of these questions may seem easy to answer, but to those who say that they are simple, I only have this to ask you—how many of you predicted the Arizona Cardinals would be in the Super Bowl last year?

Yeah, that's kind of what I figured you might say.

You just never know what will happen to a team as a result of a trade, a release, or a coaching change.

It's always a crapshoot.

So, let's dive in, shall we?

Will the Arizona Cardinals repeat the success of last year?

I don't know that lightning can strike twice, but here's what I do know—Arizona will still have Kurt Warner at quarterback and Larry Fitzgerald at wide receiver.

That was pretty much all they needed last year to make one very nice run in the playoffs and come within an eyelash of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

However, Kurt Warner is not getting any younger, never mind that he had 4,583 passing yards and 30 touchdowns during the regular season—he isn't likely to duplicate those numbers.

Never mind that he may be one of the most underrated quarterbacks of his time.

The truth of the matter is, Warner will be 38 years old by the time the new season begins, and prior to last season's playoff run, Warner was 8-18 as a starter. Warner often threw as many interceptions as he did touchdowns—leading to his being benched in favor of Matt Leinart and Josh McCown on separate occasions.

Plain and simple, the old Kurt Warner could still surface.

The Cardinals will be looking at an improved Seattle Seahawks team and a rejuvenated San Francisco 49ers team in the NFC West, and both played the Cardinals tough last year.

Each team has just as much of a shot at winning the West as the Cardinals.

If Warner can stay healthy and continue to play consistently, the Cardinals should remain the favorites, but I don't imagine the road will be easy.

For a deeper look at the Cardinals' chances of repeat success, check out this article.

Is Terrell Owens the missing piece of the Buffalo Bills' playoff puzzle?

I am not a fan of the antics of Terrell Owens. I never have been.

However, it's impossible to deny his impact once he's settled in on a new team.

In his first year in Philadelphia, he helped Donovan McNabb to 3,875 yards and 31 touchdowns on his way to leading the Eagles to a 13-3 record and a spot in the Super Bowl.

In Tony Romo's first full season as Dallas' starting quarterback, Owens accounted for 1,355 of Romo's 4,211 passing yards and 15 of his 36 touchdowns. The Cowboys finished with a 13-3 record.

Trent Edwards is not Romo or McNabb (yet), and he doesn't have Brian Westbrook or Marion Barber to defer to in the run game, but Marshawn Lynch is as good as any running back in the NFL when he's focused, and he has looked good so far in camp.

Lynch may be absent for the first three games of the season, but I think that could prove to be Fred Jackson's moment in the sun.

I don't know if Owens will be the catalyst for a Bills playoff run, but I do know that he is an upgrade to what they already had on the field. If Edwards is the truth that some people think he is, it could be a very good year for Buffalo.

Will the Dallas Cowboys be better or worse now that Terrell Owens is gone?

Owens played for the Cowboys for three years and led them in receiving yards in each of them. Tony Romo has never been a quarterback in Dallas without Owens as his go-to receiver.

Will Romo fare better or worse now that Owens is not there to catch his passes?

I look at the roster and know that there is talent on the field, but I find myself being skeptical of Roy Williams suddenly becoming the No. 1 receiver on the field.

Is he ready for that type of responsibility? Does he even fit the bill? I mean, here's a guy who has only had one truly successful season, and it happened three years ago.

Last season he started seven games and amassed 198 yards with one touchdown, and this is the guy who is going to replace Owens?

That just doesn't seem like a promising option to me.

Perhaps Miles Austin will use this opportunity to make his move up the depth chart because, frankly, I don't know how much production D-Town can expect out of Williams next season.

Will Michael Vick play this season?

There have been plenty of articles written about this already, so I don't need to do a recap. Frankly, I feel a little bit like this guy and think the media coverage of this story has gotten ridiculously out of hand.

As a football fan, I can understand a team's desire to have an athlete as versatile as Vick, but as an individual, the thought of him returning to the game alarms me.

Sure, he has done his time, but you have to admit the guy is a public relations nightmare in waiting. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said it best—Vick is going to be a polarizing figure no matter where he lands.

I pity his teammates, because no matter what they do, his presence will overshadow their play.

Will the Pittsburgh Steelers repeat?

Don't tell me how hard it is to repeat as an NFL Champion. It's been done before and can be done again.

First of all, the Steelers seem to have one of the easier schedules of the 2009 season—significantly less imposing than last year's.

They only lost one key player from that ridiculously good defense, and I doubt they will have any trouble replacing him.

Further, they retained all of their important offensive players, including Super Bowl hero Santonio Holmes.

Does all this point to them making a return trip to the Super Bowl and hoisting yet another Lombardi trophy?

It seems like that would be the case, but here's the problem: There was no New England in the playoffs last season. Tom Brady is back this year, and you have to wonder how successful the Steelers would have been if Brady hadn't gone down in Week One. (Nice article here that touches on this point.)

Second, will the additions made to the offensive line serve to keep quarterback Ben Roethlisberger upright more often? He kissed the turf far too much last year, and that has me concerned about injuries to Big Ben.

Plus, there is still that whole "difficult to repeat" argument that I want to ignore but honestly cannot.

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