2008 NFL Season Preview: 12 Burning Questions

Derek Lofland, NFL director for Fantasy Football Maniaxs.com

Now that training camps have officially kicked off, I decided to come up with a list of the 12 hottest questions on NFL fans' minds entering training camp.

With 32 teams, I could not cover everyone. If you think I made a glaring omission, please leave it in the comments section, and I will try to address it.

Without further delay, here are the 12 biggest questions around the NFL, now that teams have reported for training camp.

12) Is Matt Leinart ready to emerge as Arizona's starter?

All indications are that he has looked good through the offseason and is ready to take control of that offense. However, the Cardinals also like Kurt Warner and have been having him take snaps with the first unit as well. In 2007, he had his best season since leaving St. Louis.

I think Leinart’s party lifestyle has gotten blown out of proportion. These guys are going to enjoy themselves. They aren’t robots that eat and digest football 24/7. They have families, endorsements, business ventures, and yes...hot tubs full of sexy young ladies.

Had this happened the Saturday night before the Seattle game, I would have had a different take. Had he gone to Mexico with his entourage of hotness the week before his opening playoff game, I would not have been impressed.

It happened in the offseason, and there is nothing wrong with Leinart enjoying his celebrity. The world of camera phones makes it hard to keep that stuff private. When you combine that with his USC celebrity status, you have the makings for that type of story.

This is the year he needs to break out. He has great receiving talent and a solid back in James. He has a good coaching staff. The line is not perfect, and the defense will give up points, but the Cardinals beat the Seahawks, Steelers, and Browns in 2007. All three teams won 10 games.

The time for excuses is over.

I think he does have a good year, but I’m not certain. What I am certain of is that whether he breaks out or not will have nothing to do with the company he kept in his hot tub.

11) Will the NY Jets and Oakland Raiders' spending sprees pay off?

It might have paid off in the NFC. The problem is that the Jets finished 12 games behind the Patriots in 2007. Even with the players they added, they are only the second-best team in that division. The Raiders finished seven games off the Chargers. They too have a long way to go to close that gap.

The Jets and Raiders spent nearly $100 million in guaranteed money this off-season.  The Jets used that to bring in Calvin Pace, Bubba Franks, Alan Faneca, and to guarantee the last year of Cole's deal.  The Raiders brought in Hall, Walker, Wilson, and used the money to lock Kelly up to a record deal.

At the end of the day, it is still a quarterback’s league. The Jets have Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens, and the Raiders are trying to figure out if JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden can usher in a new era of excellence.

While both teams added some good players, and both teams overpaid for some talent, they will be better in 2008. I just don’t think they’ll be good enough to compete with the slew of playoff teams in the AFC.

I look for the Jets to get to the .500 mark and for the Raiders to get to six to seven wins. While that will be improvement, it won’t satisfy fan’s expectations, given that the Jets and Raiders were throwing dollars at free agents this offseason like Pacman throws at strippers on a Monday night. Sorry Dallas fans. I couldn’t help myself.

10) Where does Shaun Alexander end up in 2008? 

I don’t understand why he hasn’t ended up in Green Bay yet. Ted Thompson drafted him in Seattle. Thompson has cap room and wouldn't have to give up draft picks. Ryan Grant is holding out for a larger contract. The Packers have no proven rushers on their roster.

There are a few reasons that make this move a no brainer: 1) He will put pressure on Grant to sign. 2) He will be an insurance policy if Grant gets hurt, is ineffective, or both. 3) He can show your younger players how to play the running-back position.

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