NFL Predictions: 15 Things That Will Define the 2010 Season
Who will ultimately be the NFL champion in the 2010 season? Will it be the last season we see before a player strike or owner's lockout cancels the 2011 season?
There are so many issues that will define this season, picking only 15 will be a test, but am up to the challenge. Some are more national in scope than others, but all are important to a certain degree.
If you think of an issue that you feel should be included in "15 Things That Will Define The Season", would encourage you to submit your entry or opinion. Enjoy.
# 1: What Is the New Trend That Everyone Wants to Copy in 2010?
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Whether it is a new formation, new scheme on offense or defense, there will be some type of wrinkle or gadget that catches on and every other team in the NFL will want to incorporate it in to their own game plans.
We have seen what kind of an impact the Wildcat Offense created for the Miami Dolphins. Will there be another scheme this year that everyone decides to try?
Offenses have shifted from having one stud running back to going to two strong running backs. Could that even be expanded to go to three or more? If the Bills don't trade Marshawn Lynch, they might have the most talented backfield in the NFL with Fred Jackson, Marshawn Lynch and C.J. Spiller to split the carries.
# 2: What Major Injuries Will Change the Fortunes Of NFL Teams?
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Although we are just starting the NFL pre-season games, you just know that there are going to be some major injuries that hit teams during the month of August that will leave them depleted at certain key positions.
So far in training camp, we have witnessed injuries to players like
Saints RB Lynell Hamilton suffered a torn right ACL and is out for the year.
The Broncos OLB Elvis Dumervil's pectoral tear could result in him missing the season.
Colts Center Jeff Saturday's recent knee scope could sideline him "up to six weeks."
Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno (hamstring injury) might be back for Week 1.
Bills fourth round pick WR Marcus Easley could be lost for the year due to a knee injury
Browns LB D'Qwell Jackson injured a pec muscle, and could be gone for 4-8 weeks.
Then the regular season will start, and each week it will seem like key players continue to drop like flies.
And so it goes......
#3: Key Players Come Out of Retirement to Help Teams Reach the Playoffs
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Some guys come out of retirement because they thought they were done, but fortune smiled on them and they get to draw a paycheck for one more year. There are others who come out of retirement and could have a significant impact on how their new team fares.
Brett Favre - will he or won't he come back to lead the Vikings to the promised land?
Will Aaron Schobel decide to come back for one more hurrah, and who will it be for? His hometown Texans or for New England?
Terrell Owens seemed to be close to retiring only because so many teams officially passed on him, until the Bengals relented.
Some guys are just waiting by the phone to see who else gets hurt, hoping they get a chance to tryout and make a roster for one more year.
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#4: Which NFL Rookies Will Have a Major Impact on Their Teams?
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From the 2010 draft class, some rookies will seemingly come out of nowhere to surprise us, while others will be labeled as busts.
You expect to see major contributions this year out on offense from Sam Bradford, C.J. Spiller, Ryan Matthews and Dez Bryant. The contributions from other rookies like Tim Tebow and Jimmy Claussen figure to come down the road, not so much from their rookie campaign.
On the defensive side, expect major impact from players like Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Eric Berry, Joe Haden and Rolando McClain to make major contributions this year. If you are drafted in the top 10, you are expected to be an impact guy, and I think most of them will come through.
#5: Which Players Stop Holding Out and Report to Camp?
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Shawne Merriman, Darrelle Revis, Chris Johnson, Marcus McNeill and Vincent Jackson were all sharing headlines throughout the off-season due to their holdouts from camp. It appears that Merriman may sign and report this weekend, or shortly thereafter. Chris Johnson deal was settled some time ago, and Titans fans rejoiced when his deal was re-worked.
But for Revis, McNeill and Vincent their absence will be felt by the Jets and Chargers and definitely will have a bearing on where both teams finish this year.
In fact I would even go as far as saying that a Revis holdout all year would ratchet up the pressure on Mark Sanchez all the more, and put him in prime position for the dreaded sophomore slump. My rationale is that without Revis, the Jets can't employ the same type of defense they used last year, because there are only so many shut down cornerbacks in the league. If the Jets are giving up more points without Revis, then that brings greater pressure on Sanchez to produce to keep the Jets in games.
Nobody is probably rooting harder for Revis to be signed than Sanchez.
#6: How Does the Pending NFLPA Labor Dispute Impact This Season?
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Without a new labor agreement in place for the 2011 season, this year is rather awkward for the front offices throughout the league. Owners and General Managers are in a position of not knowing what the new salary cap structure will be and are trying to justify what kind of long term contracts they can afford to make.
If a compromise is not able to be reached, the chances of either a players strike or an owners lockout is something that could prevent the 2011 season from ever seeing the light of day.
As a result, lingering contract renewals, renegotiating contracts that are about to expire (Peyton Manning and Tom Brady quickly jump to the forefront here), are examples of scenarios that can cause unwanted tension and stress between star players and their teams, thus creating a negative impact on each team.
#7: Was It Worth Making All These Disgruntled Players Happy?
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When the dust has settled on the 2010 season, we can look back at the various scenarios that were deemed to be outrageous demands initially, and find out if all the pain and aggravation was worth it.
What are examples of outrageous demands? I am well aware that it takes two sides to tango, so with all of these scenarios it doesn't mean anything for a player to make a demand without an owner on the opposite that is willing to either meet, negotiate, or deny the demand.
What are examples of outrageous demands? Chris Johnson asking for 30 MM, Darelle Revis asking for Manhattan,and Andre Johnson getting 75 MM for 7 years. How many good years will this trio turn in once they are receiving 10 MM and more per year?
Then we have a certain player on the Redskins. Albert Haynesworth getting a 21 MM bonus paycheck and then rewarding the Redskins by not being in good enough shape to pass his conditioning test. Haynesworth also balked at the thought of being asked to play more than one position under Coach Shanahan, but cooler heads have appeared to have surfaced for now. Wait until he starts turning in some bad games before this situation escalates.
#8: Do the New Overtime Rules Bounce a Team Out of the Playoffs?
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Now that the NFL has instituted new rules regarding overtime, it will be inevitable that one of the pre-season favorite NFL teams will wind up getting bounced out of playoff contention because they lost in the new overtime format.
For those of you that aren't aware, both teams will have a chance to score after the opening overtime kickoff. So, the team with the ball first doesn't automatically win in overtime by converting that drive in to points. It seems fair on the surface, but just let the fans of the team that lost get all riled up about this rule being so ridiculous. You know it will happen.
#9: How Do Players Now in Key Positions Handle the New Pressure?
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Some players wait a long time for their chance to show their game. For players like Matt Leinart, he had to wait a long time for Kurt Warner to retire, but now is his chance to demonstrate for all to see what he is made of. What will he do with the pressure that comes with the job? Rise above it or wilt?
Just like Aaron Rogers waited for Brett Favre to retire, Leinart finds himself in a very similar situation. Rogers was able to step up, but will Leinart?
Another quarterback in a very similar scenario is Kevin Kolb with the Philadelphia Eagles. Now that Donovan McNabb has left town, Kolb is the new king of Philadelphia. He has demonstrated more success in the short time he was at quarterback last year, but can he sustain that success for an entire year?
Other players that seem to have a large amount of pressure on them this year are Trent Edwards, Roy Williams, Chris Johnson, Darelle Revis and Shawne Merriman. Obviously some of this pressure is self-inflicted by calling large amounts of attention to yourself coupled with large demands.
For a player like Trent Edwards, he had the job in hand until a concussion knocked him out, and then when the Bills were able to win behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, he was pulled in the second half of the season and watched the rest of the season from the sidelines. This may be his final chance to prove he belongs as a starter.
#10: Are There Enough Footballs in Cincinnati?
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Chad Ocho-Cinco campaigned long and loud about wanting Terrell Owens to be part of the Bengals. There is no doubt that Carson Palmer has enough weapons now at his disposal to have a potent offense this year. But what if one of the two star receivers gets shutout for a week or has consecutive bad games, will that guy explode and create more headaches than Marvin Lewis and company are prepared to handle?
Should be an interesting situation there in Ohio all year long. The Bengals are a better team than the Bills were last year, so T.O. has a chance to get back to the playoffs. In Buffalo, away from the national spotlight, he was not a cancer in the locker room. Perhaps he will be able to show that he has grown and matured, by being a good soldier for another year. Time will tell.
# 11: Suspensions and Their Repercussions
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Will Ben Roethlisberger see his suspension reduced or not? Four games or six games, is still a big chunk of the season, and the aftermath of how the team plays without him could result in the Steelers being too far back to contend.
Where the Steelers sit in the AFC North after Ben's suspension is lifted, will have a clear impact on how the 2010 season will turn out. Will the Steelers still contend despite all the controversy or will they find a way to be in the thick of the race?
They have some talent behind Ben, in the form of Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon, and possibly Charlie Batch.
Speaking of suspensions there are other players to take note of, but none of them are bigger deal to their team than is Roethlisberger. Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing is looking to sit out four games due to his suspension, and if San Diego wide receiver Vincent Jackson does sign, he is looking at a suspension as well.
# 12: Do Jacksonville and Buffalo Franchises Get Stronger or Weaker?
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Jacksonville did not get Tim Tebow in the draft, but the more important issue for Jaguars fans is will the team stay in Florida, or will it ultimately be moved to Los Angeles, the most major US city still without a pro football team.
While Jaguars fans continue to stay away from the home games, Buffalo Bills fans continue to support their team and play in front of sold out crowds to support a team that hasn't seen a playoff game in over 10 years.
Bills fans continue to hold out hope that Ralph Wilson will remain healthy, and that some angel or savior will be able to step in to keep the team in Buffalo whenever it is time for Ralph Wilson to leave us. If no white knight is found, there continues to be national speculation that Toronto could ultimately be home for the Bills team.
Should the Jaguars get off to a hot start and they fail to draw big attendance numbers, this may be one more step closer to seeing one less team in Florida. These developments will continue to help define the season for their respective teams.
# 13: Can the Teams That Just Missed the Playoffs Make the Step Up?
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The Houston Texans are picked by many fans to be on the threshold of being a NFL playoff caliber team. Can they make that jump up this year and reach the second season?
There are a growing number of stars on this team from Matt Schaub, Kevin Walter, Owen Daniels, and Andre Johnson are a great cast to work with. On the defense side of the ball you have players like Mario Williams, and rookie of the year Brian Cushing.
Another AFC team that appears to be generating more and more love as a potential playoff caliber team are the Oakland Raiders. I am still not sure if that is because the Raiders are really that much better of a team, or if the Chargers are that much worse due to their holdout issues, or if it is a combination of both.
The Raiders have been in the position to draft blue chip guys early in the first round of recent drafts and have been stockpiling that talent to the point that it is ready to mature. Even with the admitted bust in Jamarcus Russell, the Raiders did well by landing Jason Campbell to come in and take over the reigns. The Raiders should prove to be an interesting team to follow this year.
# 14: How Will the New Head Coaches Fare in Their Return to the NFL?
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I wanted to profile three head coaches that are returning to the NFL for another go around. The rate of success they experience may lead to more ex-coaches returning to head coaching gigs, as opposed to the recent trend of promoting an offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator that was deemed to be ready to take the top spot.
Pete Carroll - to me is the Rick Pitino of football coaches. Is he a college coach, is he a pro coach, or is he something in between? Maybe the better question is who really cares? Living in Southern California, I hear from a large number of USC fans that are agitated about the condition that Carroll left the team in, knowing that he was overseeing a number of the activities that led to the team getting punished by the NCAA. His timing couldn't have been better orchestrated. If there is karma, Carroll will be getting a rude awakening in the near term.
Mike Shanahan - the long time Broncos and Raiders coach has made the jump over to the NFC and has been asked to find a way to turn Daniel Snyder's cast of misfits and overpaid stars into a winning team. It may not be an overnight deal, but I would not bet against Shanahan. His work is cut out for him in Washington, but he is being well compensated for his efforts. It helps that he has an experienced Donovan McNabb to keep them in games and not let things get out of hand.
Chan Gailey - only head coaching job in NFL prior to coaching the Bills was with the Dallas Cowboys, and that seems like it was decades ago. Gailey brings his offensive minded experience to a Bills team starved for offense. Similar to Shanahan, Gailey has his work cut out for him as well, due to the depleted offensive line and lacking a franchise quarterback with the team he inherited.
Gailey has placed his stamp on the team, brought in new coaches to help transform the defense to the 3-4 and is hopeful that this is the first step in getting the Bills headed back to the playoffs in their rebuilding effort.
Of course any team that starts out zero and four or worse, the fans will be screaming for Bill Cowher to quit the network job and get back on the sidelines where he belongs.
# 15: Can the New Orleans Saints Repeat?
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What is the likelihood that the New Orleans Saints can repeat as NFL champions? You need the ball to bounce your way to win, and the Saints have done a wonderful job of revitalizing the spirit of New Orleans and Saints fans all over the country.
They have had their share of off-season issues, but at least they were able to re-sign Darren Sharper who had a strong campaign. He is dealing with off-season surgery, so won't be 100 % for some time, but his presence will help.
Drew Brees has to be feeling great about where his game is now, and he still has the vast majority of his weapons surrounding him. Reggie Bush is now able to focus on his game since his publicity hound girlfriend is not serving as a major distraction.
But, how hungry do the Saints remain? Are they content fat cats now, or do they really want to dig deep to come back and be repeat winners. This is just one more interesting story to how the 2010 season will be defined.
We hope you enjoyed the presentation and feel free to add any of your thoughts or ideas.
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