2012 NFL Preseason Schedule: Predicting Most Intriguing Storylines This Summer

In the first signs of life for the 2012 NFL season, the preseason national TV schedule has been released, and given the way this year's draft is expected to play out—and some dramatic offseason shuffles—there are some interesting matchups on the horizon.

Lots of fans couldn't care less about the NFL preseason; it's right in the middle of the most exciting stretch of the baseball season, and many believe it doesn't matter anyway. But with all of the blockbuster storylines this year's matchups have in store, gone are the days where nobody's interested in the preseason.

Here's a look at some of the top storylines we could be looking at heading into this year's preseason. You can find the full schedule here.

The Saints Kick Off the Preseason Following a Nightmare Offseason

They lost their coach, their defensive coordinator, their general manager and some of their draft picks after the league discovered the Saints' bounty system that paid players for delivering crushing hits to targeted opposing players that either knocked them off the field or out of the game.

Now, the Saints are tasked with headlining the beginning of the entire preseason with a matchup against the Cardinals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, Aug. 5.

Though they haven't had a lot of turnover in terms of players, the Saints will take the field with an entirely new identity in 2012. Bouncing back from situations like these—where everything about your franchise's character is in question—presents the kind of pressure that makes many teams crumble. That's not to mention the impact losing a coach like Sean Payton will have on this team. If Bill Parcells is the coach by the time the preseason rolls around, this will be even more exciting to watch.

There's a lack of leadership and a lot to prove in New Orleans, so it will be interesting to see how the Saints rebound in the early going.

Andrew Luck vs. RGIII?

If everything goes according to plan during this year's draft and the top prospects end up going where we all think they're going, we could get a glimpse of the first-ever Andrew Luck-Robert Griffin III NFL matchup during Week 3.

The Colts and the Redskins are slated to face off at the end of August, both sporting new looks. Indianapolis will be without Peyton Manning and will be led by the No. 1 overall draft pick, while the Redskins will have whichever quarterback Indy doesn't pick under center.

All indications during this offseason have been that the Colts are going with Luck and the Redskins, therefore, are going with Griffin. Seeing college football's two top prospects go head-to-head before the NFL season even begins will be a treat.

Peyton Manning Embarks on a Look-What-You-Missed-Out-On Tour

This season's most coveted free agent landed in Denver, dispatching Tim Tebow and reigniting hopes that perhaps, for the first time since John Elway's reign ended, the Broncos could be champions once again. At the helm of a team other than Indianapolis for the first time ever, Manning and his Broncos will play Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona, the latter three of which heavily pursued Manning this offseason.

Now, when Manning takes at least a few snaps during preseason action, all three of those teams will get an up-close and personal look at everything they could've had. Watching these games will be worthwhile just to see how Manning has rebounded after missing the entire 2011 season following neck surgery.

Will he be back to his MVP/future Hall of Famer self? Or did being out of the league for an entire year take a toll on his timing?

We'll soon find out.