Eight Big Questions for the 2011 NFL Season: A Divisional Breakdown

The NFL season kicks off tonight with a game between the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints. The beginning of each new season is full of hope, anxiety and excitement for NFL fans as they gear up for what they hope will be a successful season for the teams they support.

Heading into the 2011 NFL season, questions abound in each division. The answers to these questions will determine the shape of the regular season and the field in the playoffs.

NFC South: Is There Room for Rookie RB Mark Ingram in the Saints Backfield?

If you throw a pebble at a New Orleans Saints practice, chances are you will hit a running back that sees significant playing time. The Saints replaced departed running back Reggie Bush with former Chargers running back Darren Sproles. Pierre Thomas, who carried the ball 83 times last season, is still on the roster as well. So where does rookie running back Mark Ingram fit?

There are only so many carries to go around, and while a rotation of Sproles, Thomas, and Ingram will ensure fresh legs in the backfield, Ingram is accustomed to taking the lion’s share of the carries—something he is not guaranteed in New Orleans.

It will be interesting to see just how Ingram fits in with head coach Sean Payton’s offensive plans. Ingram is a power runner who barrels through defenders and eats chunks of yards, and New Orleans tends to play finesse running backs who can catch the ball out of the backfield, like Sproles and Bush.

One does not replace a scalpel with a sledgehammer, so just what will the Saints do with Mark Ingram?

AFC South: Can the Houston Texans FINALLY Win the Division?

The Texans are the best fantasy football team in the NFL. Matt Schaub tossed the rock for over 4300 yards last season. Arian Foster led the league in rushing with 1616 yards on the ground, and Andre Johnson hauled in an impressive 1216 yards and eight touchdowns. If all three stay relatively healthy, the Texans are an offensive juggernaut.

The Texans are not to be dismissed defensively either. Mario Williams provides a filthy pass rush in a quarterback driven league. Brian Cushing and an athletic group of linebackers can stop the run. The additions of Johnathan Joseph and Danieal Manning will strengthen the secondary, a weak spot for the Texans last year.

The table is set for the Houston Texans to win the AFC South. Tennessee has a new head coach and a new quarterback, Peyton Manning’s health is iffy, and Jacksonville released veteran starting quarterback David Garrard five days before their first regular season game.

2011 should be the Texans’ year to overtake the Indianapolis Colts. But we heard that last season.

And the season before that.

NFC East: Is Jason Garrett a Legitimate NFL Head Coach?

A head coach is fired in the middle of every NFL season. Starting around week ten, GMs and owners will begin handing out pink slips and an assistant coach will be promoted to finish the season in the head coach’s place. Some are dead coaches walking, and know their time in charge is short. These interim coaches tend to continue the failures of their predecessors. Other interim head coaches, like Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, succeed and have the interim tag removed at season’s end.

Some continue their success, while others prove why they have been career assistant coaches. The jury is still out on Garrett. The Atlanta Falcons’ head coach Mike Smith was an interim coach after Bobby Petrino left mid-season a few years ago. Smith has enjoyed a successful tenure in Atlanta, and the Falcons are one of the NFL’s premiere teams. Other interim coaches have not fared so well.

The 49ers fell in love with Mike Singletary after he succeeded as an interim head coach. He was touted as the man who could reverse a losing culture and return the 49ers to prominence. He lasted one full season as head coach. Tom Cable suffered an almost identical fate in Oakland.  

Jason Garrett has exercised executive authority in his brief time as the head man in Dallas. Running back Marion Barber was released, as was under-performing receiver Roy Williams. To steal a line from Bill Parcells, Garrett, it appears, is allowed to choose the ingredients and cook the meal. The return of a healthy Tony Romo increases Garrett’s chances of succeeding in his first full season as the head coach in Big D.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is gambling on Jason Garrett. We shall see if Garrett is more like Mike Smith than Mike Singletary.

AFC East: Who Will Get the Best of the Jets/Patriots Rivalry?

The New England Patriots and the New York Jets have contended for tops in the AFC East the last two seasons. Each team has publicly expressed their hatred for the other. The personality chasm between the head coaches is so stark it is comical. These rivals make for great television.

The play on the field is compelling as well. New England has won the division the last two years, but the Jets have had the last laugh by advancing to the AFC Championship game the last two postseasons.

The Pats/Jets rivalry added another layer in the offseason as each team acquired new offensive weapons. New England added Chad Ochocinco in the offseason to stretch out the Jets’ stellar defensive backs. The Jets signed wide receiver Plaxico Burress to provide an incredible red zone threat for quarterback Mark Sanchez.

 Defensively, the Jets are far superior to the Patriots, but New England head coach Bill Belichick is the best offensive mind in the NFL. Belichick engineered a 45-3 drubbing of New York last season.  

Anticipate the Jets and Patriots to approach their two regular season meetings like AFC championship games. We can only hope they meet in the playoffs.

NFC West: Can Second Year QB Sam Bradford Lead the Rams to the Playoffs?

The St. Louis Rams will go only as far as Sam Bradford will take them. Bradford threw for over 3500 yards and completed 60 percent of his passes last season. He must improve on his 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in the 2010 season if the Rams are to take the next step. St. Louis helped Bradford by adding proven players at the skill positions in the offseason.

Mike Sims-Walker brings veteran leadership and seven touchdowns the last two seasons to a young receiving corps, and running back Cadillac Williams will spell starter Steven Jackson, whose immense workload resulted in injury last season.

The Rams greatest competition in the NFC West will be the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals added stability at the quarterback position with Kevin Kolb, and Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best receivers in the NFL. St. Louis fans hope Bradford, and Sims-Walker can match offensive power with the Cardinals, but it remains to be seen.

AFC West: Was 2010 NFL Season a Fluke for the Kansas City Chiefs?

In the 2011 season, the Chiefs emerged as the surprise winners of the AFC West. Behind quarterback Matt Cassel, running back Jamaal Charles and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City dethroned the potent San Diego Chargers, who owned the division for most of the last decade. However, Kansas City faces new challenges in 2011.

Charlie Weis, arguably the most prolific offensive coordinator of the 2000s, departed to run the Florida Gators offense. New OC Bill Muir brings 33 years of coaching experience to the position, but he may not be as creative in his game plans as Weis.

The Chiefs 2011 schedule is significantly more difficult than it was one year ago. The Chiefs will have to play a hungry Chargers team twice, and go up against the stout NFC North. Additionally, KC’s first place schedule puts the Steelers, Colts, and Patriots in their path, and they will have to travel to New York to play the Jets in December.

NFC North: Can Anyone Catch the Green Bay Packers?

The news in the NFC North this offseason was about every team but the Green Bay Packers. The Minnesota Vikings made waves by signing Donovan McNabb. The Chicago Bears added wide receiver Roy Williams and running back Marion Barber. Detroit is every television analyst's sexy pick to make the playoffs.

But what about the Packers?

The defending Super Bowl champions return their entire team from last season. Often, teams worry about a Super Bowl “hangover”, but with the cloud of the lockout over the NFL since April, one has to wonder how much self-congratulating took place. Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers shook the Favre monkey from his back last season, but to surpass Favre, Rodgers needs to win a second Super Bowl. This year is as good as any.

An intriguing NFC North division race would pay great dividends for the NFL, but can anyone even compete with Green Bay?

AFC North: Can the Pittsburgh Steelers Reverse History?

The Pittsburgh Steelers embody NFL greatness. The organization is patient, stable, and successful in a sport where success is fleeting and patience is thin. Most importantly, the Steelers have the trophies to back up their cache. However, in recent history, the Steelers have not made the playoffs the season after reaching the Super Bowl.

After reaching the Promised Land in 2005, the Steelers finished 8-8 in 2006, third place in the division. In 2008, Pittsburgh defeated Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII, but finished 9-7 in 2009, again third in the AFC North.

Head coach Mike Tomlin will have to stem the tide of the last decade if the Steelers are to make the playoffs in 2011. Offensively, Pittsburgh looks the same as last year’s Super Bowl team with the exception of the addition of Jericho Cotchery at wide receiver. Cotchery should command some attention from defensive backs to free up Mike Wallace.

Defensively, although the team is aging they are still capable, and Dick Lebeau will have the vaunted Steelers D hungry and ready for war.

We will have to wait and see what the football gods have in store for the Steelers this season.