Why This Will Be the Greatest NFL Season Ever

We are less than 12 hours away from the start of the 2011 NFL season. 

At one point during the offseason it seemed like that statement might never be said. Yet here we are on Thursday, September 8 and this evening we will all sit down on our coaches or at bar stools to watch the New Orleans Saints play the Green Bay Packers.

This is an incredible game to start what will become known as the greatest NFL season ever. I'm aware that that is a bold statement, but I fully believe that football fans are in for the most exciting and exhilarating NFL season in history.

There are plenty of reasons why this will be a fantastic season for the NFL, but I will cover just a few of the major ones.

Exciting Storylines

 I can't remember an NFL season that was filled with so many noteworthy storylines. We had the Philadelphia Eagles go on a free-agent frenzy by picking up Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins and Vince Young. No one knows how this self-proclaimed "Dream Team" will turn out.

Everyone is wondering how Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco are going to play with the New England Patriots. The Green Bay Packers look to have a legit chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

There are cellar dwellers who look like they will be a threat to make the playoffs in the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. Even the league's worst teams are intriguing.

We all want to know what Cam Newton will do with the Carolina Panthers. Will Tarvaris Jackson or Donovan McNabb be legitimate quarterbacks and lead their respective teams to victory? Will we see Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert or Colin Kaepernick at all this season?

Never before have we seen so many exciting storylines top-to-bottom in the NFL.

Super Talented Teams

 With the exception of the NFC West, every single division has at least one ultra-talented team. When I say ultra-talented, I don't mean that they have a good team with a few great players. I'm talking about a team that is stacked with incredible players and has a legitimate chance at winning the Super Bowl.

Take the Houston Texans as an example. For the past few seasons they have been a major disappointment. We really don't know if this year will be any different, but when you look at the amount of elite talent the Texans have, you can't legitimately say that this team isn't a Super Bowl contender. With Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Mario Williams, Brian Cushing and Johnathan Joseph, this team is stacked with incredible players.

The same is true for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and numerous other teams. Never before has there been so many super talented teams in the same year.

The "Elite" Quarterback Group Will Grow

There is no doubt that the quarterback is the most important position on the football field and for the past several seasons we haven't seen a large amount of "elite" quarterbacks.

In recent years, the only quarterbacks worthy of this title have been Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. Even though Ben Roethlisberger has won two Super Bowls, many don't consider him a top quarterback.

However, by the end of this year we will see a handful of other quarterbacks join this club. Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers are already knocking on the door.

Josh Freeman, Matthew Stafford and Sam Bradford could all have huge years and enter the discussion as top quarterbacks in the league. Even players like Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez and Matt Ryan have the opportunity to become "elite" if they can lead their team to a Super Bowl victory.

By the end of the season we could see as many as seven or eight truly "elite" quarterbacks, an amount that is unheard of.

While none of these reasons alone warrant calling this upcoming NFL season the greatest ever, when combined they make this season truly unique.

All I can say is that we need to enjoy every second of every game of the greatest NFL season ever.