NFL opening weekend = Christmas in September

PART 1: NFC

For many NFL fans the eve of NFL kickoff takes on the feeling of a kid on Christmas Eve, the excitement, anticipation, surprises that lay ahead.  But for all the football fans out there, the feelings aren’t about gifts and presents, but about seeing how all the unanswered questions that have built up in the offseason will be answered this year. And believe me; every team has their share of question marks.

Dallas Cowboys – Will all of these highly talented yet highly dominate personality players come together and stay together for a team goal?  For a team who will only be measured by winning in the playoffs what happens if they don’t (again)?

New York Giants – Can a team that won 11 straight road games, capped off with a Super Bowl win, overcome so many loses to their staple defense?  Will they even make the playoffs in the hardest division in football?

Philadelphia Eagles – If Donovan Mcnabb, two years removed from knee surgery stays healthy all 16 games, are they good enough to make a run at the Cowboys as Division champs?

Washington Redskins – Was Jim Zorn and his West Coast offense the right choice? And in a division where 8-8 earns you last place, is that where we will see these ‘Skins’?

Arizona Cardinals – With the second half of the season that Kurt Warner gave us last year, can he do it for an entire year, and if so do the Cardinals finally knock off the Seahawks atop the division? 

San Francisco 49ers – Can Mike Martz have success with a team whose only Pro-Bowl caliber player on offense is a RB? And is former #1 overall pick, Alex Smith, officially a bust?

Seattle Seahawks – Will this team send out Mike Holmgren with his 5^th straight division title?  Will the running back by committee resurrect their ground game?

St. Louis Rams – Were so many injuries last year the cause of this team’s horrible season, or are they just simply not good?  Will Al Saunders offense push Steven Jackson to becoming the best running back in the NFL?

Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan will take the reins right from the start, will he overcome the growing pains and rise to be the new face of this franchise, or will the pressure derail him?  Is Michael Turner an every down back? 

Carolina Panthers – Can and will Jake Delhom really come back from Tommy John surgery and be the QB he used to be?  Will Steve Smith make it to week 8 without punching someone, again? 

New Orleans Saints – Will this offense challenge the Patriots as the best in the NFL?  Will Reggie Bush excel and live up to expectations playing in a specific playmaker role?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Was last year’s division championship a fluke? Is Earnest Graham the real deal and can he be for the whole season again?

Minnesota Vikings – Can Tavaras Jackson play smart consistent football?  Can Adrian Peterson stay healthy for all 16 games? If so, watch out NFC…

Green Bay Packers – Obvious question...Was Aaron Rodgers worth discarding one of the top 5 QB’s in NFL history?  How will Rodgers deal with the most pressure that any other player in the NFL has ever had to deal with?

Detroit Lions – Does going 4-0 in the preseason mean that a team finally gets it?  Is this team done being the punch line of the NFL, and ready to be a winning football team?

Chicago Bears – When you don’t have a legitimate #1 wide receiver, a true and tested running back, an average at best quarterback, and  the defense that you heavily rely on is getting injury prone, can you even call yourself an NFL team anymore? 

The best thing for football fans and a September Christmas is that ours doesn’t last for a day. We get to celebrate for five great months.  Enjoy the season opener! 

Check out my next post on Saturday to see my questions for the AFC.