What’s your top story as we kick off the 2018 football season?
Is it Jon “Chucky” Gruden, back coaching Oakland again after nine years in the broadcast booth? Or maybe you’re wondering how the Eagles will finesse the Nick Foles/Carson Wentz situation. Foles shone like a quasar after replacing the injured MVP-track Wentz in early December. The veteran led Philadelphia to their first-ever Super Bowl victory. But when Wentz’s knee is fully mended, Foles is expected to benchwarm.
Meanwhile, Minnesota rode the arm and seasoning of Case Keenum all the way to the conference championship game. Keenum’s reward? Team brass signed his replacement, Kirk “YOU LIKE THAT!” Cousins, to a three-year contract with $84 million guaranteed.
Expect Vikings fans to watch closely. Will the former Redskins QB have the same field chemistry with burner Adam Thiel? Or playoff hero Stefon Diggs?
Quarterback angles abound. In Kansas City there’s a changing of the guard, with five-year-starter Alex Smith, following his first 4,000-yard season, headed to D.C. and unproven Patrick Mahomes, picked tenth in 2017, slated to take over.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is back after collarbone surgery. Colts QB Andrew Luck is back after shoulder surgery. Sam Bradford might be back after knee surgery — we’ll see when Arizona hands him the ball. Tom Brady is reportedly miffed at Coach Bill Belichick for this and that. Speaking of Brady, will his former understudy Jimmy Garoppolo pick up where he left off last season, having powered San Francisco to five straight closing wins?
The QB-starved Cleveland Browns drafted Baker Mayfield, not Sam Darnold. The Giants shocked Eli-haters by skipping QBs Darnold, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen, grabbing running back Sarquon Barkley with the second pick. Up in Seattle, Russell Wilson led the league in tossing 34 touchdowns, accounting for more than 80 percent of the team’s offense. Given their thinning roster, he might have to aim for 90 percent this year.
If Foles and Darnold (drafted third by the Jets) start game one, that will mean 14 different QBs trot out for a team’s first hike as opposed to last year. Seven squads have new head coaches. The off-season coordinator carousel nearly spun off its axis.
This new NFL season is jammed with storylines. The wisdom or folly of franchise-determining decisions will begin to surface in coming weeks. It’s the Penthouse “Power” issue and power rankings are a football staple. But in honor of the drama gamut, I offer something else. In each division, I pick the team with the most story sizzle.
Packers (NFC North)
Pundits love Minnesota to win the North. They point to Croesus Kirk Cousins, RB-phenom-in-the-making Dalvin Cook back from injury, and a stout defense getting stouter with ex-Jet Sheldon Richardson. But in terms of heat, I gotta go with the Pack. (Once a Cheesehead… ) Rodgers starts the season hungry as hell — and maybe a little salty about the team letting Jordy Nelson move to Oakland. A new GM is hoping new coordinators can put it together with a new tight end (Jimmy Graham) and new D-lineman, Muhammad Wilkerson. Top draft picks Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson should stiffen the pass defense. Green Bay has two terrific young backs (Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams). And Rodgers is reuniting with his Super Bowl-year coordinator, Joe Philbin. Expect a Pack-Minnesota tussle all season long.
Giants (NFC East)
Drafting Barkley was a bold, potentially awesome move. Imagine if he pops like a Todd Gurley or Kareem Hunt early on. Will Odell Beckham Jr. dazzle again after ankle surgery? Will new coach Pat Shurmur get more out of his guys than Ben McAdoo? Veteran left tackle Nate Solder, ex-Patriot, should give Eli Manning comfort in the pocket. Eli’s 37 now — anything left in the tank? Management obviously thinks so. If Eli and the Giants excel, it’s a national story. If he blows, and the Jints flop, New York media will shriek like Velociraptors.
Saints (NFC South)
Electric division. The Panthers and Falcons are scary. But it’s 39-year-old Drew Brees and the Who Dats I’ve got my eye on. The Saints came within a Minnesota miracle play of going to the NFC championship. They drafted edge-rusher Marcus Davenport with pick 14. He joins 2017 sensations Alvin Kamara (RB) and Marshon Lattimore (CB), your offensive and defensive rookies of the year. Pro Bowl receiver Michael Thomas will be catching passes. Will this be Drew’s year? Even a four-game suspension adds intrigue: How will the team do when running back Mark Ingram II sits for a positive PEDs test?
Rams (NFC West)
Gideon, blow your horn. No team loaded up like the off-season Rams. They traded for or signed elite cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, WR Brandin Cooks, and DT Ndamukong Suh. Suh joins tackle Aaron Donald, the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year. The Rams unloaded, too: three of four 2017 starting linebackers were cap space casualties. There’s practically a small plane flying above the L.A. Coliseum towing a banner reading THE TIME IS NOW. Wunderkind coach Sean McVay, 32, is a season wiser. Imagine if the splashy roster moves work out. Imagine if Gurley keeps exploding through holes, and QB Jared Goff takes it up a notch. Imagine if Donald keeps dominating (prediction: he will).
Chargers (AFC West)
The LeBron-led Lakers, the star-studded Rams, the winning Dodgers: These teams have sizzle. But the stepchild Chargers have a chance to end up the hottest L.A. story. Gunslinging QB Philip Rivers led his team to nine wins and the league’s top per-game passing yards average last year. Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram will continue to sack. Another quality Melvin (Gordon) totes the rock. The Chargers added Mike Pouncey at center. They drafted super-safety Derwin James. Wide receiver Keenan Allen is… very good. Ball-hawking cornerback Casey Hayward made the Packers regret letting him go. The 2018 Bolts look ready to zap.
Texans (AFC South)
While researching my Packers book, I met Texans fans tailgating at Lambeau in cowboy boots and cowboy hats in three-degree weather. It made me a Houston fan for life. Quarterback Deshaun Watson flashed in his seven pre-injury games. J. J. Watt should be ready to rampage again. Receiver DeAndre Hopkins is phenomenal. In their splashiest signing, they added the Honey Badger, former all-pro safety Tyrann Mathieu. If the Texans turn it around after going 4-12, they’ll be one of the league’s great stories.
Jets, Browns (AFC East, North)
Their combined record of 5-27 seemed to call for a joint entry. The Jets signed free agents Spencer Long, Teddy Bridgewater, Trumaine Johnson, and Avery Williamson (center, QB, CB, LB, respectively). They drafted the quarterback many felt should have gone No. 1. Darnold will be under the New York microscope — how will he respond? As for 0-16 Cleveland, will Baker Mayfield justify their faith? He’ll have Jarvis Landry to throw to, Carlos Hyde to hand off to, and rookie cornerback Denzel Ward, picked fourth, to snatch the rock and get it back to him. If he’s not ready, ex-Bill QB Tyrod Taylor should give the Browns a chance. n n n 2018 stories? Yeah, we got some. Richard Sherman has to play Seattle twice — in a 49ers uniform. The Jets play both the Packers and the Browns — will it be Darnold versus Mayfield, then Rodgers? I can’t wait for kickoff. Enjoy the season, Penthouse readers!
