Questions abound as NFL season opens
Questions abound as NFL season opens

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By Randy Covitz

Published: September 7, 2008

They'll unfurl the Super Bowl championship banner when the NFL kicks off its 89th season with a star-studded gala tonight at Giants Stadium.

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The New York Giants will begin defense of their title against Washington, and Grammy Award-winning artists Keith Urban and Usher will perform in concert before the game.

This will mark the fifth straight season that the NFL has saluted the Super Bowl champions with a prime-time home game opening the season. In addition to the Super Bowl XLII championship team, players from the Giants' 1986 and 1990 Super Bowl championship teams will be honored.

It will be a long road to Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa on Feb. 1, and here are some questions as the season begins.

1 Can the Giants recover from losing defensive ends Michael Strahan to retirement and Osi Umenyiora to a season-ending knee injury?

The Giants led the NFL with 53 sacks last season -- a combined 22 by Strahan and Umenyiora -- and their pummeling of Tom Brady was the key to their Super Bowl victory over New England. Justin Tuck, who had a surprising 10 sacks last year, and former first-round pick Mathias Kiwanuka will have to step up.

2 Will the Patriots' patchwork offensive line be able to protect Tom Brady?

The Patriots may have to use some maximum protection, using tight ends and running backs to keep the heat off Brady, who did not play in the preseason while nursing a leg injury. Right guard Stephen Neal was placed on the physically unable to perform list with a shoulder injury, thrusting backup Billy Yates into the starting lineup. Right tackle Nick Kaczur could be suspended for his arrest for illegal possession of OxyContin. And starting left tackle Matt Light returned for the final preseason game after recovering from an undisclosed injury.

"We are just going to have to work our way through it,” said coach Bill Belichick, "not just the linemen, but the backs and the tight ends and all the people involved.”

3 Will QB Brett Favre revive the New York Jets, or should he have stuck to his retirement plans?

Favre changes the Jets' personality dramatically, but he won't have the talent at wide receiver and running back or the protection from the offensive line that he had in Green Bay. Jets quarterbacks were sacked 53 times last season, second only to the 55 allowed by the Chiefs and 49ers.

4 Will Aaron Rodgers live up to his first-round draft status with the Packers and, more important, fill the large cleats of Favre?

Let's let Tom Clements, the Packers quarterbacks coach since Rodgers' rookie season in 2005, answer that one:

"Aaron has as much talent as anyone,” said Clements. "He was a No. 1 draft choice for a reason. He has great arm strength. He's accurate. He has a lot of experience in this offense. Plus, he has the added dimension of scrambling around, which Brett didn't do in his last number of years.

”Obviously, there are going to be some growing pains along the way, but there's no doubt he's ready to play. Life does go on in the NFL."

5 Can the walking-wounded San Diego Chargers recover from their injuries and finally reach the Super Bowl?

The Chargers' MVP will be team trainer James Collins if he can keep the club's Big Four healthy. Linebacker Shawne Merriman, the NFL sack leader over the past three seasons, is going to play despite two torn ligaments in his knee. Quarterback Philip Rivers, who played in the AFC championship game despite a torn knee ligament, is still recovering after undergoing reconstructive surgery. The last time we saw running back LaDainian Tomlinson, he played just four snaps before spending the AFC championship game on the bench with a sprained knee ligament, and tight end Antonio Gates is recovering from a dislocated toe.

6 Can Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning regain his touch and timing with less than two weeks of preseason practice?

That's not the Colts' only injury concern. Manning's trusty batterymate, center Jeff Saturday, will miss at least the first six weeks because of a knee injury, and his favorite target, wide receiver Marvin Harrison, missed most of last season with a knee injury that some say could be career-threatening. Defensively, end Dwight Freeney (foot) and safety Bob Sanders (shoulder) are coming off surgery, but Manning is the most indispensable player.

7 Do the Cowboys have enough at No. 2 wide receiver opposite Terrell Owens to make their offense under second-year offensive coordinator Jason Garrett live up to its hype?

Patrick Crayton is the team's No. 2 wideout after catching 50 passes, including seven touchdowns in 2007, but he drops passes at inopportune times. With Terry Glenn placed on waivers last month, Dallas is lean on experience at wide receiver. The next two receivers, Sam Hurd and Miles Austin, have four starts between them. Hurd will miss the opener with a sprained ankle, while Austin is out for three to four more weeks with a knee injury.

8 Will heavy expectations and a brutal schedule of five prime-time games crush the Cleveland Browns, who beat only one team with a winning record last year?

The Browns were 0-4 in exhibition games, their first winless preseason since 1972, largely because of injuries to front-line offensive players: WR Braylon Edwards (heel) played just nine snaps in preseason, QB Derek Anderson (concussion) 27 plays; and RB Jamal Lewis (hamstring) 25 plays. All are expected to be ready for the season opener against Dallas.

9 How long will Dallas' Adam ”Pacman" Jones and Cincinnati's Chris Henry stay out of trouble?

Yes, the commissioner reinstated Jones, who was suspended for the 2007 season because of multiple violations of the NFL's personal-conduct policy. Already, folks are putting together pools on when Jones next gets in trouble. Some guys just don't seem to change.

Henry is a prime example, with five arrests since 2005. But Henry is a pet project of Bengals owner Mike Brown, even though coach Marvin Lewis doesn't want Henry around. The Bengals even designated Henry as a team captain for the final preseason game. Henry will serve a four-game suspension for repeated violations of the league's personal-conduct policy, and during that idle time, he'll be most susceptible to getting into more trouble.

10 Who will replace the late Gene Upshaw as the Players' Association executive director?

Longtime union attorney Richard Berthelsen is serving as acting director and has stated that he will stay with the union through at least the upcoming labor talks with owners over the collective-bargaining agreement. Besides Berthelsen, former union presidents Troy Vincent and Trace Armstrong, attorney Jeffrey Kessler and agent Tom Condon all have been mentioned as candidates.

Some players would like to see a former player, who can better relate to the issues unique to athletes, as the new leader. Others would prefer a seasoned labor attorney to negotiate the rough waters ahead.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service