BY ISAAC OWUSU - FAN FUEL BLOGGER
After the conclusion of another exciting Super Bowl, the NFL heads into what should be an entertaining and interesting offseason.
Here are five big storylines that football fans will be following until their favourite team hits training camp.
Have your say: Do you have a great idea for a blog and want to write for Fan Fuel? Email us here. | Five teams for Peyton1. The Peyton Manning saga
Will they or won't they? The consensus seems to think that the Indianapolis Colts and owner Jim Irsay will part with their star quarterback coming off a missed 2011 season due to injury concerns.
The questions that surround this situation are numerous: Can he still play? What's his value? What team will want him? What will they offer him? Is retirement an option? Where does he want to go? This will be the top storyline until the 2012 season kicks off.
2. Luck vs. RG3
The 2011 Heisman winner Baylor's Robert Griffin III vs. Stanford's Andrew Luck. This will not only be a battle about who will be the first overall pick in the draft, but who should be the first overall pick.
This will be the new Manning/Leaf situation where the two quarterbacks will be joined at the hip for the durations of their NFL careers.
Luck's advantage is his experience, pedigree and smarts; whereas Griffin shows uncanny athleticism performing at an arguably higher rate than Cam Newton did in his Heisman season. As the draft nears this will be a hot topic and depending on who the Colts pick, the aftermath will be why or why not that was the best choice based on how the other player performs.
3. Super Bowl hangover
in the last seven seasons, no team has made it back to the Super Bowl, whether they won or lost, can the New England Patriots or New York Giants change this?
How do the New York Giants prepare their defence of the championship especially playing in the fierce NFC East? They finished 2011 with a 9-7 record but hit a hot streak and had a few bounces go their way (see San Francisco 49ers' Kyle Williams), it is still expected that the NFC will be as completive as it was this past season, so 9-7 may not cut it.
New England is coming off their second Super Bowl defeat at the hands of the Giants but what failed them was the lack of a direct go deep threat at wide receiver, and an elite pass rusher. With two first round picks and two second round picks, it's a question whether Bill Belichick will go all in by trading up, trading back or selecting where he is in the draft. Either way, the Patriots will make an impression come Draft day.
4. Tebow
Denver Broncos' executive vice president of football operations John Elway sounded conflicted when giving his vote of "confidence" for Tim Tebow's securing of the starting quarterback job in Denver. Tebow did not display elite pure passing technique, touch, velocity, or accuracy but he has the intangibles.
He proved that he can lead the team, especially carrying the Broncos from the 1-4 start to upsetting the defending AFC champions Pittsburgh Steelers with a thrilling overtime finish.
How does Elway surround Tebow with the right talent to harness his talent and lack thereof, and does he bring in another QB to compete/steal the job away from Tebow. It will be an interesting off-season.
5. Salary Cap casualties
The NFL is possibly the most cutthroat league in professional sports. Each year fan favourites and mainstays on teams are released to alleviate rosters of the burden of heavy salaries, and 2012 will be no different. It is projected that the St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, New York Giants, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers will all be at or over the projected salary cap of at about $124 million.
It will be interesting to see how these teams approach their cap space. Teams like the Steelers, Lions and Giants were competitive in 2011, whereas the Panthers, Rams, Jets and Cowboys will need to make cuts without deepening the holes that they already are in. Either way, free agency and the subtraction of big name players is always surprising and almost painful experience to witness.
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