Welcome Back, Football!

 

Against all odds and considering what the landscape looked like back in March and April, The National Football League will be kicking off it's 2020 season in two days when the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs take on the Houston Texans in the Thursday Night league opener.  Locally, we will have to wait until Monday night to see the Steelers open their season in New Jersey against the Giants.  Who knows what lies ahead, and we all wonder if the corona virus and public health concerns will allow the NFL to finish it's season?  A few months ago, I wouldn't have bet on it happening, but the NBA and NHL are making it work in a bubble environment, and even Major League Baseball, after a few fits and starts appears that they will play their abbreviated season to a championship conclusion, so I am guessing that the NFL, the 800 pound gorilla of North American sports, will be able to pull it off in 2020.

So, assuming that we will be seeing a full season, here is what The Grandstander is most looking forward to.

• Quarterbacks.  Watching the continued development of exciting young QB's in the League like Patrick Mahomes, DeShaun Watson, and Lamar Jackson, as well as rookies Joe Burrow in Cincy and Tua Tagovailoa (hereafter to be known only as "Tua") in Miami.  Also, will there be an ongoing Aaron Rodgers - Jordan Love soap opera in Green Bay?  Will Phillip Rivers find new life in Indy and will he continue to whine incessantly to the refs?  And most importantly from a local standpoint  will Ben Roethlisberger be able to come back for the elbow surgery that limited him to six quarters of action in 2019?
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Will Tom Brady continue to excel in a new setting without Bill Belichick as his head coach?
• The New England Patriots.  Will Bill Belichick continue to excel as the game's greatest coach without Tom Brady as his quarterback?
• Speaking of soap operas, the Washington Football Team (hereafter to be known only as the "WFT"), how will the investigation into the sleaze and rot of the front office culture down there affect the team on the field (probably not so much), and will Dan Snyder be forced to sell his team?
• Betting.  With the introduction of legalized sports wagering in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania last year, I took great delight in placing small wagers on games throughout the season.  In all, I made 45 separate wagers on football games, and ended up winning on 27 of those bets, a .600 winning percentage.  I actually made money on betting!!  Of course, I didn't make a lot of money, as my bets were usually in the five dollar range, and my largest bet was a $20 wager on the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.  It really made the games more fun and interesting when you had five bucks or so on the line, and I look forward to continuing that into 2020.  I don't expect to do nearly as well as a 60% winning clip, but even if the W-L figures are reversed - a far more likely outcome -  it won't be sending me to the poor house.
• The Unknown.  There have been no exhibition games and all practice sessions have been pretty much in a bubble for all teams.  More than in any previous season, we really have no idea as to what to expect for any team.  When the teams kick it off for real this weekend, it will be new for everyone.  It will also tell a story as to just how important all those preseason practice games really are.

Okay, that's a look at the NFL on a macro-level, so what to expect about the local gridders?

The Steelers are coming off of an 8-8 season where they had to start two different back-up quarterbacks in the final fourteen games of the season.  That they managed to stay in playoff contention through fifteen games and finish at .500 may have been one of Mike Tomlin's best coaching jobs with the Steelers.  

They had one of the League's better defenses last year, and there is no reason not expect that to continue with guys like Cam Heyward, Devin Bush, Bud Dupree, TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Joe Hayden leading them.  Watt in particular has a strong chance of being the League's Defensive Player of the Year. 

On offense, it all rests upon the return of Ben Roethlisberger.  All reports from training camp say that Big Ben's surgically repaired elbow has responded perfectly and that he's as good as ever.  He is also starting his 17th season, is 38 years old, and hasn't played  in a real game in twelve months.  You have to be realistic in your expectations, but let's assume and hope for the best, and if that happens, I like the Steelers chances to battle the Ravens for the ACF North and to make a deep run in the Playoffs.  Plus, I just like the look in this guy's eyes:

It would also be nice to see James Conner be able to be on the field for all sixteen games.  If we can be sure of that happening, then I REALLY like the Steelers chances.

You want a prediction?  Steelers to go 10-6, make the Playoffs as a Wild Card, and win at least two games in the post-season.

Another prediction:  Baltimore to win the AFC and defeat Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl.

Don't know about you, but I can't wait!