In exactly 4 weeks the NFL official starts with a Thursday night kickoff featuring the Minnesota Vikings and reigning Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. In the weeks before than there are still a lot of questions to be answered. Two of the biggest question marks deal with team personnel for two teams that many consider Super Bowl contenders, the aforementioned Vikings and the New York Jets. We all know the deal with the Vikings they are trying to get Brett Favre back, after weeks of silence a report came out that he had texted a few of his teammates letting them know that he wouldn’t be returning for his 20th season. These report was refuted just the next day when Favre denied every sending any texts and stated that he would play this season if he was healthy enough to do so.
The Vikings Super Bowl hopes rest in a surgically repaired ankle of a 40 year old quarterback, some have made note that they will do just fine without Favre stated their 10-6 record the year before and them boasting a fantastic defense led by former mullet ambassador Jared Allen, and having Adrian Peterson in your backfield is a luxury many teams wished they had. Not taking anything away from Tavaris Jackson, the starter if Favre doesn’t return, but he has thrown only 21 touchdowns compared to 18 interceptions in his career. He’s never played an entire NFL season the most was when he started 12 games in the 2007 season which the Vikings ended with an 8-8 record. In the 31 games that he has appeared, counting playoffs, he has lost more games than won (11 to 10). With Jackson the Vikings will have to change the way they call plays on offense going more towards a running attack, the only downside to that is the fact that Peterson has can be a bit fumble prone. Increasing the number of lost fumbles every year he has been in the league. Now it’s always a possibility that Favre waits until the season is already a few weeks in to make his return but I just don’t see that happening if he isn’t taking the field at the Louisiana Superdome on September 9th it highly possible that we can kiss the Vikings Super Bowl dreams goodbye.
Now the New York Jets don’t have anything close to the offense the Vikings have they’re bringing back an unbelievable defense team led by one of the great defensive minds in the game head coach Rex Ryan. Looking at how they played at times last year it’s lost to me how they are Super Bowl contenders, yes you can point to the fact that they made the AFC Championship game but if it wasn’t for the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals resting their starters in weeks 16 and 17. The Jets would have been on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Of course it always takes a little bit of luck to ultimately get to the top those last 2 games worked out perfectly for the Jets. Now with training camp already into its second week the Jets are missing arguably their best player in Darrelle Revis. Now most might think that missing your top corner might not be that much of a big deal but in the Jets case it could make or break their season. Overall they still have a great defense but it’s such a luxury when you have someone of Revis’ ability to shut down half the field. That makes it possible for Ryan to call all his blitzes and get pressure on the opposing quarterback hopefully getting him to make a mistake.
You can’t really be too upset with Revis, when the coach and general manager call you the best player at your position why shouldn’t you be paid like it. Unlike the NBA or MLB, NFL player contracts aren’t guaranteed so if you have a bad year or gets injured the team can cut you without any consequences. Holding out of camp is the only leverage that a player has in renegotiating their contract. Revis has 3 years left on his rookie deal but it is obvious to all who have seen him play that he has outplayed it. The Jets are in a tough situation a lot of time you wouldn’t renegotiate with so many year left of the deal but the Houston Texans renegotiated with their star player Andre Johnson just last week when he had 5 years left of his contract to make him the highest paid receiver in the league. If you’re Revis and you see this why would you settle for anything less than getting a new deal done that will pay you how you feel you should be compensated. The Jets playoff hopes don’t all lay on what happens with Revis but his absence with be a major part of it, if the Jets start the season off badly you can almost be sure that they will reach out to Revis and try to get something done.
It’ll be fascinating to see what transpires in these 4 weeks before the season starts, some questions will be answered, and more questions will be asked. The anticipation of the season to come is almost as exciting as the season itself.
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