PATRIOTS, FALCONS PRIMED FOR SUPER BOWL REMATCH
Here are 10 things football fans need to know as the NFL kicks off its 98th season
Been asleep for the past seven months and woke up for the return of NFL football? You’ve missed a lot, but we’ve got you covered. Welcome to the league’s 98th season. Herewith, 10 things you need to know to get ready for some football in 2017:
1SUPER CONTENDERS
Let’s get straight to it. Are any teams in their respective conferences better on paper than last year’s Super Bowl participants — the New England Patriots in the AFC and the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC?
Nope.
In the AFC, the Oakland Raiders seem sure to field one of the league’s most high-powered offensive attacks, maybe the best, but that team’s defence still can’t stop a turtle.
In the NFC, the Green Bay Packers appear to have too shaky a defence and offensive line (again) and the Seattle Seahawks an even worse offensive line (again) to hang for long with the young, fast, ferocious and improved Falcons in a game that matters.
To start the season, then, a Super Bowl rematch seems likeliest.
2EARLY CAN’T-MISS GAMES There’s no point going beyond October, because some teams predicted to be good will suck, and vice versa. Here are five of the most compelling early-season games:
Week 1, Sunday night, Giants at ■
Cowboys. Whether Zeke Elliott can play or not, you want to watch to see what happens.
Week 2, Sunday night, Packers ■ at Falcons. Rematch of NFC title game. Big test for Packers’ patchwork offensive line.
Week 4, Thursday night, Bears ■ at Packers. Will Chicago rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky have unseated Mike Glennon by then? If not, Glennon better not stink in prime time.
Week 4, Sunday afternoon early ■ game, Steelers at Ravens. First of two meetings of AFC North archrivals featuring one of NFL’s best attacks vs. maybe best defence.
Week 7, Sunday night, Falcons ■ at Patriots. Super Bowl rematch. Atlanta’s long-awaited chance at revenge. If the Falcons go up by 25, don’t turn in for the night this time.
3FRANCHISE RELOCATIONS Last year Los Angeles regained the Rams after a 21-year absence. This year Los Angeles regained the Chargers after a 56-year residency in San Diego.
Through 2019 the Chargers are playing their home games at the StubHub Center on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills, nearly 200 kilometres up the coast from San Diego and 30 km down the coast from L.A. in Carson. It’s a laughably small stadium (30,000 capacity), not even half the size of the smallest NFL venues.
Starting in 2020 the Chargers, as a tenant, will join Stan Kroenke’s Rams at the US$2.6 billion glam palace currently under construction, known as Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park.
The Oakland Raiders, meantime, are moving to Las Vegas — eventually. The Raiders will play the next two seasons at their longtime home, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. It’s unknown where the Raiders will play in 2019, the year before moving into a new $1.7-billion stadium in Vegas. Will Oakland fans still support them if the Raiders unravel? Good question.
4NEW PLAYOFF TEAMS
Hey, there’s hope for fans of any downtrodden team. If only a morsel. Since the NFL adopted the 12-team playoff format in 1990, at least four teams every year have reached the postseason that missed out the year before.
The 2016 qualifiers: New England, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Houston, Oakland and Miami in the AFC and Dallas, Atlanta, Green Bay, Seattle, New York Giants and Detroit in the NFC.
I’m guessing the minimum four-out, four-in streak ends this year. I’ll probably be wrong, but I can see only three of last year’s playoff teams not making it back: Kansas City, Miami and Detroit. For what it’s worth, I guessed three of four such teams correctly last year: Cincinnati, Washington and Minnesota.
And which three sideline-sitters in 2016 have the best chance to qualify in 2017? My guess: Baltimore, Tennessee and Tampa Bay.
I guessed two of four such teams correctly last year: Dallas and Detroit.
5ACHIEVABLE MILESTONES
Per the NFL, the Patriots in 2017 can tie NFL records for most Super Bowl wins (six) and most consecutive playoff appearances (nine), and set the new mark for most consecutive seasons with a .500-or-better record since 1970 (17).
If the Pats should win Super Bowl LII, Bill Belichick would join record holders Curly Lambeau and George Halas as the only head coaches to win six NFL championships.
Tom Brady (New England’s other possessor of five Super Bowl rings) needs just four wins to set a new NFL regular season record for a starting quarterback, with 187.
Critics long have derided Eli Manning’s career numbers, but whether he’s Hall of Fame worthy or not, with 1,786 yards the New York Giants passer can become the seventh QB in league history with 50,000 career yards. And with 30 TD passes, he’d become only the sixth with 350.
A slew of passing records are within reach of Drew Brees, including this: with 465 completions the New Orleans Saints QB would top Brett Favre’s career record of 6,300.
Kicker Adam Vinatieri needs 36 made field goals to pass Morten Anderson for the most in NFL history at 566.
Vinatieri’s Indianapolis Colts teammate Frank Gore needs another 1,000-yard rushing season to join Curtis Martin, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith as the only NFLers ever with 10 such seasons.
6SOPHOMORE SLUMPS?
His pending six-game suspension aside, how does Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott perform in however many games he’s permitted to play?
Ditto for the NFL’s surprise rookie of the year in 2016, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. There’s little room for either Cowboys phenom to improve on his shattering debut season. Especially after Dallas lost two of five offensive line starters. The Cowboys won 13 games last year. Hard to repeat, across the board.
7NEW RULES
Owners passed a handful of new rules and bylaws in the spring, the most important of which are:
Players can now have more fun ■ celebrating a good play, including using the football as a prop after a TD, celebrating on the ground and group demonstrations. But celebrations that are offensive, prolonged, delay the game, or are directed at an opponent still will constitute a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Good luck differentiating, refs.
Decision-making responsibility on replay reviews switches from the on-field referee to the league’s central review operation in New York City, as other pro sports leagues have done. Referees still will be consulted on each coach’s challenge or review, but now via a hand-held tablet at the sideline, rather than via a TV screen under a hood farther off-field.
Defenders no longer can leap
■ over the long snapper or any offensive linemen in an attempt to block a place-kick.
Last year’s experimental rule to ■ eject a player after picking up his second unsportsmanlike conduct foul is now permanent.
The league will experiment
■ again in bringing the ball out to the 25-yard line following touchbacks, instead of the 20 as previously.
Wide receivers now get
■ defenceless-player protection while running pass routes. Previously, a defensive back or linebacker could blindside an unsuspecting receiver when the pass went elsewhere.
Players in motion can no longer
■ deliver a crack-back block.
Overtime periods are reduced
■ from 15 minutes to 10. That opens up the possibility, albeit unlikely, that a team receiving the overtime kickoff can use up all 10 minutes just to kick a winning field goal. The intent is to make the game safer; shorter overtime games mean fewer snaps, which mean fewer injuries.
Two designated players a team, ■ instead of one, can now return from injured reserve during the season.
8REPLACEMENT DOME Atlantans predisposed to dispose of newish, functioning things felt the need to give the Falcons a new home venue — fancy-domed Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened a couple of weeks ago. The team’s previous downtown home, the Georgia Dome, was SO old and boring it opened all the way back in September 1992, just days before the Season 4 premiere of The Simpsons — the memorable first airing of the Kamp Krusty episode. Remember that? Of course you do. No word as yet when designs for the next Atlanta dome will be completed.
9IMPORTANT DATES
The first of four games in London takes place Sept. 24 with Baltimore playing Jacksonville at Wembley … The trade deadline is Halloween (yup, Oct. 31) … In Week 16 there are 12 games on Christmas Eve day but none that night, followed by one lateafternoon and one evening game on Christmas Day … All Week 17 regular-season finales are on New Year’s Eve, a Sunday, including one in prime time … The playoffs go as follows: Jan. 6-7 (wild-card games), Jan. 13-14 (divisional games), Jan. 21 (conference championships) and Feb. 4 (Super Bowl LII … that’s 52 … at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis).
10ZONE STRETCH
If you haven’t heard, my dear devout Canadian NFL fans, you’ve got to get connected if you want to watch live any NFL game of your choosing in our country over the next five years. Domestic cable and satellite providers no longer carry the Sunday Ticket service, nor the NFL RedZone channel.
DAZN has bought those rights in Canada through 2021 — as well as for NFL Game Pass, an ondemand video service for various platforms. All launched in August for NFL pre-season games.
Since then, I have heard of hiccups, glitches and groans from more than a few angry purchasers. Hopefully, those get sorted out fast.
DAZN (pronounced “Da Zone,” according to the company) is a live and on-demand sports streaming service, along the lines of Netflix. Based in England, DAZN provides sports games and services on web-connected digital devices such as Smart TVs, tablets, smartphones and games consoles.
Please, don’t shoot angry emails or tweets to the messenger.