Quick recap before opening kickoff

MORE GAMES, NEW HOMES, NEW COACHES AND NEW CANADIANS: WHO’S READY FOR FOOTBALL?

Tom Brady can’t win another bloody Super Bowl, can he? At age 44?

Yeah, the ageless quarterback-wonder might very well win his eighth, seeing as the 2020 Nfl-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers bring back every impact performer and nearly all starters from the team that demolished Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs last February in Super Bowl LV.

The Buccaneers kick off the 2021 NFL season Thursday night, at home, against the Dallas Cowboys.

Beyond Brady and the repeat-minded Bucs, here are the 10 most important things you need to know as the league’s 102nd season begins:

1. MORE GAMES!

We all wanted more games per year, and we got it.

A year after increasing the playoff field from 12 to 14 teams, the NFL in 2021 debuts a new, expanded 17-game schedule for each of its 32 clubs — up from the 16 in effect from 1978-2020.

The NFL decided to make all of the added games cross-conference. That is, AFC vs. NFC. To start, this year the 16 AFC clubs get the extra home game, and will do so in perpetuity in odd-numbered years; ditto the 16 NFC teams in even-numbered years, starting in 2022.

The regular season concludes Jan. 9, with conference playoffs held Jan. 15-16 (wild-card round), Jan. 22-23 (divisional round), Jan. 30 (conference championships) and Feb. 13 (Super Bowl LVI at Los Angeles’ Sofi Stadium).

2. PANDEMIC, YEAR 2

Seems the pandemic isn’t going away any time soon, and the NFL and NFL Players Association have a slew of amended protocols in place for 2021, in the hope of repeating 2020’s stunning success in preventing the coronavirus from impacting many teams, or games.

Fans are permitted back in the stands this year, at full capacity across the league — if only fully vaccinated or masked fans at some stadiums.

While NFL team personnel must all be fully vaccinated, it’s not mandatory for players. Reports from around the league — and from the NFL itself — suggest that most players have been double-jabbed against COVID-19.

But know this. The NFL informed clubs that if any game cannot be rescheduled because of a coronavirus outbreak among unvaccinated players on a particular team, then that team will forfeit the game, and players on both teams will not be paid — meaning each would lose 1/18th of his salary. Ouch.

3. FAVOURITES, NFC

Prediction time. Tampa Bay will win the South division, Dallas the East, Green Bay the North and the Los Angeles Rams the West, with San Francisco, Seattle and Washington earning wild-card playoff berths — and Tampa Bay emerging as NFC champion to play in its second straight Super Bowl.

Noticeable by omission? The New Orleans Saints, who, after Drew Brees’ retirement, are all-in now at QB with the discard of their chief division rival, Tampa Bay: Jameis Winston.

4. FAVOURITES, AFC

Indianapolis will win the South division, Buffalo the East, Baltimore the North and Kansas City the West, with Cleveland, New England and (yup) the Los Angeles Chargers earning wildcard playoff berths — and Kansas City emerging as AFC champion to play in its third straight Super Bowl ... and winning it for the second time in that span.

Noticeable by omission? The Pittsburgh Steelers, whose roster was rocked in the spring by free-agency departures, despite QB Ben Roethlisberger returning for an 18th season.

5. DESHAUN WATSON’S LIMBO

What exactly is Deshaun Watson’s status on the Houston Texans? The star QB is on the active roster, and he isn’t injured. But Watson hasn’t practised with teammates in weeks, as allegations of sexual misconduct against him — lodged in the spring in 22 separate civil suits by female massage therapists — continue to be investigated by Houston police, by the FBI and by the NFL.

Before the above disturbing news began breaking in March, Watson had demanded a trade from the Texans. But who’d take him now? And for what in exchange?

As the situation is, it’s highly unlikely Watson even dresses for a game.

6. NEW RULES, NEW EMPHASES

For the second straight year, the NFL only tinkered with its rule book.

For instance, infractions called during try attempts now can be enforced even if the scoring team switches from a one- to a two-point try, or vice versa. Also, the only area where blocks below the waist are permitted is now limited to an area newly defined as the “tight end box,” which stretches, widthwise, from two yards outside of the normal outside tackle positions and, depth-wise, five yards beyond and behind the scrimmage line.

The most noticeable change might be something as elemental as player jersey numbers. Running backs, tight ends, fullbacks, H-backs and wide receivers all can wear any number from 1-49, or 80-89. Defensively, secondary members and linebackers, too, can wear 1-49, with linebackers able to go as high as 59 or 90-99. Offensive and defensive linemen now can wear any number from 50-79, with 90-99 still permissible for the latter.

Don’t infer from such minor changes that the game might not be called appreciably differently this season, in some aspect or two. Indeed, every year the league’s officiating department publicly designates certain “points of emphasis” with existing rules. That is, they intend to call them as written — i.e., more strictly. Or, perhaps, less so. For example, last year the league unofficially, without announcement, instructed its officials to call far fewer offensive holding penalties. Through Week 11, only 357 flags had been thrown for this infraction, compared to 663 the year before through Week 11 and, correspondingly, 495 in 2018, 541 in 2017 and 560 in 2016, according to data provided by the league.

The NFL already has announced two such “points of emphasis” for 2021.

First is use of the helmet, both in lowering the head (except for bracing for contact) and in “initiating contact with the helmet to any part of an opponent.”

Secondly, the league intends to crack down on taunting this season, which it defines as “any flagrant acts or remarks that deride, mock, bait or embarrass an opponent.”

7. NEW HOMES FOR SEVERAL QUARTERBACKS

Hundreds of players, per usual, have switched teams. Among the most prominent QBS:

❚ QB Matthew Stafford (from Detroit to L.A. Rams)

❚ QB Jared Goff (Rams to Detroit)

❚ QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (Miami to Washington)

❚ QB Carson Wentz (Philadelphia to Indianapolis)

❚ QB Sam Darnold (N.Y. Jets to Carolina)

❚ QB Teddy Bridgewater (Carolina to Denver)

❚ QB Joe Flacco (N.Y. Jets to Philadelphia)

❚ QB Andy Dalton (Dallas to Chicago)

8. OTHER NEW-NESS

Seven new head coaches: Urban Meyer, Jaguars; Robert Saleh, Jets; Brandon Staley, Chargers; Dan Campbell, Lions; Nick Sirianni, Eagles; Arthur Smith, Falcons; and David Culley, Texans.

New stadium names: Buffalo, Highmark Stadium. New Orleans, Caesars Superdome. Seattle, Lumen Field.

9. NEW WAVE OF CANADIANS

Defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford from Windsor, Ont., retired.

Tight end Luke Willson from Lasalle, Ont., retired.

Long snapper L.P. Ladouceur from Montreal is currently unemployed after Dallas chose not to re-sign him after 16 years.

Yet the number of impactful players Canada is supplying to the NFL is on the rise.

In addition to such veteran linemen as eighth-year Kansas City Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-tardif of Montreal, eighth-year DE Brent Urban of Mississauga (Dallas), seventh-year DT Christian Covington of Vancouver (L.A. Chargers), sixth-year DT David Onyemata of Winnipeg (New Orleans) and fourthyear DT Nathan Shepherd of Ajax, Ont. (N.Y. Jets), there’s a new wave of firstor second-year Nflers who were born and/or at least partially raised in Canada. Including:

Pittsburgh wide receiver Chase Claypool of Abbotsford, B.C., now an entrenched Steelers starter after making various all-rookie teams in 2020 as a second-round draft pick.

Dallas defensive tackle Neville Gallimore of Ottawa, a third-round pick a year ago, is on injured reserve reportedly for a few more weeks after suffering a dislocated elbow in the first pre-season game.

Miami deep safety Jevon Holland was the first of four Canadians drafted this past spring, early in Round 2. He’s one of an unprecedented five Canadian rookies to crack an NFL 53-man active roster to start the season. Holland, who was born and raised until age eight in the east-vancouver suburb of Coquitlam, impressed so much in training camp he might start in a loaded Dolphins secondary.

Washington cornerback Benjamin St-juste of Montreal is listed as first backup to starter Kendall Fuller. According to head coach Ron Rivera, St-juste took “a big step” by doing “some really good things” in playing the whole game in Washington’s 17-13 pre-season defeat of Cincinnati on Aug. 20.

Big-bodied, sure-handed, deep-threat wide receiver Josh Palmer of Brampton, Ont. — drafted by the Chargers three picks after Stjuste in Round 3, 77th overall — is expected to be one of three starting wideouts in L.A., along with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Palmer caught 10 passes for 65 yards and a TD in three pre-season games.

Chuba Hubbard, the pride of Edmonton, is expected to back up superstar Carolina running back Christian Mccaffrey. In the pre-season, Hubbard rushed for 139 yards on 26 carries, and caught six passes for 46 yards.

Despite going undrafted, linebacker and special-teams ace Amen Ogbongbemiga made the Chargers active roster after impressing in camp.

10. MILESTONES WITHIN REACH

It’d be tough to do, but if New England wins 14 games, Bill Belichick would displace George Halas for the second most wins by a head coach in NFL history, with 325, behind Don Shula’s 347 ... If the Patriots make the playoffs, Belichick would tie Shula for most post-season berths by a head coach (19) ... With just 10 TD passes, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers would leapfrog two spots to fifth place for most career TD passes in the NFL, with 422.