Wassup peoples!!! With the NFL jumping off today with the Cowboys taking on the Champion New York Giants, its clear that the big boys are ready for some football...AND WE ARE TOO!!..With that being said, there are some UNBELIEVEABLE storylines this season for the NFL... So we decided at SportsEffectLive.com to bring you the:
SELIVE TOP 10 JUICIEST STORYLINES in the NFL this season.....
ENJOY!!!
(1) Will the GIANTS REPEAT?
 |
| Will he become the ELI-TE one? |
Before last season started
Eli Manning was asked if he was an
"ELITE" Quarterback.Without hesitation, in his normal calm voice, he said "
YES" and explained why he felt that way. It was a
classic moment as you could hear the snickering and laughing from the pundits, experts, and other teams about the comment; Most people thought the Giants beating the undefeated Pats in 2008 was a fluke; Not anymore as Manning led the Giants to another Super Bowl victory over Tom-terrific and the Pats again last season. With all the snickering gone, can ELI move his way to becoming the ELITE QB in the NFL this year? Another Super Bowl, and you have to put em up there...But questions remain for the Champs; Will
Victor Cruz have a another great season after doing everything but become
mayor of New York?..What running back will step up? And what will become of the injured, depleted secondary?
(2) Who will be the QB of the JETS come crunch time?
When the
Cult that is Tim Tebow landed in New York after being urshered out the door from Denver, you could feel Sanchize cringe with excitement....After having a down season, now he has to deal with the
"BLESSED ONE" smiling in his face and secretly wantin to have his job? And on top of that, the 1st team offense directed a total of -
0 touchdowns - in the preseason? The odds are stacked against Sanchez, but don't bet against him. Hey
Eva Longoria is bettin with him as they have started datin. So why not us? Although the pressure is high, look for Sanchez to have his
best season of his career. You heard it here first.
(3) Which Packers team will show up this season?
The Packers absolutely
steamrolled the competition in the regular season last season, lookin like a shoo-in for another Super Bowl appearance. However, after a
15-1 regular season, the Packs highly touted offense
sputtered against the aggressive Giants, and the D had waaay too many lapses, leaving the cheeseheads with a bad taste in their mouth. This season will be interesting in the fact that when the Pack won the Super Bowl, they were 9-7 and under the radar; Theres
no doubt that the Packers could win it all; question is, can they play with the pressure of being a "Favorite" and not the "underdog" in the playoffs? Remains to be seen...
(4)
Can Bengals change their CULTURE this season?
The Bengals did a bang up job in the draft last season, getting the steal in the draft in pro bowl rookie
QB Andy Dalton and drafting the next superstar at WR in
A.J. Green; That duo led them to a suprising playoff appearance, and a lot of hope for the future. However one thing that hasn't changed in Cincy is the culture of winning; usually when the Bengals win one season, they lose the next. Check the records. You have to go back to the
Ickey Woods, Boomer days in the late 80's - early 90's to find two winning seasons in a row; in order for the Bengals to become a team with a
WINNING CULTURE they must find a way to get back to the playoffs. They have the talent, and Coach Marvin Lewis did a great job last season, but this is THE SEASON that could define the careers of
Dalton, Green, and Marvin Lewis.
(5) The PEYTON MANNING EFFECT
Last year Peyton Manning got to watch his team, the Indinapolis Colts, lose so much that he heard the Andrew Luck rumors...Would he be the first pick? Would
Peyton and Luck be on the same team? Who would start?..And the later the season played, the more and more obvious it became, that the Colts would be in rebuild mode; Would Peyton want to be a part of that? Well, as it turns out, Peyton, and his shaky neck, was let go in Indy, and after a little courting from teams all over, Manning decided that he would take his talents to the
Mile High Club in Denver. Now with Manning running the show with a team who beat the Steelers last playoffs and a guy in the front office who will let him do his thing (
John Elway), this season has a all-or-nothing feel to it. Will Peyton make it through the season? Will he be rusty from a full season layoff? Can the Broncos get to the Super Bowl? Will they regret getting rid of Tim Tebow?
(6) Which Rookie QB will fare the best?
Leapfrogging off of Andrew Luck, this season there will be 5 Rookie QB's that will be starting in week 1; This hasn't happened since the 60's; When the draft was made, there was a good chance that there would be 2 starters (Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III) coming into Wk 1; But with the Dolphins and Browns liking their two rookies (Tanneyhill in Miami and 28 yr-old Weeden in Cleveland) they moved up the ladder pretty quickly. Add in a suprise player in Russell Wilson in Seattle, who outplayed Matt Flynn, and now you have a youth movement at the position. Which QB will be hurt first? Who will lead their team to a playoff run? Which QB will be benched first?
(7) What will become of the Saints?
The Saints were the darlings of the league just three seasons ago, when they upset the Colts in the Super Bowl; Since then, the Who Dat nation have been under the microscope of
Roger Goodell and the League for having bounties on players (such as
Brett Favre and other players, supposedly). Goodell put the pimp hand down on the Saints, removing their coaches, players, and anybody else involved in the alleged scandal. While there have looong been rumors that coaches and players give money for hard hits or injuries, Goodell felt like the Saints would be "put on blast" for what they did. So now, with a interim coach taking over, still fighting the NFL about the suspensions put on the coaches and players. Can Brees become the ULTIMATE QB and lead his team - on and off the court - to the playoffs?
(8) Is Cowboys, Chargers, running out of time?
The
Cowboys and
Chargers have been two of the most talked about teams in the last five years in referring to Super Bowl talent and aspirations. While the Chargers have been closer than the Cowboys in those times, neither team have been able to grasp that moment in order to get to that elusive Super Bowl. The Chargers, led by
Phillip Rivers, had a tough season last year. Now with guys getting older, and Rivers entering a crucial time in his career, is it do or die time for the Chargers and coach
Norv Turner, who has more lives than
Sylvester the Cat. And the Cowboys, who have top level talent, just haven't been able to get over the hump. However, with two new CB's, a budding RB, and
Jerry being Jerry, could this be the season that Romo gets the 'Boys to the promiseland?
(9) Miami Valley Local Lookout
Just like in Baskeball, there are a load of guys playing in the NFL from the Miami Valley such as
A.J. Hawk, Nick Mangold, Mike Nugent, Jake Ballard, Will Allen, Brandon McKinney, Brandon Saine, and
Kurt Coleman just to name a few. With newcomers such as
Jerel Worthy (Packers)
Michael Shaw (Redskins) trying to get into the league with the current crop of players already established, the Miami Valley continues to show why some of the best Football is played in Ohio, specifially Dayton. Worthy looks to be a star in the making in Green Bay, while Shaw will have to find a way to get on the field. One things is for certain; these guys keep the door swinging wide open for the next group of players to succeed.
(10) Here is
SportsEffectLive.com NFL Picks for the 2012-2013 Season
MVP: Aaron Rodgers, Packers - Rodgers won't have as great as a season as he had last year (45 TD's, 6 INT), but he will be very close. And the Pack will want to get rid of that stinging loss in the Playoffs last season.
Defensive Player of Year:
Patrick Willis, 49ers - Willis will lead the best Defense in the NFL to another Super Bowl worthy year, as look for the Niners LB to put up incredible numbers this season.
ROOKIE of the YEAR: Russell Wilson,
Seahawks - I know this is a stretch with Luck and RG3 out there, but Wilson has played in a pro setting before, and I think with the players he has around him, that he will have a magical season.
Most Underrated AFC Team: Bengals - Although the Bengals did make the playoffs, they have all the tools to reach the AFC Championship game.
Most Underrated NFC Team: Panthers - The Panthers made some good offseason moves, and with Cam Newton running the show, the skys the limit.
AFC Championship - Ravens - Texans
NFC Championship - Cowboys - Packers
Super Bowl - Ravens vs Cowboys
Champion: - Cowboys
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This weekend looks to be one of those MONUMENTAL sports weekends that sports heads crave; Interesting that its Friday the 13th, which could lead to some shocking - and possibly killer results which could lead to RIP for some people or teams; So here's SportsEffectLive.com top 5 Sports Events that you cannot miss this weekend:
In the Regular Season GAME OF THE YEAR, will Johnny Manziel slay down the Goliaths of the college football world once again? Manziel has done any and everything he has wanted to do since he hit the green grass of Aggieland, and that huge upset of Bama last year. And it has irked everyone, especially the Tide, and even non-tide people such as Charles Barkley. Barkley, who is a Auburn Tiger til' he dies, recently said he is so sick of hearing about Johnny Manziel that he might - get this - root for the Crimson Tide. Did he jus say he would be saying "Roll Tide" Saturday afternoon? WOW
This fight is billed "THE ONE" Simply because of these two longstanding great boxers with neither one taking a loss; Mayweather (44-0), with a win, will tie Rocky Marciano in record without a loss, which possibly puts him in the "BEST FIGHTER EVER" category; Make no mistake though; Alvarez is a dog in his own right (42-0-1), and best believe, as much as he has been in the media, knows what this victory would mean for him; Oh, and lets not forget the 60 million dollar purse involved as well, with at least 40 going to Mayweather's already insane bank account.
With Peyton dropping 7 bombs on the Ravens last week and Eli bombing against the Cowboys, this game will have an interesting feel as the Manning Bowl continues; Peyton doesn't like playing his little brother, but Eli still has more rings than the elder Manning, which, you know has to motivate him a little; This could be the year for the Broncos, but can Big Bro defeat Little Bro again for the 5th consecutive time? Not so fast....
This Monday Night Football clash will feature two teams who desperately need to get a W to avoid going 0-2 to start the season; The Steelers Ben Roethlisberger had held a death grip on the Bengals until last season, will look to rally the troops in which will be a hostile environment down in the Jungle; You know the Bengals will be upset coming off that lackadaisical finish against the Bears. Which team will stay tied for first in the AFC North? 
