Pyrate News

By: Martin Rand, III
Date: September 11, 2011

Are you ready for some football?!

Yes... I... am!

With that being said, I'm relived to have the NFL season start on time because I won't have to wait any longer for certain questions to be answered. The end of last season, and this very short off-season, left a lot of questions marks floating around in my head.

NFL Logo

So, below I have put together a list of the five most important questions going into the new year. Underneath them, I tell you want I think will happen and why. They are:

5. Will the Texans finally make the playoffs?

The Houston Texans have been on the very out-skirts of the playoffs for the past two seasons. Every year you hear things like, "the Texans have a lot of talent and can really contend for the division crown." This is true. They have arguably the best wide receiver in the game in Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, who had a breakout season last year, a great offense line, two past defensive rookie of the years and Matt Schaub, who is one of the top passers in the league. The talent is there; but, can they put it together and make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history?

Answer: Yes. This is the perfect time for them. The Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars are probably going to start a rookie quarterbacks and the Indianapolis Colts lost Peyton Manning for maybe 2-3 months. Everything is lined up for them to win the division; all they have to do is take advantage of the opportunity.

4. Can the Packers win another Superbowl?

The Green Bay Packers had a very surprising Superbowl title run last year in the playoffs. After the Brett Favre era ended disastrously, who would've thought that three years removed from that time, the Packers would win-it-all? Now, the question is, can they do it again? No NFL team has won the Superbowl back-to-back in six years. The last team to accomplish this, the New England Patriot's 2003-2004 teams. The last time the Packers won consecutive Superbowls: Superbowl's I and II. Can today's Packers repeat history?

Answer: No. Of course, they won't win it again. There are two reasons why the Patriots were the last team to win back-to-back titles: 1) they have Tom Brady and 2) the NFL has the most parody out of the four major sports. Make it seven years in row a team has not won consecutive Superbowls.

3. Can Donovan McNabb revive his career?

Donovan McNabb had a turbulent season last year. When he arrived in Washington in April 2010, the citizens there hailed him as the savior and hoped he would lead them to the promise land. Instead, all McNabb did was have one of his worst statistical seasons of his career, be benched for Rex Grossman (that's right, Rex Grossman!), be told Grossman is a better quarterback than he is by his Head Coach Mike Shanahan and have everyone say he is an old washed-up quarterback who will never be what he once was. Oh yeah, he has a lot to prove this season. Since the Washington Redskins traded him to the Minnesota Vikings with an over-the-hill stamp on his back, McNabb will have the show the sports the world that he can still deliver on Sundays. With a one year contract from the Vikings, this season will either make or break the rest of his career.

Answer: No. This is a sad thing for me to say to because I'm a McNabb fan; but the reality is the Vikings probably the worst team in their division overall and, by far, the worst defensive team. The Vikings won't win many games and expect McNabb's numbers to be similar to last year.

2. Will the Jets make it to the Superbowl?

I grew up a New York Giants fan but somehow my older brother developed this love for the New York Jets; and, for the past two seasons, all I have heard from him is, "See what my Jets are doing right? Where your Giants at?" I have no answer for him. The Jets have made it to the AFC Championship Game in the last two years and they were really close in both games; however, they just can't seem to get over that hump. Well, just like the last two years, the Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan has said that they "will make it to the Superbowl." Will they finally accomplish their goal or fall just short once again?

Answer: Yes. I'm going on record rite now and saying the Jets will be playing in the 2011 Superbowl. Who will be their opponent? The Giants of course. Hudson River Superbowl 2011! The third time's a charm.

1. Will Michael Vick play up to his $100 million contact?

I think whoever came up with this saying, "With a lot of money, comes a lot of responsibility," had Michael Vick in mind. When he was played for the Atlanta Falcons, the owner gave him a $100 million contract, making one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the league. How did he handle that responsibility? He never won a Superbowl for the Falcons; however, he did manage to shoot a bird to the fans in Atlanta, go to jail for two years and leave the Falcons in disarray, with only one way to turn: the first pick in the draft that season (and we know how that turned out for the Falcons). So, fresh out of jail, after stealing the starting job from the once air-apparent Kevin Kolb, leading the Philadelphia Eagles to the division title and producing highlights which were reminiscent of the 2004 Vick, the Eagles gave him another $100 million contract. Will he prove that he deserved a massive contract like this?

Answer: No. What he did last year was spectacular. However, I need to see more than a few games to think a player deserves a $100 million contract. He will play good, but the Eagles won't win the Superbowl, or their division. Expect a lot of angry faces, including Andy Reid, in the city of brotherly love.