The 2012 regular season may be over but the National Football League’s year-long news cycle is just getting started.
Will we see another vintage Brady-Manning classic? Wiill there be another surprising Super Bowl run?
There will be 12 teams competing for a championship while the 20 others look to make the necessary moves to contend in 2013.
Whether it’s changes in the front office, coaching staff or on the roster, there will be no shortage of news to follow across the NFL.
Black Monday took place the day after the regular season, where we saw an unprecedented number of coaching changes. As many as seven NFL teams — the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, San Diego Chargers, , Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Chicago Bears all let go of their head coaches.
There are a number of free agents to be signed and the draft (the lifeblood of the NFL) where one weekend can change a franchise for years to come. See Seattle or Indianapolis.
There are lots of questions to be answered and lots of decisions to be made so enjoy the coming months and expect another drama-filled NFL season in 2013.
Here are the burning questions for 2013:
Will Matt Ryan and the Falcons win a playoff game?
Since Mike Smith and Matt Ryan joined the Atlanta Falcons in 2008, they have developed into one of the most successful franchises across the NFL.
With Ryan at the helm, Atlanta has posted double-digit wins in four of his first five seasons but has yet to win a playoff game over his tenure.
The Falcons have been blown out in Ryan’s past two playoff appearances and the quarterback has looked rattled and unprepared to perform on the biggest stage. Matty Ice has been ice cold.
Ryan isn’t the only key Falcon who will be looking to win his first playoff game as tight end Tony Gonzalez has yet to win a post-season game over his illustrious career.
Heading into January, Atlanta owns the top record in the NFC and will host a playoff game in the Divisional Round. This year’s Falcons have the most dangerous and complete roster they’ve had in the Ryan era.
If Smith and Ryan come up short in the playoffs once again, it would be a colossal failure for the Falcons.
Who will the Buffalo Bills’ new starting quarterback be next season?
The Buffalo Bills failed to live up the hype in 2012 and the quarterback position was a major reason for the letdown.
Chan Gailey is not expected back in Buffalo next season and it’s hard to believe Ryan Fitzpatrick will be either. The Bills haven’t been to the playoffs since 1999 and the instability at quarterback has played a major factor.
The Fitzpatrick experiment, to put it lightly, has been disastrous and the Bills eventually need a quarterback to build around.
It will be intriguing to see which direction they go if they decide to part ways with the veteran signal-caller.
The upcoming draft isn’t loaded with quarterbacks like 2012’s class was.
There’s no Robert Griffin III or Andrew Luck and maybe not a Russell Wilson. This year has a group of boom or bust prospects in USC’s Matt Barkley, North Carolina State’s Mike Glennon or Geno Smith out of West Virginia. None are exactly sure things.
The free agent class is barren and if the Bills prefer to go the veteran route, Michael Vick, Alex Smith and Matt Flynn could be available in the off-season.
It’s a quarterback-driven league and Fitzpatrick just hasn’t proven to be the man for the job. This team needs to go in a different direction.
Will anyone be able to lure Chip Kelly from Oregon?
When the 2012 regular season wraps up, there is expected to be a high number of coaching changes around the NFL.
The hottest coaching candidate around the football world could be Oregon’s Chip Kelly, who almost joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year before they eventually went with Greg Schiano of Rutgers.
Kelly, who is considered one of the best offensive minds in the college game, has become a prominent candidate after turning Oregon into a top program around the NCAA.
In the last few years, college coaches like Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll have been successful turning around NFL teams and Kelly could follow suit, especially with potential sanctions looming at Oregon.
The Oregon coach has already been linked to several jobs, including Philadelphia where Andy Reid is expected to be let go after the season. Another ideal fit would be Carolina, where the potential of Kelly coaching Cam Newton would strike fear across the NFL.
With a number of struggling teams around the NFL, there could be 10-plus vacancies heading into 2013 and it would be stunning if Kelly doesn’t end up with one of the head coaching gigs.
Will Tim Tebow have a chance to play next season?
It’s safe to say Tim Tebow won’t be back with the New York Jets in 2013.
Tebow, who was a cult hero in 2011, has seen his reputation take a hit this year. Rex Ryan has almost come up with every reason possible for him not to play and his teammates have taken turns bashing him in the media.
While we can’t imagine teams will be lining up for Tebow’s services, the former Heisman winner could still play an important role in 2013.
Tebow has already been linked to his hometown club, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it wouldn’t’ surprise anyone if they bring Tebowmania to town in an attempt to revitalize a dwindling fan base.
The Jaguars don’t have a franchise quarterback in place so Tebow could certainly get a shot if he lands back home. Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne certainly don’t look like long-term answers.
If he doesn’t find a way to improve his throwing motion and accuracy, Tebow could eventually end up north of the border, where he is currently on Montreal’s negotiation list. Tebow certainly could use the time to refine his skills with quarterback guru Marc Trestman.
But for now, Tebow should get another shot in the NFL.
Can the San Francisco 49ers win a Super Bowl with Colin Kaepernick?
All the pieces are in place for a Super Bowl run, but the 49ers still have one major question mark.
The answer just so happens to be the most important position in football, the quarterback.
San Francisco certainly has the talent to contend for a title this season and in the future. They boast an elite-level defence, a hard-nosed running game and an improving group of weapons in the passing game.
But it remains unclear whether the 49ers have the right guy to lead them.
It’s tough to get by in the playoffs without premium production from the quarterback position. We saw that last year in the NFC Championship with Alex Smith.
After suffering a concussion late in the season, the team benched the ultra-efficient Smith in favour of the raw Colin Kaepernick, who certainly has the upside to be an outstanding player. But can they win now with Kaepernick?
He’s certainly held them back at times and he’s seen his share of struggles.
The talent is there but Kaepernick needs to prove he can perform in the clutch and do it on a consistent basis.
For Jim Harbaugh’s team to win a Super Bowl, Kaepernick needs to be the one to take them over the top.
Sportsnet.ca off-the-wall prediction
This may be hard to believe but the Miami Dolphins are ready to turn the corner and compete with New England in the AFC East.
Quietly, Joe Philbin has done a respectable job in his first year on a Dolphins team that was expected to be a bottom-feeder.
The Dolphins already have an established defence in place with playmakers on all three levels. The problem in 2012 was with the team’s offence, a unit that can improve rather quickly if they make the right moves in the off-season.
Ryan Tannehill gives the Dolphins their first potential franchise quarterback since Marino. He’s shown glimpses and has performed pretty well, considering the team’s inadequate receiving corps.
If they want to go to the free agent route to upgrade Tanehill’s weapons, there will be a bevy of quality talent available with Mike Wallace, Dwayne Bowe and Greg Jennings expected to hit the market. The Dolphins certainly have the cap space to make a premier addition.
Their best route to success may come through the draft where the Dolphins are loaded with capital after shipping out Vontae Davis and Brandon Marshall.
The AFC is as vulnerable as ever and isn’t loaded with up-and-coming teams. New England is at the end of their Super Bowl window, and the Ravens and Steelers seem to be dwindling. The time is now for Miami to make a move.
Who will win the Super Bowl in 2013?
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