The NFL Is Back In Action

It’s that time again. At last.

Oh, there won’t be any real NFL games until Sept. 8, when the Carolina Panthers visit the Denver Broncos to open the season in a rematch of Super Bowl 50.

But training camps are opening. Players are reporting. There will be intrigue, position battles, injuries and preseason games. There will be practices and HBO’s Hard Knocks series, which will go behind the scenes of the Los Angeles Rams’ transition to their new home.

You won’t see Tom Brady with the New England Patriots for the first four weeks of the season, suspended for his theoretical role in Deflategate. You won’t see several expected Dallas Cowboys defensive starters, suspended for other reasons. You won’t see Peyton Manning (retired). You will still see plenty.

Some story lines to watch:

How well do the Rams adapt to new surroundings after moving from St. Louis? They’ve got a quarterback situation to settle, with No. 1 pick Jared Goff the hope of the future. The defending champion Broncos too must decide on a starter, having lost Manning and Brock Osweiler (free agency). Can rookie Paxton Lynch make the move past journeyman Mark Sanchez? And can Osweiler prove worthy for the Houston Texans?

The New York Giants chart a new course without former coach Tom Coughlin, who won two Super Bowls but unhappily gave way to his former offensive coordinator, Ben McAdoo. The Miami Dolphins try to step out from dreadful mediocrity under new coach Adam Gase. And the Cleveland Browns attempt to right their long-foundering ship under Hue Jackson. There are seven new head coaches in all.

That’s just a little bit of it. Every team has issues, every team has goals and hopes and every team starts the season 0-0.

Let the fun begin.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman