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Week 1

By Dan Ralph

The dreaded twice-daily workouts under a blistering summer sun are finally over, the competition for jobs complete.

Now, it's time for players in the NFL to not only get ready for the regular season, but also dream of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in early 2008.

But as is the case prior to any season, plenty of questions do exist, and this year is no different in the NFL. Which team will be the league's biggest surprise, or its biggest disappointment? What player will raise eyebrows and emerge as a bona fide superstar or fail to meet expectations.

So, in no particular order of importance, here's a look at just 10 of the many questions that exist heading into the start of the '07 campaign.

1) Will the Indianapolis Colts repeat as Super Bowl champions? Recent history suggests not. The Denver Broncos ('98-'99) were the last team to capture consecutive NFL titles, becoming just the seventh club in league history to earn back-to-back championships. The offence will again be a potent one with quarterback Peyton Manning, receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, along with sophomore running back Joseph Addai. But gone defensively are linebacker Cato Junes, cornerback Nick Ferguson and defensive lineman Anthony McFarland. Indy will certainly be competitive but it would be a huge surprise if the Colts repeated.

2) Must Jon Gruden get into the playoffs this year to save his job at Tampa Bay? Gruden replaced Tony Dungy as Bucs coach in 2002 following four productive seasons in Oakland and promptly led the club to a Super Bowl victory. But Tampa Bay has endured losing seasons in three of the last four seasons, the exception being 2005 when the club posted an 11-5 record, only to lose to Washington in the wildcard playoff game. Gruden's critics have long maintained he simply came into a good situation in Tampa Bay, inheriting a team from Dungy that already was on the cusp of winning big. Gruden is pinning much of his hopes for success this year on former CFL star Jeff Garcia, who did such a terrific job at quarterback last season in Philadelphia once incumbent Donavan McNabb went down. But the question remains whether Gruden will be in Tampa Bay if the club endures another losing season?

3) How will Randy Moss fit in with the New England Patriots? There's no denying the talent that is Randy Moss. But his antics wore thin in both Minnesota and Oakland. Maybe an indication that he had turned over a new leaf came when Moss agreed to re-structure his contract in order to go to New England, essentially taking a $6 million paycut this year to suit up for a franchise that has won three Super Bowl titles. The six-foot-four, 210-pound Moss is entering his 10th NFL season and coming off his worst season as a pro. He had just 42 catches for 553 yards and three touchdowns for a Raiders team that was just 2-14 in 2006. There are those who believe Moss is on the downside of his career, but when healthy, he certainly provides quarterback Tom Brady with a proven commodity.

4) How will the Atlanta Falcons cope without Michael Vick? By now, everyone's aware of the situation surrounding Vick. But almost forgotten through it all was the Falcons' decision this off-season to deal backup quarterback Matt Schaub to the Houston Texans, then sign former first-round draft pick Joey Harrington to serve as Vick's backup. But with Vick to be out of football for the foreseeable future, the Falcons must now rely on the sometimes erratic Harrington to take the starter's snaps. That's hardly the scenario head coach Bobby Petrino had in mind when he opted to lead Louisville to replace the fired Jim Mora Jr. Atlanta was 7-9 last year with Vick but expectations are the Falcons will get worse before they get better in adjusting to life without Vick.

5) What can LaDanian Tomlinson do for an encore? The San Diego Chargers electrifying running back was simply dominating in 2006, scoring an NFL-record 28 touchdowns and leading the league in rushing with a career-high 1,815 yards. Then again, Tomlinson has scored double-digit touchdowns every season since joining the Chargers in 2001. The scary thing, though, is that at age 28, LT is approaching his prime as a running back, bad news for opposing defences. However, Tomlinson isn't about personal accomplishments. His goal remains the same: Leading the Chargers to a Super Bowl title. Norv Turner takes over as Chargers head coach from Marty Schottenheimer, and the good news for LT is Turner is an offensive coach, so could a 2,000-yard rushing campaign be possible? Stay tuned.

6) Can Wade Phillips lead the Dallas Cowboys to the promised land? Phillips was hired in the off-season to replace the retired Bill Parcells, and while he takes over a solid club, the fact remains the Cowboys _ who've captured five Super Bowl titles _ haven't won a playoff game in 10 years. Parcells, who won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants, was 34-32 in four years with Dallas, but lost twice in the playoffs. However, Phillips' arrival should bolster a Cowboys defence that last year was seen as the club's weakness. Phillips employs the same 3-4 alignment that Parcells did, but last year under Phillips the San Diego Chargers were ranked 10th overall in the NFL and a big part in the club posting a 14-2 record.

7) Can Donovan McNabb regain his form this year? This has been a hot subject this summer, and with good reason. McNabb is the Eagles' franchise player and is coming off a torn right knee ligament in November. Talk was McNabb likely wouldn't be ready to start the season, but the former Syracuse star surprised many by not only taking part in training camp, but also playing in the preseason. When healthy, there's no denying McNabb is one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. Being named to five Pro Bowls attests to that. But mobility is a big part of McNabb's game, and it will be interesting to see if, or when, he returns to the form that people are used to seeing him at. The good news for the Eagles, though, is McNabb looked good in two preseason games. But now the question remains whether his surgically repaired knee can stand up to the rigours of the regular season?

8) When will JaMarcus Russell sign with Oakland? The former LSU star, who was taken first overall in this year's draft by Oakland, continues to be a holdout and each passing day suggests Russell will be less and less a factor for the Raiders this season. It's unfortunate, because the six-foot-six, 225-pound Russell has all the physical tools to be a solid performer. And his college resume isn't shabby, either. He was the MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl and was named for the 2006 All-SEC first team. Russell and the Raiders will ultimately resolve their contract impasse, the only question is when so long-suffering Raiders fans can finally have something positive to hang their hats on?

9) Will Eli Manning finally emerge as a top quarterback in New York? The younger brother of Colts star Peyton Manning wasted little time ruffling feathers in the NFL, demanding to be traded shortly after he was drafted by the San Diego Chargers. Manning got his wish and was dealt to the Giants, where he has faced criticism for being too laid back and not enough of a team leader. In fact, this off-season former Giants running back Tiki Barber has repeatedly questioned Manning's leadership abilities. Last year, Manning threw for 3,244 yards and 24 touchdowns (to tie a career high) but also had a career-high 18 interceptions and a less than stellar 77.0 quarterback efficiency rating. Now entering his fourth season in New York, all eyes will be on Manning and whether he can finally be a leader on the Giants squad.

10) Can the Pittsburgh Steelers return as a contender? Bill Cowher's final season as head coach was certainly one to forget. After capturing the Super Bowl, the Steelers failed to make the playoffs last year. Afterwards, Cowher decided to retire. Mike Tomlin replaces Cowher to become just the third head coach in Steelers history, but has the added responsibility of returning Pittsburgh to the NFL playoffs. A healthy Ben Roethlisberger is a good start. Big Ben endured a miserable '06 season, his problems starting before training camp when he was involved in a terrible motorcylce accident. And when Roethlisberger regained his health to resume playing, he found himself throwing more interceptions (23) than touchdowns (18) and saw his completing average dip from a career-best 66.4 per cent as a rookie in '04 to just 59.7 per cent in 2006.