The NFL season is finally upon us. Already started, in fact, if you were among the 27 million-plus viewers who helped make last Thursday night’s Steelers-Patriots opener the most-watched show on TV in the past five months.
Now do you think DeflateGate and Tom Brady had anything to do with that? The NFL thrives on controversy and drama. There’s no such thing as too much bad press, right Roger Goodell?
It was a long offseason filled with rancor. It’s over. And we’re all back in our seats, in stadiums and family rooms, to follow our favorite teams and chart our fantasy teams.
By the way, the American Gaming Association estimates that $95 billion — with a ‘B’ — will be bet this season in the United States on college and pro football. Of that, 96 percent will be wagered illegally, which means wagered outside of Nevada, the only state where sports gambling is allowed under federal law.
So we take this seriously. Before you contact your offshore bookie, though, a few story lines to start off the season:
■ We will probably be watching them for the next decade, so we might as well start with their first appearances today. Tampa Bay and No. 1 draft pick Jameis Winston hosts Tennessee and No. 2 selection Marcus Mariota in the first-ever NFL opening-day meeting of rookie quarterbacks drafted with the first two picks.
Another day at the office, according to Winston, who said: “It’s like two horses at the racetrack. When the alpha sees another alpha, they go on about their business.”
As to the order of the draft, Mariota said: “People will continue to debate 1 and 2 and [whether] it’s important to Jameis and me. For us, we’re just really focused on doing our best with our teams.”
The past two Heisman Trophy winners have met, and not that long ago. In the Jan. 1, 2015, Rose Bowl, which served as a semifinal game in the College Football Playoff, Mariota and his University of Oregon team blew past turnover-prone Florida State, featuring Winston, 59-20.
■ From the rawest of rookies to the most grizzled of veteran quarterbacks. Peyton Manning is 39 years old now, about seven months short of 40, and the critics say his arm strength is diminished. Maybe, maybe not. His production did dip about 700 yards and 16 touchdowns from 2013 to 2014.
We don’t know what 2015 will bring, but getting the 2,148 passing yards he needs to pass Brett Favre and take the NFL career lead with 71,838 yards should not be a huge problem. Peyton and the Broncos would need eight wins for him to pass Favre's record with 186 regular-season victories.
■ Some experts believe the Buffalo defense will be beastly. To make that a reality the Bills just gave tackle Marcell Dareus a six-year contract extension that includes — sticker shock warning — a possible $60 million in guaranteed pay. That’s more than Miami guaranteed Ndamukong Suh. It’s more than any nonquarterback has been guaranteed in NFL history.
To make it absolutely perfect, this being the NFL, Dareus will miss the season opener against the Colts today because of a one-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Any further suspensions could void portions of the guaranteed money, so old Marcell would be wise to fly straight for a few years.
■ Next July, when your kid begs you to put on a neighborhood fireworks display, tell him the story of Jason Pierre-Paul, the talented defensive end of the New York Giants, who will not be playing Sunday Night Football against the Cowboys.
JPP is now missing the index finger on his right hand, had surgery to repair thumb fractures, and skin grafts to treat burns after a July Fourth fireworks accident.
In March, JPP was tendered the Giants’ franchise-player contract, a one-year, $14.8 million deal, which he had yet to sign by July 4. He reportedly still can sign it, but if he does the Giants will likely place him on the nonfootball-injury list, which means he’ll have to miss at least the first six games, during which period the team can opt to not pay him, which would make that about a $5.5 million bottle rocket, not including medical expenses.
So tell your kid that story.
■ Then tell him the story of Eric Berry, the Kansas City Chiefs safety who spent his offseason, really most of the last 10 months, fighting and beating Hodgkin lymphoma cancer.
Berry won’t be in the starting lineup, but you can bet the three-time Pro Bowl player will find his way onto the field this afternoon in Houston.
“Football sore is way better than chemo sore,” Berry said. “I mean, it’s a blessing to even be able to be sore.”
Tell your kid it’s OK to root for Eric Berry.
■ There is, in the NFL, a general correlation between quarterbacking and winning vs. losing. So we feel duty-bound to report the following:
When the Browns open the season today against the Jets, Josh McCown will become the 23rd QB to start a game for Cleveland since the interrupted franchise returned to the NFL in 1999.
Perhaps that has something to do with a 10-game Browns’ losing streak in season openers since a 20-3 win over the Rams in 2004. The next longest such losing streak? Four by the New York Giants.
■ Joe Thomas, the splendid offensive tackle for the Browns, hasn’t even seen the playoffs — he’s worn the orange and brown for ONLY eight seasons — which is unfair. He has played and started in 128 straight games and has been on the field for every offensive snap in all of them — 7,917 straight plays.
■ Back to the subject of quarterbacking, no team has a better chance at a faster start, based on who they face, than the Miami Dolphins. They open with six straight games against teams that begin with various question marks and issues at QB. Here's the lineup, based on listed starters for opening week:
Washington (Kirk Cousins instead of RG3); Jacksonville (Blake Bortles instead of anybody); Buffalo (Tyrod Taylor, really); New York Jets (Ryan Fitzpatrick, not punching bag Geno Smith); Tennessee (Mariota), and Houston (Brian Hoyer, ex-Browns, not Ryan Mallett.)
■ We’re about to resurrect the Old Swami for our annual predictions, which are annually awful. But the only one we really waffled on was the NFC East, where Dallas resides contrary to geography. Picking the ’Boys over the Eagles is to ignore Dallas letting running back DeMarco Murray escape to Philly via free agency after a season in which he had nearly 500 touches, rushing and receiving, including the playoffs.
His absence shifts more onto quarterback Tony Romo’s to-do list, which history says is not a good thing. How many hits can Philadelphia's injury-riddled QB Sam Bradford survive? Ah, the quandaries of a prognosticator. On with the show ...
Swami says:
■ AFC: Patriots will only have to cheat a little to win the East, but a 6-0 mark in division play against a weak South propels Indy to the top seed.
East: 1. Patriots; 2. Dolphins; 3. Bills; 4. Jets.
North: 1. Ravens; 2. Steelers; 3. Browns; 4. Bengals.
South: 1. Colts; 2. Texans; 3. Titans; 4. Jaguars.
West: 1. Broncos; 2. Chiefs; 3. Chargers; 4. Raiders.
Wild cards: Dolphins, Chiefs.
Champions: Colts.
■ NFC: Seattle doesn't ask Russell Wilson to make a lot of plays, but he makes big ones and an elite defense does the rest. Lions will win a wild-card game.
East: 1. Cowboys; 2. Eagles; 3. Giants; 4. Redskins.
North: 1. Packers; 2. Lions; 3. Vikings; 4. Bears.
South: 1. Saints; 2. Panthers; 3. Falcons; 4. Bucs.
West: 1. Seahawks; 2. Cardinals; 3. 49ers; 4. Rams.
Wild cards: Lions, Eagles.
Champions: Seahawks.
Super Bowl: Seahawks defeat Colts.
Contact Blade sports columnist
Dave Hackenberg at:
dhack@theblade.com
or on Twitter @BladeHack.
First Published September 13, 2015, 4:11 a.m.