NFL

Spring Awakening

Off-season? What off-season? The road to Tampa begins now.
By John Clayton

Super Bowls are won in May. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but as teams open their minicamps in the coming weeks, we can at least get a little hint as to how the new season will look come September. Here are the seven most intriguing spring story lines.

Getty Images

Brandon Marshall

BUCKING BRONCOS
Mike Shanahan is counting on 25-year-old Jay Cutler to tune out the Brandon Marshall distraction, cut down his mental mistakes and take a major leap forward in his third year. With newly signed WR Darrell Jackson on board, the Broncos will most likely use more horizontal routes, which means tighter coverages. Cutler will have a smaller window to make throws, but he has the arm strength to pull it off.

QB OR NOT QB?
It seems like a foregone conclusion that Derek Anderson will be the Browns' starting QB. After all, Phil Savage didn't give him a three-year, $26 million contract to ride the pine. But don't count out Brady Quinn. If he proves he can consistently throw the deep out and comeback routes—something he struggled with at Notre Dame—Quinn can challenge for the starting job.

NEW ERA
Playing behind Brett Favre, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers attempted just 59 passes in three seasons, so Mike McCarthy will get him as many first-team reps as possible. He'll also have Rodgers throwing plenty of deep routes to counter the heavy pressure the 24-year-old QB will face this fall.

ALMOST PERFECT
Not that the Patriots are in bad shape, but it's amazing that a team coming off a one-loss season can have so many doubts heading into camp. Tops among Bill Belichick's concerns: Can CB Fernando Bryant replace Asante Samuel? (Not when he's always hurt.) Do LBs Junior Seau and Tedy Bruschi have any legs left? (Not enough to cover quick TEs and RBs.) Has LT Matt Light recovered from his Super Bowl burn? (Osi Umenyiora just blew by him again.) Wait, one more: How's Tom Brady's foot? (Gisele is a healer.)

Getty Images

JaMarcus Russell

MONEY FOR NOTHING?
After Al Davis' spending spree on WRs Javon Walker and Drew Carter, DE Kalimba Edwards and CB DeAngelo Hall (bringing the Raiders' payroll to a league-high $137M), the boss expects JaMarcus Russell to lead the team to a winning record. But that won't happen unless the QB improves his footwork to buy more time in the pocket behind a suspect O-line. Oh, and at nearly 280 pounds, he needs to shed some weight. Stat.

MASH UNIT
The bad news: The Chargers have 10 starters coming off injuries, including LT, Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates. The good news: San Diego can test out 2007 first-round WR Buster Davis. If he can improve his route-running, he'll join Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson to give the Chargers their best set of wideouts since & well, who can even remember when they had a good set?

ENDANGERED EAGLE
In one corner you have Donovan McNabb, the gimpy vet who was supposed to have been traded by now. In the other you have QB of the future Kevin Kolb. Can you say awkward? Kolb, who operated out of the shotgun in college is still refining his footwork and learning Andy Reid's complex playbook. So call McNabb the early favorite (Reid does). But with decent arm strength and quick-read ability, Kolb could overtake McNabb by the time the Eagles open against the Rams.

Hearing is Believing

Getty Images

Ed Reed just became that much more dangerous.

ESPN analyst Merril Hoge tunes you in to the NFL's biggest off-season move.

You've go the Tuna in Miami, Brett Favre on permanent vacation and Chad Johnson in an epic feud. But here's the off-season plot twist that interests me the most: the NFL's new rule that allows one defensive player per team to wear a radio receiver in his helmet.

Understand how huge this is. Not only will coaches be able to relay play calls directly to their captain, they can also pass along an offense's tendencies, things like "Tell everyone they love the dig route, but be prepared for the out." This will make defenses much more alert, especially on third downs, when there are so many subtle dynamics at play.

No doubt, teams with a smart brain trust will benefit the most. Take Ravens safety Ed Reed. Even without an earpiece, he was diagnosing plays before they happened. With that earpiece, he'll get an even more instinctual feel for what D-coordinator Rex Ryan wants, making Reed almost like an on-field coach. But he'll have to protect his teammates from information overload so they don't stop reacting and start overthinking.

The Patriots, Steelers and Giants, who customize many of their defensive looks and blitzes based on opponent, are loving this rule too. During the week, players often get only two snaps to perfect new wrinkles. That naturally leads to mistakes in the heat of battle. But now they'll have in-game instructions from their captain, via the headset, to stay on point.

Of course, I haven't mentioned the best part of the helmet radio: It eliminates signal-calling—and signal-stealing. Well, unless Bill Belichick starts wiretapping.

Print Article . Email Article. Subscribe to The Magazine