"Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy" (CC BY 2.0) by EDrost88
A February appointment in Houston is the goal for the 32 NFL teams about
to embark on the charge towards Super Bowl 51. Another season is upon
us and the gloves are already off as drama and controversy continue to
make the NFL compelling viewing across the globe.
Super Bowl 50 winners Denver Broncos opened their 2016 campaign with a
re-run of their victory over the Carolina Panthers last February. The
season opener at the Broncos’ Mile High Stadium had a dramatic climax,
after two touchdowns from running back C.J. Anderson gave Denver a
narrow lead. Graham Gano landed one field goal to bring the Panthers
within a point, but crucially missed another, allowing the Broncos to
hold on for a 21-20 victory, as reported by the BBC.
Despite their opening victory, the Broncos aren’t expected to retain
their crown, with star quarterback Peyton Manning having retired to
severely weaken their team. Meanwhile the Panthers are tipped to be
contenders again, with 2015 Most Valuable Player Cam Newton determined
to go one better and avenge their surprise showpiece defeat last
February.
Jostling for the favorites’ position in the Super Bowl odds
are the Seattle Seahawks, who have remained consistent since their 2014
victory. The Green Bay Packers are also being hotly tipped, and if the
Pittsburgh Steelers can overcome suspensions to some key players they
could also cause a stir. Dark horses for the Super Bowl crown are the
Arizona Cardinals, and what a story it would be if the up-and-coming
Houston Texans could steal the crown in February on home turf?
"Tom Brady" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Keith Allison
Controversy has overshadowed the NFL’s off-season again, however,
ensuring that even without any footballs being kicked, thrown or caught,
the game is never out of the headlines. New England Patriots
quarterback Tom Brady, the game’s most celebrated player with four Super
Bowl rings, has finally accepted his four-game ban, which takes effect
from the first game of this season. The ban has been hanging over Brady
since the infamous January 18th 2015 play-off game with
Indianapolis Colts, in which he was implicated as playing a part in
Deflategate. 39-year-old Brady has fought the ban ever since but, as finally gave up in July and accepted his ban. If the Patriots can overcome this, they are likely to be challenging again.
Further furor has been caused by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin
Kaepernick when he refused to stand for the US national anthem before
pre-season games. In an act of defiance against racial tensions in the
USA, Kaepernick has split opinion, but his kneeling stance was copied by
Broncos’ linebacker Brandon Marshall in the season’s opening game, so
the controversy isn’t going away soon. Personalities continue to
dominate though, and New York Giants’ wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr
will be looking to maintain his blossoming reputation, but the
23-year-old has spent much of the off-season enjoying the fame of mixing
with Europe’s top soccer stars as he prepares to undertake his third
NFL season.
The charge for Super Bowl 51 starts with more drama and controversy - Handicappers Hideaway
