Top 5 NFL Stories to Watch in 2011

I will give you five seconds to answer this question. Who was the last quarterback to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a victory in the last decade other then Manning? The Answer is no one, because as we speak Manning has played over 200 straight games, and was on pace to break Brett Favre Iron man streak of 297 games played, yet as we speak Manning is out for this weeks game, and now the Colts are forced to start 38-year-old Kerry Collins who just a few months ago retired. Yet Manning will be back in a few weeks, but there are already some questions about his arm strength. They say Manning has already peaked, and is on his decline of his career. If that is true, then Colts fans should start panicking, because life without Manning, could be a scary reality pretty soon. Will we see the old Manning? or the now older Manning?

Hold your breath Minnesota, do not expect to see the old number 4 in Purple and Gold. What if Tom Brady goes down? Would the New England Patriots contact the old gunslinger? This question will never die until Favre just hangs it up for a whole season. It was just two seasons ago that Favre was leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship game. Just keep your eye out for Favre, because he is very good at surprising all of us.

Whether its High School, Junior College or at Auburn, Cam is a winner plain and simple. The Carolina Panthers invested in Newton with the first pick in this years draft to become the savior of this franchise. With a new Head Coach in Ron Rivera, and some key pieces around Newton like Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams. This is defiantly a rebuilding year or years for the Panthers, but could Newton spear head the Panthers into the playoffs this year? Probably not, yet we have to remember that Newton is a winner, and a winning attitude is contagious, especially in the NFL. Newton could turn the Panthers into the 2010 version of Auburn. Just keep your eye out for this guy name Cam Newton, he could become the next Michael Vick.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only team to go through an entire season undefeated and go on to win the Super Bowl. Now people have dubbed the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles as a “dream team”. With Vick as their QB, and DeSean Jackson as their star Wide Receiver, and they hit the Free Agent harder then then a Bryant McKinnie hit the all you can eat buffet this last year. Signing top free agents Nnamdi Asomugha, and Ronnie Brown, this team is what experts would say “stacked”. Yet with high exceptions comes great pressure, we saw the 2007 New England Patriots crumble under the pressure of a perfect season, yet just keep an eye out for this team, because they could very easy hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy in Indianapolis this February, or could do what the Vikings did last year and finish 6-10.

Since 1966 only six teams have repeated, and its been since the 1994 Buffalo Bills we have seen a team been to the Super Bowl in multiple years, so it is very hard to win it, not alone go back the next year. With Aaron Rodgers, and Clay Mathews its hard to think that the Green Bay Packers wont at least make the playoffs. Yet with a 16 game schedule and a demanding playoff schedule, it will be the Green Bay Packers against everyone. With the NFC getting better, and the AFC lead by Tom Brady, and Philip Rivers, the odds could be against the Green Bay Packers repeating, yet keep a eye out for Cheese Heads.