NOW PLAYING with Scott Sowers

Last weekend was one of the most important weekends of the year: it signaled that we won't be without football during the weekend until early next winter. But still, something felt a little empty, namely that Sunday was devoid of any NFL action. Not anymore.

This week marks the start of the 2008 NFL season and I couldn't be more excited. Now this weekend we'll have the delightful marriage of Saturday college games and Sunday pro games (not forgetting Monday night as well).

This will surely be another exciting season for the league with tons of stories coming out of nowhere and the potential for an upset or two along the way. Remember how the Patriots were the team of destiny to go undefeated but the unheralded Giants came out and completely upstaged the Pats' coronation? Remember how Brett Favre was left for dead by nearly every fan and pundit in the country but instead had one of his best years ever?

That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about.

The Brett Favre saga continued to be the league's major storyline well into the offseason and practically the only thing ESPN covered until a few weeks ago when Green Bay thankfully cut the cord and sent him to the Jets so we were mercifully treated to having the airwaves (virtually) Favre-free.

Does he still have any magic left in the tank after last year's shocking run up to the NFC title game? I say no. I thought he was beyond done until last year as he kept looking older and slower out there. He might be able to have a decent season, but the guy isn't getting any younger; his decline was just on break last season.

Still, he's given Jets fans plenty to be excited about, and rightfully so. They got one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time to maybe shore up a position that's been dreadful for years at the Meadowlands.

But enough about Favre, because personally I couldn't care less about this story after it was beaten into my brain over and over this summer.

This year looks to be a "status quo" year if you will in the NFL because all of the major powers are predicted to make the playoffs again with few surprises thrown-in. Most of the division races seem formalities, as teams like the Patriots, Seahawks, Chargers and Colts merely have to keep doing what they're doing to make it to the postseason.

Very few divisions seem in doubt, with most of them coming in the NFC. The one pundits will most readily point to (which, given the geographic locations of the teams, makes sense) is the NFC East, long thought of as the center of power in the conference. And why not? The Giants won the Super Bowl, and it contains the supposed greatest rivalry in the game in the Cowboys and Redskins. Three of their teams made the playoffs last season, and the fourth, the Philadelphia Eagles, are a sexy pick to not only win the division, but the conference as well.

Personally, I'm not sold on the Eagles nor the Redskins as I think that Donovan McNabb will once again go down with a season ending injury, and the Skins' defense may be on shaky legs after losing several players in training camp to injuries and Jason Taylor, who they brought in at the last minute, might not last long either.

Another interesting race, but one the media seems to be overlooking, takes place right here with the NFC South. The Falcons are still a few years away but appear headed in the right direction with the Matt Ryan/Michael Turner combination in the backfield, but you've got the Saints who look to repeat their miracle run of two seasons ago, and the Bucs and Panthers out to prove they have what it takes.

The Saints addressed a lot of issues in the offseason by bringing in guys like Jeremy Shockey and the great Jonathon Vilma from the Jets at linebacker. They are absolutely the favorites to win the division and Drew Brees is a legitimate MVP contender. Down in Tampa, the Bucs are looking to repeat their success of a year ago, but if history is an indicator, this won't be their year because Jon Gruden has never had two winning seasons in a row there. Still, with Jeff Garcia under center and one of the best defenses consistently in the game, they're always in the mix.

Finally, there's the Panthers, my team and a total enigma. On the one hand they addressed a lot of offseason questions by bringing in help on all sides of the ball from drafting running back Jonathon Stewart in the first round to bringing receivers DJ Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad and linebacker Landon Johnson. With Jake Delhomme back from Tommy John surgery supposedly throwing the best ball of his career, this team could be dangerous, but I'm cautiously optimistic saying they'll muster eight or nine wins and be on the outside looking in.

The NFC North will be wide open as well, but there's just too much suck going on to merit much written about it. I guess the Vikings will come out on top.

The playoffs will feature the usual suspects in the AFC and NFC with perhaps little surprise. Division winners in the AFC will include the Patriots (top seed), Colts, Chargers and Steelers with wildcard team Jaguars and Browns while on the flip side it will be the Cowboys (top seed), Saints, Seahawks and Vikings with the Giants and Bucs rounding things out in the wildcard.

This year may be the Chargers' year (and I'm tired of the Patriots anyway) so I have them ousting New England in the AFC Championship and then defeating the Saints in the Super Bowl, who themselves will defeat the Giants in the NFC title game. MVP will be Drew Brees while Brad Childress up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes will take home the Coach of the Year Award.

Enough of the talk, let's get the games started.
- www.gwinnettherald.com

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