The NFC has a lot of moving pieces, impactful newjacks, dramatic storylines and high-priced superstars on the hotseat entering the 2018-19 season. The offseason rush on free agents, player retirements and returns and the ongoing anthem saga has set the stage for a regular season that will never be short of narratives to captivate the public in some way.
Here are 5 Offseason NFC Storylines To Watch.
1. Will Carson Wentz return and Chun-Li the NFL?
Carson Wentz sat like the good soldier and watched his backup steal his glory and story in leading Philadelphia to the first Super Bowl in franchise history. Talk about being teased and having the carrott swiped from under your nose. Wentz was having a lit All-Pro season and had ascended to a Top 5 NFL QB in the eyes of most football experts.
His unfortunate late-season injury thrust Nick Foles into the spotlight and the former starter responded with a flawless playoff run, reminiscent of Jeff Hostetlers fairytale Super Bowl when he replaced Phil Simms for the Giants in 1990.
How will Wentz rebound and can he get a ring of his own this season in Philly?
Anybody who thinks Carson wouldn’t have done the same as nick didn’t watch him play last year
2. Can Dallas Walk It, Talk It in Dak-Zeke Era ?
Tony Romo fought the good fight, but eventually relented and rode off into the television boost as a star analyst for CBS when his career as a Cowboy officially came to an end.
The Shadow League on Twitter
The scrum around Tony Romo.
His departure in the 2017 offseason signaled the beginning of the Dak Prescott-Zeke Elliott era, but veterans Jason Witten and Dez Bryant were still there to maintain some of the old Cowboys principles.
We are officially entering a new era with the departure of Bryant and Whitten from this years Dallas tea. The Cowboys of the last decade are no more. After failing to come to a financial agreement on his worth, the aging Bryant — one of three players in Dallas Cowboys history with at least 500 career catches and 7,000 receiving yards — was released by the only team hes ever known in April. He’s been on a social media rampage ever since.
Nope not 1 bit and very appreciative for the offer. .. what’s crazy is how reports like this will try to tarnish someone character.. the slight jab saying it’s not easy to get along with. I thought the media would give up by now with betraying me as something that I’m not twitter.com/wheelerboi214/…
A month later, Witten, a sure shot Hall of Famer, retired after 15 years and 1,152 receptions.
The good news is that Zeke Elliot will be present for 16 games this season, so the ground game will be proper. The major question mark is Prescott. Can he continue to advance in the passing game and be the id of dual threat that the Cowboys need to survive in a vicious NFC East?
3. Last Season Eli “Said Pray For Me.” The Giants Feel Better Now
Eli Manning is aging out of his greatness, but Giants fans and franchise bigwigs dont want to accept reality. Big Blues upper brass made it no clearer than when they chose Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick in Aprils NFL Draft instead of one of the five quarterbacks that were considered potential franchise talents.
undefined
Manning has been an Ironman, never missing a game in 14 seasons due to injury. Hes already started showing chinks in the armor; but the Giants feel that with an improved offensive line, the return of the enigmatic and electric Odell Beckham Jr. and the addition of the multifaceted Barkley providing a dimension the Giants have never had out of the backfield, the old warrior Eli has enough left in the tank for a few more serious Super Bowl runs.
Dropped passes no running game worst O Line in the league, throwing to practice squad receivers, benched for Geno The Jaw by oafish Ben McAdoo… And Eli remains positive, never throws anybody under the bus. Great teammate, righteous dude, future Hall of Famer.
Mannings 2017 may have been the quickest fall from grace and return to icon status that we have ever seen in the NFL .One week he was riding pine and preparing for retirement or the next plane out of town and the next he was the 37-year-old QB of the future.
4. Jimmy G Needs To Ball For Me
Jimmy Garoppolo was considered such a threat to Tom Bradys throne that Brady strong armed the up-and-coming QBs trade to San Francisco. As Brady aged and Jimmy Gs stock soared, the GOAT could just feel Jimmy G breathing down his neck like a bear in the wilderness.
Now that Garoppolo has the eyes and adulation of everyone in the game (including Richard Sherman who says he signed with the 49ers because of Jimmy G) its time for America’s favorite backup to play a full season as starter and get San Francisco to the playoffs. Will he produce the goods or were those dazzling spot starts an illusion? We will see if it was merely a mirage that netted him a five-year, $137.5 million contract with guarantees totaling $74 million.
Garoppolo will be one of the most scrutinized quarterbacks in the game. With just seven career starts under his belt he already has the love and the support of the critics. Now he gets to prove whether or not Bradys concerns were legit.
5. Will Cousins Look Alive In His New Role As Highest-Paid Pigskin Slinger?
In one sense, the Vikings team that will begin the most substantive phase of its offseason program on Tuesday is among the NFL’s most stable groups. Nearly every meaningful contributor returns from…
The Vikings almost made it to the Super Bowl, they have a have a loaded roster and gave Kirk Cousins the biggest contract in NFL history. The NFL world is split on whether or not Cousins is that guy. He put up gaudy numbers in Washington, but couldnt elevate the team to championship heights. He never came close. Was Cousins just the product of the NFLs defensive restrictions and an elevated but unimpactful boost in offensive passing numbers? Or is he ready to take that next step and earn his money? Redskins fans are dying to find out.
