Penton: Get set for a season of NFL excitement
By Bruce Penton
The 2025 National Football League season starts this week, so it’s the perfect time for a few recollections and some look-aheads.
Detroit Lions tied Kansas City for the best record during the 2024 regular season (15-2), but injuries caught up to them and the Lions flamed out against Washington in the divisional round of playoffs.
KC’s 15 wins, most of them by narrow margins, helped get them to the Super Bowl for the third straight year before getting blasted 40-22 by Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles, with much the same lineup as last year’s champs, will be gunning for two in a row this year.
The Most Valuable Player race, a contest in 2024 between the three most recent winners (Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen) will probably include those three quarterbacks as well as a fourth, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, who was the league's passing leader last year but couldn’t overcome his team’s shaky defence en route to a non-playoff 9-8 record.
How will the league’s young quarterbacks fare in 2025? Will Caleb Williams of the Bears, the No. 1 pick last year, continue his ascent under new head coach Ben Johnson, acclaimed as the NFL’s No. 1 offensive innovator?
Will Washington’s Jayden Daniels, last year’s offensive rookie of the year, improve on his spectacular quarterbacking play or will he suffer from a sophomore jinx that has afflicted so many over the years?
Will Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos find his second year as the team’s No. 1 quarterback as easy as it appeared to be for him during the second half of his rookie campaign?
What about the old guys? Forty-year-old Aaron Rodgers is nearing the end of a Hall-of-Fame career as the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were solid at every position except QB last year. How will Russell Wilson fare in the Big Apple? After bouncing around the league following a solid 10 years in Seattle, Wilson has wound up as the Giants No. 1 quarterback while the team gives high profile draft pick Jaxson Dart a chance to use 2025 as a year of schooling. Across town, the Jets are hoping Justin Fields, who had so-so stints at QB with the Bears and Steelers, can find some magic.
The spotlight will be shining brightly on quarterback J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota. The team’s top pick two years ago, McCarthy was injured in his first training camp and played zero minutes in 2024. That opened the door for journeyman Sam Darnold to have a surprisingly sensational season with the Vikings (14-3) and convert that success into a lucrative free-agent contract with Seattle Seahawks.
And, of course, a preview of the National Football League season would not be complete without a few words on America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys. Owner Jerry Jones has made QB Dak Prescott the highest-paid player in the league but had acrimonious contract talks with his No. 1 defensive player, Micah Parsons, who eventually demanded a trade.
Time for kickoff. Sit back and enjoy.
Former NFL offensive lineman Art Donovan, who weighed 260: “I’m a light eater. As soon as it’s light, I start eating.”
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “Did you see where they erected a massive 12-foot statue of Tom Brady in front of Gillette Stadium in New England? They actually wanted to build a 14-foot statue, but Brady insisted that it be slightly underinflated.”
Bianchi again: “Ah, football season. Sweet football season. For a few precious months, you give us something to believe in and a diversion from inflation, immigration and political polarization. We don’t just watch football; we need football.You see, football in our pigskin peninsula isn’t just a sport; it’s our sanctuary from the heat, the hurricanes and the headlines.”
RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “Former World Chess champion Magnus Carlsen is reportedly a major celebrity at home in Norway. And good news ladies, he isn’t married — although he has been mated.”
Another one from RJ Currie: “Elks QB Tre Ford was benched for Cody Fajardo after a week-six loss when he completed only four of 12 attempts for 34 yards with no touchdowns. I have a higher rate of passing kidney stones.”
Headline at theonion.com: “Rockies Pitcher Pledges To Give Up Home Run For Sick Child”
Headline at fark.com, after Indianapolis named Daniel Jones its starting quarterback: “The Colts officially throw in the towel on the 2025 season.”
Super 70s Sports: “Archie Manning is the Abraham of quarterbacks. In 100 years, all 32 teams will be starting one of his descendants.”
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: “If you didn’t get excited watching Shane Bieber make his return from Tommy John surgery on Aug 22, check your pulse.”
Another one from Simmons: “Why did the CFL need to announce in mid-season that the Argos will move three home games to Winnipeg, Regina and Hamilton next season (because of World Cup stadium conflicts)? Why not wait until the season ends to anger all of the 17 Argos fans I know?”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca