ill Take: 5 NFL Questions Everyone is Pondering

With the season starting tonight, here are a few things I'm pondering about the season. Consider this thinking aloud.  

5) Are the Saints a one-trick pony?

The feel good story of last season will not rediscover mediocrity, the Saints are here to stay (unlike Reggie Bush's Heisman) as long as they have the ultra reliable and consistent Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees who knows what awaits the champs. Every team on the Saints' schedule is ready to throw their best at them and even though the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers are improved from last year, this years Saints' will have much of the same success they did last year. And the Saints will get a chance tonight to prove to the Vikings that they are who they thought they were, lame but it fits.

4) Are the Jets overrated?

The New York Jets aren't doing themselves any favors by being featured on Hard Knocks and calling themselves a 'dream team' and the Miami Heat of football and after making a huge off season splash, everyone is now wondering who's the best team in New York now? CB Darrelle Revis is back with the team and is finally ready to play and from what we've seen in the preseason, we won't have to wonder how entertaining this team will be. Mark Sanchez's performance last season left much to be desired, but will he be able to follow up on his better postseason play? The Jets are a tough team to crack and I feel like we'll know a lot more after their first three games, but I have a suspicion that the Jets will closely challenge the Patriots for the AFC East division crown and speaking of New England...

3) Are the Patriots done?

The New England Patriots have enjoyed a phenonenal decade run of success and dominance which has included three super bowl rings among countless division titles and 10+ win seasons. For the first time in a long time, doubt clouds Foxborough and the team lead by QB Tom Brady. There are some chinks in the armor of the usually well oiled Patriot attack including the now discontent Randy Moss and let's not forget about the rumors this off season about who's in charge. One has to ponder is it over for the evil genius? The Patriots are never out of it as long as the have Tom Brady and this year will be no different.

2) Are the Vikings a crappy team masquerading as a good one?

This question is built largely around the performance of Brett Favre, as is the hopes of the Viking franchise this season. Usually there's nothing wrong with hanging your hopes on a QB, but with this team it just seems like they're one bad play away from falling apart. Favre looks like a guy that doesn't want to play and it's doubtful he's going to be as good as he was last season so based on that alone they aren't as good as they were last year and with a slightly less glamorous Adrian Peterson, this team looks very undefined and I'm passing on them.

1) Is T.Ochocinco a Super Bowl winning combination?

People are very excited about the idea of Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco sharing the field in regular season games and lighting up the scoreboard and leaving the league's anti-celebration rules in their wake. But does adding T.O make the Bengals a Super Bowl contender, probably not. Very rarely does the acquisition of a WR make a tangible enough difference to be the x-factor between winning games and losing them. Might T.O. win them a couple games, maybe, but it'll be up to Carson Palmer to return to his 2006 form. But it's a lot of added pressure for him to take advantage to this two-pronged attack and if he fails he could also fall victim to the T.O venom of not getting it done. I think the Bengals will be better, just not Super Bowl better.

Photos Courtesy Getty Images and the Associated Press

Ryan Howard: Man of Power

Ryan Howard has been blowing up baseballs in a Phillies uniform since 2004 and last night he reached another milestone, he hit his 250th home run in his 855th career game. I'm not sure if you've been watching Sportscenter today, but that makes him the fastest to ever reach that mark.

Howard, since coming up to the big club has proved that being mainly a home run hitter isn't a bad thing, especially when you hit them at the right time. It's something that he's been doing his entire Phillies career and once again Ryan is on pace to light up another September.

In last night's game, Howard went three for five with six RBI and his 28th home run of the season in a 10-6 victory over the Marlins and since the turn of September he's been his usual self again.

Howard is hitting .324 with three doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs in nine games in September, after struggling mightily when he came off the DL last month.

In ten games since he returned to the lineup, Howard had only one home run and was batting .125 in 42 plate appearances. 

Howard told Phillies.com that even though the calendar has hit September, he doesn't feel any differently.

"It feels good to be able to go out and contribute," Howard said. "That's all I'm trying to do. September? I guess it just happens to be September. You know you're coming down the stretch and you know that every game counts, so I'm just trying to do my part."

Well it just so happens that Howard seems to dominate the month of September and after last night's home run according to ESPN.com, Howard now has 54 September home runs since 2005 which is the most in baseball.

Howard has come up huge since 2004 in the month of Spetember, he's hitting .314 with 141 RBI and his OPS is well over 1.000.

Howard already has four home runs in September after having six the entire month last season. He hit 11 in Sept and Oct. in 2008 and 11 in 2007 as well.

But Howard is more than just a September monster, he's a beast period. Coming into this season, he had 33 more home runs than any other player since 2006 and 81 more RBI, and 2006 was the year he just so happened to win the Home Run Derby.

Howard in his career is averaging 47 home runs and 139 RBI per season which puts him all by himself in terms of players that can compare to him currently.

Of active players, only a couple have numbers that are close to what Howard is averaging and that's Prince Fielder (38 HR and 105 RBI), Justin Morneau (31 HR and 116 RBI) and Albert Pujols (42 HR and 128 RBI)

The numbers are really eye popping when you look at his career numbers and see that since he officially broke into the lineup in 2005, he's had no fewer than 22 HRs in a season and that was in 2005 when he really only played in the second half after being called up, and then he went on to win rookie of the year.

In 2006, Howard won his first MVP award and in the three years following his accomplishment, he has placed in the top five in voting all three years. 

When you consider his numbers since he's been the regular first baseman for the Phillies in four seasons from 2006-2009 he's averaging 49 HRs and 143 RBI a season, now that's power.

So because of the time Howard missed this season, he's on pace for career low totals since his first real year in 2005 and considering he has 28 HRs and 95 RBI, he'll still be getting over the 30+ HR mark and will definitely break 100+ RBI. So a down year for Ryan Howard equals outstanding years for almost any other player in baseball, and he's only 30 years old which in baseball time means he still has a lot left to do, I mean look at Jim Thome.

Photos Courtesy the Associated Press