NFL: What you need to know for the season
Jarryd Hayne has been one of the biggest stories during the NFL pre-season.
His journey from someone who had never played American Football to making the roster of an NFL franchise within 11 months is simply remarkable.
But Hayne isn’t your prototypical athlete – he is a superstar, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he has made the transition look so seamless.
Now the journey starts for Hayne and his San Francisco 49ers with the regular season beginning on Friday morning.
Here is my preview of Week 1 of the NFL and predictions for this season.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS v PITTSBURGH STEELERS
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For months it seemed the Patriots would be without star quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the season after he was suspended for the alleged tampering of footballs in last season’s AFC title game against the Colts.
‘Deflategate’ as the scandal became known saw the Patriots alleged of underinflating their footballs below the minimum requirement.
The Wells Report implicated Brady - concluding it was more probable than not that he knew of the deflation.
The NFL Players Association filed an appeal of the suspension but the NFL upheld their decision.
So the NFLPA and Brady took the NFL to court where the suspension was thrown out by the judge due to multiple legal deficiencies.
It means Brady will be under centre for the Patriots against the Steelers tomorrow morning.
New England may have lost defensive studs Vince Wilfork and Darrelle Revis from their Super Bowl winning team but their still favourites to win another AFC East title, although it won’t be as easy this season.
Pittsburgh goes into this match with questions mark over their offence.
Star running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Martavis Bryant are both suspended while centre Maurkice Pouncey is out until at least Week 9 with a lower leg injury.
TIP – Patriots by 14
CHICAGO BEARS v GREEN BAY PACKERS
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After their heartbreaking collapse in the NFC title game against the Seattle Seahawks, the Packers will be out for redemption this season.
Reigning MVP, quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be without his number one target, with Jordy Nelson out for the season after tearing his ACL in the pre-season.
But Rodgers still has weapons at his disposal in the form of Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and the newly signed James Jones.
Eddie Lacy has now established himself as one of the league’s best running backs.
NFC North division rivals the Bears have low expectations coming into this season.
Enigmatic quarterback Jay Cutler remains at the helm of the offence while John Fox is Chicago’s new coach after failing to lead the Denver Broncos to a Super Bowl title.
TIP – Packers by 17
HOUSTON TEXANS v KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith failed to throw a passing touchdown to one of his wide receivers last season.
But the signing of Jeremy Maclin from the Eagles gives a new dimension to their offence, which also includes one of the league’s top running backs Jamaal Charles.
Kansas City come up against one of the league’s most feared defence’s led by two time defensive player of the year J.J. Watt.
Can Watt top his 20 ½ sacks from last season?
Nose Tackle Vince Wilfork should take the defence to another level and Houston will be hoping 2014 Number 1 draft pick Jadeveon Clowney can have an injury free season and make an impact.
Questions remain over their offence with Brian Hoyer winning the quarterback job over Ryan Mallett.
Star running back Arian Foster is out injured to start the season.
Andre Johnson has joined division rivals the Colts but watch for DeAndre Hopkins to have a breakout season.
TIP – Chiefs by 3
NEW YORK JETS v CLEVELAND BROWNS
The dramas at the Jets continued during the off-season.
Quarterback Geno Smith had his jaw broken after he was punched by former teammate Ikemefuna Enemkpali. He believed Smith owed him $600 for a plane ticket.
It means veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick will start the season under centre for the Jets who have recruited former Bears receiver Brandon Marshall.
The Jets have one of the best defensive lines in the league, which has got stronger by the addition of rookie Leonard Williams.
Shut down cornerback Darrelle Revis returns to New York after helping division rivals New England win last year’s Super Bowl.
Will it be another year of disappointment for Cleveland? Josh McCown has been named to start at quarterback ahead of Johnny Manziel but how long before Johnny Football wins the starting job.
They’ve only added Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline to their receiving corp. The Browns have a very sound defence but will their offence be able to stay on the field long enough.
TIP – Jets by 7
BUFFALO BILLS v INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
The Rex Ryan era in Buffalo begins when they host the Colts.
The Bills went 9-7 last season, but can they win more games this season?
Buffalo could easily finish the year as the league’s best defence.
They’ve made moves to improve their offence adding running back LeSean McCoy and Percy Harvin at wide receiver but questions remain at quarterback.
Tyrod Taylor makes his first start under centre in the NFL after joining from the Ravens. If the Bills can get their offence clicking they could challenge the Patriots for the AFC East title.
The Colts will once again be led by superstar quarter Andrew Luck who has a number of weapons at his disposal this season.
Frank Gore is in at running back after the failed Trent Richardson project while Andre Johnson joins from AFC South division rivals Houston.
T.Y Hilton will look to build on a career year last season while rookie Phillip Dorsett will be an explosive third choice option at receiver.
Luck is a strong candidate to win this year’s MVP award.
TIP – Colts by 6
WASHINGTON REDSKINS v MIAMI DOLPHINS
Robert Griffin III is no longer the starting quarterback in Washington with Kirk Cousins to lead the offence.
The Redskins will likely struggle again this season and could finish up with the league’s worst record.
Miami, like the Bills could challenge for the AFC East title. The Dolphins signed defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh on the largest contract ever given to a defensive player (6 years $163 million)
The Dolphins have a potent offence this season adding receivers Greg Jennings, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills plus tight end Jordan Cameron.
TIP – Dolphins by 13
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS v CAROLINA PANTHERS
The Panthers have a great defence led by dominant middle line backer Luke Kuechly but scoring points could be Carolina’s big problem.
Star receiver Kelvin Benjamin is out for the season with a knee injury leaving tight end Greg Olsen as Cam Newton’s number 1 target.
The Jaguars have signed tight end Julius Thomas from the Broncos but he’ll miss at least the first 3 games.
Their biggest blow was losing rookie defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. for the season during training camp.
Second round pick TJ Yeldon is set to start the season at running back ahead of Denard Robinson.
Blake Bortles will be hoping for a better second season in the NFL.
TIP – Panthers by 3
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS v ST LOUIS RAMS
Why did they not run it in?
Seattle coach Pete Carroll would have replayed the ending to Super Bowl 49 over and over in his head during the off-season.
If you need your memory refreshed, 26 seconds were left on the clock and the Seahawks were down 28-24 with the ball on the Patriots 1 yard line and instead of running it in, Russell Wilson’s pass was intercepted by Malcolm Butler giving New England another Super Bowl title.
The Seahawks were so close to back-to-back titles but they’re in a good position to make it 2 in 3 years.
They now have another major weapon for quarterback Russell Wilson in the red zone.
Former Saints tight end Jimmy Graham will add another dimension to Seattle’s offence.
The Seahawks remain strong on defence but the loss of safety Kam Chancellor could be crucial if a new deal can’t be sorted.
The Rams will be without rookie running back Todd Gurley for at least the opening three weeks of the season.
St Louis now has former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles leading the offence after coming to the Rams in a trade for Sam Bradford.
This promises to be an intriguing NFC West divisional showdown to begin the season.
TIP – Seahawks by 10
ARIZONA CARDINALS v NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Can the Cardinals repeat their 11-win season? Quarterback Carson Palmer is back after an ACL injury but is now 35.
Andre Ellington leads an explosive backfield and watch for receiver John Brown to have a breakthrough season.
Arizona has lost defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who is the new head coach of the New York Jets.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing season, in which he threw 17 interceptions. With Graham and Stills gone, Brandin Cooks will look to step up and fill the void.
TIP – Cardinals by 6
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS v DETROIT LIONS
The Chargers will be hoping for big things from rookie running back Melvin Gordon, who San Diego took with the 15th pick in this year’s draft.
Gordon broke all kinds of records in college at Wisconsin and will look to balance the Chargers offence.
Phillip Rivers and the Chargers are primed to challenge the Broncos for the AFC West title.
The Lions have lost defensive stud Ndamukong Suh – a big blow to last year’s number 1 defence against the run.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford will be hoping Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson can stay injury free this season.
TIP – Chargers by 14
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS v TENNESSEE TITANS
What a first round matchup of the top two picks and quarterbacks in this year’s draft.
Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota will be out to make the perfect to start to their NFL careers.
Winston, the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, was considered the most pro-ready quarterback in the draft and was taken with the top pick by Tampa Bay.
Winston will begin the season behind a suspect offensive line and it will be interesting to see the relationship he forms with receiver Mike Evans who enjoyed a breakout rookie season.
Mariota will be looking to show the Buccaneers why they should have taken him with the top pick.
The former Oregon star looked solid in pre-season and will cause teams all kinds of problems with his mobility.
He doesn’t have many go to options at receiver and will be hoping Bishop Sankey can step up in his second season.
TIP – Titans by 3
OAKLAND RAIDERS v CINCINNATI BENGALS
The Raiders will be a fun team to watch this season but I can’t see them doing much.
Outside linebacker Khalil Mack is a defensive stud and will amass plenty of sacks this season.
Oakland used the fourth pick in this year’s draft on star Alabama receiver Amari Cooper.
The Bengals will be out to reach the playoffs for a fifth straight year but they haven’t won a post-season game since 1991.
TIP – Bengals by 10
DENVER BRONCOS v BALTIMORE RAVENS
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Will this be Peyton Manning’s 18th and final season in the NFL?
New head coach Gary Kubiak will install a run heavy offence, which should take some of the pressure of Manning who struggled in the back half of last season.
Running back CJ Anderson emerged in a big way last year and Manning still has receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders as his main targets.
The Broncos have a star-studded defence led by outside linebacker Von Miller.
The Ravens have a new look offence after Torrey Smith and Owen Daniels departed in free agency.
Rookie receiver Breshad Perriman is one to watch this season.
On defence, the signings of safety Kendrick Lewis and cornerback Kyle Arrington are huge and could help Baltimore reach the Super Bowl.
TIP – Ravens by 3
DALLAS COWBOYS v NEW YORK GIANTS
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With DeMarco Murray now playing for NFC East division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles, it will be intriguing to see if the Cowboys can dominate the run game again with an intimidating offensive line but a lesser quality running back.
The Cowboys have traded for former Seattle running back Christine Michael so it looms as a battle between him, Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle for the starting job.
Losing corner back Orlando Scandrick for the season is a big blow but Dallas should do enough to win the division.
There are plenty of concerns for the Giants heading into the season.
Pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul isn’t likely to return soon with a serious hand injury leaving the defence weakened.
Eli Manning will have receiver Victor Cruz back this season as well as the human highlight reel Odell Beckham Jr. as his main targets.
TIP – Cowboys by 10
ATLANTA FALCONS v PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Falcons have a new coach in Dan Quinn who turned the Seahawks into one of the NFL’s most feared defences.
Atlanta surrendered the most passing yards per game last season.
If they can fix their defence, their offence still has weapons.
Matt Ryan is a proven quarterback who is throwing to the game breaker that is star receiver Julio Jones.
The Eagles underwent a massive transformation during the off-season.
Sam Bradford is in at quarterback – he dealt with injury after injury at the Rams but will be hoping to finally show why he was the number 1 pick in 2010.
The signs were encouraging for Bradford during the pre-season.
He also has last year’s rushing leader DeMarco Murray to hand the ball to this season.
Philadelphia also spent big on defence bringing in gun inside linebacker Kiko Alonso and former Seahawks corner back Byron Maxwell.
TIP – Eagles by 14
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS v MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The time has arrived for Jarryd Hayne to shine.
Hopefully Hayne suits up as one of San Francisco’s 46 active players for Tuesday's season opener against the Vikings.
Hayne has been pencilled in as the third choice running back behind Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush on the 49ers unofficial depth chart.
But will Hayne be the number one kick and punt returner?
Reggie Bush is listed as the number one option for now ahead of Hayne and Bruce Ellington. It is likely we will see Hayne take the field against the Vikings.
Hayne and his 49ers could find it tough going this season in the NFC West.
There has been a massive exodus from Santa Clara during the off-season.
Patrick Willis, Aldon Smith, Justin Smith and Chris Borland are all gone from the defence.
Softening the blow is the return of inside linebacker Navarro Bowman.
The Vikings are boosted by the return of superstar running back Adrian Peterson who played only one game in 2014 due to suspension.
Teddy Bridgewater will look to go to another level in his second season and has a new weapon in receiver Mike Wallace.
TIP – Vikings by 6
DIVISION WINNERS
AFC EAST – New England Patriots
AFC NORTH – Baltimore Ravens
AFC SOUTH – Indianapolis Colts
AFC WEST – San Diego Chargers
WILD CARDS – Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins
NFC EAST – Dallas Cowboys
NFC NORTH – Green Bay Packers
NFC SOUTH – New Orleans Saints
NFC WEST – Seattle Seahawks
WILD CARDS – Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles
SUPER BOWL 50 PREDICTION – Colts v Packers