5 Things to Watch for 2010 NFL Season

The 2010 NFL season kicks off tonight with Minnesota at New Orleans. What are five things NFL fans should keep an eye on for the coming year? There are multiple plot lines that could be huge factors in terms of what eventually plays out during the 2010 season. I have narrowed the plot lines down to five stories that could determine what happens in the 2010 NFL season.

1) Is Brett Favre Due For A Slump?
Brett Favre put up ridiculous numbers with the Minnesota Vikings last season. As long as Favre is in the NFL, Favre will garner more media exposure than any other individual player. Favre, after all, is the face of the NFL. There are only a few icons in the league who represent a household name and Favre is at the top of the list. What Favre does will have a huge impact on the watch-ability of the 2010 NFL season. If Favre leads his Vikings to the playoffs again, expect the television ratings to stay extremely high during the postseason. The big question is whether or not Favre is due for a slump? Has this veteran aged like a fine wine or was the 2009 NFL season a rarity for Favre? These questions can only be answered during the course of the season. The biggest plot-line in the past decade could emerge if Favre somehow pilots his team to the Super Bowl in 2010. Another big plot-line could center around Favre if his past interception woes return. There could be many questions surrounding his return to the team well after the start of the preseason.

2) Will The Dallas Cowboys Gel In Time To Make Run At Super Bowl?
The Dallas Cowboys haven't really figured it out yet collectively. If the Cowboys get their talent to gel early, Dallas could be a major story and plot-line in the 2010 NFL season. The Cowboys are rich in tradition so any time they have a quality team it wreaks of extra media exposure. Jimmy Johnson has the team to get to the Super Bowl and if they make it--it'll be in Dallas. The big question is whether this team will come together and play at the talent level they currently have. Being in the NFC, the road will be a tough one for the Cowboys if they don't somehow manage to get off to a good start. A bad start means Dallas might have to go on the road to a Green Bay, New Orleans or Minnesota to win in the playoffs.

3) Will Vince Young Be Able To Steer The Titans Offense?
Vince Young showed signs during the 2009 NFL season of returning to his collegiate form. Young could be the most compelling story of 2010 if he leads the Tennessee Titans back to the playoffs. Young was once demoted and lost his starting job. His critics claim he is not an NFL style quarterback. Young could prove all of those critics wrong during the 2010 NFL season. Young has enough options on offense considering his tailback is Chris Johnson. That means Vince might be able to find targets down-field if defenses line up to stop CJ.
The return of Young to his Heisman like form could be the biggest plot line of the 2010 year if he leads the Titans to the Super Bowl. He will no doubt be under the media microscope.

4) Is Aaron Rodgers The Next Great Quarterback?
Riding in the shadows of Vince Young can't be easy. Aaron Rodgers has been there and done that. The Green Bay Packers quarterback is being talked about in the same circles as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady these days. Rodgers was one of the most efficient quarterbacks last season for the Packers. The world is expecting bigger and better things this season. Can Rodgers fulfill those expectations? Anyone who has stepped out of the shadows of Favre deserves to have his moment in the sun. Many Green Bay fans were ticked when the Packers let Favre go and decided to go with Rodgers instead. With a world of pressure on his back, all Aaron Rodgers has ever done is perform on a better than consistent level. The expectations are going to be greater this season than for many other NFL quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers could place his name in the ranks of some of the current greats with his second straight stellar season.

5) Will The Ben Roethlisberger Drama Hold Back Steelers?
Big Ben will miss the first few games of the NFL season. Steeler fans have to be wondering if that Big Ben drama is going to cost this team a chance at the postseason. Pittsburgh won't have it easy in the weeks that Ben Roethlisberger is on the shelf. The 2010 NFL season for the Steelers could be remembered as the one that Big Ben sunk with off the field problems. Would the Steeler fans forever hold a grudge? Or does Big Ben always have a place in the heart of Pittsburgh fans for leading them to a couple of Super Bowl wins?

Those are five stories that could be huge in the 2010 NFL season. There will be others that develop. New Orleans also figures to be a major story if they struggle and drop out of the playoff race like many other NFC teams have done in the past. There will be other multiple plot lines that nobody would expect.
The NFL could be a very interesting season with quite a few teams in the NFC emerging as playoff contenders. The AFC certainly doesn't look as challenging for teams like Indianapolis and New England. The 2010 NFL season kicks off tonight as New Orleans hosts Minnesota on NBC.