NFL writer Rick Gosselin answered your questions in an NFL chat Thursday. Here are some highlights.
Myron asks ... Have you heard if Colt McCoy will make the Browns or not? I'd be stunned if they are so secure in their QB situation to not need him.
Rick Gosselin: McCoy will make the team. He's a third-round draft pick, and I'd venture to say every third-round draft pick in 2010 will either be on a roster or injured reserve. This league keeps about 77 percent of all draft picks every year - and the percentage is much higher for the premium rounds (1-3). Besides, the Browns like McCoy. The plan is to redshirt him. Let him watch how a veteran like Jake Delhomme runs the offense, runs the lockerroom and runs the projector in film sessions. My guess is McCoy will be given a chance to win the starting spot in 2011. He has much to learn and the Browns believe they have the ideal teacher for him in Delhomme.
Sam Bradford asks ... Which rookie QB will have the best season?
Rick Gosselin: Probably Colt McCoy because he won't have to play. Because of their first-round standing, Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow will likely play fairly quick and turn the ball over. Rookie quarterbacks -- even the best of them -- tend to struggle. John Elway was benched twice in his rookie season, Troy Aikman lost all 11 of his starts and Peyton Manning led the NFL with 28 interceptions. Sometimes it's better to sit and watch that first season.
tsmed15 asks ... How do you think Josh Freeman will do this year? He looks like he could have a decent year with Williams as a go to WR?
Rick Gosselin: I like Freeman's upside but I think the Buccaneers are a long ways away from giving him a cast he can win with. Slow down on Mike Williams as the go-to guy. He's a rookie and rookie widouets tend to struggle. Only 13 rookie wide receivers in NFL history posted 1,000-yard seasons. Williams only played a half a season at Syracuse in 2009, so in addition to adjusting to more intense defensive coverage at this level he still has to shake off some rust. Troy Aikman didn't win until the Cowboys drafted Emmitt Smith and Alvin Harper.
Clyde asks ... Who wins the NFC North? That could be the toughest call, don't you think?
Rick Gosselin: The Packers. They were one of the five youngest teams in the NFL last season and won 11 games. That youth is maturing and Aaron Rodgers is now entrenched as a franchise quarterback. The Vikings are also Super Bowl contenders. The two head-to-head games between the Packers and Vikings will decide it. But at 41, I find it hard to believe Brett Favre can have the same type of season he had in 2009. But he surprised me then -- and could surprise me again. I think both the Packers and Vikings are among the eight best teams in the NFL.
Barron asks ... Do you like or dislike the possibility of an 18-game season?
Rick Gosselin: I'm in favor of any schedule that subtracts preseason games from the season ticket package. To force fans to pay the same price for a game in August as one in December is criminal. That's stealing money. Shame on the NFL. I'd prefer a 16-game schedule with no pre-season games. But what you're going to get is an 18-game schedule with two-preseason games. The owners have 10 home dates each season and they don't want to give them up. The players also don't want to take a pay cut, which would happen if there's a reduction in games. The revenue pie would shrink so the players would receive a smaller percentage of the gross. An 18-game season will mean more injuries and more meaningless games. The Super Bowl also will be played around Valentine's Day. I'm not a big fan of such a lengthy season -- but the players and owners aren't about to give up those 10 home dates per season. So an 18-2 breakdown is better than 16-4.
Barry asks ... What do you think about the Patriots? Tom Brady might be just fine, but I don't know about the rest of the team.
Rick Gosselin: I think the Patriots are still the team to beat in the AFC East. Did you know that the Patriots have had the best record in the East for nine consecutive seasons -- every season that Tom Brady has been the quarterback? The two years in there that the Patriots didn't make the playoffs they tied for the division lead but lost out on a playoff berth because of tie-breakers. A great quarterback can camouflage any and all weaknesses on a team. Brady is a great quarterback. Give a choice of Brady or Sanchez, I take Brady. It has always been and always will be a game of quarterbacks. Until some AFC East team finishes with a better record than the Patriots, I'm going to be riding the New England bandwagon. I'm not betting against him this year, either.
Cory asks ... Which team has the worst QB situation? If the Cardinals have no use for Matt Leinart, I guess it's not them.
Rick Gosselin: Either Arizona or Buffalo. Chan Gailey is hoping Trent Edwards can be the quarterback he was during the first eight games of the 2008 season, and Ken Whisenhunt is hoping Derek Anderson can be the quarterback he was in 2007 when he went to the Pro Bowl for the Browns. But there are certainly no guarantees. I'm not sure what becomes of Matt Leinart. But half the quarterbacks taken in first rounds don't make it. JaMarcus Russell, Tim Couch, David Carr, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, Matt Leinart ... the road is littered with busts in the Top 10 picks.
WHODAT asks ... what do you think could hold back the Saints from making another Super Bowl run?
Rick Gosselin: The division and the history of first-time winners. No team has ever repeated as division champion in the NFC South. All four teams have won a division title in the last six years. Also, when a team wins for the first time, a sense of self-entitlement seeps in. Baltimore, New England and Tampa Bay were all first-time Super Bowl winners in the last decade and not a one managed to win as much as a division title the following season -- and neither the Bucs nor the Patriots even returned to the playoffs. It's hard to win a Super Bowl. It's even harder to repeat. What was good enough one season isn't good enough the next when you're wearing a bull's eye. Hungry teams win Super Bowls. Hungrier teams repeat. It generally takes a first-time winner a year to figure that out -- and by then it's too late.
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