Will the simplification of the catch rule cause less confusion? (It can only help, right? Please say yes.) Will the personal conduct policy discipline continue to confound NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and his minions? Will CTE cause more trepidation? Can Jon Gruden find enough grinders to restore the glory of the Raiders? Can Jimmy Garoppolo pick up where he left off at the end of last season and carry the 49ers to the playoffs?
So many NFL plots to discuss, so little time. Here are The Post’s top 10 storylines heading into the 2018 season:
1. Young guns
Sam Darnold (Jets) from the Quarterback Class of 2018 may have the inside track on starting over Baker Mayfield (Browns) and Josh Rosen (Cardinals), but all three will cut their teeth as rookies, and sooner rather than later. Lamar Jackson (Ravens) will need Joe Flacco to stumble, and big-armed Josh Allen (Bills) is a project. The 2017 QB class gives us Deshaun Watson (Texans), back from a torn ACL; Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), who takes over from Alex Smith; and Mitch Trubisky (Bears) has more weapons than he did as a rookie.
2. Old guard
Eli Manning is 37. Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers are 36. Manning and Roethlisberger each have win a pair of Super Bowl wins, and this may be Rivers’ best chance for his first. The Quarterback Class of 2004 could easily boast three Hall of Famers. Oh … Tom Brady is 41, and desperately seeking his sixth Lombardi Trophy, and Drew Brees is 39 and stalking his second.
3. Rookie head coaches
Steve Wilks, after one year as Carolina defensive coordinator, replaces Bruce Arians in Arizona and has daunting tasks, with Larry Fitzgerald turning 35 before the season and deciding when first-round pick Josh Rosen takes over for Sam Bradford. Matt Nagy will work wonders for Mitch Trubisky, but the Bears have no chance to overtake the Vikings and Packers in the NFC North. Same goes for Matt Patricia in Detroit without a running game or enough of a defense to slow Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins. Mike Vrabel — like Patricia from the Bill Belichick coaching tree, like Wills having only one year as a defensive coordinator — needs Marcus Mariota to take the next step in a highly competitive AFC South. That is where Frank Reich, the choice after Josh McDaniels jilted the Colts, needs a healthy Andrew Luck.
4. The hot seat
Hue Jackson is 1-31 with the Browns. Not a typo. He might want to beat the Jets in Week 3 after opening against the Steelers and Saints. Jason Garrett is 67-53 with only one playoff win, so Jerry Jones won’t keep on keeping on unless the Cowboys reach the playoffs, and maybe even win a game. Vance Joseph looked overmatched as a rookie in Denver, and will be expected to win with QB Case Keenum. Dirk Koetter survived a 5-11 season at Tampa Bay and now he loses Jameis Winston for the first three games. Adam Gase fell to 6-10 in his sophomore-jinx season and might need to challenge the Patriots now that Ryan Tannehill is back. Todd Bowles is 20-28 without a playoff appearance, but Darnold could buy him one more year. Mike Brown seems to have a thing for Marvin Lewis (0-7 in the playoffs).
5. Comeback kids
Aside from Watson, the Colts are praying they can welcome back a healthy Luck (shoulder) after he missed last season. It killed Carson Wentz (knee) to miss the chance to lead the Eagles to their first Super Bowl championship, but there’s hope that he will be ready for the start of the regular season. Aaron Rodgers saw much of his 2017 season marred by a broken collarbone. A new contract will have him armed and dangerous. Tannehill (knee) missed last season, but the Fish passed on drafting a quarterback.
6. Running back renaissance
Even in a quarterback-driven league, the devaluation of the running back began taking a turn with Ezekiel Elliott’s impact on the Cowboys as a rookie in 2016. Leonard Fournette, who has dropped 11 pounds to a svelte 224, was a godsend for Blake Bortles last season. Kareem Hunt (1,782 total yards, 11 TDs) was a revelation in Kansas City. Dalvin Cook, a second-round pick in 2017 who was shelved for most of the season with a knee injury, is expected to balance the Vikings’ offense. Arizona’s David Johnson is the NFC version of Le’Veon Bell. Saquon Barkley will change the complexion of Eli Manning’s offense. The Seahawks drafted Rashaad Penny in the first round. Bill Belichick drafted Sony Michel in the first round. The Redskins drafted Derrius Guice in the second round to assist Alex Smith. Look what Todd Gurley did for Jared Goff last season.
7. Patriots’ die-nasty
Trouble in paradise. Brady doesn’t feel appreciated by Belichick. And doesn’t appreciate the internal crackdown on TB12 trainer Alex Guerrero. He does appreciate owner Robert Kraft, who solved the Jimmy Garoppolo conundrum when he traded him for a second-round pick to the ecstatic 49ers. Rob Gronkowski pondered retirement. No one knows when Belichick will turn the reins over to McDaniels. Can they ignore the noise yet again?
8. Super Bowl or bust QB
Cousins was the free-agent prize, and the Vikings lavished him with a three-year, fully guaranteed $84 million contract to win them a Super Bowl. There would have been less pressure this season if he decided to sign with the Jets, of course.
9. Can the Eagles repeat?
It probably won’t take them another 52 years to win a Super Bowl, but the last team to repeat was the 2003-04 Patriots. But NFC East foes scare no one, and there are no dominant teams in the conference. And Wentz will return along with Philly Special coach Doug Pederson and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. So no, it’s not out of the question. Just ask Vince Papale.
10. Flag football
The NFL keeps getting hit by President Trump and keeps on fumbling the stand-or-kneel-or-stay-in-the-locker room anthem issue. This will be an incessant, unwelcome storyline sure to haunt the league on gamedays and, if the league fails to recover the fumble, in attendance and TV ratings as well.