Thursday night will mark the opening of the 2007/08 NFL season, so if all you folks have already loaded up the newest Madden game far too many times and are already thirsting for some real action - the wait is over.

The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints will kick off this season with what should be an entertaining, high scoring game. What are we to expect from the season as a whole though? Here’s what you need to know:

Championship hopefuls:
Most fans would beg to differ, but there really are not that many teams that seem to have all of the credentials to be considered true challengers as the season begins. Teams like the San Diego Chargers are incredibly strong on paper, but a brand new coaching staff means they might rather be a year away from the title. Most other teams seem to have flaws that make it tough to argue in their favour. The following are however the teams that make a compelling case for a Super Bowl victory:

'Have fun with this new and improved NFL season, as the turmoils of summer have depleted many rosters, and have strengthened others' It is going to be a fun NFL season."


New England Patriots: For the first time in his life, Tom Brady gets some superstar teammates on offense to play with. This is definitely the best receiving team he has had in his career. Add to that a motivated Bill Belichik who should feel like it has been eons since their last title (it’s only been two years). The D is solid and if Randy Moss does not implode nothing can stop them.

Indianapolis Colts: Well, nothing can stop the Pats, unless it is Payton Manning. Manning returns with the defending champion Colts. With that huge monkey off his back of never having won the big one, he can now focus on dominating the league even more than ever before. The D has lost many pieces but until they falter, the road to the Super Bowl runs through Indy.

Baltimore Ravens: The AFC is loaded with talent, and the Ravens are most probably the third force right after the Pats and the Colts. The Ravens bring relentless D and a pretty good offense to the table. You know what they say, defense wins championships. They were knocking on the door last year. This year they might be the last team standing in the AFC.

Chicago Bears: Say whatever you want about Da Bears, they are still an incredibly strong team. Sure, Rex Grossman might just be shaky enough to get them out of the running. But don’t forget, that it was the young QB’s stellar performance early on that had Bears fans talking title. Can Rex forget that shaky Super Bowl showing? Only time will tell.

New Orleans Saints: In all fairness the Saints and Bears are both missing some pieces. The Bears lack offense, the Saints are a few defensive pieces away from true contender status, but with a killer AFC play-offs on the way, whoever wins the NFC certainly will be in a better physical condition for the Super Bowl, and the Saints are the top challengers for the NFC title defending Bears. Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister are all superb players on the offensive end for a sturdy New Orleans squad.

Keep a eye out for these teams:

Buffalo Bills: JP Loseman is a great guy, and it just makes you want him to succeed even more. The Bills are stuck in a very strong conference with the Pats and the New York Jets both boasting play-off credentials from last season, so their schedule might be too much for them to get into the post season, but this team has shown significant improvement in the past few years, and it might be time for them to shine.

New York Giants: With no Tiki Barber, the Giants have a giant question mark with their running game. Coach Tom Coughlin is on the hot seat, QB Eli Manning is having to pull off wins without Tiki bailing him out, the defense is old and rusty. This type of turmoil is no way to build a winner, but boy will it be fun to watch. My prediction is the Giants will be red hot one week and super cold the next, so start checking them out before they get disbanded.

Atlanta Falcons: No Vick means a new system for the team in Georgia. You cannot say they were exactly prepared for this. All of this will make for an interesting, albeit sloppy, showing from them, as they will probably hope for 2008 to come quickly.

Houston Texans: Matt Schaub is the new sheriff in town, taking over David Carr’s QB role. He should fit in fine, but I don’t see how that O-line will protect him better than it did Carr, which means if you love seeing QB’s being pummeled again and again, you better catch a few Houston games.

San Diego Chargers: A completely new coaching staff will be taking over here. You must watch this team for no other reason than Ladanian Tomlinson. He was insane last year, and he looks to be even better this year.

So have fun with this new and improved NFL season, as the turmoils of summer have depleted many rosters, and have strengthened others. My prediction? It's going to be a fun NFL season.

Who do you fancy to make Superbowl this time? Post your comments below or submit an article to Sportingo.