It seems NFL fans have had to wait longer than ever for football in 2011; that’s what a 136-day work stoppage can do for those thirsty to drink in America’s most popular sport.
The lockout is gone, and pro football is back even if the waiting game and weighty expectations persist in numerous NFL cities … just as they have for decades in some instances.
As the 2011 season dawns, nearly a dozen civic fan bases are hoping their 40-plus-year waits for Super Bowl glory will come to an end. In many of those towns — Philadelphia, San Diego, Atlanta, New York (at least the Big Apple’s Jets faction) and even Detroit and Houston — optimism might be more rampant than ever.
Kurt Warner knows something about crowning a town.
He led the St. Louis Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV after the 1999 season, giving St. Louis its first (and only) Lombardi Trophy. Nine years later, he piloted the Arizona Cardinals to their first Super Bowl, bringing the people of Arizona their first NFC title.
But Warner says the biggest step to vaulting the Super Bowl bar is first setting it that high.
“It’s extremely tough to lift the expectations (internally) — to get organizations and players to set your expectation higher and believe those expectations are reachable,” Warner says of traditionally downtrodden franchises. “It’s one thing to say it, it’s another thing to believe it; that’s the biggest struggle.”
The Philadelphia Eagles have been whiffing for decades in the quest for their first Super Bowl victory. Now they appear to be in brass-ring-or-bust mode after a post-lockout spending spree.
“The expectations can get too heavy,” says Warner, an analyst for NFL Network. “Right now, they’re supposed to win the championship.
“When I was in St. Louis, and we lost to the (New England) Patriots (in Super Bowl XXXVI), nobody felt like that year was a success.”
With a new contract extension in hand and an influx of talent around him, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is upbeat.
“I’ve had a vision since the beginning of summer,” Vick said. “I’m very optimistic that we’re going to have a good chance of having a great outcome this season.”
New York Jets coach Rex Ryan has guaranteed that he has the Super Bowl recipe this season, and his players are eager to back up the boast.
“This year’s no different, especially with the predictions from our head coach,” Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez says of the team’s objective. “We know our goal, and we’re not shy talking about it.”
The Jets have fallen one win short of the Super Bowl in Ryan’s first two seasons at the helm.
“They say the third time is a charm, so hopefully,” tight end Dustin Keller said.
Even clubs such as the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans, two of four teams (the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars) to never reach a Super Bowl, are hopeful of soon reaching the Super stage after seeing the Cardinals, New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks get there for the first time over the last six years. Ten different NFC teams have reached the last 10 Super Bowls, a trend that bodes well for the Lions.
“I know people in Detroit, people around the country, are very optimistic about the Lions,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said at the start of training camp.
The Lions ended 2010 on a four-game winning streak, ending a 26-game losing skid on the road in the process and further distancing themselves from their 0-16 debacle of 2008.
“They’re not perfect, not as good as they want to be on the edges,” NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger says. “But the mistakes are full speed, and they play with a lot of energy. You can see the confidence is growing in Detroit.”
As it is in San Diego, starved for a title since the Chargers were an American Football League power in the early 1960s.
“I don’t know if there’s a better thrower in the game right now than Philip Rivers,” Baldinger says of the Chargers quarterback. “This year with the kickoffs the way they are, teams will have to (frequently) go 80 yards, and that team can go 80 yards on anybody.
“Houston and San Diego could have the best offenses in football right now.”
Right now every team is 0-0, with playoff aspirations. Some aim higher.
“The only goal is to win the Super Bowl,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said after opening up his wallet after the lockout. “We don’t need any internal motivation. We’re obsessed.”
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