Terrell Owens has moved onto the Philadelphia Eagles but can't seem to stop trash talking former teammate and QB Jeff Garcia. In an interview with Playboy, Owens had this to say about the new Cleveland Browns pivot when pressed about rumours that Garcia is gay. "Like my boy tells me: If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat." Ouch. Someone needs to buy T.O. a rainbow coloured sharpie. When Eagles head coach Andy Reid was asked for comment about the story he responded with, "I don't read Playboy". At least Reid is honest; most people say they get the magazine for the articles.

The Buccaneers have apparently opted to become Raiders East. In addition to bringing in coach Jon Gruden two seasons ago the Bucs have raided the Raiders personnel and management. ("raided the Raiders": I know it's bad but what other word am I gonna use there?) Bruce Allen is the new Bucs GM and he has come over with Charlie Garner, Tim Brown and Matt Stinthcomb. Why bother with a draft when you just keep picking off two teams' rosters. Before this Raiders obsession the Bucs picked up Simeon Rice, Michael Pittman and Thomas Jones from the Cardinals.

Speaking of Gruden you have to love the thoughts he served up on disgruntled former Buc MeShawn Johnson, "Keyshawn never liked me from the first day, no matter what he says. Now he's with his favourite coach and I guess he can go about dominating the NFL like he says he can." You have to love sarcasm.

	Lesnar found the transition from wrestling to pro football challenging. (Source: WWE)

Brock Lesnar quit wrestling and left behind a lucrative contract with the WWE for a shot at making it as a professional football player; a sport he hadn't played at a competitive level in nine years. Lesnar got cut by the Vikings but made an impression with his work ethic and eagerness to learn. Apparently he was fine through the start of games, where teams typically script out the first 15 plays of the game, though after the script was finished Lesnar was lost. Maybe it's for the best. I mean just imagine all the stuff Lesnar would try if the ref wasn't looking.

The biggest potential impact this season will come from the NFL rule changes err rule enforcement. The league has made it a mandate to crack down on illegal contact from cornerbacks after 5 yards. Teams like the Panthers and Patriots rode the lax rule enforcement straight to the Super Bowl. The Patriots in particular rode the coattails of an aggressive defence that relied on CBs playing physical man-to-man coverage. It'll be interesting to see how and if Pats coach Bill Belichick, the so-called "NFL genius", can work his way around this one. I think this genius label is being thrown around all too much in the NFL. Ravens Brian Bellick was called a genius after the Ravens Super Bowl; I don't understand what's so genius about telling Ray Lewis to go onto the field. The overuse of "genius" is right up there with the ridiculous "Best of the Century" comments: "Best Movie of the Century", "Car of the Century", "Athlete of the Century". In other words best of the last four years? You could make a strong case that the 2002 World Cup of Soccer was the best World Cup tourney of the century or that the SLC Olympics were hands down the best winter Olympics of the 21st century.

	CBs like Ty Law will be hampered by the new rule enforcements. (Source: AP)

Illegal contact penalties have been in place since 1974 but have rarely been enforced especially in the past few years. To draw an analogy think of the NHL's attempt, feeble albeit to call obstruction penalties. Teams like the Devils manipulated the lax rules to their advantage by deploying the neutral zone trap. Obstruction is like illegal contact; both are in the rulebook, simply not enforced. Now the referees have been instructed by the league to clamp down and call everything. Assuming the league sticks to the plan throughout the year the question has to be asked: who will be affected the most by the rule enforcement? Teams that deploy man-to-man coverage or that have slower CBs i.e. New England, Miami, and Carolina. Also teams that field a 46 defense like Tennessee may struggle because the 46 defense calls for CBs to play single coverage. So what defenses will flourish? Cover 2 oriented defenses, most notably Denver and Tampa. The Cover 2 defense relies on corners to drop back and use their speed to intercept/deflect passes underneath coverage.

What ever happened to Patriots CB and AFC championship game star's declaration to never play a game for the defending Super Bowl champs? Ty Law said that he could never see himself playing for Patriots, their contract offers were a slap in the face, and that head coach Belichick "gets paid to lie". I guess we can chalk up Law's statement with all the other sports statements you can't take at face value: Michael Jordan; "I'm 99.9% sure I'll never come out of retirement." Pete Rose: "I never bet on baseball." Any free agent who cashed in with a big contract: "It's not all about the money." Sports statements are like Arnold Schwarzenegger's political career - you can't them too seriously.

So Michael Vick won't cut his hair until the Falcons win the Super Bowl (good luck with that, we'll be calling him Michael Pick after watching him give birth to a massive afro) and Houston Texans QB won't cut his hair until the Texans win two straight games (not exactly big aspirations). You have to wonder what kind of goal Pittsburgh SS Troy Polamalu has set for himself and the Steelers.

Super Bowl Prediction: Seahawks vs. Broncos.

The Seahawks are the "in pick" to make the turn and become of the NFL's elite teams and in a weak NFC conference it is very possible. Matt Hasselbeck is on the verge of becoming a clutch QB after his incredible playoff performance at Lambeau last year. Everyone remembers his infamous prediction at the OT coin toss, "We'll take the ball…..and we're gonna score!" but not many remember that he went 25 for 45 with 305 yards in a tough playoff stadium. I love Seattle's offense with Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander, Koren Robinson, Darrell Jackson and Jerramy Stevens but I have to question the defense. Signing an over-rated Grant Wistrom to help the undersized Chike Okeafor with the pass rush still doesn't measure the 'Hawks up against other top D units. The secondary is young and inexperienced, which isn't a bad thing, just a cause for concern. Still, hedging your bets on a Seattle Super Bowl win isn't a bad deal. The Broncos on the other hand are my choice for Acne team or team most likely to breakout.

	The Broncos, led by Jake Plummer are a good bet to have a breakout year. (Source: AP)

Acne Team: It's hard to label a team that went 10-6 last year as a breakout team but getting humbled 41-0 by the Colts last season just shows how much ground the Broncos really needed to make up to be considered a legitimate threat. Gone is Clinton Portis but his production should be compensated with the effort of Quentin Griffin and rookie Tatum Bell; Denver is after all the NFL's RB factory that produces 1,000-yard rushers at will. The defence is improved with the additions of Champ Bailey and veteran John Lynch who, teamed with Kenoy Kennedy will comprise the hardest hitting safety combo in the league. Denver was 9-1 last year when QB Jake Plummer started so as long as he stays healthy he'll be able to produce big numbers with a dangerous trio of WRs: Rod Smith, Ashley Lelie and rookie speedster Darius Watts.

As a dark horse choice for team to breakout, the Houston Texans will be greatly improved and will flirt with a .500 record. The offense is maturing and has some real game breakers in place with David Carr, Andre Johnson and Domanick Davis. The defense is improving and is bolstered with the additions of two 1st rounders: CB Dunta Robinson and OLB Jason Babin. The Texans are still another year away from challenging for a playoff spot.

The best part about the start of a new season is the fans across the board are excited about their teams' chances; that includes Lions and Cardinals fans who seem to be turning the corner with the drafting of young impact players. Yes, the parity of the NFL makes it the all-ages show of all professional sports although it also makes it all the more difficult to navigate your way through the office suicide pool that usually ends up getting won by the office secretary.