NFL Questions '06

Is this is the last season Bill Cowher will patrol the sideline for the Steelers?

Please don't throw Jerome Bettis under the bus (ouch!) for exposing his belief on NBC-TV that this is Cowher's last year with the Steelers. Bettis was nothing but honest as a player, and fans and TV executives expect no less in his new career. Plus, Bettis is making remarks that reflect feelings that many people in the Steelers organization-including the Rooneys-feared or, in fact, truly believed long before he said them. Cowher is thinking about quitting after this season, and you can point to three clear indicators. No. 1, he finally has his long-coveted Super Bowl championship, and although he wants to win another and be remembered like Bill Belichick, one could be enough in the grand scheme of his personal life. No. 2, he said this summer that he is taking the rest of his career on a "year-to-year" basis. He no longer talks about his job in the long term. No. 3, there has been little movement towards a contract extension, even though he will enter 2007 on the last year of his deal-something he and the Steelers do not want. Understandably, now that the season has started, Cowher doesn't want to talk about the possibility of quitting because he hasn't made up his mind yet and a coach or playing thinking about retiring already is halfway there. Prediction: Cowher will resign after this season, enjoy his family for a year or two and return in 2008 or 2009 with another team.

How long will Jake Plummer keep the starting quarterback job in Denver? All season, and maybe then some. Jay Cutler is promising, but you don't go from Vanderbilt to NFL stardom in a matter of months. Plummer isn't perfect, but no NFL quarterback can make that claim. Few of them can say they led their teams to 14 victories in one season-like Plummer did in 2005.

Are the Cardinals a threat, or just another Arizona mirage?

If Kurt Warner can stay upright, the Cardinals will have one of the most potent offenses in the league, with Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Edgerrin James, who might think he is back in Indianapolis. The NFC West is weak, and its defending champion Seahawks will take a step back. A game against Seattle on Dec. 10 in Cardinals Stadium will be decisive.

Are the defending AFC North champion Bengals destined to finish third? Yes. The Steelers are the best team in the division and the Ravens are greatly improved, thanks to the good health of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and Jamal Lewis moving one year past his legal and ankle problems. The Bengals, though, will start out without Carson Palmer at 100 percent and without star linebacker Odell Thurman for the first four games (substance-abuse suspension). Not to mention the arrests of four other players in the off-season. This team is combustible and could blow at any time.

Can Terrell Owens and Bill Parcells co-exist peacefully and successfully with the Cowboys?

No and yes. There will be little peace in Dallas as long as those two giant egos try to walk through the same front door. But the Cowboys are a better team with Owens, if he is healthy, and they will be one of the favorites to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLI. Owens completes what already was a good passing attack last season. Terry Glenn averaged 18 yards per reception, teaming with veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe, and tight end Jason Witten is a legitimate threat. Owens/Parcells will tolerate each other, but it might pay off only in the short term.