Bell: The NFL's schedule is out, but so many unknowns remain
Thanks, NFL.
With the much-anticipated release of the 2015 regular-season schedule — and you know you're big-time when that comes with hype upstaging a few NBA and NHL playoff games and is dissected with lengthy analysis shows on ESPN and NFL Network — we finally have some answers.
Like when Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will meet for the 17th time (Nov. 29, in Denver).
Or which weekends to book hotel rooms in Green Bay. (Oh. Already too late for that. They're gone).
Yet for everything that we know now, it's a given that much suspense will linger.
I mean, there's so much that we don't know.
Take the Sunday night AFC title game rematch between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, a.k.a. the team that turned in the champs to spark Deflategate. When they play at Lucas Oil Stadium on Oct. 18, you can bet that with new ball-handling procedures in store, the footballs will be inflated to 12.5 pounds per square inch. Or something like that.
What we don't know is whether Ted Wells' Deflategate investigation will be completed by then.
The NFL announced Wells' probe on Jan. 23. It's been 89 days ... and we're still waiting.
Kickoff Weekend, meanwhile, raises far more questions even with the matchups now cast in stone.
The Minnesota Vikings will open as part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader on Sept. 14, visiting the San Francisco 49ers. Will Adrian Peterson wear a purple uniform for his return?
Peterson's agent has grumbled that the star running back, reinstated last week from his suspension/exempt list absence, would be better off starting fresh with another team. Maybe the Vikings reverse course and grant his wish for a trade?
In the undercard that night, Chip Kelly's revamped Philadelphia Eagles open at the Atlanta Falcons. This doesn't mean that Tim Tebow will be in the lineup, does it?
Week 1 also pits the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a non-prime time contest of rebuilding teams. Will it also mark a matchup featuring rookie quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota? If so, that game becomes a lot more interesting.
Then there's Rex Ryan. The new Buffalo Bills coach will return to the Meadowlands to face his former team, the New York Jets, in a Thursday night clash on Nov. 12, which will precede a trip to Foxborough, Mass., 11 days later. But maybe an even better reunion will come at Philadelphia on Dec. 13, when Ryan's new running back, LeSean McCoy, faces his former team.
There's also some intrigue attached to a couple of matchups in Week 15. On Thursday night, Dec. 17, the St. Louis Rams will host the Buccaneers. The following Sunday, the San Diego Chargers will host the Miami Dolphins.
What's possible, but unknown at this point, is whether those two games will mark the final games in St. Louis and San Diego for the Rams and the Chargers — before they bolt to Los Angeles in 2016.
The Rams and Chargers both play their final two regular-season games on the road.
Take a look at Dallas' schedule and wonder, too. The Cowboys will host the Carolina Panthers on Thanksgiving. You'd think that newly acquired defensive end Greg Hardy, facing NFL discipline for his involvement in a sexual assault case that was dismissed, will be back in the lineup to face his former team. But there's still a great deal of uncertainty about when Hardy will return from an expected suspension.
The Cowboys visit the Eagles in Week 2 for a clash of the NFC East favorites, and chances are that Hardy won't be on the field to try to contain reigning NFL rushing champ DeMarco Murray in his first game against his former team. How about rematch? The Cowboys host the Eagles in Week 9.
Ah, Week 9. Peyton goes back to Indy where he can avenge the playoff loss in last season's divisional round. But Andrew Luck may have something to say about that.
That's why they play the games. They offer opportunities to buck trends.
I mean, the Patriots will open the season in the typical Thursday night slot. Any chance the Pittsburgh Steelers will stay competitive with their overhauled defense?
The NFC champion Seattle Seahawks will resume their heated division rivalry against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 22 at Levi's Stadium. Will 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick endure more gloom against the Legion of Boom?
Then there's Revis Island. Darrelle Revis goes back to Gillette Stadium with the New York Jets. Wonder whether all of that practice time against Brady will make a difference?
Another reunion looms on Thanksgiving night when Green Bay hosts the Bears. There are plans for the Packers to honor Brett Favre by retiring his jersey that night.
But you never know. That could be the night No. 4 announces that he is coming out of retirement. Again.
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Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell
