The National Football League focus returns to the field this week with the Indianapolis Colts' campaign for a Super Bowl repeat replacing Michael Vick's transgressions as the main topic.
Vick, the Atlanta Falcons superstar quarterback who pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges on August 27, awaits sentencing on December 10.
He may have to wait even longer to learn his eventual NFL fate. Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him indefinitely after Vick admitted to the grisly charges.
In addition to outraging animal lovers, Vick's case brought up numerous references to other NFL miscreants who have landed on the banned list under Goodell's new get-tough good conduct policies.
Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones was slapped with a year suspension by Goodell in April after half a dozen arrests which, Goodell told the player, "you have put in jeopardy an otherwise promising NFL career."
Cincinnati's Chris Henry, who scored nine touchdowns on just 36 catches last season, was banned eight games by Goodell as was Chicago's Tank Johnson, both after run-ins with the law.
Now it will be up to the likes of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, LaDainian Tomlinson and Reggie Bush to restore the league's lustre starting with Thursday's opener, New Orleans at defending champion Indianapolis.
Manning will be trying to guide the Colts to a second straight Super Bowl title - a repeat last achieved by the New England Patriots in 2005.
Brady's Patriots, who let slip a half-time lead over the Colts in last season's AFC championship game, are eager to rectify that mistake.
In their quest to unseat the Colts, the Patriots have added a host of players, including a trio of recievers - the talented but temperamental Randy Moss, former Eagles wideout Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker.
"I've heard over the last six months the expectations for this team - that we can just go out there and throw the ball on whomever we want and run it and gain 450 yards a game," Brady said.
"But it takes a lot. It takes a lot of guys coming together, finding a role and playing with toughness and effort. ... The potential of the team, that's one thing, but going out there to see what we can accomplish starting Week One is what's most important."
Elsewhere in the AFC, the San Diego Chargers boast the best running back in the game in Tomlinson and the Cincinnati Bengals are betting that quarterback Carson Palmer has what it takes to challenge Manning and Brady.
Baltimore, Denver and New York Jets each feel a missing piece of the puzzle was found with respective running backs Willis McGahee, Travis Henry and Thomas Jones.
The Chargers, denied in the playoffs after posting a 14-2 record last year, should contend again behind Tomlinson, who ran for 28 touchdowns and had three receiving scores en route to earning Most Valuable Player honors last season.
Expectations are also high in Cincinnati, where Palmer leads a potentially explosive offence.
In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints appear poised to follow a feel-good 2006 season with a serious Super Bowl bid. Returning home after being displaced in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina-related damage, the Saints reached their first NFC championship game.
The Saints have almost everyone returning from an offence that ranked first in the NFL, including rushers Bush and Deuce McAllister and quarterback Drew Brees. But the Saints no longer can count upon the element of surprise.
"You are going to be the hunted team now," McAllister said. "Teams are going to be looking forward to playing the Saints and see how good you are."
The Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys look to contend also.
The Seahawks won their third straight NFC West title in 2006 despite missing rusher Shaun Alexander for six games and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck for four.
Hasselbeck underwent offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum and his health could be a major concern after he endured knee, rib and shoulder problems last season.
The Bears still look like a playoff team, but could be hard-pressed to duplicate last season's 13-3 record, especially with Favre leading an NFC Central challenge from the Green Bay Packers.
Favre returns for his 17th season needing seven touchdown passes to break Dan Marino's NFL mark of 420 and two triumphs to surpass John Elway as the NFL's all-time winningest quarterback.
The Cowboys return with Tony Romo at quarterback and new coach Wade Phillips taking over for Bill Parcells.
Romo energized the Cowboys when he replaced now-retired Drew Bledsoe midway through last season, but he'll have to shake off his blunder in the playoffs - when he fumbled a field goal snap in a crushing loss to Seattle.
"That's in the past," Romo insists. "It happened. It was tough. But I'm over it and I think our team is over it."
Of course the biggest questionmark in the NFC now is the Falcons, thanks to the Vick fiasco. First-year coach Bobby Petrino will have to do what he can with journeyman Joey Harrington at quarterback.
