After what seemed an impossibly long summer, the NFL returns Thursday with the defending champion New England Patriots hosting the Kansas City Chiefs.
Although the league's elite teams have seemingly separated themselves from the rest of the pack, all 32 teams are fallible. And on the eve of the regular season, we dispense some advice to every club in hopes of accomplishing their best year yet.
Arizona Cardinals: Re-establish trust with John Brown and J.J. Nelson. David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald may break down if the offense revolves around them alone.
Atlanta Falcons: It's not your fault!
Baltimore Ravens: Call a meeting with Ray Lewis and ask the 13-time Pro Bowler to stop acting as an unofficial team spokesman. It's not helping anyone at this juncture.
Buffalo Bills: Execute a full-scale rebuild. Half-measures won't help the Bills break the cycle of mediocrity and it may be worth jettisoning all current assets in the hopes of building a long-term powerhouse. Don't laugh, you guys!
Carolina Panthers: Let Cam Newton dab again! The star quarterback was missing his swagger during the 2016 season and allowing him to play carefree will likely see him return to top form
Chicago Bears: Don't be hesitant to dismiss head coach John Fox. Although he joined the Bears with a great pedigree, a .281 winning percentage can only be excused for so long.
Cincinnati Bengals: Commit to a lead running back. The carousel of Joe Mixon, Giovani Bernard, and Jeremy Hill will prove to be a nightmare for an offense that is quickly losing any semblance of identity.
Cleveland Browns: Be patient. The Browns have assembled a talented roster but they are still young and facing a steep learning curve. Give this core some time to develop this fall while keeping the goal of long-term contention in mind.
Dallas Cowboys: Empower Dak Prescott to be the best leader he can be. Prescott didn't fluke into Pro Bowl and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors last year despite what some members of the football cognoscenti believe and he could become unstoppable if he succeeds without Ezekiel Elliott.
Denver Broncos: Consider signing Colin Kaepernick. It's a sentiment expressed to many teams, but the Broncos should not let a Super Bowl-caliber defense go to waste due to semantics alone.
Detroit Lions: Invest in an alarm clock. The Lions set a record for fourth-quarter comebacks last season, an unsustainable formula for success.
Green Bay Packers: Continue to dial up aggressive blitz packages. The Packers ranked within the top six in sacks and interceptions last year and a defense that continues to be remotely stable is all Aaron Rodgers needs for the second Super Bowl victory of his career.
Houston Texans: Encourage J.J. Watt to continue to lead by example, as his fundraising efforts during Hurricane Harvey have proven to transcend sports and celebrity itself.
Indianapolis Colts: Give Andrew Luck all the time he needs to recover from surgery. The Colts aren't going anywhere this fall and they could be in line for a top draft pick if Luck is given time to rest, while Scott Tolzien falters.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Provide Blake Bortles with some tough love. The Jaguars have given him every chance to succeed and if he falters again, start building a contingency plan while stop-gap Chad Henne takes over.
Kansas City Chiefs: Trade Alex Smith while you can still gauge value from him as numerous teams look for genuine starters, as Patrick Mahomes is ready to take over the franchise and propel the Chiefs to new heights.
Los Angeles Chargers: Continue to operate an aggressive secondary. The Chargers finished tied for first in the NFL with 18 interceptions last year and while turnover differential always fluctuates wildly, it's worth replicating the same formula.
Los Angeles Rams: Allow Sean McVay to coach the Rams without any interference. McVay is the youngest head coach in league history and will likely not have to deal with the external criticism lobbied at Jeff Fisher, before he was ousted.
Miami Dolphins: Stop treating Jay Cutler as a meme from yesteryear and as an actual, capable quarterback tasked with leading the team back to the playoffs.
Minnesota Vikings: Show Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks their highlight tapes from 2015. Both linebackers' declines last year were seemingly inexplicable and both players need to be at their best if the Vikings are to challenge for a playoff spot.
New England Patriots: Do not change a thing.
New Orleans Saints: Stop playing a game of chicken with Drew Brees over a prospective contract extension. He's the best player in franchise history and losing him would be catastrophic for such a cap-tied organization.
New York Giants: Whether it's fair or not, restrict the team from all boating activities during the season. Odell Beckham Jr. isn't a distraction by any means but the circus-style coverage surrounding the team's boat trip proved to be unnecessary.
New York Jets: In the world's largest media market, the Jets should uninstall the Twitter app and purchase a pair of noise-canceling headphones to block out the constant array of bad news.
Oakland Raiders: Trade for a proven inside linebacker. If you can name the team's starters at this position, you're either on the Raiders coaching staff or spent far too much time monitoring their depth chart.
Philadelphia Eagles: Add a number of slant and curl routes to the playbook. If Carson Wentz isn't capable of making downfield throws, it's on the Eagles to provide him with the best circumstances to succeed.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Make sure Le'Veon Bell's every need is catered to, even as he becomes the league's highest-paid running back this season. The prospect of Bell leaving is untenable.
San Francisco 49ers: Keep Jed York away from all critical meetings. A new regime led by Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch has been installed and York's imprint could sink a team that is slowly climbing out of the proverbial debris.
Seattle Seahawks: Let Sheldon Richardson be himself. The Seahawks have one of the most liberal environments in the NFL and allowing Richardson to just play without having to scale back his personality could make him the final piece for the Seahawks' Super Bowl run.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Don't tell Jameis Winston that the "Hard Knocks" cameras have stopped rolling. Winston showed every sign of developing into a superstar on HBO's program this fall and could lead the Buccaneers to a division title in a wide-open NFC South.
Tennessee Titans: Get rookies Corey Davis, Taywan Taylor, and Adoree' Jackson involved early. While the Titans are vying for the division title, the team is succeeding in large part due to its youngest players and could be placing the seeds for long-term contention after this year.
Washington Redskins: Leave the Kirk Cousins contract fiasco alone until the summer. For the time being, he has to play under the franchise tag and fretting about it during the season can impede a sneaky-good offense that could make waves in 2017.
