It won’t be business as usual this season

Hey, didn’t you used to be Joe Gibbs? Well, glad to have you back then. We know it’s been 12 years, but your return to the NFL is long overdue.

You have no idea how much we’ve missed you. Things got so bleak without you that Buddy Ryan, Tom Flores and Rich Kotite got re-hired. No, really. For Pete’s sake, Bruce Coslet even got another job. (That didn’t last. He took over the Bengals and … oh, we don’t have time for it.)

Bill Cowher? Yeah, he’s still around. So is Mike Holmgren, although he’s in Seattle now. You know he won a Super Bowl, right?

So let’s get right to the point. Things have changed, Joe. And we’re not sure it’s for the better.

Where to start? Well, the Rams are in St. Louis now, the Raiders are back in Oakland, and the Oilers have moved to Tennessee. The Cleveland Browns left, then came back – without Art Modell.

And another thing. The Seahawks are in the NFC now. The Seahawks, remember them? … Blue and green? … Yes, they were in the NFL back then. Finished 2-14, though.

Well, now some people think they might go 14-2. Big-time people, like Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, ESPN and The Sporting News. They all have the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

Yeah, things have really flipped. Miami, San Diego and Pittsburgh, who were the class of the AFC back in ‘92, could be in for long, painful seasons. Oh, and the Rams, Buccaneers and Patriots – teams you used to laugh at – well, they’re the ones laughing now.

Remember the Cardinals? (No, they haven’t won anything. Let’s not get too ambitious.) Well, the Cardinals – and you might want to sit down for this, Joe – aren’t in the NFC East anymore. They’re the Seahawks’ doormats now.

You might want to get some maps, too. The NFL is playing in places like North Carolina and Jacksonville. Teams are back in Oakland, Houston and Baltimore.

Not that everything’s changed. The Cowboys are still your biggest rivals, and the Detroit Lions still play like kittens. Oh, and Dick Vermeil still cries a lot.

There’s also Deion Sanders, Vinny Testaverde and even Chris Chandler. They’re all still around, although Prime Time took a break for a little TV time.

Mark Rypien, you say? No, he’s gone. Tried to make a comeback, but … Let’s just say he’s off enjoying an easier life. Probably watching NASCAR or something like that.

Perhaps the most important change is this: there are two extra wild-card teams now. That means everyone’s got a shot. Everybody. Fans in Detroit and Cincinnati have reason to believe that the planets will align and this will be their year. And in Arizona … OK, maybe not in Arizona.

Even the Redskins have a chance, Joe, despite the dreary past couple of years. Now, if only you could figure out a way to make the 2004 version of Shawn Springs look more like the 1998 version …

What it boils down to is this, Joe: The Seahawks could look like the 1992 Bills, and the Bills could look like the 1992 Seahawks. The closest thing we’ve got to a dynasty is Bill Belichick. There are no guarantees, Coach G, so settle in and enjoy the show.

Because the show keeps changing every year. And you never know how different it might look in 2016.

Let’s just hope Steve Spurrier isn’t trying to make a comeback then.

Seahawks at Saints

Kickoff: 10 a.m. Sunday

TV: Fox (Ch. 13)

Radio: KIRO (710 AM)

Stars to watch: Seahawks – QB Matt Hasselbeck made his first Pro Bowl appearance last season and is setting his sights even higher. RB Shaun Alexander has three consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. LT Walter Jones is expected to start after skipping all of training camp for the third year in a row. DE Grant Wistrom got a team-record $14 million signing bonus to help shore up Seattle’s lackluster pass rush.

Saints – RB Deuce McAllister finished second in the NFC last season with 1,641 rushing yards. WR Joe Horn has caught at least 75 passes in each of his four seasons with New Orleans. Two former Seahawks, CB Fred Thomas and FS Jay Bellamy, play in the Saints’ defensive backfield. Thomas led the team with four interceptions last season. Bellamy had a team-high 94 tackles.

Breaking down the game: These two teams are near mirror images of each other, with talented skill position players on offense and young defenses.

Defense could be the key, and Seattle’s D seems to have more talent than that of New Orleans. The Saints’ linebackers are questionable, while the secondary also struggles with inconsistency.

Seattle’s offense, by all accounts, should be ready to hit the ground running. All 11 starters are back from last season, which doesn’t even include new starting tight end Jerramy Stevens and No. 3 receiver Bobby Engram.

Although the Seahawks looked to be over their road woes at the end of last season, it’s impossible to forget how different this team played away from home. And Seattle has never been much of a Week 1 team, winning just eight of 28 openers in team history.

Pick: Saints, 24-23.

Injury report: Seahawks – LB Chad Brown (left fibula) is out. S Ken Hamlin (foot), WR Koren Robinson (headache), G Jerry Wunsch (right ankle), DT Marcus Tubbs (right hamstring) and WR Alex Bannister (left shoulder) are questionable. G Chris Gray (back) is probable.

Saints – DE Darren Howard (neck) and CB Jason Craft (left ankle) are questionable.

Little-known fact: Since leaving the Kingdome after the 1999 season, the Seahawks have a 2-3 record in domes.

Other NFL games

Dallas at Minnesota, Sunday, 1:15 p.m.: Our math might be wrong here, but didn’t Vinny Testaverde used to throw passes to Mike Tice? The Parcells-Testaverde combo will have its share of success, but playing in the Metrodome is a tough opener. Pick: Vikings, 27-23.

Kansas City at Denver, Sunday, 5:30 p.m.: The Chiefs needed it most, yet Denver was the team to get defensive help in the offseason. CB Champ Bailey will help the Broncos’ D, but there’s only so much one man can do. This could be an offensive shootout, and we’ll take Trent Green over Jake Plummer in that gunfight. Pick: Chiefs, 34-27.

Green Bay at Carolina, Monday, 6 p.m.: If the Seahawks don’t win the NFC, one of these teams might. Will the Panthers follow the paths of the 1998 Falcons and 2000 Giants? Or are they here to stay? Pick: Panthers, 16-13.

Scott M. Johnson is the Herald’s pro football writer