SportsBoner.com

What happened to the week 1 column? Well truth be told, a combination of sloth and Reno, Nevada got in the way of the much anticipated regular season NFL column debut.  Along that line of thought, of which I have to say Reno is a highly recommended getaway for those looking for a nice road trip to a casino/sports book without too much of a crowd.  And much props to Nevada University for the hospitality (we were sitting on the 35 yard line 4 rows up in the home section surrounded by blue-clad Wolfpack fans.  They also field a very solid team (the thrashing given to them on the road by no. 6 Mizzou non withstanding, shows you how much Texas Tech has to go before having illusions of grandeur), and a very dynamic as well as exciting offense.  I do question the intention of the fans leaving with 6 minutes left with Nevada only down 9 points.  By that extension I had to “armchair QB” in hindsight and question why the coach did not go for two on their last score to try to make it an 8 point game.

Anyways, good trip and nothing like watching the Dallas Cowboys play the Cleveland Browns on opening weekend at the Phoenix airport on my layover with virtually no one offended that I was bogarting the flat screen outside of the airport bar watching Tony Romo hook up with TO.  Apparently Arizona Cardinal fans are scarce and/or do not travel a lot.

With that being said, week 1 was one of the more busy opening weekends I can remember, with few upsets lots of offense, and several grand entrances by rookie running backs (see: Matt Forte, Kevin Smith, Chris Johnson, Steve Slaton, and Felix Jones).  Of course the biggest news was injury to superstar New England Patriot’s QB Tom Brady.  Going down early in the game with what is now known as torn ligaments in his knee and out for the year, Brady was hoping to avenge last season’s heartbreaking Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants.

Many will attest that the loss of Brady will knock the Patriots down a few notches but that it gives a chance to illuminate how truly good a coach Bill Belichick is and how deep and talented this New England team is without their leader.  Few others will contend that the Patriots may still be a fringe AFC playoff team, but nothing more and certainly not still elite.  I have to say I agree with those few (maybe there’s more of us but I get the feeling we’re in the minority like Ross Perot voters).  As mentioned in my power poll (snicker, power poll as if I have the credentials), Tom Brady makes New England elite when their offense, especially their passing offense, is otherworldly and almost untouchable when they have it on.  Evidently the woes of the offensive line dating back to the Super Bowl and beyond were masked by the talents of one Mr. Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker.  Without Mr. Giselle in the picture, the Patriots are nothing more in my humble opinion than an above average offensive team with a slow and aging overrated defense still riding on the fumes of accomplishments past.  I mean don’t get me wrong, as long as they have Moss, Belichick and anyone smart enough to just chuck the ball high in the vicinity of Moss and to look for Welker in the flat, then they will win their share of games… it just might be expecting much to duplicate 18-0 (obviously even with Brady this would be difficult).

In light of this development so far the short list of contenders I briefly mentioned in my preseason blurbs have all so far won their first game (Green Bay, Dallas, New England, to a lesser extent the New York Giants).  Yes its just one game but its a step in the right direction to get the playoff ball rolling.  The lone loss by the always-in-contention Indianapolis Colts should not have come as a shocker although I do not have written proof that I had a feeling they would fall to the Chicago Bears.  You’ll just have to take my word for it!  For one, with Peyton-Manning-the-control-freak hurt all off season and joining training camp late and not playing in a single preseason game, a lot of rust was to be expected.  Combine that with the Bear’s expected resurgence, at least for one week, behind a lesser-trigger-happy-sucky-QB in Kyle Orton and rookie standout Matt Forte alongside a re-energized defense and you have a recipe for an upset in the Colt’s new stadium.

A few things to leave with you before I leave you to go buy a Cincinnati Bengals 85 jersey with “Ocho Cinco” written on the back.  Keep an eye on the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, and Carolina Panthers who I think will be candidates to make deep pushes into the playoffs.  The Bills were already a solid team with a few close losses last year and by going with the steady hand of Trent Edwards, they may make some noise this year.  Carolina’s upset of the San Diego Chargers on the last play last week announces their supposed resurgence but it remains to be seen if they can (weirdly) consistently win at home before crowning them contenders.  The Broncos should be decent as many overlook the fact that QB Jay Cutler is still young and only in his 2nd year as a starter so overall the team should be cut some slack as much as Denver balances their attack between rushing and passing.  That and with the immediate splash rookie WR Eddie Royal has made, the skies the limit for this team.  Well OK that and the retooled defense.  Eddie Royal… now that sounds like the lead singer of a Van Halen cover band, how can you go wrong?