Week 1, 2012: And They're Off

“Unacceptable and unexpected, at least by the Giants, who seemed so sure they'd be able to turn around their summer of doom and gloom as soon as the games started for real. Instead their defense was shredded for 305 yards by Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman and their own quarterback, Eli Manning, opened the second half by throwing an interception that rookie .defensive end Ryan Kerrigan returned for a touchdown.”

                                 -New York Daily News, 9/12/11.

No, this quote is not in direct reference to the Giants deflating loss to the Cowboys on Wednesday night (Although I do find it necessary to point out that the last 2 times the Giants have lost in Week 1, they have won the Super Bowl). Rather it’s a commentary on a larger point: Week 1 does not a season make. The above quote is in reference to the Washington Redskins beating the New York Giants 28-14 in Week 1 of last year. The Redskins went 5-11; the Giants won the Super Bowl.

We spend so much time waiting for football to start that when it finally does arrive, we attach huge meaning to Week 1. And it’s certainly true the Week 1 in the NFL matters more than Opening Day in baseball, or the first game of any other sport. But that doesn’t mean Week 1 in the NFL means more than Week 2. It just feels like it. I’ve spent 3 days walking around pissed that the Giants are 0-1, 0-1 in the division, 0-1 at home, and 0-1 at home within the division. But I of course expected a loss or 6 at some point in the season, definitely some at home, and of course some within the division. It’s just that Week 1 feels more important. At least until Week 2 kicks off.

But still, it is exciting. Even though my team doesn’t play tomorrow, I can’t wait to watch 9 hours of football.  It’s not any more or less important than any other week, but here’s some things I’m looking at in Week 1:

The return of the greatest “Watch This” player of all time: If you’re blessed to have NFL Sunday Ticket, or know someone who does, you know that the last 10 years, the Colts have been one of the teams you always want to stop on, rooting interest or no. Watching Peyton Manning run an offense, you get the sense that he does what he does as well as anyone does anything. It remains to be seen if he will regain anything close to the form he had for a long time in Indianapolis, but it will be a damn shame if he can’t. Because watching Peyton Manning is probably the clearest illustration of the beauty of football that I can point to.

The beginning of a new era in Indy: That said, I totally agree with the Colts decision to go with Andrew Luck. If you end up with the first pick, the same year the most highly touted QB in a decade comes out, you take him, unless you have a franchise QB in his 20’s (even then it’s close). The Luck pick set in motion the triangle that sent Peyton Manning to the Broncos, and Tim Tebow to the Jets. Because of this, the Colts have gotten the least attention of the three. Couple that with Robert Griffin III going 2^nd overall to the Redskins (to quote Osi Umenyiora: I’m not calling him RG3, he’s Bob Griffin until he does something in this league) and Luck has gotten a shockingly small amount of attention. I expect them to suck this year, but Luck will flash. Their game against the Bears this week will be one of the more compelling just because of him.

A heavyweight fight at 4:00: Packers- 49ers is undoubtedly the game of the week. Whether it matters who wins or not is debatable. Both of them are still favored to win their divisions, and will have great seasons regardless of who starts 0-1. But just from a sheer enjoyment standpoint, it should be a great game. I like the Packers to win, but they’re both apparently very generous teams, what with Clay Matthews and Jim Harbaugh each making comments about “giving” their respective playoff games to the Giants. So it’ll be interesting to see if either decide to gift this game as well, you know, just to be nice. Should be a good one either way.

My suicide pool pick: Houston over Miami. Miami looked horrendous in the preseason, and have no real offensive weapons outside of Reggie Bush. Unfortunately this is the Houston Texans, and not the University of Houston, so that’s not going to be enough. A suicide pool expert recently told me to pick the best bet this week, and don’t worry about who you’re taking next week, so that’s the principal I’m going with there.

Other candidates: Philly over Cleveland, Chicago over Indianapolis, Detroit over St. Louis

Upset Favorite (My rule here is a legitimate upset, not a team that’s a 2 point underdog): Washington over New Orleans. Weird things happen Week 1, and I have no idea how to read New Orleans’s situation.

Team Under the most pressure: The Jets. Look, almost everything I said about Week 1 not mattering doesn’t really apply to the Jets. They’re under a tremendous amount of pressure, most of their own doing. With Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Houston looming in 3 of their next 4, the Jets really need to beat Buffalo on Sunday. The media, compounded by the Tebow thing, is swimming around the Jets, waiting to pounce. An 0-2 or 1-3 start is going to magnify their problems exponentially, and possibly bury them before they get to the easier part of their schedule at the end of the year. I think they have some talent, but the way they run their organization, from the attention-coveting owner, to the chest-pounding head coach, may undermine their potential.  I like them to win this week though, and keep the sharks at bay for a week.