Tuesday Morning Running Back, Week One: The Saga Begins

Ah, the opening weekend of football season, the one week in the season that starts with every team having the same record.

It's also a time of renewed optimism. Sure your team may have gone 4-12 last year, but you got a new quarterback and defensive lineman, and you've found yourself a head coach that's committed to winning.

The future's so bright, you gotta wear shades.

Then, in an instant, something happens that you didn't expect, and you swallow your tongue in shock.

In Philadelphia, it was the shock over an offense that was perceived as mediocre putting 38 points up on the Rams.

In San Diego, it was the shock of Jake Delhomme throwing a last-second touchdown pass to beat the vaunted Charger defense.

In Atlanta, it was the shock of the Falcons Michael Turner rushing for 220 yards and two touchdowns in an absolute thrashing of the Lions likely no one saw coming.

But perhaps the biggest shock of all was seeing the golden-boy quarterback of the New England Patriots clutching his knee in pain as the hopes for another Super Bowl run have gone up in flames.

But then again, it's only Week One.

Over the next 21 or so weeks, this column will be your one stop for hard-hitting analysis, honest commentary, and documentation of the stupidity that abounds in the NFL.

Not every game will be covered because not every game provides something for me to comment on, but you can bet your bottom dollar I will do my best to try and comment on every single one of them 

With that said, let's move to the bullet points.

• Is anyone honestly surprised that Randy Moss thought that the hit on Tom Brady was dirty? I, for one, believed it to be clean. For one thing, Bernard Pollard showed remorse after the hit by apologizing over the screams of pain Brady was experiencing.
• This will likely be the only guarantee I will make all season, but don't bet on it. The Patriots will run the ball more now that Matt Cassel is under center. This will make Laurence Maroney prime for a breakout year.
• While it may be true that the AFC East has just become a lot more competitive, never doubt the ability of Bill Belichick to find a way to win.
• Getting away from football for a moment, if I may, I just have to say that the reunion of Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann on NBC's Football Night In America makes me proud to be a sports fan, and it seemed like old times on Sunday night.
• It's too bad Chad Johnson had to change his name from Ocho Cinco back to Chad Johnson. I was looking forward to calling him Ocho Stinko every time he fouled up.
• Just in case you were wondering, the numbers for Chad Johnson on Sunday: one reception, 22 yards. No wonder the Bengals lost.
• So much for the Bucs having the league's best pass defense last season. With great protection, Drew Brees was able to burn them for two, long, TD passes.
• Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren looked grumpy before the game. I'm sure that punts on their first eight drives, as well as the surrender of two special-teams touchdowns and shoddy defensive play that allowed the Bills to 34 points were more than enough to improve his mood.
  
• I should also mention that the Seahawks lost WR Nate Burelson when they are already thin at the WR position, and they committed the oops of the week when someone forgot to count the number of players on the line of scrimmage on a field goal attempt leading to a Bills touchdown.
• Congrats to former Bills TE Kevin Everett for winning the George Halas Award for overcoming adversity. He is certainly a worthy recipient.
• So much for the Steelers' offensive line not gelling without Alan Faneca. Willie Parker scored two touchdowns on his first nine carries of the year, and three for the game. Ironically, that was the same number of touchdowns he scored on 321 carries last year.
• Quiz of the week: Besides Willie Parker, only one other Steeler RB has rushed for three TDs on opening day, who is he? Selected people who leave me comments and give me a correct answer will get a shout out in next week's column. Good luck!
• A lot of people were buzzing about rookie RBs like Darren McFadden and Matt Forte, but what about the Titans Chris Johnson, who caught a touchdown pass and rushed for 93 yards.
• Kudos to Kerry Collins, who was pressed into service for an ailing Vince Young and led the Titans to victory.
• From the people who brought you duh, in commenting on his team's loss to the Titans. Jaguar coach Jack Del Rio said "Sometimes in life, things don't go the way you want."
• Lost in the shuffle of the Brady crunch was the fact that Chiefs QB Brodie Croyle suffered a separated shoulder. I must admit though, I think KC is a tad better with Damon Huard, for the simple fact that he's experienced.
• As a Patriots fan, I'm not thrilled Matt Cassel is my starting QB, but that was a beautiful spiral he threw to Randy Moss to set up the Pats' first touchdown.
• Perhaps even more shocking than Donovan McNabb torching the Rams defense is the fact that he did it without his two best targets: Reggie  Brown and Kevin Curtis.
• Welcome to the NFL Matt Ryan. Your first pass was a 62 yarder that went for a TD. I guess there's nothing to it if you got the talent.
• Matt Ryan may have been good, but it was the Michael Turner show in Atlanta, as he rushed for 220 yards and be proved to be a great pickup for the birds.
• Maybe, and I stress maybe, the Falcons are good enough to make the playoffs. They already scored more points in the first quarter than they did in 13 total games last year.
• Let no one think that Brett Favre has lost his luster. The play fake he made on his touchdown pass to Jericho Cotchery was a vintage play.
• Aww, I wanted to see Kellen Clemens try a field goal, although you have to admit that was a gutsy play call by the Jets on 4th-and-13 to get a touchdown.
• The 49ers showed me nothing on offense except for Frank Gore's power running. Looks like it's back to the drawing board for Mike Martz.
• A torn ligament is a torn ligament, and I don't think Shawne Merriman did himself any favors by electing to play on Sunday afternoon.
• 487 total yards of offense, it isn't hard to see why the Cowboys have the most stacked offense in the NFL
• Can somebody please tell Terrell Owens to quit showboating on long touchdown passes! There will come a time in which he gets whistled for an excessive celebration penalty and it hurts the Cowboys big time.
• Out of all the singers they could have had to christen the Colts' stadium they picked Johnny Mathis. Johnny Mathis!!! Clearly some PR guy was living in the past.
• The key to the Bears victory was a suffocating defense that didn't let Peyton Manning get comfortable in the pocket.
• 18/24 for 178 yards and a victory was an ideal start to Aaron Rodgers' career as a starter, although Will Blackmon's  kickoff return stole the show.
• All that needs to be said about the Raiders/Broncos game is that it's probably going to be another long season on the Bay.
• See you next week, and happy football watching!