NFL Week Two: Three Things I Hope For

The Colts not to go 0-2

Not because I am biased in any way, but because quarterbacks are the headline act of the NFL. You can have any number of star players in other positions, any number of Chad Javon Ocho-freaking-Cinco's, but at the end of the day it is quarterbacks that people want to follow.

But think about it. Can you name all 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL this season? Exactly. The NFL needs stars, and there are far too few QBs with that star quality.

In fact, now that Brady is gone for the season, there are two: Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. Favre isn't going to get to the Super Bowl with the Jets and will be lucky to make the playoffs without a host of other teams screwing up along the way. Which means that we are left with Peyton.

And if the Colts go 0-2 they'll have to buck the trend which shows that only 3 teams in 18 years have started that way and ended up with the Vince Lombardi Trophy - and the last of those was the 07 Giants.

So this is nothing to do with my own priorities - heck, I have the Vikings' D in my fantasy team - and everything to do with keeping at least one star in the competition for as long as possible.

Matt Cassel to have a remarkably competent first start

Notwithstanding everything else I said earlier this week, Cassel still has to go out there and perform come Sunday. For his first start under center, he's drawn a road trip to the Jets. Yup, he's up against Brett Favre on his home debut. Which is a tough draw on two counts, as not only is he up against the NFL's supreme improviser, but the game would've had enough hype without the added attraction of the Man Who Would Be Brady.

Paper says that the Jets should walk it, that the experience of Favre will overcome all. Cold Logic says that it should be very close, because what you effectively have is a quarterback who has never started an NFL  game against one who has only started one game with this offense.

Common sense, though, says that although the Jets are inferior in every other department, the greater experience and utter chutzpah of Favre will out. So I'm not expecting the Pats to win come Sunday, but I hope Cassel puts up a good enough show to keep the dogs from his back come Week 3.

No more season-ending injuries

This one speaks for itself. Week One was a disaster for some teams, not because they lost, but because they lost one or more starting players. For the season.

In the NFL, each team is an island. Each man who is lost diminishes the other 21 starters. There's a limit to the number of suitable replacements. If things carry on at the rate of last week, the NFL will become as big a farce as it was during the scab games, with second or third rate players trying to fill holes bigger than they can ever be.

Last week was unfortunate, not one of those bad injuries came as a result of anything other than cruel fate, but here's hoping that every player gets through this weekend with their season intact.