Wednesday Morning Mahatma

The opening day of the NFL season is an exciting time for everyone. The promise of a new season. The promise of a new beginning. The hope. The dreams. I don't know what I like most about it. Maybe it’s that moment of thought in every fan’s mind that this could be the season. With all 32 teams now relevant also it proves to be even more exciting time as fans and yinzers alike support their team to no ends. Everything has such a better feel too. The air is cleaner, the alcohol is tastier and the aura of optimism filters through out. Heck even I'm less bitter.

That being sad, Sunday was the definition of how a team’s seasons can turn on a dime and a reminder to us all that the season’s hopes can get flushed at the snap of the ball.

I wouldn’t be doing my journalistic responsibilities if I didn’t address the news of the week. I don’t want to write off the Patsies just yet because it is foolhardy. Sure you can’t lose the best QB in football and not expect much of a drop-off but this team was arguably way less talented in 2001 and still won. Sure that might have been because of a Sony camcorder, but they still won.

The Pats are 1-0, and next play the Jets and Dolphins, before their bye in week 4. After that, they play teams like the 49ers, Rams and Cardinals, Jets and Dolphins again, Raiders and a Seattle team that looks average at best. They play Buffalo twice, and Denver. They aren’t done at all.

The real funny thing is hearing Randy Moss talk through all of this. You mean the same guy that quit on Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter? Lets see what happens after Cassel misses an open Moss a few times.

Much of Chowda nation has already started whining. Cries of cheapshot and dirty play are flowing through out Boston similar to Dunkin Donuts coffee.

Still the dirtiest hit I've ever seen from one of dirtiest players in the league.

More pats going low...on purpose from last year:

Leg whip on a guy playing with a torn ACL. Definitely classy. Definitely Vrabel.

Look can’t we all just call a spade and spade and move on. The incessant whining by team double standard is irritating and the reason they are the most hated team around. Suffice to say these fans were probably the ones that weren’t around for the Pete Carroll days.

The karmic elements of this injury are the definition of irony. For three years now, Belichek has put Brady on the injury report with the same knee in his attempt to continue to play his psychology mindgames. The time he finally takes him off... WACK.

Now comes the true litmus test to see just how great a coach he is. Look, he can outcoach Herm and all but what about the rest? Is this going to be the season we recognize we officially christen Tom Brady the best QB of all time and realize that Belichek is only successful because of him?

Other thoughts over the weekend:

Watching ESPN post game coverage could anyone just notice the depressed state of the ESPN broadcasters? Poor Chris Berman. He was just beside himself.

I received word that on the Mike Tirico show there was talk about putting an asterisk on the season because Tom Brady’s injury. Really?

How rare is it that a rookie QB’s first pass of his career goes for a td like in the case of Matt Ryan? So rare that the last player to do that was Micheal Bishop. Go Google that.

The play call of the day was the double reverse by the Ravens against the Bengals. For one of the most inept offenses in the leagues, imagine the surprise to Marvin Lewis when they started reversing the field on those poor Bengals. Also props to Joe Flaccid for having a great block on the play to spring Mark Clayton.

Don’t be surprised to see Kerry Collins be the starter in Tennessee even when Vince Young returns from injury. Their defense is already in mid season form and they only need an offense to be average to contend in the AFC now. They looked to have a strong running attacked with speedster Chris Johnson but they also the fatback in Lendale White. The receivers are mediocre but there are enough guys there that can make plays provided they actually have an NFL QB throwing to them. Ditto Gus Frerotte in Minnesota.

Snap Judgements Because One game is all I have to go on:

The Jags and the Colts both had injuries on the offensive line that radically altered what they could do but both will still be around in January.

I’m not saying the Broncos will do anything this year but with another draft and free agency, they could be a playoff team again.

I think half of SUS is going to be signed by the Seattle Seahawks to be receivers. They lost Burleson for the year. Could SUS's own BH be the next Seahawk reciever?

Get your jock of the week: DeAngelo Hall. Wasn’t he the best corner in football? Oh right. Nope. A greenhorn rookie proved it.

San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman: "I don't think I was slowed down much by the knee.'' – did he even play? I saw Merriman getting handled by Carolina Panther LT, Jordan Gross. This will further prove to the lemmings that Merriman is no longer dominant because he’s injured as opposed to, I don’t know, taking roids. Turns out he is out for the year. Karma part 2.

Micheal Oher, Matt Stafford, Vontae Davis of the week: St. Louis Rams. For a team that people were calling sleeper surely looked the exact opposite on Sunday. A truly dreadful performance where all sides of the football were exposed for the Rams. Special runner up to the Detroit Lions – getting murdered by a woeful Falcon team was more pathetic but at least they clawed back.

Rookie of the week: Matt Forte. I liked how he pulled away from the reigning NFL defensive player of the year, Bob Sanders. Cedric Benson couldn’t do that but that’s why he’s unemployed at the moment.

Nice duck there Favre. Am I the only one not creaming myself over his performance?

Unlike most, I think Tavaris Jackson can be a good one. Heck Giants fans should know this. Brad Childress was able to turn Donovan McNabb into something and Jackson has similar potential though no where near as polished as McNabb was coming out.

Aaron Rodgers might be the only success story out of the Jeff Tedford offense.

Marvin Lewis is going to be fired before week 8 -- odds now 2 to 1?

I'm getting one of these for Yinzer.