Redskins / Giants get NLF season underway

After an interminable summer and the Olympics’ never ending onslaught of gymnastics, swimming and other boring sports the serious thinking sporting enthusiast is finally rewarded with the start of the NFL season.  The New York Giants and Washington Redskins will get things started on Thursday night, and the gridiron action will continue through Superbowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

The Giants are, of course, the defending Superbowl champions having improbably derailed the New England Patriots bid for a perfect season last January.  The Redskins are something of a question mark and they’ll enter this game with a first time head coach in Jim Zorn, a solid (on paper) defense and huge issues on the offensive side of the ball.  Zorn, a former NFL QB and offensive coordinator certainly has the football acumen for the job but as history has demonstrated that alone won’t get the job done on Sundays.  Zorn has patched together a team of well traveled veterans and untested rookies, and whether or not they’ll gel and be productive is anyone’s guess.

The Giants, meanwhile, are in much better shape led by QB Eli Manning who in the span of a season went from being Peyton’s less accomplished brother to a legit team leader and Superbowl champion.  Heading into the season the Giants’ primary concern is their pass rush, with Michael Strahan having retired and Osi Umenyiora out for the season due to injury.  They should get off to a good start against the Redskins, however, as the Washington offensive line is considered something of a liability by NFL observers.

The other big week 1 storylines will be Brett Favre’s regular season debut as the New York Jets starting QB, as his team takes on Miami on the road this Sunday.  Last year’s Superbowl runner up, New England, will begin play hosting Kansas City while Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts host the Chicago Bears at the RCA Dome.  While none of the games on the schedule qualify as “marquee matchups”, just having pro football back will be entertainment enough.

There will be a very high profile game in the 2nd week of the season as the Patriots travel to the Meadowlands to play the Jets in Favre’s regular season debut in front of the home fans.  With the exception of the Giants, Pats and Colts who should be among the league’s elite the rest of the field is really wide open and should provide an exciting and unpredictable season for football fans.