Week One-Derful

It felt good to sit down on Sunday for some football after a long summer of non-sports related news. Of course week one in the NFL was marred with a life-threatening injury and a potential cheating scandal with the New England Patriots, but when the ball is kicked off, I am glad to forget all the distractions. It doesn't hurt when my Steelers had the pleasure of plastering the Brownies and pushing Charlie Frye out to Seattle.

Week one was not really full of surprises. Sure, every year there are a couple teams that come out and take people off guard. The closest we had to that this year was Houston looking sharp on both sides of the ball against the Chiefs. On the other hand, the Rams' usually explosive offense looked out of sorts against a rejuvenated Carolina defense. Losing Orlando Pace was not a great sign, especially for someone who drafted Steven Jackson in the first round of the fantasy football draft. However, across the NFL, things were as they should have been.

The Colts picked up where they left off, seemingly proving it didn't matter who won the NFC Championship game last year. Buffalo lost another close game that they probably should have won. The Patriots sported a new offense with Randy Moss and Wes Welker scoring touchdowns. The Chargers looked to build on last year's success with their dominance over the Bears who continued to struggle offensively. Former Chargers coordinator Wade Philips continued the Cowboys' success from last year and managed to get T.O. in for two touchdowns in the shootout against the Giants. Oh yeah, did I mention the Steelers stomping on the Browns?

What interested me most from the NFL this week was what happened off the field. Now I know this might seem hypocritical of someone who was praising the return of the season, but there is a real reason. Seeing Tiki Barber in the booth made me believe that he truly is done playing football. Despite the injury to Brandon Jacobs and the Giants' apparent need for a proven back like Tiki, he seems very comfortable in his new role. He is fairly well spoken and managed to provide unbiased analysis of the Giants while on air. Meanwhile, Bill Cowher, never much of an eloquent speaker and known more for his grit and facial expressions, made a not-so-stellar TV debut. I cannot imagine Cowher lasting more than a couple years as a TV personality and anticipate his return to the sidelines after his youngest daughter graduates from high school.

Cowher, who to the ire of many Steeler fans including myself, predicted the Steelers would end up third in the division behind Baltimore and Cincinnati. But after losing six turnovers and more importantly key players in the game, Baltimore looks to be headed for a downward spiral. The big question surrounding the Ravens was the health of their aging team. They brought in Willis McGahee to answer their offensive problems and although they chose not to use him down the stretch, he showed he was capable of handling the load and running effectively. Their age, however, showed. Steve McNair, Jonathan Ogden, and Ray Lewis all might be out for some time. If Ray Lewis has a torn triceps muscle, it could spell trouble for last season's top ranked defense. Fortunately for the Ravens, Ed Reed continues to be a stud on defense and can be effective on special teams as well. But even Reed was a bit banged up on Monday night. The Ravens defense did not seem to miss Adalius Thomas all that much on MNF but that departure will become more apparent if Lewis misses significant time.

Of course what this really means for me is that the Steelers have a better shot at winning the division. Offensively, the run game will continue to be the bread and butter for a team that did not attempt a pass in the final 15 minutes of the game. But with a healthy Ben Roethlisberger, an improved Santonio Holmes, and a coordinator that will make use of Heath Miller, the Steelers can be an explosive offense through the air as well. Much like they did during their Super Bowl win, they will probably fly under the radar for the season, yielding to the Colts, Patriots, and Chargers to take the spotlight. But look for the Steelers to be a real contender in the AFC and for Roethlisberger to enjoy much of the same success he did in the 2006 playoffs. Of course, they will need a bigger test than the Browns to determine if the defense is good enough to win a championship.