What a first night...

Wow - that was quite a prison pounding that the Saints endured last night. Kindly disregard everything I wrote yesterday about the Colts D - it really looked impressive against what on paper appears to be a very good Saints offense this season.

The Saints looked flat-out lost - there's no other way to say it - and Peyton Manning and the Colts like in mid-season form.

I'll try not to be such a curmudgeon about the NFL throughout the season, but a few things do get on my nerves that I'll share now... (NFL picks for week 1 coming later today)

-I have to acknowledge that it's the English major in me that never dies, but I don't think it's too much to ask that broadcasters pronounce words properly. Al Michaels, while being a very good broadcaster, annoys me somethings with his linguistic hiccups. He's the only person I know who pronounces New Orleans (New Oar-LEE-ANS). Ridiculous. And Saints RB Deuce McAllister is Meh-CAL-ister, not Muh-GAL-ister. Do I have too much time on my hands? Maybe, but when you hear it 30 times during a broadcast, it tends to annoy.

-Can Peyton Manning possibly be in any more commercials? At what point does he become a liability to advertisers looking to sell everything from shoes to schnapps? This guy is more exposed than Brittney Spears' chocha a few months ago.

-The NFL is the most overproduced league in the history of human civilization. Last night, Faith Hill sang her song This Kiss during the pregame ceremony. To say the tune was an odd choice for the league to choose to kick off the season would be like saying OJ Simpson... oh never mind.

-Vandra brought up a good point last night - why are all of our sports teams "World Champions"? Ethnocentrism I guess - you know, that whole idea that the United States is the center of the Earth, and everything revolves around it. Isn't Super Bowl Champions, World Series Champions, NBA Champions and Stanley Cup Champions enough to get the point across? I certainly think so. Most people would say I'm being too politically correct, and to those people I say, "You're number one," in a very creative way.

-John Madden is one of the best broadcasters in the history of professional football. (Sorry, Dennis Miller.) But, I wonder if his time really has passed. Late in the fourth quarter last night, very late in the game, Madden was bringing us up to speed on the injuries of the Colts coaches. I'm guessing zero people cared.

-I found last night's decision by Saints Head Coach Sean Payton to keep Drew Brees until the end of the game, long after the game was in doubt, was a foolish one. If Brees goes down for the season or even a few weeks, the Saints are about 1/4 of the team they are with his backup, if you can name him. Go ahead, try to - I can't, and I'm too lazy to look it up.

-I say it every season, and I'll say it again - I'm sick to death of stupid NFL regulations. Why does the league cut down on end zone celebrations? What possible reason could the league have, other than simply being overly anal? Because kids could watch it and behave poorly? What about all of the scantily clad women that the networks run to pander to the NFL's fans? Beer commercials, anyone? The rule is flat-out stupid. Sometimes NFL really does mean No Fun League.

-This is another thing I realize will never change, but I won't stop complaining, ever, about the relentless commercials. Touchdown and extra point. Commercial. Kickoff. Commercial. New possession starts. QB calls timeout. Commercial. It never seems to stop, and as fans, I know it's something we are just going to have to live with. After all, the NFL is one of the most successful businesses in the world, and the TV networks pay tens of billions for the right to broadcast NFL games, and they have to make their money back. But it just seems that every year the number of commercials seems to creep up, along with the endless sponsorship and promotions.

Oh well, bring on the games. Despite my complaints, it still is a fun league, and I look forward to a great season. And, maybe I can actually have some luck in fantasy football this season as well, but I'm not holding my breath - luck seems to elude me every season.

Maybe this season will finally be redemption for Dallas, though. I waited for 12 years before first seeing the 'boys win the Super Bowl, and it's been 12 years since their last Lombardi Trophy, so maybe this is the year. We'll see in about three months or so.

Go Cowboys.

Photo from ESPN.com