The NFL is Finally Back!

Yes, we torture ourselves nearly every year spending so much time talking about the NFL when there are no games being played. There are 26 weeks of football played every year, 21 of them being competitive. Yes, nearly half of the year contains football being played, but the other half....... oh my God it is so torturous hearing endless speculation about trades and draft picks.

But all that is over now, and now we can talk about the biggest storylines from the first week in the NFL.

You Don't Mess with Texas

Both Texas teams were awesome in their first games. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones declared that his team would kick the Giants' asses and most people laughed it off. But once last Wednesday rolled along, they did exactly as instructed and embarrassed the defending Super Bowl champions at their house. On Sunday, the Houston Texans continued to show that they are a legitimate team now by annihilating the Miami Dolphins 30-10. The Texans greatly impressed last season even with their 3rd string QB, but with Matt Schaub back, this team looks like a favorite in the AFC.

Robert Griffin III is for Real, Saints are Not

40 points. The Washington Redskins scored forty points against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans. The loss of Gregg Williams and Sean Payton was very noticeable, the Saints coaching staff looking completely lost and inferior to Mike Shanahan's oft-criticized Redskin coaching. Drew Brees also played exactly like he did in the playoff game against the 49ers last season, throwing interceptions like crazy, including one Hail Mary that was intercepted at the end of the game. This looks to be one hell of a season to be a Redskins fan and a very long season to be a Saints fan, even with Bountygate (mostly) over.

Tebow Who?

The New York Jets scored 48 points. Mark Sanchez was so sublime in his dismantling of the Buffalo Bills that when Tebow came out to play, he was received with a chorus of boos. Quarterback controversy over.

The 49ers Look Unstoppable

So let's this straight: The 49ers defense made Aaron Rodgers look merely average, Alex Smith   was finding open targets all day with his new WR corps, and kicker David Akers has now entered NFL lore with his legendary 63 yard field goal. A team with no visible weaknesses against a Green Bay Packers team with one of the best offenses last year and worst defense ever? OK, yes this was really the biggest defensive test for the 49ers, but this is the same Packers team that was eviscerated by Eli Manning last year en route to a Super Bowl. Sometimes, there is a lot to learn from teams that can totally embarrass horrible defenses.

Peyton Manning Ain't Dead Yet

Manning is finally back and yes he's still good. There was a lot of concern over his neck and whether or not he'd be the same old Peyton, but he reassured fans (and fantasy football players) with a sublime performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Steelers' #1 defense from last year took a giant hit, even though they were against Manning. It's safe to say that the Steelers will probably not be as good as they were last year, which is saying a lot since their defense was eviscerated by Tim Tebow last year.