NFL Week 1: Someone Tell These Guys Preseason Is Over

I’m sorry, was that the first weekend of the NFL’s regular season or the last week of the preseason? It may just be me, but debut performances all around the league seemed much sloppier this year than in past years. From the top – last year’s Super Bowl qualifiers – to the bottom – I’m looking at you, Rams of St. Louis – teams displayed considerable rust and some form of memory loss regarding how this fine game is to be played.

There were, of course, exceptions in New England and, surprisingly, the Titans. (Shout out to my boy V.Y.; here’s hoping he can finally find some success in this league) But what about those Saints and Packers – two teams many experts pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl? They barely eked out W’s, at times sleepwalking through their respective games. The Vikings and Cowboys looked almost lifeless in their losses, and poor Peyton couldn’t rally his Colts, even with 57 (57? Yes, 57!) passing attempts. A controversial call prevented the Lions from stealing a win in the Windy City, where Jay Cutler and Co. seemed to try everything to give that game away; the refs apparently didn’t get that memo. Speaking of which, did some officials think they were still on summer vacation, too?

Perhaps teams weren’t mentally ready for full speed. They didn’t look physically prepared, either. Trainers are probably in better shape than the boys in uniform tonight. Injuries ranged from the getting-into-game-shape cramps to more serious varieties. I found it unsettling, in fact, how many times players motioned frantically for training staff to assist a downed comrade or a head coach tended to an injured player – two less-than-encouraging signs when analyzing injury severity. I quickly decided to check how Dustin Johnson was faring when FOX started replying Leonard Weaver’s gruesome knee injury. And how many hard knocks to the noggin were there today? Injury lists this week will be more crowded than the 49ers bandwagon. . .this morning. Is the game getting more violent, more dangerous? I understand that teams and players may need an adjustment period at the beginning of the year; time away from live hitting and game speed account for the sloppiness and injuries. Today the rust and wounds seemed more rampant . . . hopefully not a foreshadowing of the potential mess that could transpire for the NFL in 2011.