Week one isn't even wrapped up yet and the best-laid plans of the NFL's braintrust look like the bottom of a shake-and-bake bag.  Where does one begin to outline the woes brought upon the league by greed, hubris and incompetence in the coaching and ownership ranks?

 Well how about we start with perennial Super Bowl Contender, New England?  Last year's media idols ran rough-shod over the rest of the league for 16 weeks, with Coach Belichik determined to punish every other team for the league having the temerity to call him out for cheating by filming opponent's sideline signals.   Well Brady and Moss got their records and the Chowderheads got to whoop it up right until the season's final moments when their coach turned back into a pumpkin and the Giants stole the Lombardi trophy.  All along, back-up quarterbacks, Matt Guitierrez and Matt Cassell atophied on the pines when they should have been getting much needed work during mop-up  time.  So for all Belichik's Machiavellian manuevering, the Patriots have precisely  zero 2008 Super Bowl Championships and precisely zero quarterbacks ready to play.  It couldn' t happen to a nicer coach or fanbase.

   The local boys here in Indianapolis helped open the nouveau barn-looking Lucas Oil Stadium by stinking up the joint.   We expected that Peyton Manning might be a little rusty after sitting out the entire pre-season.   And I suppose we can give Tony Dungy a pass on the little matter of wearing out Peyton's knee by having him taking the knee so frequently when the Colts have been ahead the last few seasons.   But the blame for the impossibly inept special teams' play rests squarely on the Head Coach's shoulders.  Clearly neither Bill Polian nor Coach Dungy gave a moment's thought to having a return man available who can both catch the ball and run with it.   And, as usual, the return coverage units are out of position, tackling poorly and apparently incapable of exercising pursuit.    While Manning will come around to Pro-Bowl form, the offensive line protecting him looked shallow and undermanned.  Howard Mudd has been a genius in developing blockers and teaching them the complicated Colts Lightning offense.  He had better step up the classwork as these guys aren't ready for Colts football yet.  And worst of all, the beautiful new state-of -the art Lucas Oil Stadium is a joy to behold but did somebody forget that Indianapolis needs to win some football games here?    I'm sure the new stadium will be a financial windfall for Jim Irsay but it's like the Colts traded away their 12th man.   This team had a significant home-field advantage in what now looks like the Hoosier Dome Band Box. They say that Super Bowl hopes don't end with a boom.  They end in a  whimper and that is all the crowd could muster last night in their cavernous new flip-top stadium.  While there were glimmers of hope:  Peyton's  flashes of brilliance and the tight patterns run by Marvin Harrison and Anthony Gonzales;  the return to form of Dwight Freeney who looks ready to resume terrorizing enemy quarterbacks; and the delivery of a couple of daisy cutter magnitude hits by Bob Sanders reassure the Colts fan that the pieces remain in place to right the ship this season.  But they had better get busy.

Quick Hits:

  How about that Bengals-Ravens snoozer?  I have two words for them:  Both-o Stink-o!

   I know the Philadelphia Eagles can't be that good, so the Rams must be this year's NFL roadkill.

   The Steelers looked like the team to beat this year in a solid opener against a Texans team that will flirt with .500 again this year, even while playing the Colts, Titans and Jaguars each twice. 

    While the AFC picture is clearly scrambled with the Colts, Jaguars and Chargers losing and New England disabled, the NFC looks poised for another Champion to come out of  the NFC East.

  Need to get my early season prediction recorded for posterity here:   that way, you could look it up!

NFC Champions-Dallas Cowboys;  AFC Champions-Indianapolis Colts.   Super Bowl winner:  Colts-34-20.