09/09 (Packers!) Quickie

Well, that was just about the best way the NFL could have kicked off the new season.

*Aaron Rodgers was dominant (and cheeky: mocking the media after the game for its obsession over "unifying" whole-team off-season workouts, like the Saints had... and the Packers didn't).

*Randall Cobb was a jaw-dropping revelation. (So much for the pre-game noise that the new kickoff rule would be stultifying.)

*The game went down to the final play, an odd call by Sean Payton to run at the goal-line with rookie Mark Ingram, rather than put the ball in Drew Brees' hands.

*The Packers look as sharp as they did during last season's playoffs. I'm totally comfortable with my preseason pick from yesterday that they will repeat.

We're in for a good year. My five favorite storylines for Sunday:

*How will the Colts look without Peyton Manning?
*How does the Eagles "dream team" mesh together?
*Sunday's best game: Steelers-Ravens
*Jets-Cowboys in Sunday night primetime.
*Two QBs duel in debuts: Cam Newton and Kevin Kolb.

College football Saturday:
*Alabama is going to smoke Penn State in Happy Valley.
*Richt hot seat gets hotter: S. Carolina is going to win big at Georgia.
*Intriguing game of the week: Mississippi State at Auburn.
*Real talk: Michigan's throwbacks are uglier than Maryland's new-fangled unis.
(That said: I love the idea of the Big House under the lights.)
*Not seeing any upsets in the Top 25 -- maybe Arizona State over Mizzou tonight?

9/11, 10 Years Later: I've been linking to a couple of particularly good retrospectives on Quickish this week, but they feel academic. If you read one thing, make it this letter that my former Page 2 colleague (now ESPNNY.com's) Kieran Darcy wrote to his dad, who died on 9/11. Here's the link.

Have a fun and safe weekend everyone. Enjoy the return of the wonderful combination of college football on Saturdays and NFL on Sundays. Don't forget to set your fantasy football lineups.

(And be sure to join in the Quickish Readers "pick 'em" games for both the NFL and college football.)

Blogging here both weekend mornings, plus great recommendations all day all weekend at Quickish. Please give it a visit (and tell a friend or two).

-- D.S.