FOOTBALL

The NFL was hoping for a dynamite match-up on opening night, and that’s exactly what they got.  It was practically an old fashioned shootout with two of the top quarterbacks at the helm:  Drew Brees for the Saints and Aaron Rodgers for the Packers.  The Packers jumped out to a quick early lead behind some laser-precise passing from Rodgers.  He simply picked up where he left off in the Super Bowl last year.  Clearly he’s on a mission again.  He hit Greg Jennings for a TD strike, then Jordy Nelson to jump out to a 14-0 lead.  And from that point on, it was just a scoring fest for both teams.  Drew Brees came back strong hitting Robert Meacham for a long TD.  He finished the night with an astounding 419 yards and 3 touchdowns.

And when it looked like the Packers were going to run away with the game in the second half, the Saints came surging back again when Drew Brees hit tight end Jimmy Graham for a 5 yard touchdown pass to make it a one score game.  The Packers tried to score again, but couldn’t, which put the ball in Brees’ hand with just under two minutes left.  One last shot to win the game.  He drove all the way down to the red zone where he would have to take a shot with just 3 seconds left.  He aimed and fired to running-back Darren Sproles, and… PASS INTERFERENCE.  Suddenly, the Saints found themselves at the 1 yard line.  They opted to hand it off to their #1 draft pick, former Heisman Trophy Winner Mark Ingram.  But, he was stuffed.   And with that, the Packers hold on for the win.  Both of the teams looked rock solid. Great way to start the season.  Green Bay 42, New Orleans 34.

And also some sad news.   Just a few days ago, Peyton Manning (QB of the Colts) learned that he wouldn’t be playing Week 1.  And, now, it looks like the news is far worse.  Manning is dealing with a serious neck injury, and consulted 6 different doctors before deciding what to do.  Yesterday he underwent a surgery that would fuse some bones in his neck.  That’s a serious surgery, and doctors said it would take at least 2-3 months to recover.  And when you have a surgery like that, even after 3 months, one of the last things your doctor would tell you to do is strap on a football helmet.  It’s just too dangerous.  It’s likely that Manning will not play this season, but there’s also a chance that his career is over.  If that’s the case, it ended way too soon for one of the best and classiest players in this game.