And so it begins: KICKOFF-Redskins at Giants 9/4

FINALLY.

it's here ladies and gents, the NFL Season opener, a vicious match up between NFC rivals the New York Giants and MY Washington Redskins. Of course I've been stuntin in my burgundy 21 jersey today, but the cafeteria was peppered with blue G-Men jerseys everywhere. Something feels right about this game to me, like for some odd reason I just FEEL that the stars are aligned our way this evening. But time will tell.

What can be say that hasn't already been said? The Giants come into East Rutherford tonight defending Super Bowl Champs. Few could have predicted such a stunning game as least year's fight for the Lombardi trophy. But as Ben Parker told Peter Parker in SpiderMan 1, "With great power comes great responsibility." As the Giants faithful have painfully learned this offseason, when you're sitting atop the league, every mishap hurts twice as much. Defensive anchor Michael Strahan has retired for the broadcast booth and his partner, stalwart D-End Osi Umineaytasijf is cooked for the year. Furthermore, with the exception of Eli Manning's miraculous late season coming out party, that aforementioned Defensive End tandem was credited as a major reason behind the team's success. New york sports fans are like Skins fans but worse, because Skins fans will be in denial until it's absolutely impossible for the team to make the playoffs or compete for a divsion title. Just try telling someone up here that the Yankees are pretty much dead this year and they'll tell you exactly how many games are left in the year and then tell you to F off. With this in mind, they have a tough time admitting that there is so many question marks on this team right now. Will Eli return to his pre-postseason form? Will the defense be as impressive as they were without the two studs that made that unit so tough? Will Plaxico Burress realize his full potential this season and play at the level he played at in the Super Bowl consistently?

Talent wise, the New York Giants are no better than their opponent tonight, and what decides this game will very likely have little to do with the players playing anyway. The victory will likely go to the better coaching outing between Tom Coughlin and first year HC Jim Zorn. Skins fans will have all eyes on Zorn's every last call and with the Giants and Skins being so evenly matched on both sides of the ball, tonight will serve as the ultimate litmus test for Zorn's potential and ability as a leader in the NFL. It is moves like this which make championship franchises, taking a risk on an inexperienced coach and committing to the draft and developing its picks. After all, the Skins have not done either of these two things in the last decade and their record is a clear indication of that. But something about Zorn feels different than Norv, different than Robiskie, than Spurrier, than Schottenheimer, and yes, even Joe Gibbs. Whereas every coaching choice of Dan Snyder's previously felt like a)a clueless desperation move or b)a publiciity stunt, this choice feels like one that was made from Zorn being impressionable and conveying that professional image of a potential winner to Dan Snyder during the interview process.

with so much to be answered, this game serves as more than just the season opener. This game will determine whether or not the Skins are eventually destined for better things or if they will continue to wallow at the bottom of the NFC East. This will also begin to tell us if the Giants are legitimate or were simply an awesome one year squad. Again, these teams match up very evenly on paper and I don't see either team breaking out the gate for a score on the first drive. But in the end, one team will break through, and that team is the one who will finally realize their offensive potential when their Joe Gibbs fitted handcuffs are finally removed and they are set free. Tonight the Washington Redskins will score 31 points and stun the New York Giants, who will only score 17.

I love football. Hail to the burgundy and gold.