The NFL's opening weekend highlighted this weeks addition of The Nickelback.
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A round-up of the biggest games and highlights of the week.  This week a deluge of football is sandwiched by two non-gridiron events. 

Hit Parade

The NFL season kicked off this weekend, yet that's not where the biggest hit came from. No, the biggest hit of the weekend occurred in at Yankee Stadium in a game that started late Friday night and ended early Saturday morning. Derek Jeter recorded the 2,722nd hit of his career during the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles to pass Lou Gehrig for the most hits in the Yankee history. The way Jeter got the record-breaking hit couldn't have been more fitting, as it was a single that snuck between the first baseman and the bag and was hit with a swing that radio announced John Sterling has dubbed "Jeterian."

To simply say Jeter is "consistent" almost seems like an insult, yet it's what he is. Day in and day out the Yankee captain has been the bedrock of consistency for the franchise. A career .317 hitter, he began his career by hitting .314 in his rookie season.  He has hit over .300 in 11 of his 14 seasons, and .291 or better in the remaining three. He seems to make at least one of his trademark jump-throws a game and runs hard on every play, regardless of situation. Jeter constantly stays out of trouble, plays the game the right way and remains a leader the rest of the team can look up to. And of course there's "The Flip," against the A's in 2001, and the face-first dive into the stands against the Red Sox in 2004. Yes, Jeter is consistent, which makes him excellent. Congratulations to Derek Jeter, our star of the weekend for being a great player to record a great achievement.

Rookie Coach + Rookie QB= A Jets Win

USC grad Mark Sanchez did exactly what he had to during the Jets 24-7 win over the Texans on Sunday.  Sanchez made plays that presented themselves, especially on third downs where he went 12 of 15 for 191 of his 272 total passing yards.  He completed 18 of 31 including a beautiful 30-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Chansi Stuckey. The one blemish in the rookie's debut was one interception, but given that errant throws seemed to be the theme of the weekend, that's not bad at all.
Not to be overlooked in the Jets' strong defense, which held what was supposed to be a strong Texan offense to under 200 yards. QB Matt Schaub couldn't seem to get anything going against the defense, which led to Houston's only points of the game.
 
Saints Offense is Heavenly

The New Orleans Saints 45-27 trouncing of the Detroit Lions was a fun game to watch, as Drew Brees threw for 358 yards and tied a career high with six touchdown passes. Brees finished just 18 yards shy of breaking Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record last year, and from the looks of things today, that record might not be safe for long. Saints' tight end Jeremy Shockey seems to have finally remembered what his purpose on the field is, as he finished the day with 2 TDs after being virtually nonexistent last year. Unfortunately former Heisman trophy winner Reggie Bush is still enduring some growing pains, continuing to look better as a wide receiver than a running back.

Given that he actually managed to help his team put 27 points on the board in the first game since their disastrous 0-16 2008 campaign, Matt Stafford has to be at least somewhat pleased with his NFL debut, even though he complete just 16 of 37 for 205 yards and three interceptions. Maybe if the Lions get another player near NFL-caliber this team can actually win one this year.
 
Peterson Runs Wild

I refuse to acknowledge Brett Favre as the star of the Vikings 34-20 win over the Browns. Yes, he did a fine job at QB, but the player of the game was running back Adrian Peterson, who finished the day with 180 yards and 3 TDs. Absolutely amazing. If the Vikings follow the formula of developing a strong run game and keeping Favre's gun-slinging style at bay, they should have a good season.
Don't get me wrong, Favre is a great quarterback--much better than he is at making up his mind-- and until all of this "I'm playing, I'm Not, I'm Not sure, I am" nonsense, I loved the guy. He is undoubtedly a Hall of Fame QB and can definitely be an asset to a team if he can stay healthy for a full season. But Favre does have a tendency to push his luck sometimes, which results in costly interceptions.

By the way, it looked like Favre forgot he didn't still play for the Packers when he leveled the Vikings rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin in the end-zone. Harvin had just caught Favre's first touchdown pass as a Viking, which did make it cool to see Favre still excited and enthusiastic about the game after all these years.

Meanwhile, as it turns out it doesn't matter when Eric Mangini announces who the team's starting quarterback is going to be, the Browns are still going to be horrible. Sorry, Brady Quinn, you're just not good enough to save them.
 
How to Replace a Star Wide Receiver? Add a Healthy Defender.

The New York Giants did just fine without Plaxico Burress, compensating for his loss by regaining a healthy Osi Umenyiora at defensive end. New York scalped the Redskins 23-17, but Washington's last 7 wasn't scored until the very end of the game. The Giants played outstanding defense, and made a few plays worth of the highlight reel. Umenyiora stormed into the Redskins' backfield, forced a fumble from quarterback Jason Campbell, scooped up the loose ball and returned it for a 37-yard touchdown. Corey Webster also had a beautiful interception, picking off Campbell while just managing to stay in bounds.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Giants did have plenty of targets for Eli Manning to throw to. Former Trojan Steve Smith finished with 6 catches for just 8 yards on the day, although his most important catch probably came on an onside kick by the Redskins at the end of the fourth quarter, which prevented the Skins from recovering the ball. And former Michigan stand out Mario Manningham scored the Giants only touchdown on a 30-yard pass from Manning.
 
What a Way to End

The Denver Broncos beat the Cincinnati Bengals on a deflected pass, which wide receiver Brandon Stokley caught with 11 seconds left and took 87 yards down the field for a game-winning touchdown.  Bronco QB Kyle Orton got extraordinarily lucky, and the Bengals were left cursing HBO for keeping the hard knocks coming in the season.
 
Not the Way to Win Over the Fans

Think the Broncos are glad he's gone? Jay Cutler threw 4 interceptions in the Bears 21-15 loss to the division rival Packers. Cutler's problem was the same one he had while with the Broncos-- he has a great arm, but he tends to get far too confident with it by trying to force throws into coverage. He'll be in for an earful from Bears fans when he gets back to Chicago.
Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to a late-game victory, showing the team that they have a capable replacement for Favre in Green Bay.
 
Maybe He's Color-Blind

Jake Delhomme managed to make Jay Cutler look good by throwing four interceptions and coughing up a fumble in the Panthers ugly loss to the Eagles. Coach John Fox eventually brought backup Josh McCowan in to relieve Delhomme, bringing up the question of who will start for the Panthers next week, even though Fox insists the job is still Delhommes--after he signed a fat new contract.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, they find themselves asking that same question after their 38-10 win over Carolina. Donovan McNabb suffered a cracked rib from a late hit in the end-zone, which means even though he can't start until week 3, the Michael Vick-McNabb storyline figures to gain steam, especially if McNabb's health is at all at doubt.

Winning the Battle but Losing the War?

Speaking of injuries, while the Steelers had to be pleased with their 13-10 win in overtime against the Tennessee Titans Thursday night, they did suffer quite a blow, as Troy Polamalu left the game with a knee injury. Pittsburgh should send his medical bills to John Madden, as this is just the latest proof that the "Madden Curse" is all too real. Maybe the Cardinals should wrap Larry Fitzgerald in bubble-wrap before it's too late.

Back to the game, Ben Roethlisberger was outstanding, especially toward the end of the game, as he led his team to a hard-fought win over Tennessee. Now the question becomes, can the Steelers survive without Polamalu on defense? Their next three opponents are the Bears, the Bengals, and the Chargers. Given what we saw today, maybe Polamalu will come out and play on one leg when they play Chicago so he can pick off Cutler.  And while the Bengals shouldn't be too difficult to overcome, the matchup with the Chargers could prove to be difficult.

Meanwhile, I take great solace in the fact that Vince Young continues to ride pine while Kerry Collins leads the Titans. I root for Collins since we have the same last name, and I hate Vince Young for reasons you might know all too well.
 
The Beat Goes On

Those questioning whether the Cowboys could survive without T.O. at wideout were given a decisive answer today, as Tony Romo threw for 353 yards and 3 touchdowns in Dallas' 34-21 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Miles Austin, Roy Williams, and Patrick Crayton all stepped up as capable targets for Romo, who seemed at ease with Owens gone. It will be sad that none of Owens' antics or off-the-field tizzies make it onto the new mega-sized jumbotron put in by Dallas owner Jerry Jones, but such is life.
 
Offense in Baltimore?
 
The Ravens have been known for their strong defense for years, but it was quarterback Joe Flacco that led the team to their 38-24 win over the Chiefs. Yes, the defense was definitely good against Kansas City, but Flacco threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns which is surprising for an offense that was supposed to be based on a running game. With Todd Heap, Willis McGahee, and Mark Clayton as receivers, the Ravens look to have their most balanced offense in years.
            
 
New Supporting Cast, Same Result

Life is fine for Peyton Manning and the Colts despite the departure of head coach Tony Dungy and wide receiver Marvin Harrrison as they beat the Jaguars 14-12. Reggie Wayne did a fine job picking up the slack left by Harrison, although there are already questions of the Colts reaching out to Harrison emerging. Colts wideout Anthony Gonzalez left the game with ligament damage, prompting many to wonder if Indianapolis will try to resign Harrison.
 
 
Flash in the Fin

Maybe Chad Pennington and the Dolphins weren't that good last year and everybody else was just really bad. Pennington seemed unable to get anything going on offense as the Dolphins lost to the Falcons 19-7.
 
 
Changing of the Guard?

I don't think many people expected the San Francisco 49ers to beat the Arizona Cardinals, but beat them they did. San Franciso's defense kept Cardinal's quarterback Kurt Warner under pressure, leading them to a 20-16 win over the defending NFC champ.

The Seahawks are also prompting questions of a power-shift in the NFC West, as they crushed the Rams 28-0. Hasselbeck was great for the Seahawks, and the Rams haven't been good since they had that Arizona QB named Warner on their roster. Marc Bulger's days as an NFL starter are numbered.
 
 
Grand Finale

The NFL action wraps up tonight with Tom Brady making his return for the New England Patriots as they take on Terrell Owens and the Buffalo Bills. On the West Coast, the San Diego Chargers face the franchise Al Davis single-handedly destroyed (a.k.a the Oakland Raiders). My prediction? Pats roll, Owens makes a scene, and Raiders fans everywhere are brought to tears by LaDainian Tomlinson running circles around Oakland's defense.
 
 
A Boy Becomes a Man at The Horseshoe

Matt Barkley came up big in the Trojans victory over Ohio State Saturday, winning in a hostile crowd as a 19-year-old true freshman. He and Joe McKnight played in what is sure to be one of the best games of the season.
 
 
A Force in Michigan

Another true freshman, Tate Forcier, stepped up as he led the Michigan Wolverines to a dramatic 38-34 upset victory over Notre Dame, which made the coaching seat hotter for Irish head coach Charlie Weis.
 
Who Knew Tennis Could be So Exciting

Did anybody else see Serena Williams go absolutely nuts at the U.S. Open? After being called on a foot fault, Williams went on a tirade, telling the line judge something along the lines of "you're lucky I don't shove this (expletive) ball down your (expletive) throat." The line judge said she felt threatened, so Williams received a fault giving Kim Clijsters the point that ended the match. That got me thinking, why can't other tennis players be that frisky?