The NFL came bursting through the door last night. The season opener between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints was not your usual NFL game. Here are some things that may have been lost in the excitement of last night's game.
1. Kickoff Returns will be Even More Special: We knew it coming in, but we didn't want to believe it. Kick returns will be down a considerable amount as the initial spot is moved up five yards.
We saw some fantastic kick returns from Randall Cobb and punt returns from Darren Sproles though. So it is not impossible to ignite the crowd with touchdown returns, just unlikely.
It will now take an improbable feat, such as Cobb getting turned upside down before landing, then taking off for six points.
Returns may be few and far between, but they will be far more special when they occur.
2. The Packers Offense Will Be Even Better: I had it in my mind that the Green Bay Packers were one of the best offenses in the NFL, then last night happened.
The reincorporation of Jermichael Finley made the Packers a deadly weapon all night. Rodgers had a field that was ripped wide open. It is hard to fill the gaps when you have Finley looming in the middle like an abnormally huge receiver. This is only the beginning.
3. The New Orleans Saints are Scary Good on Offense: Yes, the Saints lost. That is really the only thing that matters in the end. This will be a magical season for the Saints though.
New Orleans managed to stay within spitting range of the Packers for most of the night. Behind a compelling Drew Brees performance, the Saints side-stepped early jitters to make a game of it late.
Mark Ingram will only get better with more experience, and the Saints were still missing a key element in Lance Moore.
4. Packers Rule Red Zone: The Packers were flawless in scoring in the red zone, and they were near flawless in stopping the same thing happening to them.
You can move the ball all you want on the Packers, they are going to be stingy when it counts. The defending champions stayed pat in free agency, but somehow they got better.
5. These are not your 2010 New Orleans Saints: Granted, the lost at the last second, but they fought until the bitter end.
This game had all the makings of a blowout, but the Saints fought to make it a game. There won't be any letdowns like the one they suffered against the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs last season.
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