NFL Opening Night

Oh man, I had such issues watching the NFL's opening game Thursday night. Actually, I have issues a lot of the time anyway, but with this game in particular I was feeling particularly stressed out.

First, the fact it was the Giants playing host. Now, I'm all about the Super Bowl Champion opening up the season. But that's my thing: it shouldn't have been the Giants. I know, I know. They won the game, fair and square. The fact they were in the position to win the game should have been a victory. Three fluke plays, almost in succession, they win. The Patriots dynasty began on one of the flukiest plays in history - the "tuck" - so why should they not be at the wrong end of them too. Really, I'm not all embittered, I'm still dealing with the PTSD from the whole thing and last night really didn't help me out very much.

Second, which, frankly is related to the first: all the Eli/Peyton pictures with the Lombardi trophy, the "catch"...all the "Super Bowl Champion Giants" stuff. Ack. Look, I'm a Bostonian. I love the city of New York. Love, love, love New York. I do. Hate the teams. Hate them. So to make the Patriots losing the Super Bowl worse, it had to come at the hands of a New York team. For the love of Sam Spade, why? Belichick really must've cheesed off the football gods last year enough to endure the fate of losing history on those strange plays in the last 1:30 of a game. We the fans must've done some horrible cheesing off to have that happen against a New York Team. Coach Lombardi! I repent! I have sinned! Please please please don't let that happen again

Third, and perhaps most personally damaging, I took the points and picked Washington to cover. Yeah, that wasn't a good idea. I guess I'm just not ready to believe that the Gints could actually be a good team and that the fact they were playing on opening night - and not the Patriots - wasn't just a fluke. Yeah, of course, a Jason Campbell quarterbacked team with a first-year/first-time head coach would stay within 4.5 points of the Super Bowl Champion. Why wouldn't I have taken the points? Other than the fact that, you know, the Giants really are a good team... Chalk that one up as a nice fat one in the loss column. That's got me wondering about my other picks - and I thought THIS one was a safe one.

This is why I don't gamble. I'd lose my shirt, for sure. I'm still trying to figure out my emotional investment in the game, but at least I know why I don't gamble.