Chris Thompson   Chris Thompson on the internet

Last weekend proved to be an entertaining start to the 2009 NFL season, and already there have been a lot of surprises.

Most incredibly, in my opinion, was this game-winning catch by Brandon Stokley. Mostly because the Broncos were supposed to be utterly dreadful this year. They were down 7-6 with the whole field in front of them, and only 28 seconds on the clock, the Denver Broncos – who many suspected to be an absolute disaster this year – threw an 80 yard pass to win the game. The magic of it: it was not intended for Stokley at all … he was just in the right place at the right time, and plucked the ball from the air, before taking it all the way for the score.

Of course, the excitement continued past the weekend. Because on Monday night, in the first of a double-header on the nationally televises Monday Night Football, the Patriots played the Bills in a match that at first looked set to be a blowout. For years, the Patriots have been the team to beat in the NFL, and the Bills haven’t made the playoffs in something like 10 years. But it was an epic confrontation – indeed, the Bills could have, and should have won it. Regardless, it provided tension and excitement right to the final whistle, which is a lot more than anyone was expecting.

On top of all that, there were quite a few rookies who put in good showings, which is quite rare to see. Mark Sanchez, in particular, had a good game; and Percy Harvin showed flashes of the explosiveness that is going to make him one to watch as the season progresses.

The defending champions looked stagnant at times, and struggled for much of their game, and the second place Cardinals lost their opener – in true NFL fashion, the season is up in the air, and it looks set to be a good one.

As sport seasons go, the NFL season is a short one. 16 games is not very many. So it always seems as though it takes a long time for the next season to roll around. But now, the 09-10 NFL season is here. And there is quite a lot going on in preparation for kickoff night tonight. Well, tonight for me – 1 am, to be precise. Such is the pain of being an overseas follower of American football.

The NFL.com website has all sorts of features up for the start of the action; from players roundtables on various topics, to fantasy football, and who you should be starting in your team. The new Madden game has come out. And even Nike football is getting in on the action, with these entertaining mini-game things on their website.

It’s quite interesting in that it gives you something of a sneak peek into Adrian Peterson, LT, and Calvin Johnson’s pre-game rituals, the types of gloves and shoes they like, and that sort of thing. It’s quite good fun, even if it is aimed at selling you a load of Nike merchandise and products.

Of course, my trusty St. Louis Rams are not looking to be in very good shape – and this after a poor season, too. We’re in something of a “rebuilding” phase … which means it will more than likely be a number of years before we can begin to properly contend for anything again. So I have become something of a player supporter, rather than a team supporter at the moment.

Chris Johnson is one such player; the fastest man in the league, and very exciting to watch. It will be interesting to see if he can rip open defences with as much ease as he did last year, where, as a rookie, he would have been slightly overlooked and underestimated.

There have been a lot of ups and downs in the NFL recently. The commissioner certainly has a lot to deal with. You might think that managing a multibillion dollar sports empire would make him strict, and in a way, uncaring. But I think that, in deciding to let Michael Vick play in week 3 of the NFL season, though, rather than week 6, he has demonstrated a compassion and sensibility that are good to see in a man with such power.

Precisely because of all this background madness, Goodell has, in the past, vowed to restore order. He hasn’t hesitated to drop down lengthy suspensions, he’s also demonstrated this air of sensibility. And I’m glad he didn’t come down more heavily on him.

We’re dealing with a player who has already spent nearly two years in federal custody. He’s lost the bulk of his money from playing with the Atlanta Falcons, and all of the endorsements and deals that contributed to making him the highest paid player in the league. And on top of that, he’s lost his job as a starting quarterback – for the moment, at least.

I think that anything more would have been slightly on the harsh side of things. I’m all for second chances, and I for one am looking forward to watching him play (in whatever capacity that is).

Michael Vick has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, and whilst a lot of NFL fans are torn on the matter, I can’t help but feel glad that we’ll be able to see him in action on the field again soon.

Vick, in case you don’t follow the sport, was the face of not only the Falcons, but the NFL itself: he was the highest paid player in the league, and sold more shirts than anyone. And then he had a huge fall from grace, due to dog fighting. But now he has been given permission to play the last two pre-season games, whilst awaiting the full result of his reinstatement later in the year.

Yes, I’m certainly happy he’s back. After all, where would we be, without second chances? It’s quite interesting that he’s landed at Philadelphia, too. Someone on NFL.com was saying how it’s a good move – the Eagles have structure, and McNabb won’t feel threatened. But I would imagine he will. This is the same McNabb, remember, who was benched last year. And now they bring in Michael Vick?

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. But I’m definitely looking forward to seeing him play again, whether it’s at quarterback or not.

When you’re woken up abruptly and loudly by a dog barking in the morning, the smell of fresh coffee and sizzling bacon in the morning does a lot to remedy the situation. It certainly put a bit of spring in my step as I rolled out of bed.

The news, it seemed, was of the depressing and dark sort – as usual – so I did my best to ignore it, and looked up some news of the NFL variety. There are some gloomy stories there, of course – drugs, and arrests, and all sorts – but then there are some wonderful pieces as well.

Over recent weeks, they have been doing a feature called “Best in the Biz” – a feature that looks at various aspects of the game, and counts down a top 5 list of the best players at that position, or the best coaches, and that sort of thing. And now they have put together a list of the top 5 players currently playing the game.

Of course, the continuous debate between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady makes an appearance. How can it not? We’ve got the privilege of watching two sure hall of famer’s. It’s as much of a pleasure to debate as it is to watch – well, almost – and it really brings home the fact that this is a wonderful era for sports.