Thank God. It’s back.

With everyone tied for first and the NFL’s commitment to parity, hope springs eternal for fans of all 32 NFL teams. Thus, week one of the NFL always carries some level of unpredictability as the league goes through the annual process of sorting itself into the haves and the have nots.

2010 was no exception, with the big surprise being the Texans comfortable dismantling of the Colts. The good news for Jim Caldwell is that he won’t have to answer any questions about whether or not to rest his starters with an undefeated record. Hey maybe they were just getting out of the way. Colts fans shouldn’t panic but concern may be in order. We all know every team loses. But giving up over 200 yards on the ground to a backup running back does not bode well for Indy’s hopes of returning to the Super Bowl.

The most dramatic finish of the day was between Chicago and Detroit, where Calvin Johnson’s spectacular last minute catch was overruled based on the NFL’s bogus interpretation of possession. After much deliberating, here’s the official TSS POV on the matter:

— Based on the current NFL rules, it was not a catch. We apologize to Michiganders everywhere, but that’s the way they’ve written it up.

— Based on the schoolyard definition of catching a football, that was a touchdown. Johnson had both feet down while controlling the ball. He even dragged his off arm down.

— The Bears should have never been in this situation, as they failed to convert a first and goal from the 1 early in the 4th quarter, including failing to kick a field goal when down a point. Lovie Smith should be fired based on that call alone.

— Ultimately at the end of the year, no one will remember this play, because both these teams are headed for 5-11 or worse.

Quick Hits

– Huge win for the Steelers as they fight to stay afloat while Big Ben fakes his way through counseling. Credit their defense and Rashard Mendenhall for filling the void.

– You’ve gotta to love Wade Phillips trying to spread the blame for Dallas’ boneheaded fumble to end the first half. You think Belichick, Tomlin or Coughlin would let that happen? And how did the ‘Boys follow it up? By receiving a holding call on the game’s final play, which would have given them a chance to tie.

– Sneaky upset of the week was Seattle’s annihilation of the 49ers, who were supposed to be an NFC sleeper. With the Cardinals and Rams sputtering in St. Louis, 2009 could be the year an under .500 team makes the playoffs. What’s deader on the West Coast – football or Hip-Hop?

– The Patriots opened up a 4 TD lead on the Bengals before prevent D-ing their way to a 14 point win. The Pats offense looked to be in 2007 form: Brandon Tate, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski provide Brady with additional options other than the Moss-Welker nexus, something the Pats were sorely missing in ’09. Defenses, beware.

– Kevin Kolb’s concussion forced Madden legend Michael Vick into action. Vick managed to keep the Eagles in the game against Green Bay, but Clay Matthews single-handedly snuffed out any attempted last second heroics.

– The same game saw our first candidate for injury of the year as Leonard Weaver’s leg did something I’m pretty sure its not supposed to do.