Official Game Day Thread: Saints @ Packers - 9/8: Win 42 - 34

As is tradition, the reigning Super Bowl Champion always hosts the NFL opening game on Thursday of opening week.

We have 2 great marquee games that NBC will choose from.

-Chicago Bears
Rematch of the NFC Title game, the big, long-standing rivalry.

-New Orleans Saints
The 2 most recent Super Bowl Champions, with 2 great QBs and 2 great offenses. This is a rarer matchup than us vs the Bears and it will be a more exciting shootout than our Bears games. Plus it's more than a regional interest. Brees vs Rodgers. I love that one and predict NBC chooses it.

Who do you think NBC will choose?

Im going to with the Saints, Dont know why I just think they will pick this one

I think the Saints too, just makes sense, rivalry games are great and all but it just feels that they would want two good teams going at it particularly when they are the last 2 SB winners and the ties between MM and SP

I have also heard it could be Tampa Bay, not sure why other than they are on their way up, but then you could pick Detroit for the game as well. Personally I think it will be the Saints.

OOH I don't wanna have to face Tampa first game of the year. They fly under the radar too easily. Give the guys a little current film first.

Packers-Bears. Biggest rivalry in the NFL, and Chicago is a bigger TV market than New Orleans.

My gut chooses the Saints, primarily due to the fact that I want revenge for the Saints blowing the Packers out 51-29 in the Superdome on Monday Night Football in 2008.

My brain chooses the Bears, because facing the Saints later in the season (like December) plays to the Packers' advantage because it's a home game and the Saints are a team that plays in a dome in the South. The Chicago bears are used to the cold.

I want the Saints too, love to face the other SB Champion

either game would be great!

How could they not choose a Packers/Bears game?

I would like to have a re-match against the Stealers.
If not opening night, then some other time during the season.
And if it's the SB again, why not?

I want Packers/Bears. I think they'll go with Packers/Saints.

Well maybe because this old-school rivalry doesn't thrill people outside of our area, and because these games aren't as filled with fireworks as the Saints game would be.

Plus it's the 2010 Super Bowl Champions vs the 2011 Super Bowl Champions. How cool is that? Brees is a huge draw too, both he and Rodgers are the Super Bowl MVPs, etc. great matchup.

I want to play Tampa Bay in late December. Freeze them.

I picked Saints @ Green Bay. Because I dont want to start the season off with playing crap teams.

Have to go with Packers-Bears. Big rivalry and a rematch of the NFC title game.

Packers vs Bears is too good to pass on. It's the NFCC rematch. Like this year Vikings Saints.

The Saints are pretty popular after winning that Super Bowl, plus a high-scoring team. The Bears and Packers often play low-scoring games. I bet they go with Saints-Packers and then choose one of the Bears-Packers games for later in the year for a Sunday night.

Including the injured losing QB.

I think between the Bears and Saints, the Saints would be the bigger national draw. I do think it would be cool to have the Packers / Bears kick things off (Week 1) and wrap things up (Week 17), though.

For our sake, it would be better with the Bears in week 1 and Saints at the end in the cold.

But if I am in charge of NBC, I choose Brees & the Saints and match the 2 most recent Champions against each other.

Last time we played, I think there were like 75 points scored in the game.

Wow, I like the results of the voting! That means it's a good debate topic!

We know our opponents (barring a lockout). Here's how I would like to see our schedule look like and I am adding a 2nd bye as I think the new CBA should have 2 byes. This game is brutal! More time off. Trim the preseason.

1- New Orleans, Thursday Night NBC
2- @ Kansas City
3- @ Chicago, Monday Night ESPN
4- Detroit
5- @ Carolina
6- BYE
7- Tampa Bay, Sunday Night NBC
8- Minnesota
9- @ NY Giants, Monday Night ESPN
10- Denver
11- St Louis
12- BYE
13- @ Detroit, Thursday Thanksgiving on Fox
14- Chicago
15- @ Atlanta, Monday Night ESPN
16- @ San Diego, Sunday Night NBC
17- Oakland (Christmas Sunday)
18- @ Minnesota

3 Monday Night Football
3 NBC Football Night in America (2 Sundays, and the 1 opening Thursday)
1 Thanksgiving Game

I like the December games in Atlanta dome, in sunny San Diego, and in the Minnesota dome. I would like to get San Diego early in the year as it seems they always get off to a slow start.

Early December game vs the Bears.

I want to play Tampa Bay on primetime to show they are frauds.
I want Detroit on Thanksgiving so we get up for the game as much as they do.

Those first 3 games are pretty tough. But I think we can win them all.

I really think the Vikings will be bad again, 6-10 at best.
I think the Bears fall to 8-8, around the same as the Lions.

Its alot easier to sell Drew Brees to america than it is Jay Cutler.

NFL brings out the golden boys of the nfl in prime time to try and repair their image of being greedy bastards. Expect children, poor people, and the people in hospitals being loved by Brees and Rodgers.

Well I certainly wouldn't want Cutler to visit me if I was in the hospital it would be an omen of me giving up on myself. Then I'd croak.

Good call.

Is my schedule filled with too many Packers primetime games?

I am just pumped our season starts b4 everyone elses! 3 whole days! Oo

I hope its not tampa as they always seem to beat us.