Ten years ago, my father Michael Joseph James Luca Sr met Jim Fassel and the New York Giants. It was a few days after he aided thousands of people across the Brooklyn Bridge during the September 11th terrorist attacks

None of the other sixth graders in Christa McAuliffe Middle School in Jackson, New Jersey had any clue as to what was going on either. The teachers would not tell us despite our restlessness and obsession with information, and yet hours of postponed learning flew by and classmates left and right were beckoned home by the intercom. Rumor finally broke loose that one of the Twin Towers had collapsed, although we weren't aware of the reason - how can a building just fall down? My friends and I collaborated over what the new name of the remaining stature should be...nothing great came up. Preteen mystery eventually subsided once I arrived home and learned the truth. By that age I was used to not knowing how long traffic would delay my NYC court officer dad from reaching home, but this time "when" was unfortunately not the only information I obsessed over.

Days later, as Dad continued to be a hero, sorting through the rubble and identifying many other children's heroes, a limo pulled up in their site of work. Emerging from the vehicle was the previously mentioned former head coach, along with the likes of Michael Strahan, Tiki Barber, Luke Petitgout, etc. Fassel's words to the force were simple and impactful, commending them on the valiant job they performed (and still were performing) for this heartbroken city and nation; this was followed by a string of handshakes, giant in every sense of the word.

Our story is one of the lucky ones, and in times of unquantifiable struggle and catastrophic incomprehension, it is imperative to recall the little positives that through healing bloom into massive values. For one thing, sports really do matter. In the grand scheme of things they will never match up to life itself, but when the intangibles of existence become too overwhelming, it is the distraction of devotion that propels us past our strife, and the perspective of togetherness that evades our newfound agony. It is the unity of a family on the couch for several weekends of compromise and without the remote, or of the city of New Orleans as the Saints trounced the Atlanta Falcons in the Louisiana Superdome a year after Hurricane Katrina, or of the entire planet through FIFA World Cups and the Olympics. It is the Mets' Mike Piazza crushing a game-winner to deep left-center field on September 21st, and Aaron Boone and the Yankees' Game 7 victory in the 2003 ALCS over the Red Sox, and Eli Manning's dismantled pocket resulting in the David Tyree helmet catch of the millennium. Sports may not cure wounds, but they are a more-than-capable Band-Aid. And especially for a Week One that almost never was, it is vastly appropriate to remember and cope with 9/11 on a Sunday of unlocked football.

1) I would have picked New York Giants over Washington Redskins and New York Jets over Dallas Cowboys regardless, but this inevitable boost will all but secure it for both squads. As I've been bawling over for a month now, The G-Men had an excruciating offseason capitalized by a depleted defensive unit due to injury, but Washington hasn't beaten them since before their 2008 Super Bowl run, and I decided they will just not let themselves lose. As for the Rex-Rob Ryan Bowl and the Cowboys chances, their own beefed up arena will have nothing on Sunday night's MetLife Stadium crowd as the J-E-T-S I'm-not-finishing-the-chant-sorry will add themselves to the aforementioned New York timeline on their division title quest.

2) Sadly, Buffalo will not quite relish in the same success - Kansas City Chiefs over Buffalo Bills as my Eliminator Pick of Week One.

3) Pittsburgh Steelers over Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles over St. Louis Rams - while neither of these teams will be playing on fields in Pennsylvania, expect both to escape early tough road matchups and reduce adjectives as they commence their playoff campaigns.

4) Even if Eli's brother Peyton was healthy enough to compete, this is finally the magical season for Matt Schaub and Houston Texans over Indianapolis Colts for the division crown, and the opening win.

5) As stated above, the New Orleans Saints know all about societal resurrections, legendary moments and Thursday nights, but while this past one encompassed such, they still succumbed (as I predicted) to the eventual repeat-champion Green Bay Packers (I'm 1-0!). Their potential AFC SB counterparts, New England Patriots over Miami Dolphins, and last year's second-worst franchise Denver Broncos over Oakland Raiders are what to look out for tomorrow night. Now last year's first-worst franchise...

6) Upset of Week One: Carolina Panthers over Arizona Cardinals. My theory was somewhat squandered when Auburn triumphed without Cam Newton yesterday against Mississippi St in yet another nail biter, but amongst all the scrutiny of the public, the first pick of the NFL draft has not lost a meaningful contest so far, and nothing helps a rookie more than a solid offensive line, balanced running attack, versatile tight ends in broken down situations, and raw athleticism (I know they won't finish over .500 but I'm giving them this one). Also, I'm still waiting for Kevin Kolb to do something comparable to the five-year-long hype he has received, while their defense is certainly something to sneeze at.

7) Seattle Seahawks over San Francisco 49ers. Pete Carroll over Jim Harbaugh, so essentially USC over Stanford. And I'm sure they will land quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley, respectively, in next April's draft.

8) And by the way, the Yankees and Mets will close out their current series (opposing the Angels and Cubs) fortuitously. And I'll allow some shampoo to slip into my eyes Monday morning.