Now that is the start any champion would like to have.

In case you haven’t heard, YES, the 2008-09 NFL football season has finally begun with the Super Bowl XLII champions, New York Giants, winning the first game of their new campaign.

It was a dramatic start to the brand new season. Retired Michael Strahan introduced his former New York Giants teammates to the field with a huge replica of the Super Bowl trophy right smack in the middle of Giants Stadium.

When the game started, the Giants did looked like champs, jumping on the Washington Redskins right from the get go. The defending champions still had the edge too, not to mention that smothering defense that nailed New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to the ground faster than 50 Cent would Paris Hilton.

It was a perfect start for the Giants’ field general as well as Super Bowl XLII MVP Eli Manning scrambled near the goal line to score the first touchdown of the brand new season. Oh yeah, seems like the Manning bloodline, all of a sudden, had legs and young Eli showed just that, rushing for the first score of the football year.

Last season, the New York Giants were a miserable 3-5 at home. The Giants were also known to be slow starters, losing the first two games they played last season and losing the same two games they played the season before that.

After finally winning a season opener, it certainly looks like a new age has dawned on the Giants. And as expected, the players were all happy about it.

‘’We played well and it’s no surprise to us. We feel like we got capable guys and we held them for very few yards other than the two-minute situations where they got most of their yardage,'’ New York Giants defensive tackle Barry Cofield said, referring to the way their defense held the Redskins scoreless in the first and last two quarters.

‘’We are confident in our defense and feel like if we stick with the scheme we’ll have success all year.'’

Who will win Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Florida? Bodog sportsbook has the odds.

New York Giants 17.00

New England Patriots 4.50

Dallas Cowboys 7.00

Indianapolis Colts 8.50

Want more odds? Visit Bodog sportsbook for more football betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today’s biggest sporting events.

Washington Redskins New York Giants