Three football bites to get your day started right:

It's go time for Colts rookie QB Andrew Luck, who's probably facing as much scrutiny as one Peyton Manning did when he first took the field for the same franchise lo these many years ago. Shutdown Corner's Doug Farrar talked with Luck about the faster linebackers in the pros, great coaching, and how he plans to lead NFL veterans in his first year.

And what can we expect from every other franchise this year? Well, it's the internet; even knitting blogs are rolling out Week 1 predictions. We like this photo essay on the NFL's own website, which prognosticates that the Broncos will have a tough opening six weeks; Ray Rice will contend for league MVP; and the Pats' easy schedule could spell complacency (and mediocrity) for the perennial powerhouses.

On a down note, Y! Sports expert Dan Wetzel's commentary on Terrell Owens's sad financial straits says the league should build in protections for players who may not realize their advisors aren'...Read More »

Last year, EA Sports's "NHL 12" game let gamers create a female hockey player in the "Be A Pro" fantasy mode. You could barely tell the difference, apparently, because under the equipment, everyone looks pretty much the same – and within the game, player ratings started at the same point as the men and built from there based on merit, not gender.

This year's version, in the interests of what Kotaku's Owen Good calls "inviting women who are hockey fans to its product," has signed up actual women's-hockey stars – Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser, and the U.S. national team's Angela Ruggiero – to appear in the game. The "NHL 13" "Legends" mode puts past hockey superstars on the ice of the present day; that's where players will find Wickenheiser and Ruggiero, who have both earned Olympic gold in the sport. But Good points out that, as "the first two real-life female athletes to appear in a video game simulation of an all-male professional team sport," they're hard to rate on the men's game's te

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by Charlotte Andersen for SHAPE.com

From mental to physical to emotional, research shows that being a crazy sports nut makes you anything but crazy--so go ahead, get a little loud. It's good for you!

What's your favorite reason to be a sports nut? Here, Facebook fans and readers share theirs:

1. You have a reason to scream: "It is pure escape-it provides me something to just plain enjoy or get mad at, it connects me to my friends, my neighbors, and to random strangers who feel the same pull and passion of the game." -Becky Simon-Burton

2. They brings drama (in a good way): "In sports, like in life, the worst team can beat the best. There are often remarkable shows of humor, caring, sportsmanship, love. Every human story is played out on a sports field!"-Deb Roby

3. It proves age is just a number: "I usually cheer for whoever the oldest player is on the team or event because they keep me going!" -Candas Jones

RELATED: Confessions of a Pro Lingerie Football Team

4. It's fit

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