At this late stage of the week, you have surely heard about every story line centered around quarterbacks, star skill players, loud talkers and frequent Tweeters. But there are 11 players on either side matching up on any given play. Below we list five matchups that, based on tape study, we are interested in seeing play out in Week 1

How’s that for a start to the season? Thursday night’s opening contest between the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers featured more points than the previous three Thursday Kickoff games combined. Re-live all the best moments at NFL.com’s Game Center.

The Steelers and representatives for safety Troy Polamalu are working hard to beat the team’s deadline to complete a contract extension.

While quarterbacks took center stage Thursday night, it’s time — especially for fantasy owners — to turn their attention to the running backs as we get set for a full slate of Sunday games. And it’s easy to understand why owners of Texans RB Adrian Foster are worried about his injury status. Foster’s season-opening performance last year was the second-best Week 1 rushing game ever.

Peyton Manning has gone from fantasy superstar to being almost undraftable in just a few short weeks.

Peyton Manning’s status gets even more mysterious after Indy’s owner tweets that the quarterback will be “out for awhile”.

The Miami Dolphins will re-sign running back Larry Johnson, according to a league source.

President Barack Obama‘s Thursday night speech means that NFL Network is the place to catch the entire star-studded kickoff show that precedes the Saints-Packers game in its entirety.

In one corner, you have the Super Bowl champion, a title-holder, that there’s no doubt that its reign atop the sport has only just begun.

In the other corner, you have a champion from a year past — knocked off their perch by a stunner in Seattle — who wants nothing more than a chance to prove it is still the king of the ring.

Bears running back Matt Forte‘s contract talks are not the only ones that have been put on hold, according to league sources.

On the hunt for some depth in the secondary, the Miami Dolphins gave tryouts to defensive backs Mark LeGree and Darcel McBath on Wednesday, according to a league source. And in another free-agent visit, the St. Louis Rams tried out defensive back C.J. Wilson. In other league news,  four teams placed waiver claims on defensive back Darius Butler following his release from New England, according to a league source. Carolina, Denver, Jacksonville and San Francisco all placed claims on Butler, who was awarded to the Panthers.

Every Wednesday this season, the research staff at “Playbook” will be taking your questions through email (playbook@nfl.com) and on Twitter (@NFLN_Playbook, with #askplaybook hashtag), and answering them in this blog. Here is the first batch of questions we’ve selected.

Albert Irby, the agent for David Garrard, said Wednesday that he’s awaiting proposals from two teams and expects to have them by the end of the day.

LeGarrette Blount is still the starter in Tampa Bay, but talk of a platoon could put a dent in his value.

The 2011 kickoff is finally here, as the Saints and Packers begin the season Thursday night in Green Bay. Seems like a good time to remind everyone the importance of winning the first game of the season. More to the point: the importance of not losing the first game.