This Given Sunday will examine the biggest injury questions before each week of the NFL season. Here are the top five health-related storylines entering Week 1. How strong will Adrian Peterson's left knee be? Peterson plans on taking the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars only 260 days after blowing that knee up on Christmas Eve, […]

Don't pretend you know. That's the theme this week, ladies and gentlemen. The funny thing about the lead up to Week 1 is that it's the exact time in which the highest percentage of fans feel confident that a) they know who's going to be good, bad and average, and b) their team is going […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers undoubtedly receive a nice boost on offense with speedster Mike Wallace returning after a lengthy holdout, but there's still some concern that Wallace will take some time to readjust.  Ultimately, Wallace's holdout was poorly timed. He and his agent might have figured that the circumstances in Pittsburgh — you know, the fact […]

Looking at the NFC East right now, you could probably make a convincing argument that the weakest unit on all four teams in that division is the offensive line.  In New York, Eli Manning's blind side is in trouble with Will Beatty hurt and Mark Sanchez's front side is in jeopardy as the Jets look […]

Between 1970 and 2005, an average of 1.4 rookie quarterbacks per year started at least eight games. Since then, that number has increased to 2.7. And if Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden and Russell Wilson hit that mark this season, that number would increase to 3.1. In other words, twice as […]

Have you heard the news? Bart Scott expects teammate Mark Sanchez to become a top-10 quarterback. Yeah, Scott believes, in fact, that it'll happen this season.  Oh, and in Atlanta, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has made no bones about it. Matt Ryan is a top-10 quarterback already. "No question," Dimitroff told NFL Network this […]

Just curious. Because I’m not a parent yet, and so I don’t know what the protocol is for this one. But look at that cape and tell me how you’d feel about your kid gracing it on one of the 364 days that exist outside of Oct. 31. I mean, that would be a pretty […]

When the Minnesota House of Representatives raised the Vikings’ share of the team’s stadium bill by $105 million Tuesday — an amendment the team called “not workable” — football fans in the Land of 10,000 Lakes once again began to panic regarding the future of the team in their state.  But that they voted in […]

Considering where he was only a few years ago, it’s crazy how big-time Aaron Rodgers continues to become. The Packers quarterback, who golfs fairly regularly with Michael Jordan and has become a regular at some of the biggest non-football events like the Kentucky Derby, was recently named the most marketable player in the NFL by […]

One week after NFL legend Junior Seau took his own life, the first significant and tangible ripple has been felt from that explosive event: An NFL player has retired at least partially due to concerns regarding the risks of head trauma.  Bengals guard Jacob Bell announced this week he’s walking away from the game at […]

These aren’t your grandfather’s power rankings. What? Your grandfather is afraid of computers? OK, but they aren’t your father’s power rankings, either. None of this “the Super Bowl champion has to be ranked first throughout the offseason” bullcrap. The beauty of power rankings is that they’re meaningless, arbitrary, subjective and not based solely on wins and […]

At the very least, Junior Seau’s death might be a watershed moment for the way the NFL helps players transition to the next phase of their lives.  At the very most, the tragic incident might be a watershed moment for the way the league’s coaches, players and — maybe most importantly — fans feel about […]

It came in the first sentence of one of the most shocking and important press releases the NFL had ever issued: “A lengthy investigation by the NFL’s security department has disclosed that between 22 and 27 defensive players on the New Orleans Saints, as well as at least one assistant coach, maintained a “bounty” program funded […]

They say grading a draft only days after its completion is fruitless and absurd. But we do it anyway, mainly because there’s a demand for the analysis, but also because I believe there’s a way to evaluate a draft based on needs addressed and related circumstances that have little to do with the unpredictable futures […]