After a meeting earlier today Goodell decided Ben was behaving himself and felt he was doing his best to be a better person. As a result, Roethlisberger had his suspension trimmed down to 4 games. He’s now eligible to return to action Oct. 18th for a divisional matchup against the Browns.

In the meantime there’s been a lot of talk about who will start at quarterback while Roethlisberger is gone. The competition between Dennis Dixon and Byron Leftwich during the preseason really didn’t leave the Steelers with any kind of definitive idea of who would be starting week one.

But last night against Carolina Leftwich injured his left knee and initial reports have not been positive. So it seems that the Steelers may wind up having to start Dixon against the Falcons next Sunday.

Although most people seem to think that Leftwich would have started had he not gotten injured, and there is still a chance he could be okay come Sept. 12th, Dixon seems to fit the role a little better. The Steelers are going to have to go back to their old style while Ben isn’t around, which means a lot more running. Dixon isn’t as experienced a passer as Leftwich, but the dynamic he brings with his legs could be a better fit.

Technorati Tags: Ben Roethlisberger, byron leftwich, denis dixon, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers

While the division is still probably the weakest in football, there looks to be a changing of the guard.

The 49ers finally seem ready to take over the West, which for the past few years hasn’t taken much. Under the guidance of Mike Singletary,the 49ers defense has become one of the best in football. Aggressive and relentless, just like their coach used to be when he roamed the middle of the Bears dominant defense during the mid to late 80’s.

What makes this years 49ers team different is the other side of the ball. There finally seems to be some hope for offensive stability, which has been lacking in the bay area for quite some time. It seems that Alex Smith, who is entering his 6th year, is ready to lead the team. He’s got some weapons at his disposal in Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and Frank Gore, and his offensive line seems to have finally found some unity.

Smith struggled in his first few seasons with the 49ers after being the drafted first overall in 2005. But at the end of last season he seemed to be coming into his own.

Something that really stands out though was his contract restructuring before the 2009 season. Smith was still cashing in on his ridiculous rookie contract. His desire to stay with the 49ers organization prompted him to renegotiate his contract, going from earning $24.6 million down to $8 million over his remaining two years. This is exactly the kind of culture Mike Singletary wanted to create in San Francisco, no more me first, but instead, team first.

With the Cardinals really not having a suitable predecessor to Kurt Warner it’s the perfect opportunity for the 49ers to overtake the division. I know there’s a bunch of Seahawk fans out there saying “Well what about us?”. But they need to be realistic about their teams expectations, something that they’ve never been able to do in the Pacific Northwest. This is going to be a statement year from the 49ers, the one that says “We’re back!”. If you don’t believe me tune into a few of their games this year, the team will speak for itself. And that’s just the way Singletary wants it.

Technorati Tags: Alex Smith, Mike Singletary, NFL, San Francisco 49ers

Cutler has definitely been the most successful of the 3 quarterbacks drafted in the first round. The other two, Young and Leinart, have yet to show the same kind of potential as Cutler. But has Cutler already peaked as a player? This year may tell a lot about what the future has in store for him.

The Bears were wise to bring in Mike Martz this offseason. What he was able to do offensively in St. Louis with Kurt Warner was nothing short of amazing. And the Bears are hoping that Martz can bring some of that magic to Chicago, with Cutler being the biggest benefactor. Warner and Cutler are two very different quarterbacks though, and not just talent wise.

Warner took to the teachings of Martz as good as any player could have. He fit into the system perfectly, his timing and accuracy were impeccable. The fact that Warner came out of the arena league supports the notion even more that he was very coachable. That’s probably why he was so successful with the Rams.

Cutler has been perceived by many, and at times has almost made it obvious, that he doesn’t take to coaching well. His body language on the sidelines and after plays tells a big story. He looks like he always has an excuse for mistakes he’s made, shaking his head as if he always knows what’s going on and giving the look that “Yea I know what I did wrong.”. This is an even bigger red flag because if he does always know what’s going and he keeps making the same mistakes he may not be able to fix them.

Cutler, up until this point, has been an improv gunslinger. His style doesn’t fit into a Mike Martz system that’s based on the two major strengths Warner had, timing and accuracy. In order to fit into the system Cutler has to change his game a little, he’s got to become coachable.

This is the biggest and best opportunity Cutler may get in his career and what he does with it will say a lot about him. If he has success with the Bears this year it will be because he took to the teachings of Mike Martz. If he comes out looking the way he has for the past 3 and a bit seasons he won’t have taken to the teachings of one of the best offensive minds the game has seen in a while. And if he doesn’t take to coaching this year, he may never take to it.

Technorati Tags: Chicago Bears, Jay Cutler, Mike Martz, NFL

Revis has decided to sit out training camp and try and get himself a new contract. If he is, in fact, the best defensive player in the league then he does deserve to get paid. And the important thing to remember here is that the coach of the team he plays for made these claims, so from the viewpoint of Revis the Jets should put their money where their mouth is.

I’m sure behind closed doors the Jets brass cringed every time Ryan opened his mouth and poured out as many superlatives as he knows when he was referring to Revis. If Ryan was aware of the impact of what he was saying he probably wouldn’t have said it, but he didn’t. He proceeded to give Revis all the leverage he needed to hold the Jets ransom. Really, can you blame Revis? If your employer told everyone who was willing to listen that you were the best employee would you not want to be paid like the best employee?

Things have slowly changed in the past few weeks in New York though. No longer is Ryan singing the praises of the best corner in the game. Now he’s starting to get frustrated. His demeanor has changed in his press conferences, and it’s clear he’s starting to realize the mistake he made. He’s gone as far as saying he wants to get the whole team and Revis to sit down and get a deal hammered out. Then he finally came to the realization that maybe the contract talks should just be between the team and Revis. What a novel idea.

The problem is that the damage has been done. The Jets are going to be forced to pay Revis what he wants, how could they not? What this really brings to light is how delicate of a business football really is. Coaches not only have to be able to manage a team, they also have to manage the media. They have to understand that what they say can be used against them. Having pompous loudmouths as coaches may be entertaining, but from a business standpoint it drives the owners and general managers nuts.

This move by Ryan may not only cost the Jets a huge contract right now, but it amy also put them in a hard position in the future to manage their roster and salary cap. They have players like Nick Mangold and David Harris, who they have to worry about resigning by next year. Then there’s Mark Sanchez, who is potentially the next big contract they’ll have to worry about. When you start adding this up the Jets have a small window of opportunity to take advantage of. Not only do they have to make the right moves now, they have to make sure the moves they do make now allow them to make the right moves years from now. This may wind up being a very hard lesson for the Jets and Rex Ryan to learn from.

Technorati Tags: Darrelle Revis, New York Jets, NFL, Rex Ryan

Shanahan labelled the test as “very minimal” and that most of his players could do it “in their sleep”. Haynesworth is proving to be the exception. However Shanahan is confident that Albert will pass it sooner or later.

“I don’t want to put a guy out there before he’s ready, before I know he’s in shape,” Shanahan said. “I know it’s the best thing for him. He may not know that at this time, but I can guarantee you, the big linemen that I’ve been with, the guys that are in the trenches, they still need to be in shape.”

This isn’t the kind of shape you’d expect a guy who is in the second year of his $100 million contract to be in. If you’re the Redskins and you pay a guy that kind of money you expect him to do everything in his power to be able to contribute to the team to the best of his ability. The last thing you want is an out of shape player who just signed a $21 million roster bonus to be dragging his ass through cone drills.

Whether or not Haynesworth is a Redskin in the future is anyones guess. His trade value is as low as it could be and the Redskins would have to bite it if they shipped him to another team. But it’s definitely not out of the question.

Technorati Tags: Albert Haynesworth, Mike Shanahan, NFL, Washington Redskins

Anyone who follows Ochocinco on his Twitter account knows that he’s been clamoring for the Bengals to sign T.O. for quite a while now. Between the tweets of his bad luck in love and his clothes, Ocho has made it clear that he believes Owens and himself would give secondaries sleepless nights. There’s a chance that this could very well happen. There’s also a chance those two could give Marvin Lewis his fair share of sleepless nights as well.

Lost in the shuffle of all of this is Antonio Bryant. The Bengals signed him earlier in the offseason with thoughts of him lining up opposite of Chad. With T.O. now in town, Bryant sort of becomes the forgotten man. Who knows how he’ll react to this, but the Bengals seem to have a possible tinder box at the receiver position.

Of course, none of these guys will be worth a lick if Carson Palmer isn’t able to pick up his game form last year. Palmer had a rough year last year and the Bengals have to be hoping he’s able to regain his form from several years ago. I’d be willing to bet he’ll get back in the groove, but he’s got to do it quick. The collective patience of the receivers in Cincinnati is probably going to be pretty low. And if they all don’t get balls thrown their way, in copious amounts, Marvin Lewis and Carson Palmer better be ready to hear about it.

Technorati Tags: Antonio Bryant, Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati Bengals, Marvin Lewis, NFL, T.O., Terrell Owens

A few months back Mike Vick decided to throw himself a party at a nightclub to celebrate his 30th birthday. The party was welcome to the public. Several minutes after Vick left the party, his former partner in his dog-fighting ring Quanis Phillips, was shot in the leg outside the party. An investigation ensued, obviously, as towhether Vick had anything to do with the shooting. As it turns out, he didn’t.

But you still have to shake your head at the sheer stupidity of Vick. Throwing yourself a public party where anyone can attend is one thing for the normal person, but not for a person in Vicks situation. One would think that trying to stay out of trouble and avoiding situations like the one he got himself into would be common sense. But I think Mike Vick has shown that he lacks a lot of common sense, which isn’t always that common.

This should be an interesting year for Vick, as well as the Eagles. With McNabb gone, Kevin Kolb will be taking the starting quarterback spot. But if Kolb fails to make anything happen, don’t be surprised to see Vick come in and replace him. Either way, I would expect to see a little more of Mike Vick on the playing field, if for any other reason, to try and increase any potential trade value he has.

Technorati Tags: Kevin Kolb, Mike Vick, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles

The Bengals signed Benson to a two year, $7 million contract last offseason, but Benson feels like he could be getting more out of the team. It’s hard to argue that Benson may have been underpaid last season, considering he put up over 1200 yards and averaged 4.2 yards per carry in 13 games. And since it seems like every player who feels they’re getting the short end of the stick money wise wants to try and re-do their deal with the uncertainty of everything between the league and the players, it’s hard to blame him.

But the Bengals may want to hold back on their willingness to award Benson. The Bengals haven’t been immune to doing stupid things, and rewarding a guy for one good season may not be in the teams best interest. I’d be shocked if Benson held out because he’s unhappy with his contract. So maybe the Bengals should let him ride out his current deal and see what he does this year, now that everyone is aware of what kind of threat he is.

It could be a pricy risk for the Bengals, especially if he has another good season. If he plays like he did last year, he’ll have way more leverage when it comes to contract talks. But that’s a risk the Bengals should be willing to take. Productive running backs are becoming less of a rarity in the NFL, and while Benson had a good year last year he didn’t have a great one.

Technorati Tags: Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals, NFL

His biggest problem seems to be the fact that he feels the Redskins aren’t using him properly. And I suppose if I was in his position, I’d be worried too. I mean, if you know your limits and someone is asking you to do something outside of them that you know you can’t do effectively, there’s cause for concern. I’m sure Albert doesn’t want to be exposed, even though he’s slowly doing it himself.

The Redskins are making a push to a 3-4 defense this year, and Albert knows he doesn’t fit that scheme. He’s a 4-3 defensive tackle. He can’t play the nose in a 3-4 and he can’t play end in a 3-4. So he feels the most professional solution to this problem is not to be professional about it.

Here is a guy whom Mike Shanahan gave the opportunity earlier this year to either A) sign for his release or B) sign to take his $21 million roster bonus. He chose the roster bonus. Now he’s putting the Redskins through the ringer. I think that’s all that needs to be said about what kind of person Albert is.

But he’s put his current employer in a really bad situation. The Redskins have a few options. They could bite the $21 million and kick his ass to the curb, but I don’t think Dan Snyder is ready to do that. They could try and reason with him and work out some sort of amicable solution, but Albert doesn’t seem to be the type to do anything that doesn’t result in him getting 100% benefit from it. Or they could try and trade him. But with so many teams moving to the 3-4, and the fact that he’s grossly overpaid, he’s becoming less and less of a commodity. The players that are attractive are the ones that have some versatility, something Haynesworth doesn’t have.

So while it’s easy to say the Redskins were fools to sign him to such a large contract, which they were, you have to feel for them a little on this one. They’re essentially being held hostage. And for a team trying to erase a culture that creates greedy monsters like Haynesworth, that’s not a good position to be in.

This situation is going to get worse before it gets better. The Skins may just be better off eating the $21 million and dropping this guy like a bad habit because the other two scenarios I mentioned don’t seem like they’d work. One thing is for sure, Albert Haynesworth is nothing more than a greedy, self centered, me first person who doesn’t deserve the luxuries a TEAM sport has provided him.

Technorati Tags: Albert Haynesworth, Dan Snyder, Mike Shanahan, NFL, Washington Redskins

The Giants have not been able to recapture the success they had in their Super Bowl run a few years back. The defense has struggled, so has the run game and Eli performs well when everyone else around him does, which didn’t happen last year. Guys like Brandon Jacobs were to busy telling everyone how good they were instead of actually proving it. While the defense still has some question marks, the offense should be quite a bit better this year. Eli has a bunch of young, talented receivers to choose from and one or two will step up this year. Last year the defense was 30th in the league for points allowed. If they can cure that problem the Giants should be back on track.

9. New England Patriots

Many people feel that the magic has run out in New England. But I think every team in the league would hope to still be as good as the Patriots are once their magic ran out. This is a really big year for New England though. The offense will still produce as long as Tom Brady stays off the turf. The big question is the defense. The Patriots have virtually turned almost all of their defense over from 3 years ago. They are now stocked with youth and they’re hoping a few new leaders rise up from the ashes. If the defense struggles again this year there may be some big changes. If the defense finds chemistry there in for another serious run.

8. Dallas Cowboys

They finally made it over the hump last year. Well, Tony Romo finally won a playoff game so I consider that a hump to get over. Going into this season the Cowboys look scary good. Down the stretch last year their defense played lights out. DeMarcus Ware is now becoming one of the most dominant defensive players in the game and I think this year teams are going to really start to gameplan around him. The offense is dripping with talent, on paper they might not be matched. But it all still rides on the arm of Romo. If he can improve on what he did at the end of last year and start showing a little more maturity the Cowboys may be hosting the Super Bowl next year.

7. New York Jets

The Jets had a really nice playoff run last year and look to emerge this year as a real powerhouse. If you don’t believe it just ask them, they’ll tell you how good they think they are. They were active in free agency, landing LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes. But a key loss may be letting Thomas Jones slip away. They were really able to ride him out last year which helped take a lot of the pressure off rookie Mark Sanchez. Last year nobody expected the Jets to do anything. This year, with all the hype they’re giving themselves, people are expecting a lot more out of them. Will they or won’t they live up to all the hype? It will be fun to watch.

6. Green Bay Packers

The Packers have found life after Favre and they’re liking it a whole lot. Aaron Rodgers has really blossomed into an elite quarterback and he’s got lots of talent around him to work with. The defense was tops in stopping the run and Clay Matthews III showed real promise as a rookie last year. If the Packers want to take the next step, they need to find a solution to their biggest problem, the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings owned that Packers last year and that’s something Green Bay will be focused on fixing this year.

5. Minnesota Vikings

Even though they didn’t win the Super Bowl last year the Vikings could still be looked at as having the best season. The defense was dominant and Brett Favre was exactly what the offense needed. All signs are pointing for Favre to return and if he does I don’t expect the Vikings to skip a beat. But Favre will be one year older and once you start getting into your playing twilight your game can deteriorate pretty fast. As much as nobody likes to admit it, teams will be going after Favre wanting to punish him. The Vikings are going to really have to protect Favre if they want to have a repeat of last year, minus losing in overtime in the NFC championship game of course.

4. Indianapolis Colts

Let’s see, is Peyton Manning still the starting quarterback in Indy? Yup, which means you can pencil the Colts in for a spot in the top 5. Manning was his typical self last year, and with Anthony Gonzalez back at full help he’ll have a full arsenal of weapons to choose from. Donald Brown could emerge as a workhorse in the backfield and may wind up being more reliable than Addai. Something that may turn into a concern for the Colts is the status of Robert Mathis and his current contract situation. He wants it reworked and may wind up sitting out training camp if  he doesn’t get what he wants. He’s a big part of their defense and it’s definitely in their best interest to keep him around for a little longer. Either way, they’re still going to be as dangerous a team as any.

3. San Diego Chargers

Could this be the Chargers year? After a few years of bridesmaid status, the Chargers look ready to be the ones standing on the alter this year. Losing LaDainian in the offseason was offset by drafting Fresno State stud Ryan Mathews. The Chargers shocked a lot of people moving up in the draft to get him, but San Diego may get the last laugh on that one. He may bring that running game back to where it was 4 years ago. The person feeling the most pressure could be head coach Norv Turner. If he fails to take all that talent to where everyone expects them to go this may be his last year as a Charger.

2. Baltimore Ravens

When I look at the Ravens roster I think to myself who is gonna beat these guys this year. Joe Flacco is entering his third year and he’s finally getting some toys to play with. They brought in Donte Stallworth and Anquan Boldin and that should really help the passing game. Oh yeah, and they’ve got Ray Rice. If Rice doesn’t lead the league this year in yards from scrimmage I’ll be totally shocked. He’s got all the tools, and I mean all, to become a truly great running back. If the Ravens were hard to run against last year, they may be down right impossible to run against this year. The team was able to draft Terrence Cody in the second round, and he’ll plug up the middle of that defense. The one question mark for the Ravens is their secondary. But if Suggs bounces back, and first round pick Sergio Kindle can provide some pressure as well, the secondary won’t be as much of a concern.

1. New Orleans Saints

It’s hard not to rank these guys at the top considering virtually the same team will be back again this year. The Saints had a storybook season last year, beating the Colts in Super Bowl 44. Even with one of the best offensive showings last year, Gregg Williams defense was what really pushed the Saints into the elite category. Another year in the system should mean the defense may be more effective this year. Providing they don’t let the Super Bowl go to their head and they can stay focused on the task at hand, which is always the next game, they’ll be in good shape.

Technorati Tags: NFL