NFL

NFL returns with the Hall of Fame game on Sunday, August 8 with Dallas at Cincinnati. We then have 4 weeks of preseason football until regular season gets under way on Thursday Sept. 9 with Minnesota at New Orleans.

With the return of the NFL, we also have the return of Fantasy Football. For those looking for some top class research, you can’t beat the 2010 ESPN Fantasy Football Guide.

Click the image above to check out the 2010 ESPN Fantasy Football Guide.

Oakland Training Camp News

There is a lot of excitement in Oakland this offseason.

The Raiders and their fans believe the worst is behind an organization that has been mired in a seven-year funk. Oakland has lost at least 11 games in each of the past seven seasons — an NFL record for futility.

Still, hopes are high in Oakland (as they are every offseason). One of the reasons is the presence of offensive coordinator Hue Jackson.

Jackson was an assistant in Baltimore last year. He has a good reputation around the league and helped develop Carson Palmer in Cincinnati and Joe Flacco in Baltimore.

Jackson will have a lot of responsibility in Oakland. He will be in charge of turning around a dismal offense. Jackson has proven to be very vocal in Oakland’s offseason workouts and he has received high marks from Oakland’s players. The Raiders hope the combination of Jackson and new quarterback Jason Campbell will help the team out of its doldrums.

Jackson is expected to call plays and the team is going to become more smashmouth under his guidance.

If the Raiders stumble early, it is not out of the question that head coach Tom Cable gets fired (his job status was in question for weeks this offseason) and Jackson takes over. That’s how Cable became the head coach when Lane Kiffin was fired during the 2008 season.

Whatever happens, expect Jackson to be a major storyline in Oakland as the season gets going. Oakland needs offense and is entrusting Jackson to provide it.

Terrell Owens is Still Without a Team?

Terrell Owens has definitely had a fair share controversy surrounding him in the past, but the star receiver is desperately trying to turn things around and find a new team. So far, he has had no luck and finds himself without a job.

Many owners are avoiding the controversial player and are looking at his past altercations with team mates and coaches rather than his performance on the field. His Hall of Fame numbers are taking a back seat and are not the topic of discussion. But that is nothing new.

To his credit, Owens has shown some restraint over the past season and avoided the tantrums that tarnished his reputation for most of his career. But Owens does not believe his bad attitude has caused him to be without a team in the National Football League. Instead he is putting the blame on the media.

“I may do 99 good things and if I do one thing wrong, ESPN and the people on there…make it out to be the worst thing ever. I think with the years I’ve had, the last three to four years, I feel like I’ve tried to turn over a new leaf.  But still they won’t let go of what I did in the past,” said Owens, according to the NFL network.

Owens is learning the valuable lesson that actions and words follow you for a long time. Whether or not he is to blame for his previous misfortunes, his antics have forced many teams to show him the door. He was booted from the San Francisco 49ers, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, and finally from the Buffalo Bills. He has meet and been in contact with a few teams across the league, but to no avail.

He has even reverted to his peers to help him find a job. Pro bowl receiver and close friend Chad Johnson from the Cincinnati Bengals tried to convince management along with his head coach Marvin Lewis to sign Owens. The media had more fun with the possibility of having these two pranksters playing in the same receiving corps, than anything else. Pundits and most fans knew that this duo was very unlikely.

Others believe that Owens being unemployed in the NFL is due to the amount of money that he and his agent are seeking. At 36, he is not the same player that he was earlier in his career. Although Owens was relatively quiet last season in Buffalo, the same could be said about his stats and production on the field. His 55 catches and five receiving touchdowns were not even close to the numbers that he has posted throughout his entire career. But the blame should not be placed solely on his broad shoulders.

Buffalo’s quarterbacks, Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick, were mainly responsible for his stats decreasing. Both failed to generate the offence and the season was a disappointment for all parties involved.

With training camps just a few weeks away, Owens’s agent better start making some calls for his client.  Foreseeing that Owens will be given another chance to play in the NFL, it will be with a new team. Owens will have to build chemistry and cohesion with the other guys in that locker room. That takes time and can only be worked on the football field.  As it stands, the speculation continues on where the 36-year-old will play this season. He’ll turn 37 in December of the 2010 season and one has to wonder what will come first for Owens: a job in the NFL or retirement?

Top NFL Quarterbacks for this season?

With the NBA all done now, and MLB half way through, it is time to think about the NFL. The preseason is right around the corner. Do you know who to pick to lead your team at the Quarterback position? I do:

1) Peyton Manning, IND- After reaching the SuperBowl again, and almost having a 1000 yards passing in the postseason alone, Manning is an obvious choice as the number one QB. He has a great recieving core as always, and is in a pass only offense, since none of their RBs ever step up it seems like. Expect Manning to have another fantastic year, as the Colts aren’t going anywhere.

2) Drew Brees, NO- The only reason why Brees is not number one is because he is on the Madden cover and will most likely get hurt, everyone else has. Brees led the league in TDs last season with 34, and NO does not look like a team going down the hill. If Brees does not get injured, expect him to have another career year, with many multi TD games.

3) Aaron Rodgers, GB- Rodgers has bolstered himself onto the scene as a top QB and deserves to be in the top 3. Rodgers and the Packers are still a team on the rise and it is because of his right arm. Rodgers is set to have another productive season. He is number three also because Brady seems like he is on the decline, and Favre is being Favre and not fdor sure coming back. Expect greatness out of Rodgers this year. Grab him early.

Honorable mention- Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Tony Romo

More NFL News:

Eighteen-game schedule could be the answer to NFL’s labor dispute

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