Kolb No. 1 on Depth Chart; Cowboys Open Up Training Camp; Brees Comments on Goodell

With the Hall of Fame Exhibition Game less than a week away, the Arizona Cardinals have released their depth chart for the game. Kevin Kolb is in the No. 1 spot at QB. Mike Sando of ESPN.com breaks down what this could mean for the preseason and training camp. Kevin Kolb right now is likely the best choice at that position because aside from being injury prone, he has not done anything to show why he shouldn't be. The Arizona Cardinals will square off against the New Orleans Saints this Sunday, in a game which will be an interesting game for both.

(Kevin Kolb will presumably be taking the first shot at the Saints' Defense of Sunday. Photo Courtesy: USAtoday.com)

Speaking of the New Orleans Saints, their QB Drew Brees had some very harsh words to say about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Peter King, of Sports Illustrated, writes about the conversation he had with Drew Brees, including about Goodell. "On NFL players' attitudes to Goodell: Brees got quiet and thought for a moment, then said: 'Nobody trusts him. Nobody trusts him. I'm not talking about a DUI, or using a gun in a strip club, which are pretty clear violations. I think there're too many times where the league has come to its decision in a case before calling a guy in, and the interview is just a façade. I think now if a guy has to come in to talk to Roger, he'll be very hesitant because he'll think the conclusion has already been reached.''

After having an uncharacteristically quiet offseason, aside from WR Dez Bryant and the splash in the draft to get Morris Clayborne, the Dallas Cowboys opened up their training camp in pads today. The Dallas Morning News offers an inside look into some of the match-ups. It is good to get Dez Bryant onto the field where he can show his talent in a favorable light. One of the interesting match-up are the wide receivers against the upgrade at corner with Brandon Carr and Morris Clayborne.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are not having the best of openings to training camp. Between Maurice Jones-Drew holding out and rookie WR Justin Blackmon still out of camp, profootballtalk.com talks about the struggles of the Jaguars.

Tannehill Holds Out; Texans add WR; Cardinals QB Battle Heats Up

Dolphins' rookie QB Ryan Tannehill's chances of becoming the starter are taking a hit. Tannehill has officially become a holdout. The Associated Press via Yahoo! Sports  reports that Tannehill has not shown up to training camp as contract talks are still "progressing." ''He's obviously not here, so we're not done yet,'' general manager Jeff Ireland told reporters after practice. ''Progress is being made. It's progressing, I should say. Communication is ongoing on both sides, from Pat and our group.'' In the meantime, last season starting QB Matt Moore has been taking first team snaps.

(Ryan Tannehill did not report to camp on Friday, which is not a good sign if he wants to start the season. Photo Courtesy of nfltraderumors.com)

After a couple of disappointing seasons as head coach of the Denver Broncos, and offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams; Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels says he is glad to be "home" in New England.

The Houston Texans, arguably one of the teams favored to go deep into the playoffs, are adding depth at WR. According to NFL.com, the Texans agreed to terms with veteran WR Bryant Johnson. Johnson had six catches for 90 yards and a TD last season with the Texans. The Texans are going to be expecting more production from him next season if they want to be contenders for the Super Bowl.

Kent Somers of azcentral.com gives a list of the starters (for now) for the Cardinals. He reports that the QB Kevin Kolb and John Skelton are going to splitting reps as evenly as possible till head coach Ken Wisenhunt decides on his starting QB.

Cowboys Hurt Going into Camp; Johnson Blames Patriots for Subpar Season

Profootballtalk.com reports that Cowboys CB Mike Jenkins is among the five players placed on the Physically Unable to Perform, or PUP, list. G Mackenzy Bernadeau and linemen Kevin Kowalski were also on the list, which is are injuries the Cowboys can't afford if they want to keep Tony Romo healthy. Rookies S Matt Johnson and WR Danny Coale's were also both on the list.

Profootballtalk.com also reported that Eagles WR DeSean Jackson is being slated as a part-time Punt Returner. This comes as no surprise as Jackson has always been one of the top returners in his career, everyone remembers "The Miracle in the Meadowlands Part 2."

Dolphins WR Chad Johnson, who recently changed his name back from Chad Ochocinco, partially blames New England for his poor performance last year, reports ESPN.com AFC East blogger James Walker.  "My personality was controlled last year. You didn't hear me at all last year. Zero. Zilch. When my mouth is running, it forces me to perform. It's never been vindictive. I never got anybody in trouble. ... When I can be me, I am loose. Everything just flows for me, whether it's the style of play, the way I learn." Johnson said to the Miami Herald. He predicts a "monster" season for himself this season with the Dolphins.

ESPN.com AFC North Blogger Jamison Hensley reports that Ravens veteran S Ed Reed reported to Ravens Training Camp today after missing last month's mandatory minicamp. As Reed goes into his final year of his contract, Head Coach John Harbaugh expects Reed to be there. ""Ed Reed plans on being here," Harbaugh said. "I talked with Ed. I had a great conversation, and I'm looking forward to seeing him."

ESPN.com AFC West Blogger Bill Williamson reports that Chiefs GM Scott Pioli told the Kansas City Star that the three injured Chief stars S Eric Berry, RB Jamaal Charles, and TE Tony Moeaki are all expected to practice Friday. If these three players can stay healthy all year, the Chiefs are going to be a much better team, lets not forget they were 7-9 without them last year.

The Yahoo! Sports reports that Bengals' rookie CB Dre Kirkpatrick suffered a broken leg and will miss up to six weeks including training camp.

NFL.com writer Dan Hanzus makes an interesting for Bears WR Earl Bennet as the Bears No. 2 WR.

What If?

The NFL has many situations where a ball bounces one way or a player drafted by a different team could have changed the landscape of the NFL that we know and love today. If Peyton hadn't stayed another year at Tennessee and entered the NFL Draft instead he could have been the Jets best QB since Joe Namath. Everyone know the "Tuck Rule" gave the Patriots a trip to the Super Bowl that year and Tom Brady became established as one of the best QB in the 2000 decade, but what if they had lost? Would Drew Bledsoe been their starter the following year and Tom Brady gone the way of Chris Simms? Every year the NFL has plenty of what if that had or hadn't happened, here is a glimpse of what could or couldn't happen.

(Andrew Luck has big expectations, whether he leads the Colts to Wins or Losses could make the Colts look like geniuses or make fans question their team. Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

WHAT IF?

1. What if Peyton Manning goes down or doesn't start? If Peyton Manning either goes down or is a no-go when the season starts the Denver Broncos will have their hopes of a repeat as AFC West Champions go from highly optimistic to shattered. The Denver Broncos have Jay Cutler's former backup Caleb Hanie and 2nd-round draft pick Brock Osweiler on their roster at QB. The Broncos obviously plan for Manning to be ready to go. But if he isn't the offense is going to be as stellar as it was when Tim Tebow was starting for them last season.

2. What if Andrew Luck is the best QB out of Stanford since John Elway? In John Elway's rookie season he went 4-6 as a starter threw for 1600+ yards, 7 TD, and 14 INT. That was in 1983 when quarterbacks had a longer leash and had a longer learning curve. This is 2012 where your expected to have a rookie year like Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco where you take your team to the playoffs. 1st-round picks, particularly No. 1 overall are expected to turn the team around. Andrew Luck will likely be compared to Peyton Manning though. Peyton went 3-13 in his rookie season, threw 26 TD and set the rookie record at the time with 28 INT. But if Andrew Luck has a year similar to Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, or even Mark Sanchez, the Indianapolis Colts will look like geniuses. But if he has a disastrous year like John Elway's or Peyton Manning's rookie season, and Manning has a great year in Denver, Colt fans will be calling for Jim Irsay's head. 

3. What if Tony Romo gets hurt and Kyle Orton gets the call? Lets face it, every year there is something that happens to Tony Romo. In 2008, Romo broke his pinky finger and missed three games. He was healthy in 2009, but in 2010, broke his collarbone and missed 10 games. Last year while he did start every game, he suffered a collapsed lung and wasn't healthy for a couple weeks. Kyle Orton is arguably the best backup in the league, and with the kind of weapons the Cowboys have could look like a pro-bowler. (His year in Denver with Brandon Marshall anyone?) With this in mind, if Romo goes down, Orton gets the call the Cowboys would be just fine. Romo has two years left on his contract that he restructured before last season. If Orton did good relieving Romo, Cowboy fans (those that don't support Romo) would definitely make Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones at least consider using Romo as trade bait. All-in-all the Jerry Jones has been notoriously good at standing behind his high-dollar starting QB, let's not forget Jason Garrett was a good back-up and Jon Kitna was arguably the best backup in the league in 2010 when Romo went down.

4. What if Tim Tebow starts over Mark Sanchez? The QB battle the has made the Big Apple for get about the Giants and Yankees. Tim Tebow vs. Mark Sanchez. Obviously the zealots that believe Tim Tebow is the best QB to hit the league since Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are going to be cheering for Tim Tebow to start over Mark Sanchez. What if they get their wish? One thing that can be said about Tim Tebow, just as Mark Sanchez, the play-action is their best friend. If the Jets can establish a run game, then regardless of who starts, Tebow or Sanchez will be a dangerous threat. Especially Tebow because of his ability to run outside the pocket and extend the play. While Sanchez is a better pocket passer than Tim Tebow, Tebow has the ability to run and take shots from linebackers.

5. What if any of the big name QB go down? If Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, or Drew Brees go down it could equal a huge shakeup in any of those divisions. The Falcons have won the division even with Drew Brees playing but instead of the Saints going to the playoffs as the wild card it could be the Panthers or even the Buccaneers. It was commonly felt while Matt Flynn was the backup to Rodgers that the Packers would be fine, but Flynn is now in Seattle and Rodgers back up is former Texas Tech star Graham Harrell. If the Packers lost Rodgers it could mean the Bears and the Lions in the playoffs together. And last but not least Tom Brady could go the way of Drew Bledsoe if he went down. Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett both were impressive in last year's preseason so they are about as safe as they were in 2008 when Brady went down and Matt Cassel stepped up. The Patriots would likely still be contenders if Brady went down because of how well versed Hoyer and Mallett are.