Jags' MJD Open to Fixing Relationship; Peyton Manning Game Manager; Vikes' Peterson Aims Week 1 Return; Seahawks' Russel to Start Friday

MJD Open to Fixing Relationship With Jaguars
After reports of Jaguars' Maurice Jones-Drew being open to being traded, now he wants to mend the bridges with the Jaguars and owner Shad Khan. Profootballtalk.com reports through NFL Network's Steve Wyche that Jones-Drew wasn't happy with Khan's comments that it was time to "get on the train before it leaves the station," there was no formal trade request made and he is open to bridging the gap.

“After speaking to his agent, Adisa Bakari, he’s also open to bridging what is becoming a more fractured relationship because of the comments of Khan, not only Tuesday, but late last week,” said Wyche. “The issue is who is going to extend the olive branch if there is going to be a reparation, because Jones-Drew, he is further entrenched in his holdout — he does not like the situation, the fact that Khan is discussing publicly what was supposed to be handled in private.”

If this holdout was happening in New York, Dallas, or Philadelphia then it would be receiving more attention, but it is in Jacksonville. It has been argued that Jones-Drew doesn't have any leverage but he really does because he is the reason the Jaguars have a run game, hence he was the leading rusher for the NFL last season. But he does have two years remaining on his contract, so the odds of the Jaguars budging are very slim. This is a holdout that could very easily end with a trade or the Jones-Drew not playing till after the start of the season.

Peyton Manning a Game Manager

Yahoo! Sports had a interesting debate into what kind of quarterback the Broncos have in Peyton Manning this year. The argument being made was that Peyton Manning was a game manager instead of the old air-it-out type of quarterback that we saw for years in Indianapolis. To be honest, the Broncos will find out if he can still air it out when the Broncos fall behind in the regular season. The Broncos have seen good and bad things out of Peyton Manning this preseason as he has completed 66 percent of his passes but has three interceptions. Manning hasn't aired it out yet simply because he hasn't had to because it is still preseason and the Broncos haven't forced him to.  



Adrian Peterson Eyes a Week 1 Return
Brad Biggs of Yahoo! Sports reports that Vikings RB Adrian Peterson is on pace to return Week 1 of the NFL Regular season, but won't play any in the preseason. 
 
“My goal is the same," Peterson said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I want to be out there for that first game. So we'll see. That's where my mindset is. It hasn't changed at all. I'd be cheating myself if I said it was, uh, 95 percent [probable] or 85 percent. That's not the way I think."

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier said that Peterson was "on board" with not playing this preseason, and even used the word "patience" in his understanding why the All-Pro RB wouldn't play this preseason. 

Russell Wilson to Start Friday for the Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks' rookie QB Russell Wilson impressive play in two preseason games will finally pay off as he gets to play Friday against the Kansas City Chiefs. If Russell Wilson has a great game again against the Chiefs then head coach Pete Carroll will have a difficult decision to make between Matt Flynn and Russell Wilson. Chris Mortenson of ESPN reports that Carroll told the quarterbacks of his decision on Monday.

"We're going to wait after the game and see what happened and see what it feels like and talk it all out and see everything you can possibly see in analyzing it and move ahead with confidence," Carroll said. "I'm real confident we're doing the right thing. I don't have any hesitation in this."




Photo Courtesies: Maurice Jones-Drew sikids.com, Peyton Manning usatoday.com, Adrian Peterson sportsillustrated.cnn.com, Russell Wilson seahawksdraftblog.com,

Jason Witten's "Serious" Spleen Injury; Bradford's "Cabin Fever"; Pats' Brandon Lloyd Shines

Jason Witten's Spleen Injury

(Jason Witten could be out of the season opener. Photo Courtesy jasonwitten82.com)

The chances of Dallas Cowboy's QB Tony Romo having his security blanket for the season-opener against the rival New York Giants on Sept. 5 just took a major hit. According to Ed Werder and Todd Archer of ESPN, Cowboys TE Jason Witten suffered a "very serious" spleen laceration that caused bleeding but is not ruptured. Witten will be re-evaluated in seven to ten days and if there is no improvement then surgery is an option.

"It's a very serious injury and we're really taking this thing day by day," Head Coach Jason Garrett said. "He has to be very still and idle for the next week to 10 days. You won't see him out there on the practice field. He won't play in the game this week or next week.

"We've just got to make sure he heals as well as possible as quickly as possible. You can imagine spleens are internal organs, and they're serious injuries involved with those things. Asking Jason Witten to be still and idle is a hard thing. That's the biggest challenge right now, but he has to do that. He has to let time heal it."

But Garret is holding out hope for Witten to be ready for the opener, saying it is premature to discuss Witten's availability for the game. 

Sam Bradford's Cabin Fever

(Bradford has been working on his release this offseason. Photo Courtesy zimbio.com)

It seems as though the thing that gets to a lot of rookie QBs is starting to get to St. Louis Ram's  Sam Bradford. Sometimes when quarterbacks they get behind a really bad offensive line, get pounded for year's and then eventually it affects their playing. Take a look at David Carr, former Texans no. 1 pick as an example. Well Bradford has been sacked 70 times in 26 career games. According to Evan Silva of profootballtalk.com who reports that Bradford had a recent conversation with NFL Network's Albert Breer.  ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski did his daily special of Top 30 starting quarterbacks in the league and observed Bradford has "Cabin Fever" where he is anticipating hits and sacks despite there not being any pass rusher's around.

 “That’s a lot of what I’ve talked about with Schotty so far,” Bradford told Breer. “Two days ago in camp, I thought I had a really good practice. I’m not sure the ball hit the ground once. And we got in the film room, and [Schottenheimer] was all over me about getting the ball out of my hands even quicker, to eliminate hits. He’s made it a big point.

What I observed of Bradford in the Rams' first preseason game was a confident quarterback getting the ball out quicker. Bradford went 7/9 for 57 yards in that game in two series. But was overshadowed by the Colts' Andrew Luck who looked very impressive.

Patriots' Brandon Lloyd Impresses
It seems that Patriots WR Brandon Lloyd is tired of being a "journeyman" player and wants to have permanent home in Boston. According to Field Yates of ESPN.com, the Patriots seem to have fixed their problem of not being able to stretch the field, and maybe even give Brandon Lloyd shot at staying with them. Yates says that Lloyd has "caught almost every ball thrown his way and could be a massive part of the Patriots passing game."

This comes as no surprise, as he has flourished anytime he has been under Josh McDaniels who coached him Denver and in St. Louis.

(Brandon Lloyd (right) has always played well for Josh Mcdaniels (left). Photo Courtesy cbssports.com)

Cowboys/Raiders Preseason Game Tonight; Referee Ed Hochuli During Lockout; Karlos Dansby on Chad Johnson

Cowboys-Raiders 

(Who Will Step Up For the Cowboys tonight? Photo Courtesy: ESPN.com)

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, who covers the NFC East in their "Nation Blog," notes some things to watch for in the opening preseason game for the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders. In my opinion the biggest story for the Cowboys are going to be their wide receiver situation. Miles Austin has already been ruled out and Dez Bryant is a game-time decision. It is up to Kevin Ogletree, Dwayne Harris, and company to step up and take that number three receiver slot. The offensive line which has been a problem for the last couple seasons is also a concern as David Arkin will start at center for Phil Costa. This will also be the debut for free-agent acquisition CB Brandon Carr, who will play. Rookie CB Morris Claiborne and CB Mike Jenkins are both going to be out.

On the end of the Oakland Raiders it will be the first game quarterback Carson Palmer will play after having a full offseason to learn the Oakland Raiders system. Also, according to Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com, quarterback Terrelle Pryor will get to see some action tonight since he was a Buckeye at Ohio St. in the Sugar Bowl of 2010. Pryor is the number three quarterback, behind Matt Leinhart formerly of Arizona and Houston. Also to watch for are penalties and the young receiving group that the Raiders have.

(Photo Courtesy: deadspin.com)

Ed Hochuli and the Locked Out Referees
Remember last offseason when the players were locked out and they would hold their own workouts in anticipation of an end to the work stoppage. The referees are starting to do the same thing, except instead of learning and practicing new or old playbooks, the referees are getting themselves briefed on the rule changes heading into the 2012 season. Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com reports that Ed Hochuli is being the Drew Brees of the referees and getting his officials ready to go, as they will expected to be.

Dolphins' Karlos Dansby on Chad Johnson
In a surprising move the Dolphins' released wide receiver Chad Johnson  following his arrest on a domestic violence charge. It was understood that Chad Johnson was a "one-strike agreement," and head coach Joe Philbin stuck to his word. Not all of the players are currently behind him on this move though.

Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com reports that middle lineback Karlo Dansby told 640 Sports in Ft. Lauderdale that he disagrees with the move.

It’s going to be a bigger distraction because we let him go,” Dansby said, via excerpts of the show disseminated by 640 Sports.  “He didn’t get that third strike.  That’s just me personally. . . .  We’ve been through worse.  We’ve seen worse...The man don’t drink, the man don’t smoke,” Dansby said.  “He may clown around but when it comes to football, he’s all about football.  That’s his life.  For him to be in this situation, that’s unfortunate.  And it’s out of character.”

 This is definitely a situation in which the Dolphins are showing that distractions are not going to be tolerated, but one has to wonder if the move was worth losing a talented receiver such as Johnson, the Dolphins are already depleted at the position.

(Chad Johnson was cut Sunday after being arrested on a domestic violence charge. Photo Courtesy: sun-sentinel.com)

What to Watch for in Week 1 of Preseason

Early August can only mean one thing: Preseason Football. While most fans don't care too much for the preseason because the starters don't play for more than two or three series. But preseason is more important to some teams than others. Here are some things to watch for in each of this week's preseason games.

Thursday, August 9

Washington Redskins at Buffalo Bills
The biggest story in this match-up will be the debut of the second overall pick Robert Griffin III. RGIII has been compared to a young Michael Vick because of his mobility and his deep ball threat. Except there is going to be a competition at WR because the Redskins still have Santana Moss, but brought in former Colt Pierre Garcon. On the Bills side, they have the success of early last year to build on, and they have revamped their defense adding Mario Williams from the Texans.

Baltimore Ravens at Atlanta Falcons
This is a match-up of two playoff teams from last season. Falcons QB Matt Ryan said he was working on his arm strength this off season. Ravens QB Joe Flacco is wanting to establish himself as a top QB in this league, he played well in the AFC Championship game and came within a dropped pass of the Super Bowl.


New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots
Another game of playoff teams against each other. The Saints are playing their second game this preseason, will continue to play without their head coach Sean Payton who is serving a year-long suspension. The Patriots on the other hand were busy this offseason adding more targets for QB Tom Brady to throw to, such as Brandon Lloyd.


Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles
In the battle of Pennsylvania, the stories are that Ben Roethlisberger is still playing with injuries even before the season starts. Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall is also likely to miss the first six games of the season. On the Eagles front they are likely to be playing with some emotion because of the loss of Andy Reid's son over the weekend.

Green Bay Packers at San Diego Chargers
This is a battle of two very high powered offense and QBs. As if the Packers didn't have enough pass rushers, they added rookie Nick Perry to play opposite of  LB Clay Matthews. The San Diego Chargers are hoping RB Ryan Mathews can build on last season, and also added WR Robert Meachem of New Orleans Saints.


Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears
Everyone is going to be watching this game because it will be the first time Peyton Manning is on the field in 19 months. While it sounds crazy, Bronco fans want Peyton Manning to take a hard hit just to see if his neck will hold up. The Chicago Bears will have a reuniting of two former Broncos, QB Jay Cutler and WR Brandon Marshall and the Bears are looking to establish themselves as the team to take Green Bay out.

Friday, August 10

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals
This is the game everyone will be watching Friday. Fans will get their first look at the New York Jets with Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow. The Jets are looking to return to their running game this season with the letting go of WR Plaxico Burress this off season. The Bengals have returning QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J. Green after making the playoffs in their rookie seasons. The next major question is who is going to be the Bengals starting RB.




 
Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions
The Cleveland Browns recently named rookie QB Brandon Weeden their starter for this season supplanting third-year QB Colt McCoy. The Detroit Lions are hoping to build on their great season after making the playoffs for the first time in the 2000s.




New York Giants at Jacksonville Jaguars
The New York Giants will start their 2012 campaign as the defending champions. The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the opposite end of the spectrum, having a rookie head coach and second-year QB Blaine Gabbert. The big story here is Jaguars rookie WR Justin Blackmon finally coming to camp and the lack of presence from all-star RB Maurice Jones-Drew. It will be interesting to see the development of QB Blaine Gabbert with the additions of WR Laurent Robinson and WR Justin Blackmon.


Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended last season on a ten-game losing streak. They brought in Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, TE Dallas Clark, and WR Vincent Jackson. QB Josh Freeman has an opportunity to shine with these two targets added to the lineup. The Dolphins added a big target themselves, WR Chad Johnson. But the Dolphins don't know who that QB is going to be throwing to him. Veteran QB David Garrard appears to be getting the first shot at it in this game, though.



Arizona Cardinals at Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have RB Jamaal Charles, TE Tony Moeaki, and S Eric Berry returning this season. Oh and they finished 8-8 last year and missed the playoffs by rule of tiebreaker. The Chiefs are hoping the returning players can make the them the team to beat in the AFC West. The Cardinals on the other hand are hoping QB Kevin Kolb can play some that way he still gets a fair chance at the starting job. 


Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers
The Vikings are in a bind at the moment because of RB Adrian Peterson being out with his injury, but they hope to have Peterson back next week. What will be even more interesting is the development of second-year QB Christian Ponder. But the 49ers are hoping to be back in the form of last years NFC Championship team. They brought in WR Randy Moss in hopes adding a target for QB Alex Smith.


Saturday, August 11

Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers
The Texans were a playoff team last year without QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson in multiple parts of the season. If they have all the pieces this year they could be a Super Bowl team. The Panthers are a similar story. They have QB Cam Newton ready to make his sophomore run.

 
Tennessee Titans at Seattle Seahawks
The game of the QB competitions. QB Matt Hasselbeck vs. QB Jake Locker. QB Matt Flynn vs. QB Tarvaris Jackson vs. QB Russell Wilson. Both teams have named their starters at the moment, but one has to wonder how long that will last if the other QBs play just as well. Not to mention the debut of rookie WR Kendall Hunter for the Titans. There is also a possibility that WR Terrell Owens could make his debut Saturday.


Sunday, August 12

St. Louis Rams at Indianapolis Colts
A battle of two no. 1 picks. Rams QB Sam Bradford and Colts QB Andrew Luck. Both have been said to be the best QB since Troy Aikman and John Elway. The Rams will be debuting Jeff Fisher and the Colts will be debuting Chuck Pagano. This will be an interesting match-up of two young teams that perhaps have their QBs locked in for the future.

Monday, August 13

Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders

The Dallas Cowboys will have multiple starters that were injury-plagued last year returning and seeing if they are one hundred percent healthy. Wide Receivers Miles Austin and Dez Bryant for example. This will also be the return of RB Demarco Murray, who many in the Cowboys organization compare to Emmit Smith and Tony Dorsett. We could also get a look at QB Terrell Pryor who the Raiders drafted in the supplemental draft last year. The Raiders also have QB Carson Palmer who has a full year under his belt now.





Photo Courtesies: RG3 cbsdfw.com, Matt Ryan onlineathens.com, Patriots boston.sbnation.com, Philadelphia Eagles philadelphiaeagles.com, Packers jsonline.com. Peyton Manning thebiglead.com, Jets QBs helmet2helmet.com, Brandon Weeden mockingthedraft.com, Blaine Gabbert bleacherreport.com, Dolphins QB Battle cipinonsports.com, Cardinals QB Battle aol.sportingnews.com, Randy Moss latime.com, Matt Schaub nfl.com, Titans QBs bleacherreport.com, Andrew Luck turfshowtimes.com, Romo-Murray rantsports.com

HOFer Howie Long On Tim Tebow; Peterson Could Return Next Week; Hasselbeck and Mobility

Howie Long on Tim Tebow

Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com posted that Hall of Famer and NFL on Fox host Howie Long said on "The Boomer and Carton Show" on WFAN said he wouldn't have brought in Tim Tebow.

“I wouldn’t have brought him in,” Long said.  “When Tim Tebow comes, he comes with great distraction.  I’m not a fan of the HBO series.  I think it’s entertaining, but I think it gives the outside world access and distracts your football team.  Tim Tebow has that kind of impact on a football team....The round-the-clock, 24-hour-a-day coverage that the Jets are getting on every throw . . . every down and distance, red zone, that Tebow takes snaps from the punt team, I think it distracts from your football team and your focus.  And it’s a good Jets football team that could contend for a Super Bowl.”

Peterson to Return Next Week?

Darin Gantt, also of profootballtalk.com reports that Vikings RB Adrian Peterson could return as early as next week, but does not want to use the knee brace.

“We’re going to talk [Wednesday] night a little bit,” Peterson said, via Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com. “I’m looking forward to being out here pretty soon. I’ve been out for like two weeks, so it’s time to get going. I know that they understand that and they’ve been watching and they’ve been getting good feedback, so I’m sure they’re pretty much as excited as I am.”

He went on to say that Vikings coach Leslie Frazier has been "relentless" to get back out there. I don't doubt it, Peterson has had a reputation of being one of the hardest working players in the NFL.

Hasselbeck Working on His Mobility

Paul Kurharsky of ESPN.com reports that Titans QB Matt Hasselbeck has been working on his rollouts and bootleg this offseason. While Hasselbeck says its more for the Titans than it is for competition against second-year QB Jake Locker; it is kind of hard to believe that, seeing as Jake Locker was pretty impressive with his mobility last season. Regardless it isn't going to hurt his chances of keeping the starting job, especially considering he has had a whole off season to work on it. 

“I worked out hard, I tried, I was doing Crossfit and Fuelfit and all this stuff. But I really didn’t know the offense to practice (being a free agent during the lockout). What I did this year was try to work on specific plays that feel uncomfortable to me. And some of the wide zone stretch bootleg, just getting the timing down with the feet, working on my sell, selling it better, and then just being able to run a little bit better -- I wasn’t very strong at that last year.”
 

Commissioner Responds to Brees; Eli Jabs Jets Coverage; Broncos Camp

Goodell on Brees Comments

After Drew Brees' made some unfavorable comments about the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, there was a short period of silence, until today. Profootballtalk.com reports on an interview with the commissioner on The Dan Patrick Show in which Mike Florio brought up the comments by Drew Brees. Goodell seemed to be unphased by the comments and stuck to his guns about worrying about the good of the league.

“My responsibility is the game of football,” Goodell said. “You have to continue to do what’s best for the game and the integrity of the game. Those [decisions] aren’t always going to be popular.”

Goodell said that he hasn't spoke to Brees yet, but not because he was upset with him.

“Sure if I see him. I’d be happy to,” Goodell said. “I really admire Drew. He’s a terrific young man.”

(Roger Goodell says his responsibility is to football. Photo Courtesy of Sports Illustrated)

Eli on Jets Coverage

James Walker of ESPN.com shared another preseason Eli Manning comment. One year after saying he was a Top 5 QB, Eli Manning is taking jabs at the other New York Team.

"Every time you turn on the TV, it's the Jets," Manning said. "'SportsCenter' is just camped out at the Jets’ complex, which I think they’re [ESPN] moving everything from Bristol right there to their complex over there. So that will be an interesting move."

Eli also took jabs at Tim Tebow:

"I told David Carr to take his shirt off while we're running sprints after practice to see if we get the same coverage," Manning said. "I'm not jealous. I'm not looking for extra attention. I'm not looking to do more interviews than I have to or be on TV more than I have to."

Report from Broncos Camp

Jeff Darlington of NFL.com provided some interesting notes about the Denver Broncos training camp. It wouldn't be Broncos notes if it didn't have something to do with Peyton Manning, and this is no different. Peyton Manning is running his style of offense as the Broncos adapt to his strengths just as they did with Tim Tebow last season.  Darlington also reports that third-year WRs Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas are in a very tight race to be Peyton's favorite target. They have nothing to worry about when it comes to Manning getting the ball to them. Remember when the Colts were injury plagued at WR and TE? Peyton Manning made starts out of players like Blair White, Austin Collie, and current Bronco TE Jacob Tamme.

The Broncos seem to have fixed their issues with their secondary that plagued them last year. With Champ Bailey returning  for his 14th season, they also acquired former New Orleans Saints CB Tracy Porter. Darlington reports that Tracy Porter has been the most impressive in Broncos camp.

Here is a link to some of the sights of various training camps around the league. 

(Chamo Bailey continues to be one of the best "shut-down" CB in the league. Photo Courtesy of denverpost.com)

Cowboy's Owner Pep Rally; Cromartie best No. 2 Jets WR; Locker favored to start in Tennessee

ESPN.com NFC East Blogger Dan Graziano reports Cowboy's owner Jerry Jones said at a pep rally "Y'all should come to Cowboys Stadium and watch us beat the Giants' asses." Nobody should take this comment into too much thought. It was, after all, said at a pep rally. Let's not forget that recently acquired Giant and former Cowboy TE Martellus Bennett said he wants to do the same to the Cowboys.

Mike Sando of ESPN.com believes that new Seahawk TE Kellen Winslow is more durable that new Vikings and former Seahawk TE John Carlson. He is likely correct in that presumption, Carlson sprained his MCL and is on the Vikings injury list.

James Walker of ESPN.com talks about the problems with the Jets WR depth. Jets CB Antonio Cromartie has been lining up at WR, and believes he is the second-best WR on the team. No. 1 is of course Santonio Holmes, but then there is rookie Kendall Hunter, veteran Chaz Shilens and second-year Jeremy Kerley.

Profootballtalk.com reports that Tennessee Titans second-year QB Jake Locker is favored to start over fiery veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck. Locker looked showed promise coming off the bench as a rookie while Hasslebeck was injured. This could be interesting for Matt Hasselbeck next season if he doesn't give retirement a thought. While Hasselbeck is older, he could be a solid backup to any team with a young QB.

(Jake Locker is looking like the probable starter in Tennessee. Photo Courtesy of Zimbio.com)

The NFL Network crew debates if the Chicago Bears have finally caught up with the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North. I think the Bears are definitely contenders in not just the NFC North but the NFC as a conference. But the Packers are perhaps the best team in the NFC, but the Bears have improved a lot on offense between picking up WR Brandon Marshall and resigning RB Matt Forte.