Tom Curran and I taped one-minute training camp previews for all 32 teams on NBCSports.com. 16 are already up, and the rest were taped today. Check them out or be unprepared.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Now I know how Bill Simmons felt when he realized that his Top 72 Sports Movie Countdown was more than he could handle. Okay, so I’m not enormously talented, voraciously read, and oddly despised by a large segment of the population that does said voracious reading.

But I do want to get through these position battles before I die or training camp gets rolling, whichever comes first. So we’re going to start cranking through quick versions the next few days.

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#35. Lions backup QB: Dan Orlovsky vs. Drew Stanton

Jon Kitna is durable, but I saw him get slammed to the Ford Field turf way too much last season to assume he’ll stay healthy all season. Great things are expected from Stanton, but he has a long way to go according to summer reports. Orlovsky is the favorite early in the year, but Stanton appears more likely to take over for Kitna late in the year if the Lions are out of contention.

Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams owners better hope Kitna can stay upright.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

# 36. Bills second receiver: Peerless Price vs. Roscoe Parrish vs. Josh Reed

The always-informative Buffalobills.com ran an article posing the question, “Who will pull attention off Lee Evans?”

While the article is optimistic that the second season in Steve Fairchild’s offense will make a big difference, the personnel around Evans is largely the same. Going into the offseason, I thought upgrading the receiver talent would be a priority. It didn’t happen.

Peerless Price (49 catches), Josh Reed (34 catches), and Roscoe Parrish (23 catches) didn’t make a fantasy impact last season. Reed and Price have shown what they can do over the last few years. Its not going to help your team. Parrish has big-play ability, but is likely too small to start. Buffalo hasn't shown any willingness to replace Price despite his microscopic 8.2 yards-per-catch average last season.

There just isn’t any reason to believe one of these players will emerge, and there aren’t any sleeper receivers in hiding on the Buffalo roster. Its could mean some rough afternoons for J.P. Losman and Evans.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

#37. Jaguars TE: Marcedes Lewis vs. Jermaine Wiggins vs. George Wrighster

Big things are expected from Lewis as a first-round pick in 2006, but he may struggle to fulfill his potential this season. The lanky target missed most of training camp last year with an ankle injury, then didn’t catch up all season. He continued to miss time this offseason with a hamstring injury.

Perhaps that’s why Jack Del Rio and Mike Tice felt more comfortable bringing in human bowling ball Jermaine Wiggins. Wiggins isn’t flashy, but he has good hands, smarts, and a history of productivity. He is a favorite of Tice's from their days in Minnesota. Wrighster was the starter last season and caught a career-high 39 passes. He’s recovering from a torn labrum, though, and may be third in line going into camp.

The Jaguars passing game was re-tooled this offseason to go vertical. Frankly, its impossible to guess how the ball will be spread around. My guess is there is too much competition at tight end for one guy to rise above the fray and be a good fantasy option. Don’t draft Wiggins or Lewis, but watch to see if anyone creates separation in camp.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

#38. Bucs backup QB: Chris Simms vs. Bruce Gradkowski

Jeff Garcia hasn’t played 16 games since 2002 and was plagued by injuries in stops with Cleveland and Detroit. Both those teams had weak offensive lines. Tampa has struggled on the line for years. See where we’re going this?

Gradkowski is surprisingly the favorite going into camp. For all his massive struggles last season, he was a rookie and wasn’t any worse than Eli Manning or Alex Smith in their first year. A second-year improvement is likely and Jon Gruden still appears to believe in him. Simms has struggled to regain this throwing form and confidence since having his spleen removed last season. He's gone from a possible starter to a possible training camp cut, although that's unlikely. If he’s ever going to be a quality starter in the NFL, it may have to be away from Tampa.

I wouldn’t rush to pick either player up if Garcia is hurt this year, but don’t be surprised if one of these players starts multiple games for the Bucs. And Gruden’s history suggests he can squeeze yardage out of most any veteran.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

# 39. Packers third receiver: James Jones vs. Robert Ferguson vs. Ruvell Martin vs. David Clowny

All three candidates for Green Bay’s third receiver job are off the radar, but there is plenty of upside at this spot. Greg Jennings still has to prove himself as a number two receiver. Brett Favre should be among the league leaders in attempts and needs people to throw to.

Jones is the favorite to secure this position long-term and eventually challenge Jennings. He’s a possession threat in the mold of Anquan Boldin, but has to make the adjustment from San Jose State. The early minicamp reports have been positive.

Continue reading "Top 50 Position Battles: Packers third wideout" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The recent passing of NFL legend Bucko Kilroy, who was memorialized by Bob Ryan this weekend, reminded me of another time in NFL history where violence was making headlines. Unlike this temptuous summer of Michael Vick and Pacman Jones, it was the play on the field that caused outrage in the 1950s.

According to the excellent book, The Pro Football Chronicle by Dan Daly and Bob O’Donnell, Kilroy was called one of the league’s “bad men.” As part of a large expose in Life magazine entitled Savagery on Sunday, Kilroy was accused of injuring a Giants quarterback’s spine with a deliberate knee.

Continue reading "A different era of NFL violence" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

We were going to end our day with a look at some teams that might be interested in signing Daunte Culpepper. Then all hell broke loose in the Michael Vick case, giving Culpepper another possible landing spot.

Someone who understands the law will have to discuss what happens now to Vick in the courts. Only Roger Goodell knows if he'll skip due process for a player like Vick that isn't a repeat offender. We can examine the football options the Falcons now have.

Continue reading "Falcons need a swift decision on Vick" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 07:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I skirted around direct fantasy talk in my larger post above, so NBCSports.com will use the post. But fantasy leaguers are in a similar position to the Falcons, albeit the stakes are a wee bit smaller.

We also need a quick decision to know how to address Vick. Until we know more, though, Vick has dropped from a calculated risk to a brazen risk. I'm a risk taker in fantasy leaguers when the potential is great, so I still haven't closed my mental door completely on Vick. I'd still think about taking a flier on Vick as my QB2 or QB3 in the final few rounds over a WR6 or RB5 if Vick was available. He'd be worth it if he played even half the season. If not, half of the flier picks you take that late don't survive the year on your roster.

Perhaps a greater impact in fantasy leagues will be on the rest of the Falcons receivers and running backs. Vick has his faults, but I trust he'd move the offense better than Joey Harrington.

Of course all this analyis will be obsolete the moment further developments occur in the Vick case. Unless you have a draft in the next few weeks, we should have a better handle on how to approach draft day.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

#40. Giants, Cowboys, and Falcons Kickers

Kickers are so irrelevent in fantasy football, we’ll combine three battles into one.

Giants K: Lawrence Tynes vs. Josh Huston

Huston was highly touted coming out of college, but understandably couldn’t beat out Robbie Gould last year. Tynes has experience, not all of it bad, as a kicker in Kansas City. The veteran is the favorite.

Cowboys K: Martin Gramatica vs. Nick Folk

Gramatica is the favorite, and rookie Nick Folk hasn’t looked impressive in minicamp season.

Falcons K: Aaron Elling vs. Billy Cundiff

Elling reminds us of the Mike Tice era, so we like that. Cundiff, on the other hand, has kicked in the NFL within the last two years. He’s the slight favorite.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 05:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)