Pittsburgh Steelers Defense

The Pittburgh Steelers are hoping to return to form this season. The offense will have to wait until at least the 5th game to return to its usually look. But it is the defense that needs to really return to form for the Steelers to make it to the playoffs this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers Defense

The Steelers defense woes began and ended with Troy Polamalu last season. Polamalu isn't the typical safety and improvises throughout the game. He knows what each and every defensive back and linebacker is supposed to do in each formation. Once he went down last season, the defense was lost. He was the play maker.

Steelers Defense Trade

The Steelers hope they resolved the lack of depth by bringing in Bryant McFadden back. McFadden was re-acquired from the Arizona Cardinals in a trade this offseason. McFadden was part of the 2008 World Champion team and will bring more depth and knowledge to Dick Lebeaus' defense.

Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterbacks

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to start the season with someone other than their starting quarterback under center. Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for 6 games for violating the personal conduct policy under Roger Goodell. Though it looks as though it will be Byron Leftwich, some people want Dixon to have a chance.

Bryon Leftwich Steelers

The Steelers singed Leftwich shortly after they knew that Roethlisberger was going to be suspended. Leftwich returned to the team where he received a Super Bowl ring as a back up after a dismal year in Tampa Bay. Leftwich proved in 2008 that he could manage the Steelers offense and is a very capable field general in Ben's absence. He is slated as the starter for the first 4-6 weeks of the season.

Steelers Dennis Dixon

Dixon was a Heisman hopeful at Oregon and is a hopeful NFL quarterback. After Saturday's preseason performance, some fans and reporter think he should have a fair chance to start in place for the Ben during his suspension.

Dixon did show promise last season as well in his start against the Baltimore Ravens. But promise and potential is one thing. This is a temporary starting job that could have playoff implications. Though it is better to lose early than late, no team wants to be behind the eight ball early.

Dixon does have one attribute that Leftwich doesn't - mobility. He can run and elude the rush attack. That could come in handy if the offensive line has the same problems as the last few years.

Oakland Raiders Defense

The Oakland Raiders are cautiously optimistic about the upcoming season.  They saw glimpses of what could be when JaMarcuss Russell was riding the pine last season.  Now that he is gone and Jason Campbell is under center, the Raiders defense might actually get a rest.

Raiders Pass Defense

The Raiders had a good pass defense last season. They rode on the heels of corner back Nnamdi Asomugha to be the 9th ranked pass defense in the NFL. But this number could be a little inflated because teams didn't have to pass on the Raiders to win. All they had to do was run the ball.

Oakland Run Defense

If Russell was the Achilles heel of the offense, the run defense was the downfall on the other side of the ball. They ranked 29th against the run last season, which didn't go unnoticed by the Raiders in the offseason. They added DE Quinton Groves, DT John Henderson and LB Kamerion Wimbley to help sure that defense up. Richard Seymore is now accepted the fact he is in Oakland and, by all reports, is a leader on the defense.

Raider Fans Hopeful for Offense

The Oakland Raiders have been one of the most dismal teams in the league for the last several years.  But now that the JaMarcus Russell era is over, Raider Nation is actually hopeful and excited to see the offense take a step.

Oakland Raiders Quarterback

The writing on the wall for Russell before Al Davis gave him his pink slip when they traded for quarterback Jason Campbell. Campbell became a quarterback in exile when Donovan McNabb arrive in D.C. via a trade from Philadelphia.

Campbell actually had a decent season last year number wise. He threw for a career high 20 touchdowns and had a completion percentage of 64.5%.

Raiders Running Backs and Receivers

Darrius Heyward-Bey was a bust as a first round pick. At least tight end Zach Miller, the teams leading receiver, picked up the slack. But Louis Murphy showed promise last year and it expected to take it up a notch.

It is also Darren McFadden's time to finally shine and prove he is that back everyone said he was coming out of college. McFadden is quick and elusive in the open field and adds a passing threat from the backfield. Michael Bush complements McFadden as being the bruising up the middle runner. His 4.8 yards per carry last season is impressive for a team playing from behind most of the season. It also topped McFadden's 3.4 ypc.

Darrell Revis Continues Holdout

Darrelle Revis' holdout is carrying into yet another week and has now cost the player more than just money.  Jet's owner, Woody Johnson, said the gap between the two parties is "insurmountable."

Revis Loses Entire Year

As of yesterday, Darrelle Revis has cost himself a year of service in the league. What this means is that Revis will have to wait one more year until he becomes a unrestricted free agent. 2010 would have been his 4th year and would have made him eligible for this entitlement. However, this would be moot point if the Jets sign him to a new long-term contract.

Jets Look to Play Without Revis

During an interview on ESPN's Michael Kay Show Johnson said, “Well I feel that he will not be on the New York Jets team this year, based on what I know today to this very moment.”

Head coach Rex Ryan, who has gone on record calling Revis the best defensive back he has ever coached, said that are moving on as if he will not be on the team next year. Ryan also said he believes the Jets can win without Revis.

They might be able to win without Revis, but can they be a true contender without him.

Cleveland Brown's Preview

Except for one season, the Cleveland Browns have been basement dwellers since returning to the NFL in 1999.  Most of the fault could fall on ownership refusing to bring in a true football minded person to run the team.  But that excuse is gone now that Mike Holmgren is the team's president. 

Cleveland Brown's Quarterbacks

The Browns' fans are probably sick of having to rebuild, but at least they haven't heard it for 18 years like Pittsburgh Pirate fans. Holmgren got ride of Derek Anderson and savour-to-be Brady Quinn. It will be seen if replacing them with Jake Delhomme and Senca Wallace is was an approvement or not. They also drafted former University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. Delhomme is slated as started and mentor, but it wouldn't be surprising if McCoy over takes Wallace as second string at some point of the season.

Cleveland Brown's Outlook

It will be hard for the Browns to finish anywhere but the bottom of the AFC North this season. But they do look like they are moving in the right direction. They have a solid running game and Josh Cribbs could become the threat at wide receiver that he is as a kick returner. The Browns' defense has been improving every year and won game for them last year when they weren't keeping them in it.

Haynesworth Finally Practices, Not Number 1

Albert Haynesworth and Redskin's head coach Mike Shanahan have been having playing a game of chicken that last week and a half. Since Albert Haynesworth has been at training camp, he had yet to practice because he has been either unable or unwilling to pass the fitness test.

Haynesworth's Knee Injury

Haynesworth's excuse for sitting out of practice and not being able to pass the fitness test has been his knee. No one, not even coach Shanahan, has suggested that Albert was faking the injury and let him recoup from the injury before he attempted the fitness test again. What seemed to be a empass, the Redskins had Haynesworth's knee looked at. The MRI was negative for any structural damage.

Hayneworth must have realized he played all his cards on his knee after the MRI and finally passed the fitness test and cleared his way to join the rest of the team on the practice field.

The $100 Million Back-up

Though Haynesworth passed the fitness test Saturday, he didn't join his defensive teammates on the field until today. Apparently he was still playing the knee card. Today at practice though Haynesworth was on the field and practicing, but not with the first time as you would expect for the highest paid defensive player in the NFL. Instead he was playing along side the second team at defensive end. It has yet to be reported if this was punishment for this holdout or not.

Darrelle Revis' Contract Hold Out

The New York Jets' Darrelle Revis has been a no show at Jets' training camp.  He is holding out of the Jets training camp because he wants a restructured contract.  The Jets are treading on thin ice with center Nick Mangold and linebacker David Harris also wanting new contracts. Can the Jets give Revis more money without extending Mangold's and Harris' contracts?

Revis' Current Contract

Darrelle Revis still has 3 years remaining on his rookie contract. But he is only expected to be paid $1 million this season. That is peanuts for a cornerback that Jets head coach Rex Ryan called the best in the league. Revis wants to be paid as such and seems willing to hold out until it happens and pay $16,000 a day for missing camp. The only issue is that no one knows what the salary cap will be next season and contracts can only be increase 30% while still active.

Jets Extend Coach and GM Contracts

Revis is probably confused by the fact that the Jets extended the contracts of coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum. Though this money doesn't count towards the salary cap, Revis knows that he is part of the reason why they could receive a contract extension.

New England Patriots Preview

The New England Patriots are the perennial favorites in the AFC East even when they don't have the best teams. All their success and dominance in the the last decade put them and their coach on a pedal stool. They won 10 and lost 6 games last year but lost in a Wild Card match up against the Baltimore Ravens. The Patriots are hoping to improve this year, but that will be hard since they didn't really improve on either side of the ball.

The Patriots Offense

Never mind Tom Brady's contract extension negotiations. That will be completed at some point. But lets focus on his receivers. The biggest question mark is Wes Welker. Welker caught 10 passes in 7 games last season. That was 4 more than any other receiver. The amazing thing is that Welker only played in 14 games because he tore his knee up late in the season against the Texans. Welker is practicing and is off the PUP list. However, it is hard to believe he will be 100% for the beginning of the season after sustaining such an injury so late in the season. If Welker is placed back on the PUP list he will have to sit out the first six games of the season. Without Welker, the offense will not be the same, especially if the defense doesn't take a step.

The Patriot's Defense Preview

The Patriots removed all the pictures of the championship teams during the off season. This was done to not remind the young defense who they replaced. The young defense had a tough time replicating the success of the past players. The Patriots seems focused on allowing this defense to create their own identity and didn't add any real talent during the off season. Defenses mature after multiple seasons, not only one.

Reports States Brett Favre is Retiring

Around 11:00 am EST today, ESPN reported that Brett Favre is retiring. According to their sources, Favre had contacted Viking personnel via text messages. Head Coach Brad Childress said that he wouldn't comment on the reports until he hears it "from the horse's mouth."

Favre's Reason for Retirement

During the ESPY's last month, Favre said he still wanted to play but that his ankle hasn't quite healed. At that point, it was 8 weeks since he had surgery to remove bone spurs. He said he can walk fine, but "you don't walk in football." Being that it is his right foot it could cost a lot of trouble for the aging quarterback. The right foot would be his planting foot when passing. Without it being healthy, Favre wouldn't be able to play like he did the last 19 seasons.

Minnesota Vikings Quarterback

Tavaris Jackson is slated for the starting role if Favre doesn't change his mind in the next few weeks. Jackson led the Vikings to playoffs in 2008, a year before Favre was signed. After Jackson is Sage Rosenfels. Sage has played on a few other teams but has never had much success. The absence of Favre and his stable passing game, the Viking will have to lean on Adrian Peterson and hope he can overcome the fumbling issues he has had in the past.