McFadden’s torrid start through six games last season had him on pace for 1800 yards rushing and in the MVP conversation. Then he limped off the field in Week 7′s game versus Kansas City with what was initially diagnosed as a sprained right foot.  It turned out to be the dreaded Lisfranc sprain and for the fourth time in four years he failed to complete a full 16-game schedule.

The ex-Razorback’s injury history is well-documented. Foot, knee, toe, hamstring and eye ailments have struck him during his career and cost him a total of 19 games. Despite the “soft” reputation, McFadden continues to brush off the criticism regarding his durability.

“Everybody has their own opinion, so, for me, I’m just going out there playing, going hard. If I get hurt, so be it,” he said. “I could see if it was just going down the street, falling over, getting hurt, that’s different, but I’m out there playing hard when I get hurt.”

McFadden’s talent is unquestioned. With the exception of Adrian Peterson, no back in the league possesses #20′s size-speed combination. He’s capable of taking it the distance every time he carries the ball, and also boasts a solid pair of pass catching hands.

If he can stay healthy, a rushing title is within reach. He’s only 24 years old, so youth is still on his side. The problem is his upright, physical style makes him prone to taking extra hits. And running backs with foot problems are always a risky proposition.

Fair or not, until he proves he can endure the rigors of a full season, McFadden will continue to have plenty of critics.

Source: ESPN.com

Head coach Pete Carroll was impressed enough to declare Wilson a candidate for the number one spot once training camp opens this summer.

“He’s showed us enough,” Carroll told reporters. “He’s in the competition. And that is going to tax us, as you know. It was already going to be taxing with two. But he’s shown us enough that we need to see where he fits in with these guys.”

Again, reading too much into this would be foolish. The Seahawks signed ex-Packers backup Matt Flynn to a three-year, $26 million contract in March, and still have incumbent Tarvaris Jackson on the roster. Flynn is unproven having made only two starts in four seasons. Jackson was average at best in 2011, setting career highs in touchdown passes and interceptions.

Wilson tumbled to the third round in April’s draft due to his height, 5’11″, after a successful college career split between N.C. State and Wisconsin. He threw for 11,720 yards, 109 touchdowns, 30 interceptions and added 23 rushing scores. If he was three inches taller he might’ve been a first-round prospect.

Basically, all this means is the Seattle quarterback picture just got a lot blurrier. Flynn seems to have the inside track on the starting job, but he won’t have the benefit of Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley, Donald Driver, James Jones and Mike McCarthy’s offensive system to help make him look good.

If Wilson were to climb to the top of the depth chart, he’d be the shortest starter in the league.

Source: NFL.com

Young was easily the most talented quarterback on the market and sounded pleased to join another roster in a statement released earlier today.

“I am looking forward to playing with the guys and helping where I am needed,” Young said. “I have always respected the Bills organization and I am looking forward to being a part of the team.”

Inconsistency and immaturity have plagued Young all six seasons of his career. His inability to handle adversity and criticism has prevented him from living up to his immense potential. He appeared in six games as an Eagle last season, going 1-2 in three starts while throwing for 866 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions.

As shaky as his on the field performance was, it was a comment uttered in training camp that followed him the entire season. Upon joining the Eagles free agent bounty last summer, Young described his new cohorts as  the “Dream Team,” which the headline-starved media blew up to monstrous proportions, especially when the Birds stumbled out of the gate to finish a mediocre 8-8.

The Bills are committed to Fitzpatrick long-term, although there have been grumblings about whether or not he’s a legit number one signal-caller. In his first six starts of ’11, he tossed 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions; in his final ten starts, he totaled 12 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Did defenses adjust and steer him away from his strengths? Did he feel the additional pressure of playing under a lucrative contract? Is he capable of taking his game to another level, or have we seen the best he has to offer? The Bills brain-trust hasn’t expressed these concerns publicly and likely never will. However, bringing Young aboard might be a hint they are at the very least covering all the bases should Fitzpatrick regress.

Source: ESPN.com

QB Vince Young – VY wasn’t exactly stellar when he filled in for an injured Mike Vick last season in Philly, but he did show excellent arm strength and athleticism. His accuracy is below average and he won’t fit every system, although he is a veteran signal-caller with big game experience. Considering the current state of quarterbacking, teams could do a lot worse than Young.

RB Cedric Benson – Kinda hard to believe a 29-year-old runner coming off a 1000-yard 2011 is still without a job. Benson was a bust the first four years of his career, but he’s rushed for at least 1000 yards in each of his last three seasons and appears to have plenty of gas left in the tank as a decent number one or great number two back, provided he stops throwing punches in bars.

RB Ryan Grant – He became expendable in Green Bay’s pass heavy offense, but he does bring value as a solid backup with a pair of 1200-yard seasons on his resume. Teams like the Jets and Colts would be wise to give him a look. Detroit has been rumored to be interested, although no contract has been offered yet.

WR Mark Clayton – The ex-Raven and Ram was on his way to a career season in 2010 with then rookie Sam Bradford at quarterback until a torn patellar tendon ended his year after five games. He played sparingly in 2011, but if he’s healthy he could pay dividends as a number three receiver.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe – His best season came with Brett Favre under center, so pairing with a young quarterback might not be a recipe for success. That said, Shiancoe has shown flashes of greatness throughout his career and in the right situation could post serviceable numbers as a starter or reserve.

OG Bobbie Williams – He’s 35 and coming off a broken ankle, but if a team needed a steady guard in a pinch, Williams should be at the top of the list.

C Jason Brown – Three years ago he was being courted by several teams looking to add an up and coming center. After inking a $37.5 million deal with the Rams he turned into a major flop. Was it the culture of losing in St. Louis, or is he simply overrated?

DE Andre Carter – A torn left quad derailed arguably his best season as a pro last year with the Patriots. If he’s fully recovered he can bring speed off the edge in a 3-4.

CB Bryant McFadden – He’s probably not a starter at this stage of his career. However, he owns a pair of Super Bowl rings and would bring a veteran presence to a young secondary.

Bell, who inked a one-year free agent contract with Cincinnati a month ago, was very candid in his reasoning for retiring at age 31.

“There were a lot of factors that went into it for me,” Bell told the Post-Dispatch in a phone interview Tuesday night. “I’ve had a lot of fun playing. I’ve seen a lot of things. I’ve played in a lot of games. The reality is that for me it came down to risk and reward. I think you’ve always got to weigh that out. At some point, you’ve got to kind of figure out what you’re in the game for.”

The threat of concussions and other debilitating injuries that could leave lasting damage was a major factor in Bell’s decision.

“One of my biggest concerns when it comes to the game in general is my personal health. One thing that’s obviously on the minds of a lot of people lately is brain research and all the stuff that’s going on with that. One of the big things that I thought about when I was considering this is how much do I love the game? How much can they pay me to take away my health and my future and being able to be with my family and just have a healthy lifestyle?”

The old school ‘suck it up and be a man’ crowd will likely look at Bell with a frown, but more and more athletes would be wise to weigh their options before it’s too late. Seau joins an ever increasing list of ex-players whose lives were cut short by depression and brain issues.

Bell calls it quits after eight seasons with the Titans and Rams. He started 100 out of 109 career games.

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jackson’s payday goes against the grain by league standards. At 31, he is one the game’s oldest starting running backs. In addition, he is coming off a shortened 2011 campaign that cost him six games due to a broken right leg suffered in mid-November. He still finished with a team-high 934 yards and a career-best 5.5 yards per carry.

Jackson is relieved the financial wranglings are complete and is looking forward to getting back his leg strength and returning to the field.

“I’m here to prove to myself that this is where I belong,” said Jackson, who has been cleared for practice. “It’ll be another challenge, and I love challenges, so I look forward to getting out there and continuing to play well.”

Jackson’s journey to the top has been an unorthodox and bumpy one. After starring at tiny Division III Coe College, he went undrafted and played two years for Sioux City of the U.S. Indoor Football League.  He then joined the Bills in 2006, but played sparingly until 2008. He split time with Marshawn Lynch before taking over the starting gig in 2009 when he climbed the 1000-yard plateau.

With quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, wide receiver Stevie Johnson and change-of-pace back C.J. Spiller emerging on offense, the Bills have the makings of a potent attack, provided they all continue to hone their skills. Jackson still fuels the engine though, so keeping him happy and healthy is imperative if Buffalo wants to contend in the AFC East in 2012.

Source: ESPN.com

As if the pressure on the Heisman Trophy winner isn’t massive enough, now the local sports writers are resorting to hyperbole to describe a quarterback yet to throw a pass in a pro game.

“It didn’t take long to figure this out: Robert Griffin III will be the Washington Redskins’ best quarterback since Sonny Jurgensen,” [Rick] Snider writes.

A ridiculous statement to write for sure, but the sight of a tall rookie with obvious talent can easily cloud the judgments of people accustomed to watching the likes of Jason Campbell, Rex Grossman, John Beck and a washed-up Donovan McNabb in recent years. By comparison, RG III must look like a Hall of Famer.

That being said, Griffin hasn’t earned a thing  in the NFL, except a high draft ranking and a promised starting gig from head coach Mike Shanahan. Mentioning him in the same category as Sonny Jurgensen or Joe Theismann or Doug Williams makes a great headline, but it’s nothing more than easily attacked fodder.

It’s the Cam Newton effect. Very few, if any, pigskin pundits thought Newton was prepared to step under center during Week 1 of last year. 422 yards and three total touchdowns later and the naysayers were quickly changing their tunes. Truth be told, nobody knows anything when it comes to predicting a player’s career path.

Once upon a time, the Chargers believed they had themselves a franchise signal-caller named Ryan Leaf. The Texans had David Carr. The Raiders had JaMarcus Russell. It’s not fair to lump Griffin into the list of cautionary tales, but it’s also not fair to  compare the kid to a legend.

Source: NFL.com

Sparano, who coached Tebow at the 2010 Senior Bowl, sees vast improvement in his fundamentals and instincts.

“Fundamentally, Tim has gotten much better,” he said. “You could see the amount of time he spent at it … He’s completely different now than he was when he came out of college.”

Sparano was coy about a specific role for Tebow, but did admit strengthening the weaknesses of his new signal-caller is a top priority.

“Obviously, our first goal here is to turn Tim into … uh, to continue to work with him and to have him mature as a quarterback,” said Sparano… “That’s what we’re trying to do here. With that being said, he comes with a different skill set, obviously, from college. That’s a good thing for us. He has the ability to do a lot of different jobs. At the game, that’s what you really want.”

The phrase “turn Tim into” is very telling. Turn him into what exactly? A starting quarterback? No matter how he or Rex Ryan or anyone else in the Jets front office spins it, they didn’t trade for Tebow to simply run the Wildcat or install special packages for him to run.

Their confidence in Sanchez has clearly waned. And unlike college football, rotating quarterbacks is not a sound offensive strategy in the NFL. The coaches want Tebow to emerge and evolve into a consistent passer for the trade to be justified. Filling seats is one thing, but unless the Jets rebound and qualify for the playoffs, the fans will revolt, no matter who is under center.

Source: ESPN.com

The initial diagnoses was a partial tear, which led Suggs to tweet that he plans to return by midseason. Of course, he’s not a doctor. Achilles injuries normally come with a year-long recovery timetable, no matter the severity. Strange things can happen, but Suggs’ optimism about returning at some point during the upcoming campaign should be classified as wishful thinking.

Suggs, who is the defending Defensive Player of the Year, notched 14 sacks in 2011 and has amassed 82.5 total in nine seasons. Without him, the Ravens are left with few proven pass-rushers. Second-year end Pernell McPhee recorded 6 sacks as a rookie, but Paul Kruger has only 6.5 sacks in three seasons, and Sergio Kindle is an unknown commodity after battling injuries for the last two years.

Baltimore did select Alabama outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw in last weekend’s draft, although counting on a rookie to step into Suggs’ massive shoes is asking a lot, despite the obvious talent. Toss in Ray Lewis and Ed Reed’s advancing age, and the latter’s tenuous contract situation, and the Ravens could be left scrambling a bit on the defensive side of the ball.

On the bright side, Haloti Ngata and Terrance Cody are as good as it gets as far as defensive tackles in a 3-4 scheme are concerned. Plus, a youth-infused secondary led by cornerbacks Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith is one of the strongest in the league, finishing fourth against the pass in 2011.

The silver lining, if there is one, is Baltimore has time to fill the void left by Suggs’ absence. Free agent pass rushers like Andre Carter and James Hall are still on the market, and final cuts in September may shake free a player or two of note.

Source: NFL.com

Vilma, the Captain of the New Orleans defense, received the harshest punishment of the four after being slapped with a year-long suspension that will prevent him from playing in 2012. This comes as little surprise since he was the only Saint player to be publicly linked to the scandal when it broke in March. He was also said to have offered $10,000 to anyone who could injure Brett Favre in the 2009 NFC title game.

In addition, Fujita, who now plays for the Browns, will sit the first three games of the 2012 season without pay. Hargrove, now a Packer, will serve an eight-game suspension without pay, and defensive end Will Smith will miss the first four games without pay.

All things considered, New Orleans got off easy. As many as 27 players were rumored to be involved in the  bounty system, but Roger Goodell elected to focus his justice on the ring leaders.

“In assessing player discipline,” Goodell said, “I focused on players who were in leadership positions at the Saints; contributed a particularly large sum of money toward the program; specifically contributed to a bounty on an opposing player; demonstrated a clear intent to participate in a program that potentially injured opposing players; sought rewards for doing so; and/or obstructed the 2010 investigation.”

At least the Saints were smart enough to fill Vilma’s void with former Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton, who inked a 5-year, $33.5 million deal on March 24th. However, the team is still without a head coach and they find themselves labeled pariahs both inside and outside NFL circles.

Source: NFL.com