Don McKee
With NFL training camps popping up all over the landscape this weekend, the off-season reports remind us that it's all about the quarterback.
As always.
Here is a quick rundown of some ongoing story lines:
Brett. Reports from Hattiesburg, Miss., say Brett Favre is "anguished" over whether to play for Minnesota this fall. The hangup, insiders say, are the numbers of e-mails and tweets he's getting from potential Vikings teammates, including Adrian Peterson.
So we've come to this -- with $10 million on the table, a future Hall of Fame quarterback is being guided by his Twitter account.
Ben. In his first public statement since being accused (in a civil suit) of sexual assault, Ben Roethlisberger vehemently denied raping a casino hostess last summer in Lake Tahoe and said he would vigorously defend himself against the charges.
Welcome to the post-Super Bowl letdown, Steelers fans.
Michael. Apparently Michael Vick met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at a securities firm in North Jersey on Wednesday. Reports are that the former Falcons QB, who was just released from federal custody after 23 months, is looking at a four-game suspension after he finds a new team.
But a report out of Virginia Beach had Vick spending his first night of freedom at a (gasp!) strip club in the resort town.
What? You expected Dunkin' Donuts?
Tom. Just a quick reminder that if Tom Brady at 31 is still the Tom Brady of 29, then you can ship the Super Bowl trophy to New England. Gisele Bundchen is just a la carte.
Jay. After spending several months talking himself out of Denver in a world-class hissy fit, Jay Cutler now finds himself in Chicago. When he gets a look at his new group of receivers, he'll find the Sears Tower (recently renamed the Willis Tower) looks a lot better in the summer than it does in the fall.
Tarvaris/Sage. It's finally beginning to dawn on some people in Minnesota that, if Brett decides to stay on the tractor in Mississippi, somebody will have to explain to Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels about all those tweets to Hattiesburg begging No. 4 to come to camp.
Kurt. Fans in Arizona are frothing at the mouth to see if Kurt Warner can continue to tap into the fountain of youth that produced a Super Bowl appearance last fall.
They're probably less eager to find out if Anquan Boldin is really so hissed off about his contract -- and so jealous of Larry Fitzgerald -- that he'll hold out of camp and demand a trade.
Daunte. Faced with competition from the league's top draft choice -- former Georgia wonderboy Matthew Stafford -- Daunte Culpepper is getting serious about winning the starting job for 0-16 Detroit.
Culpepper lost 30 pounds in the off-season. Now all he has to do is improve on last year's stats, when he threw four touchdowns and six interceptions in five starts.
Donovan. How will Donovan McNabb react to being called the Jake Delhomme of Philadelphia?
Both led their teams to the Super Bowls in the early 2000s, and neither has gotten back. Both have fought injuries along the way but got their teams to the playoffs last season.
McNabb's final game last season was memorable for a loss at Arizona. Delhomme's was notorious for including six turnovers in a first-round loss at home to, yes, Arizona.
Both got reworked contracts in the off season and both are in their 30s and in the second half of their careers.
Yet neither team appears to be planning much for the future. Delhomme's backup is the unproven Josh McCown; McNabb's is the unproven Kevin Kolb.
Carolina and your Eagles will sink or swim with the status quo.
This article contains information from the Associated Press.
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