With just 11 weeks until these NFL teams grace the UK’s shores we’re still watching with interest. But apart from the first games, what else has happened?

San Francisco 49ers

I spoke last week about the rookies coming good in the offensive line. Not such good news it that centre Eric Hietmann has broken his leg and could miss up to 8 weeks.

On the other side of the ball Scott McKillop is probably out for the season after tearing his ACL. Rookie NaVorro Bowman will hope to continue to improve to get play time with Takeo Spikes and Patrick Willis, who was last season’s Alumni Linebacker of the Year. Staying on Defence, Taylor Mays has been moving slowly up the depth chart and may break the first team in the next few weeks. He’s one to watch in the pre-season games.

More positively, Vernon Davis has been impressing with his ethic and there is continued talk about how Alex Smith is leading the team. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Smith, but Vernon Davis is also a player I’m excited to get to see come October. Hopefully his sprain incurred in last night’s game is not too serious.

Also in last night’s game, Anthony Dixon got a staggering (for a pre-seaosn) 32 carries and made 100 yards. One to watch in the 49ers backfield.

Denver Broncos

Injuries, injuries and more injuries. That’s the story of camp so far for the Broncos.

Compounding the serious surgery to Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss stepped up and broke his hand. Queue much creativity and re-organisation of the Broncos’ front seven. The latest word on ‘Doom’ is that he will be back “this season”… take that how you will.

Ryan Clady has not practised yet, and probably won’t this pre-season, but rookie Demaryius Thomas has looked athletic during drills and his mental approached is being appreciated by coaches and players alike.

Kyle Orton is still the unquestioned starter at quarterback and is quietly going about his business. For the backups: Brady Quinn struggled last night and gave up an interception. Tim Tebow scored a very Tim Tebow style rushing TD on the final drive last night.

LenDale White is suffering with cramps, and Justin Fargas (aka Huggy Bear Jr.) has joined the crowded – if banged up – backfield. Bringing in a 30 year old with a history of injury problems shows you how desperate things are in Denver right now. Marquez Branson was carted off the field with an ankle injury on Wednesday.

Prediction-O-Meter

So there’s not been much movement for either team, and certainly very little movement between the relative positions of the teams and few clues can be gleaned from a week 1 pre-season game. But those injuries keep piling up for the Broncos. We’ll see what coach McDaniels is made of as he looks to get the best out of the players he has. But it’s too early to really predict how much on an impact they’ll have – and of course, the regular season is still a few weeks away and the game in the UK is 11 weeks away.

So it’s as you were for now. If the Broncos continue to take knocks, then I could easily be moving the ball next week… assuming nothing major changes in San Francisco. But it remains a narrow win for the 49ers at the moment.

Image Credits
Alex Smith – Monica’s Dad
Tim Tebow – watsomsinelgin

So with our final part of this year’s First Look series, we turn our gaze towards the AFC West. As well as the Chargers, who were part of the great entertainment at Wembley Stadium in 2008, NFL UK fans will also keep an eye on this division for the Broncos who will be visiting these shores at the end of October this year.

This was the division that I most accurately predicted last season, correcting stating that the Chargers would win and that the Broncos in second would not make the play-offs. I’d take some credit but really, who saw it any differently?

Let’s see if it’s as straight-forward this year…

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers have had the AFC West as their personal playground for a while now. Last year was their 4th consecutive divisional title, and even when they’re not so good (like 2008′s 8-8 record) the rest of the teams have fallen over themselves to let San Diego take the title.

LaDainian Tomlinson was released after 9 seasons with the Chargers. He was a joy to watch when at his peak, and though that’s clearly past he’ll be hoping to do well in New York with the Jets. It’s quite possible the Jets could meet the Chargers in the play-offs… I hope so, for the teams as much as the story with LDT. Darren Sproles, who was a solid third-down back in 2009 goes into 2010 with another short-term contract in place. 12th overall pick Ryan Mathews in expected to start and to get a lot of carries across the season… if his contract is sorted for training camp then he’s a good fantasy option for the lower rounds!

For the receivers, Vincent Jackson will miss the first few games with a suspension. Along with Sproles, Malcolm Kelly and Antonio Gates will be Philip Rivers‘ main targets.

Defensively, they need to improve a little everywhere. But it’s not a bad unit that has been augmented across the draft with Donald Butler, Darrell Stuckey and Cam Thomas who should all see playing time early – Stuckey in particular at safety.

With core successful parts of the team largely unchanged, this team carries good continuity over from last year. Their loss against the Jets was down to just a few key moments, and they’ll feel there is unfinished business. I can’t look past them for the division. Again.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders have made a big step forward with finally giving up on the JaMarcus Russell experiment and trading for Jason Campbell from the Redskins. There is no question that he’s an upgrade and should improve whole elements of the game. He’s not perfect, he holds onto the ball too long, and can stall drives in the redzone, but he’s better than Russell. Play-calling this year will be down to Hue Jackson, who’s come in from Baltimore.

Rolando McClain, drafted 8th overall this year, comes in and is the immediate leader on the defence. He needs to help stop the run. Nnamdi Asomugha remains one of the league’s premier corners, and a main reason why this team is so good against the pass (the other is that they’re so bad against the run!)

Coming of successive 5-11 records, they’ll look to to better. I’m not sure I can see it at this point though.

Denver Broncos

Whilst I’m looking forward to mercilessly booing the Broncos at Wembley, there are some intriguing stories to watch develop here. Knowshon Moreno had a great rookie season and was fun to watch, I’ll be hoping he doesn’t suffer the dreaded sophomore slump. Brandon Marshall is now out of town, so Eddie Royal and Demaryius Thomas will look to lead the line. Thomas was the first receiver taken in the 2010 NFL Draft and forms part of a promising young corp. Brandon Lloyd, a favourite of Kyle Orton at Chicago, will also look to hook up with his old quarterback.

Speaking of Orton… he posted his career best stats last season, better than Jay Cutler did in Chicago (much, I’m sure, to Josh McDaniel’s delight). However, he’s now got not only Brady Quinn behind him, but Tim Tebow. Nobody divides opinion quite like Tim Tebow, but common wisdom has him starting 2011 and he could well be used as a redzone impact player… though it’s not so clear which position he’d play! Regardless of those behind him, Orton will be looking to push on.

The Broncos were great against the pass last year, with only the Jets and Bills giving up fewer yards, but it was a different story against the run where they ranked 26th overall. A similar story to Oakland in that regard. Don Martindale moves from linebackers coach to DC and will have to work mainly with the same personnel he had last year.

After starting 6-0 last season and ranking up impressive wins on the way, the Broncos will think they should have done more than becoming only the 7th team since the merger to have such a start and then not make the play-offs. I can – just about – see them getting to 9-7 and being in play-off contention this year. Week 16 against the Texans could be a big game.

Kansas City Chiefs

The poor Chiefs. When a 4-12 record is a big step forward, you know it’s not been a good time.

Matt Cassel was the big signing for the 2009 season but in the end, you could easily make a case for Tyler Thigpen having a better season in 2008 than Cassel did in 2009. Chris Chambers, who came in last year off waivers, has signed a long-term deal and will start opposite Dwayne Bowe. One bright spot for the Chiefs was the emergence of Jamaal Charles at running back. Once Larry Johnson was released, he took over the major share of carries and gained a great YPC average and eventually became the first player in history to get 1,100 yards on fewer than 200 carries.

The story for the Chiefs this year is the big changes to the coaching staff. Pretty much the entire team will be coached by new faces this season, and how quickly adjustments are made will be telling this year for the Chiefs.

They may well improve, but I can’t see them making a big splash in the conference.

Predictions (made 18th July 2010)

Image Credit: Robert Sanque

Being my first ‘Division’ prediction, ever, I figured I might as well do one for the division I know most about! The AFC North is usually an entertaining and exciting division. The matches are played well, and are usually close. Rivalry is fierce and the bouts are relentless. It’s always difficult predicting without seeing the four pre-season matches, but I’m going to give it a go.

Baltimore Ravens

I’ll try not to be too biased here. We’ve significantly strengthened this off-season, both in the draft and trades. Our offensive line is still as strong, our running game still has a 3-man attack and our defence is still a no-nonsense, hard-hitting gang with additions of massive monster players who I really look forward to seeing in purple (Sergio Kindle and Mount Cody). Joe Flacco will be the one to watch this coming season. He has more weapons than he has ever had, so in my opinion it is make or break for him. If, after this season, our passing game hasn’t improved then I think we need to analyse why that is. With Derek Mason, Anquan Boldin, Todd Heap, Ray Rice and Donte’ Stallworth to throw to we should be putting up big numbers. It’s an exciting time in Baltimore. We’re looking not only for the Divisional Title, but the Superbowl too.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals played some good football last season. I was impressed. Carson Palmer is an amazing quarterback on his day and I look forward to seeing him again this term. He has the added weapon of Antonio Bryant, which I think is a superb pick up for the Bengals. They also grabbed Jermaine Gresham in the draft, a definite prospect and one who could go straight into the starting line-up. They haven’t exactly weakened over the off-season so I’m expecting much of the same from the Bengals. They’ll prove a worthy foe

Cleveland Browns

The Browns started off the season as expected last term. They didn’t impress anybody. Harsh, but true. Nobody (except me it seems) predicted them to win any games towards the end of last season, but they seemed to settle and looked more established. Brady Quinn is released, Jake Delhomme comes in. Puzzling really. I always thought Quinn had potential. Colt McCoy is a good move in the draft though. He’s young and hungry, and could well find himself playing a part this season. I think I’d trust the rookie over Delhomme any day of the week!
Ben Watson comes in at tight end too. I think he will be a solid option on offence and I always did like him at New England. They have improved defensively and I’m looking forward to seeing Joe Haden playing. That said, I don’t think they have made the moves to rise up in the division and I still feel the other three teams are stronger.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Aaaah, the Steelers. I won’t say anything about the off-field issues; instead I’ll just get to the point. Santonio Holmes has left for pastures new (Jets) leaving Mike Wallace to fill the void he has left. Wallace did show signs of being a good target, but whether he can be as reliable as Holmes remains to be seen. Big Ben definitely misses the first 4 matches of the season, possibly first 6. A massive blow for the Steelers. Their star quarterback and one of their big receiving targets missing. For this reason I don’t think that Pittsburgh will be contending for the AFC North title. They have weakened whereas others have strengthened and it will be their downfall this season.

Predictions (made 14th June 2010)

Image Credit: Alan Bowser

I did pretty badly with this last year, predicting that the Giants and Eagles would go into the post-season as winners and wildcard respectively. In the end, the Cowboys surprised and the Giants disappointed to swap places from my predictions. Unfortunately the ‘Skins did no better than I thought they would and were propping up the division.

Let’s see what’s happening for 2010…

New York Giants

The Giants started so promisingly last season, but then it all went wrong as the compiled an 3-8 record in the final 11 weeks. Although they scored good victories against the Redskins and Cowboys, after three easy games (Bucs, Chiefs and Raiders) it was a slippery slope that saw them unable to compete with any serious competition. On the bright side, they did sweep the Cowboys.

The off-season and draft saw the Giants make some steady, augmenting steps. This was not a rebuilding process, but plenty of attention – including 6 of the 7 Draft picks – being spent on the defence. DE Jason Pierre-Paul has great potential, but will need to be coached carefully to get the best out of him. Other picks included linebackers Phillip Dillard and Adrian Tracy that will look to replace the departing Antonio Pierce. Antrel Rolle came in as a free agent, becoming the most expensive Safety in history in in the process. Jim Sorgi also came in from the Colts, continuing his fine career of backing up a Manning.

With only a ‘tweaking’ of the offence, this is a team that feels they can compete on that side of the ball and with the new players coming in on the D, they’ll hope to improve of their middling 13th rating.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys surprised us all last year by turning up and playing when it mattered, and by getting the proverbial monkey of their backs in crunch games. They closed out the regular season with consecutive divisional shut-outs. Beating Washington and then Philadelphia to take the NFC East title. A rematch with the Eagles in the wildcard round saw them finish a three-game sweep against the divisional rivals and set up a game in Minnesota. This win was the first Cowboys’ playoff victory since 1996 and there was a real feeling that the tide had turned. Of course, it wasn’t to be but this is a team that’s looking strong for 2010.

Dez Bryant has come in, and he looks good so far. He’s certainly a rookie to watch. Roy Williams is making the right noises and the D has been deepened with the rest of the draft. They need to improve on takeaways, but it was overall a solid unit last year.
Tony Romo skipped golf for voluntary OTAs! You can’t say much more than that from a guy who looks more and more like a real leader of the team. For me, at the moment… and I hate saying it… the ‘Boys are the team to watch in this division next year.

Philadelphia Eagles

For too many years to remember the offence in Philli has been lead by Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook. Not any more. Westbrook hit that age, and also suffered with injuries a lot last year. Rather amusingly, his official page hasn’t had its stats updated since the 2007 season. McNabb is of course in Washington now.

Last season the Eagles ranked 11th in offence and 12th in defence overall, which is not bad really but this team was all over the place for the first half of the season before making real strides in the second half before it wall went wrong against Dallas.

9 of the Eagles’ whopping 13 draft selections were on defence and the offence is being put in the hands of Kevin Kolb. Kolb was drafted behind Brady Quinn and JaMarcus Russell back in 2007, and he’s been steady if unspectacular so far. All the right talk is coming out of the Eagles’ camp, but it remains to be seen if can lead a young team onwards.

Washington Redskins

I’ve spoken a lot already about some of the changes that the Redskins needed to make, and those that they have made. I won’t dwell too much on this team, as I’m sure I’ll be talking more about them soon enough, but there’s a real sense of optimism coming out of the team. Lots has changed, and that might take a while to bed in but there’s not one player who thinks that the changes aren’t a good thing. OK, there is one player who thinks that and I hope Big Albert gets back on side soon.
Could they take the division? Who knows at this point, but I guess you’re here to find out my opinion. I would say no, but think we’ll be competing up until the final week… Best case is a play-off spot coming the way of Burgandy and Gold.

Predictions (made 20th May 2010)

Thumbnail Credit: lil robs

To start with we’re back to New York. Less than a week after releasing Thomas Jones (who has since signed with the Cheifs) the Jets have added LaDanian Tomlinson to the line-up. He’s got a fair deal to be a backup and although I think Jones was a better option, they’ve got LDT for a lot less than Jones was due. It would essentially be a crime not to use this as an excuse to post Electric Glide as unlike running backs that never gets old.

Carrying on with aging running backs, Larry Johnson is now a Redskin. He’s signed a surprisingly sensible 3 year deal that makes things interesting and has certainly improved the squad. If we can sort the line out, we might be able to actually make some yards now. Will Montgomery has resigned in this area.
Johnson has 2 years on Portis, but considerably less mileage. Hopefully he can contribute.

It’s all change under centre for the Cleveland Browns with Anderson being released and fan-favourite Brady Quinn being traded to the Denver. I’ve seen Broncos’ starting QB Kyle Orton described as “workmanlike” and that seems fair. It’ll be interesting to watch that situation and take bets on who’ll be starting the Wembley game.

Incoming for the Browns are Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. The smart money would be on Delhomme to start, even after his terrible 2009. He’s due a tonne of cash too, from the Browns and Panthers who apparently missed a fairly critical clause in his contract. D’oh.

Mark Tauscher has signed – again – in Green Bay. Expect to see him picking up Aaron Rodgers a lot during 2010. Speaking of Aarons… Aaron Kampman has gone to Jacksonville in what is a better fit for him than the Packers’ 3-4 scheme.

This is the tip of the iceberg as there have been moves and trades all over the place. Check ‘em out.

Anyway, we both called this one correctly.

Sunday, 13th September
Jacksonville @ Indiana, 12-14
Well, we thought that this would be a close game and so it proved! Jones-Drew looked good as the focal point of the Jags attack, and the Colts did enough but will need to show us more if we’re going to believe in them this year.

Detroit @ New Orleans, 27-45
Drew Brees put on another passing clinic, completing 6 TD passes to 5 receivers. Matt Stafford wasn’t quite as impressive, but did get the Lions moving when the running game was shut down. On the plus side, the Lions did put up 27 points which is more than in any game last year. There were signs, but there’s still work to do.

Philadelphia @ Carolina, 38-10
Well damn… I have Carolina as a long-term pick for the Superbowl (article coming soon) and a lock for the NFC South. The Eagles just owned them though, in what ended up being a very one sided affair.

Dallas @ Tampa Bay, 34-21
Dallas are off and running and Tampa Bay could be better than people thought: those are the headlines from this game. Whether the Cowboys can still perform when the pressure is on, and if the Buccaneers can develop further are the stories to watch.

New York Jets @ Houston, 24-7
Another one that we called wrong. The Jets came to play and really turned it on. Mark Sanchez had a great debut and Steve Slaton couldn’t get going on the ground. They have some tough games on their schedule, but have made a strong start.

Kansas City @ Baltimore, 24-38
With over 500 yards (just) of total offense, it was easy to forget this was the Ravens who usually have the defense to rely on. They dominated time of possession, controlled the clock and kept the ball moving. The final score is flattering though, and the Chiefs can take a lot of positives from the performance, including an apparent return to form of Cadillac Williams.

Denver @ Cincinatti, 12-7
With not long at all to go, I was patting myself on the head. Then came that 87 yard score, one of the flukiest catches I’ve seen. Whilst I’m pleased for Stokley, I was gutted for the Bengals who gave a dogged performance all around to stay in the game and take a late lead.

Minnesota @ Cleveland, 34-20
Favre did enough here, mainly handing off to Adrian Peterson who ran wild. The Vikings got Percy Harvin involved too, who looks like an exciting rookie to watch.
Quinn was steady in his NFL debut and spread the ball about well. The Browns were well and truly in this game in the first half, but trailed off disappointingly.

Miami @ Atlanta, 7-19
One word can sum up the Dolphins’ performance: ouch. The Falcons owned them all over the place, and the Dolphins didn’t help themselves with a number of mistakes. The highlight for them was probably Greg Camarillo‘s catch with his legs.

The Falcons looked good all across the board. They’re a team I’ve not picked for the post-season and if they keep playing like this, I’ll be eating humble pie come January.

Washington @ New York Giants, 17-23
The Giants defensive line wreaked havoc with the ‘Skins, and though Washington didn’t play badly they were always behind and playing catchup here. The Giants offense did enough in the air to help their formidable running game, though have lost first round rookie Hakeem Nicks with a ankle injury.

San Francisco @ Arizona, 20-16
Post-Superbowl hangover? At this point, who knows. It is, however, going to be difficult for the Cardinals to repeat last year’s success. As the reigning NFC champions, they’re wearing a target; they can be planned for, strategies made to keep the receivers in check and Kurt Warner on the back foot and the defence can be beaten.
The 49ers played a good game here.

St. Louis @ Seattle, 0-28
A sequence of plays just before half-time summed up the Rams perfectly. They block a field goal attempt, and then return it for a touchdown. Oh wait, no they don’t: 12 men on the field penalty against them. Worse, the 5 yard penalty gives the Seahawks a first down. Worse still, Matt Hasselbeck passes to Nate Burleson for a TD to complete a miserable passage of play.

Chicago @ Green Bay, 15-21
So Bears fans… how’s that quarterback upgrade working out?

When Cutler was good, he was great last night: precise passes and making it happen. However, he can count himself lucky that they were even in the game after his 3 interceptions in the first half. Neither team looked spectacular, but both looked good in spells here.

Worse news for Chicago is that Brian Urlacher is out for the season after having surgery on his wrist. How the Bears can play without him is something to watch in the next few weeks.

Monday, 14th September
Buffalo @ New England, 24-25
Coming from behind to sneak a win wasn’t in the script, but was as good a way as any for the Patriots to start the season, announcing: Come and play, we’ll still beat you. With just over two minutes to play and needing two scores, that’s what they got.

Other than a fumble that handed the ball back to the Pats between those two scores, the Bills did little wrong and looked strong again. They started well last season before tailing off. With the Bills playing this well, and the Jets winning, the AFC East is shaping up to be hotly contested this season.

San Diego @ Oakland, 24-20
We all pick on the Raiders, but this was a good showing from them. Like with the Patriots-Bills game, this took a late scoring drive from the favourites to secure the win: Darren Sproles rushing in with just 18 seconds left.

JaMarcus Russell had a quarterback rating of just 47.6, but kept the ball moving and other than the breakdown on the final drive, they played well. This loss will hurt.

Summary
So a very impressive 13 of 16 for Graham, and a less impressive 11 for Andrew and Chloe.

[table id = 10/]

Favre Said - “I may not finish the year. If you would have asked me my first year if I would finish I’d have said, ‘I may not,”’ Favre said. “No one thought I’d play 18 straight years without missing a game, me included. I have no idea what’s going to happen. ”

Not really big news, he ‘might’ get injured; he ‘might’ have a week off?  It made the headlines though, so I am just passing it on.

Cleveland Browns
Oh no, another ‘might’ story.  I get the feeling that preparations are so tight now there is little in the way of news filtering out of each organisation.  Anyway, Brady Quinn ‘might’ be the No.1 quarterback at the Browns.  Most of this stems from Derek Anderson’s comment at Wednesday’s training camp, where Anderson was asked if it was difficult to keep the secret…

“No,” Anderson said, “because after this next two minutes are over I’m not going to be talking to you guys. It’s pretty easy. Obviously, the rest of us have to go about our regular preparations and continue to do what we always do and just not talk to our families.”

Kansas City Chiefs
Matt Cassel ‘might’ miss the first game against the Baltimore Ravens.  Cassel is suffering with a knee injury and has been unable to workout fully this week

Brodie Croyle is ready to step in, but it would be a blow against the team has been designed to play around Cassel this season.

Ah yes, the NFL Fantasy League draft…

Last year I stormed off to a 12-1 regular season before losing both the semi-final and 3rd place playoff. I usually make the playoffs, but with 4th last year and 6th the year before, my solitary victory back in 2006 is looking a little lonely. This year though…

Our league has got very popular over the last few years and this year had the maximum allowed of 20 players. Yes, this was going to be hard.

I got the 6th pick, which I was pretty happy with. Nut the nature of the draft means that my next pick would be the 34th overall. Then 46th, then 74th, add 11, add 29, etc.

The Draft
DeAngelo Williams was going to me my first pick, but he was taken at number 5. Which threw me a bit, as I wasn’t sold on the next few players below him. So I went for Steve Slaton. As I’ve already mentioned here: I like him as a person and a player and think he’s going to have a good year. I then had to sit, wait and watch while most of the high-value players disappear. Come my second pick, I went for another RB. I was tempted to a quarterback, but reckoned (correctly as it turned out) that they’d still be a good choice come my 3rd round pick. So I picked up Ryan Grant then and reached for Carson Palmer next.

Palmer is a risky pick, but I like his chances this year now he’s healthy and has good receivers to aim at.

I’d decided before the draft started not to worry about WRs, as I had in mind a couple that should still be available deep so I went for a solid TE in Greg Olsen in the 4th round. However, one of the WRs was Hakeem Nicks, and he was taken 1st pick of the 5th round so I lifted my targets (a little) and took Muhsin Muhammad

Deep in the 6th I was surprised to see Willie Parker still available, and though I could have gone elsewhere I picked him up. He’ll be on my bench initially, but could be traded or kept for cover. He seems like a bargain all the way down there!

I took Justin Gage in the 7th to essentially fill out the starters, then started looking at backups and value players: Enter Brady Quinn in the 8th and Darrius Heyward-Bey in the 9th.

Shaun Siusham in the 10th is my worst pick, and I’ve already traded him. I’ve never worried too much about a kicker though, and this year is no exception. I’ll just pick up whoever is available if I need to. The same is true of the DEF/ST and my autopick (my connection dropped) of Cleveland won’t set the world alight but will probably be steady enough for me not to worry about it.

In between those, I took Bo Scaife in the 11th then closed out with Michael Clayton and Joey Galloway in the 13th and 14th rounds respectively.

Summary
Generally I’m happy with my team. I managed to stay on strategy for the most part, and didn’t get drawn in when there were runs at certain positions. My receivers could be stronger, but that was conscious on my part so I can’t complain.

[table id=15 /]

To start week 1, against SmallSatsuma’s Saints

QB – Carson Palmer
WR – Muhsin Muhammad
WR – Justin Gage (gameday decision against Darrius H-B)
RB – Steve Slaton
TE – Greg Olsen
W/R – Ryan Grant
K – Steven Hauschka (who I traded Siusham for)
DEF/ST – Cleveland

I’m trying to trade Willie Parker for Percy Harvin. If accepted, I’ll probably start Harvin over Gage and Heyward-Bey.

I’m projected a narrow win, but who can tell? What I can say is that the draft was a good laugh, again, with a good amount of chat and jokes and laughter throughout. The League should be much the same, and we always look forward to it.

Get Playing!
We use Yahoo! Sports‘ fantasy league and live draft, but there are plenty available. Like at nfl.com.

UK fans should also look at the nfluk.com fantasy competition, which works in a different way but has some good prizes on offer.

Detroit Lions
This is the news I was itching to see – Matthew Stafford is the Lions starting quarterback. It’s not that I have anything against Daunte Culpepper, it’s just that on a personal level I want to see what Stafford can do and how he progresses through the season.

From the Lions point of view I think it is the right choice. It is a symbol of a fresh start, and that is something the whole of Detroit need right now. 2008 saw the team and the citys biggest industry on its knees.

I am very tempted to pick a Lions win in this weeks predictions, but I think that is coming more from the heart than the head.

Cleveland Browns
Eric Mangini has decided to stay tight lipped about his decision over starting quarterback. Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson has it, but he is not telling who.

Mangini said – “In terms of announcing it publicly, that’s not something I plan to do,” he said. “It will be internal. I understand everybody has a different opinion on it. I respect that. I understand the excitement in relationship to that and I respect that as well. But that will be something that will be internal.”

I suppose it is a tactic to keep their week one opponents the Vikings in the dark. Cleveland are the underdog for this game, so Mangini will be using everything he can.

Kansas City Chiefs
Matt Cassel returned to practice after his knee injury which he picked up in pre-season. It is not yet known if he will be fit to face the Baltimore Ravens in their opening game.

We will be keeping an eye on his status as the week goes on. This season is Cassel’s chance to prove what he can do with out the Patriots behind him, let’s hope that it is not hampered by injury.

After San Francisco a few days ago, and the Jets, it’s the Buccaneers turn. As they’re London-bound in October, we’d been watching closely.

With presumed future starter Josh Freeman sitting in the wings, this could be a fairly short-term gig, but after collecting a Superbowl ring last year as a backup, Byron Leftwich will be thrilled to get our there in the regular season and not be holding the proverbial clipboard. Although his pre-season hasn’t been great, combined with his experience, it’s been enough to get him the nod for 2009.

I feel for Luke McCown, as he’s had a good pre-season and worked hard in Tampa. He’s saying the right things about being the backup quarterback and that’s good, but he’ll be hurting. Although he hasn’t put up Ws, he’s got a decent QB rating for the games he’s played. Not spectacular, but decent. But if he’s to be a starter, anywhere, he’s going to have to win it and that didn’t quite happen this time.

So we’re down to just a few decisions left yet, including at Cleveland (where Quinn as the advantage today) and Detroit (too close to call) that we’re keeping our eyes on.