Rams tight end Lance Kendricks is once again a sleeper candidate. This time around, things are different.

According to reports, Rashard Mendenhall is likely to start the season on the PUP list. The back had already fallen out of fantasy favor, but is this the end of the line?

The hiring of Greg Schiano as Bucs coach had to be one of the more stunning developments of this offseason. Any time a college coach gets “promoted” to the NFL, eyes roll. Many think of epic disappointments like Steve Spurrier or Nick Saban and see it as a mistake. Shoot, go all the way back to Ray Perkins if you want. But those guys came from major programs. And all had a pedigree that, at least, made it understandable to hire them. Not Schiano. Nope, he came from Rutgers, didn’t have any national titles, and did I mention he came from Rutgers? Never mind that he could’ve secured big-time jobs if he had wanted to leave Rutgers… it was still stunning. […]

Last week, I caught up with Cowboys TE Jason Witten before minicamp to offer a preview and talk about a few things. He was at a charity event for children, and it was billed as a pre-Father’s Day event. For Witten, I thought that was interesting. Witten has been open in the past about his difficult upbringing, which included some troubling circumstances with his parents. His father was not around. Witten finally found stability living with his grandfather, but he has taken steps through his community work to help children who deal with domestic violence. It’s fantastic that he’s open about his past and the tough time he had with his own father. (They now sound like they are working to […]

As we do every week, let’s take a swing through the NFL to see what was going on during one of the last weeks of football before the summer. So, what’s been up? 1. I spent a few days watching the Cowboys this offseason, including two days this week. There is a lot to like about this team (as is the case every year around this time), but I feel like I’ve found the thing Dallas fans should be most excited about: Dez Bryant. I know, I know, you’ve been waiting for this for a while. Yet you’ve heard more about his off-the-field issues (money problems, jewelry) than his on-the-field stuff. But man, he has looked excellent this spring. The highlight […]

Let me say upfront that I embrace any opportunity to travel around and see another team and learn about them and write stuff and go on TV to talk about it. It’s the job, it’s fun, and it’s all good. But when I saw Philadelphia on my docket for this week, I smiled a little more than normal. Ah, the cheeseteak. My favorite road food in an epic grudge match with etouffee of New Orleans. So, another chance to have a cheesesteak? I’ll take it. Oh, I also saw the Eagles practice (and wrote this article and said this on TV). Want some highlights of my trip to Philly? – Let’s start with the important stuff. I’ve been to Pat’s, […]

Sometimes, caught up in the fervor of football, we forget that there are other things besides it. A player acts a little grumpy during an interview, and we judge. “What’s his deal?” or whatever. We don’t always consider outside factors. So every once in a while, it’s important to realize that football players, like the rest of us, are real people. Sometimes life intervenes. I bring this up because Eagles first-round defensive tackle Fletcher Cox missed the first two days of minicamp to stay back in Yazoo City, Miss., to grieve for his fallen friend, Melvin Baker. A cousin who was Cox’s best friend, Baker died of head and neck trauma a week ago following an accident. And while Cox […]

Randy Moss is trying to prove he still has something to offer. Unlike other players on the down-slope of their careers, he might be right.

The optimism is palpable with the Eagles. It’s not crazy like last year at this time, but it’s there. The talent is still eye-opening, and the arrivals of first-rounder Fletcher Cox and linebacker DeMeco Ryans only add to that. So, how does the team stay grounded? They follow the lead of their quarterback, Michael Vick. I mentioned last night on Total Access that Vick plans to spend his summer poring over DVDs of all of his bad plays. He wants to eliminate mistakes, and the way to do that is to understand why he made them. “It’s going to be a football summer,” Vick told me yesterday. “I got my DVDs. Whenever I have time, whenever I’m riding in a […]

The Cowboys finished up minicamp today, and it got a little chippy at the end. That’s cool. It was intense. Coach Jason Garrett and his guys ended on a positive note, and there was a lot to like. I may be in Philadelphia now, but I’ve spent a ton of time during this offseason in Dallas. I live there now, so I’ll be spending even more time. Anyway, as the ‘Boys wrap up their offseason it’s starting to take shape what they’ll look like in 2012. The thing that jumps out to me the most is that not only is QB Tony Romo saying all the right things, but he’s also in a serious position to succeed with the talent […]

The last time the Eagles headed into a training camp, the optimism was crazy. Yes, yes, you remember the Dream Team. Well, all of that is no more. Instead, what’s left is a team with really good players. But there is still optimism mixed in. I watched the Eagles go through their final workout of mini-camp, a high-tempo affair with Vick right in the center. And afterward, he told me what he thought. “We had a good camp, a good spring, and we feel good about it,” Vick told me. “Ready to let this momentum carry over into training camp. … We can relax now, enjoy the days off, and take the days as they come.“ As I said, the […]

Jamaal Charles is ready to return with a vengeance. He’s not the only running back in Kansas City that could help your fantasy team.

The summer is almost upon us, with most teams finishing up their minicamps this week. For those who aren’t, they’ll wrap up next week. Given the new rookie wage scale, the common thought was that most rookie deals would be done before the summer. And yeah, most are. But not in the Top 8. As our friends at Pro Football Talk have explained, the battle over offset language has taken shape. Players and their agents, if players are cut before the end of their four-year deal, want to be able to “double-dip” and receive what’s left of their salary from the old team and a new salary with a new team. Teams don’t want that. They don’t understand why players should […]

Rex Ryan certainly wasn’t going to predict he’d win any awards for his performance in “That’s My Boy,” which hits theaters on June 15. But co-star Adam Sandler couldn’t heap enough superlatives on Ryan’s acting during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

Mikel Leshoure has been suspended by the NFL for the first two games of the 2012 season. Jahvid Best is the obvious beneficiary.