Vince Young has proven he can play quarterback in the NFL. He’s proven he can win in certain situations. But the real issue concerning Young’s future is that he hasn’t proven he can be a long-term leader of a franchise.

I don’t believe that Carson Palmer is bluffing in his demand to get traded out of Cincinnati, and the right move is for the Bengals to be proactive in dealing with the situation.

Here are a few of my initial observations on the Packers and Steelers after getting a second look at the game during some initial film work on Monday.

Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger have some strong similarities, but they also have some stark differences to their games. The quarterback matchup in Super Bowl XLV goes to Roethlisberger, because of his ability to break down the traditional concepts of defense.

If there is a difference between the 3-4 defenses of the Packers and Steelers — and I think there is — in my mind it’s the youth and talent of Packers cornerbacks Sam Shields, Tramon Williams and Charles Woodson.

If anyone should be given the benefit of the doubt about playing through adversity of a physical nature, it should be Jay Cutler.

The biggest surprise of wild-card weekend was the Seahawks’ win over the Saints, but it shouldn’t be as big of a shock as most people tend to think.

From start to (almost) finish, the 2010 season has provided us with several dramatic transformations. No one would have predicted at the beginning of the season that the Patriots, Chiefs and Bears would be where they are right now.

There’s no doubt a lot is on the line right now for everyone involved with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

When I had the chance to sit down with Brett Favre last week and talk football, we had an interesting conversation about what has changed in the league during his 20-year career.

Adrian Peterson is the best running back in football, and the Vikings are reverting back to the strategy of 2008 under interim coach Leslie Frazer when they relied on Peterson to win games.

You can snicker at Ryan Fitzpatrick all you want, but the kid from Harvard is no joke as an NFL quarterback. I don’t think the Bills need to search out their quarterback of the future. For now, they’ve found their answer in Fitzpatrick.

I’m already impressed with the direction the Ravens are going, and when it matters most in six weeks, they’re capable of being the best team in the AFC.

Jeff Fisher is never going to let one player hold his team hostage. The focus is and always should be on the team, and never about anyone else but the team. For Vince Young to walk out on Fisher in front of the whole team, it was clear he was walking out on them.

I trust in Mike Shanahan — his coaching, his system and what he can get out of a quarterback — enough to know that signing Donovan McNabb to an extension was the right move for the Redskins.