The road to the Hall of Fame begins in Cleveland, where Hopkins International Airport is already overrun with autograph hounds.

As we (hopefully) inch closer to the end of the lockout and the start of free agency, one player that a lot of fans have been asking about is actually still under contract: Reggie Bush.

Brett Favre hasn’t made any indication that he’s pondering a return for a 21st NFL season. Still, NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt remains confident the gunslinger might have one more comeback attempt in him.

Wednesday is Nnamdi Asomugha’s 30th birthday. So why is NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks taking this opportunity to tell NFL teams they shouldn’t be so eager to sign the Raiders’ Pro Bowl cornerback?

Almost time to fire up Favre Watch 2011? On one hand, says NFL.com’s Gil Brandt, yes. Then again, Brandt says, NFL teams might not be all that interested.

Many NFL observers believe it’s a foregone conclusion Nnamdi Asomugha won’t be back in Oakland. Not NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt, who believes the team’s owner is a wild card.

There’s no shortage of opinions during this locked-out NFL offseason as to where Nnamdi Asomugha, the consensus top player available when free agency begins, will eventually land. Asomugha’s former team — the Raiders — are seldom part of that speculation.

As the evaluation process unfolding leading up to the 2011 NFL Draft, the stock of Alabama RB Mark Ingram was a consistent source of debate.

Admit it, you’re one of the thousands of NFL fans suffering from draft withdrawal. We understand. And we agree with you that it is never too early to talk about next year’s draft.

In an unscientific straw poll conducted during the seventh round, we asked some NFL.com and NFL Network personalities for their favorite picks of Day 3 of the 2011 NFL Draft.

It’s far too early to anoint anyone the steal of the 2011 NFL Draft. But if Marcus Cannon can bounce back from a reportedly treatable form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma — which he found out about last week and is expected to be mostly recovered from in several weeks — he could be that player.

According to NFL.com analyst and legendary Dallas Cowboys personnel guru Gil Brandt, six linebackers have been drafted in the top 10 during the past decade with less-than-fantastic results … like having only one Pro Bowl appearance collectively.

The Bengals are looking for a quarterback, that much we know about the draft. But where do the Bengals make the move? Our Gil Brandt told readers on Monday during his NFL.com chat that the Bengals could be looking to move out of the No. 4 spot in the draft, and that the club has its eyes on quarterback down the draft board.

Eight is Enough. As bad as that ‘70s TV show was, it can’t be any worse than having to wait any longer for the start of the 2011 NFL Draft. And eight just happens to be the number of days until the draft begins.

Of course, some boisterous Bears fans are over QB Jay Cutler following his injury in the NFC Championship Game. But could the team actually be looking for his replacement?