With all the money, fame and attention bestowed upon NFL players it is easy to forget that even at the Pro Bowl — where all-stars are recognized for extraordinary performance on the field — off of the field they are still a group of ordinary young men. They are sons, brothers, husbands and fathers, who laugh at and worry about the same things as the rest of us. In the short period of time since the players arrived in Hawaii on Tuesday afternoon there have been constant reminders of that for those of us working closely with them. In my last NFL.com blog, I mentioned that Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who has been selected to his 12th Pro Bowl […]

Amani Toomer takes a shot at Michael Starhan after the former Giant announced a new gig.

The Baltimore Ravens have added an extensive no-huddle look to their offense and that could have a big impact on Joe Flacco’s fantasy football value in 2012.

The status of Cowboys TE Jason Witten is in doubt leading up to Wednesday’s game against the Giants. Reports have gone back and forth about whether he’ll play, mostly because it’s so tough to tell when it comes to internal organs like a (lacerated) spleen. Yet Witten has practiced over the last two days, which is more than a good sign. If he is medical cleared, you better believe he’ll be out there. And now, the optimism is building to where it looks like he’ll go. Don’t believe me? Ask QB Tony Romo. “I’ve played with Jason for a long time, so I don’t think you’re really going to be able to replace him,” Romo said a few minutes ago. […]

Will Jason Witten’s injury shake up the values of tight ends in fantasy football leagues?

Justin Tuck prematurely apologized if his words sounded slurred. The Giants DE had just set a Guinness World Record in New York City by leading a group of 250 people in simultaneously making Subway club sandwiches to celebrate avocado season. Those were then donated to City Harvest, a food rescue charity. Now, doing this interview with me over the phone, Tuck was eating another Subway sandwich. “There was a lot of energy, a lot of fun, and a great opportunity to donate 250 sandwiches to City Harvest,” Tuck said. “They took all of those, but now I’m eating another one right now. If you hear my mumble a little bit, that’s what it is.“ Good to know. Man, is he polite. […]

The biggest news for the Dallas Cowboys heading into training camp was WR Dez Bryant’s arrest last week. And many have weighed in about what it means. Out here in South Lake Tahoe, legendary RB Emmitt Smith offered some thoughts, and so did WR Miles Austin. Late yesterday, another key figure on this year’s team spoke on the subject. TE Jason Witten, one of the team leaders, sounded as conflicted as could be expected when I asked him about Bryant’s arrest. Yes, he’s a teammate. But Witten also expressed disappointment. What did he tell me? “I don’t know enough about the situation to really comment too much on it until I get further information, but I support him as a […]

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 […]

The Cowboys wrapped up their first day of mandatory mini-camp with everyone accounted for. That was a nice change. All 90 players were around, but not all were on the field. Oh, and one arrived late with a pretty good excuse. A quick run-down of what happened at Valley Ranch: – Mike Jenkins showed up, as we said he would. The disgruntled cornerback was at the Cowboys facility, doing shoulder rehab and avoiding a fine. What he wasn’t doing was talking. After his people asked for a trade, Jenkins may still be upset about his contract situation. But he didn’t talk with reporters, despite showing up in the locker room a few times. That left others to do the talking […]

This past weekend, we caught up with Cowboys TE Jason Witten while he was doing a charity event at a local Walmart. He spoke about TE Rob Gronkowski’s new contract and why he’s involved with the Boys & Girls Club. But Witten also offered some thoughts on minicamp, which begins today at Valley Ranch. CB Mike Jenkins is already present, and so are a bunch of Cowboys teammates. What is Witten looking forward to? A bunch of things… “We got a long way to go,” Witten told me. “I think we don’t really need any more motivation than we already have because of what happened last year. That last game against the Giants… and really they took advantage of that […]

The big news yesterday was that the Patriots rewarded TE Rob Gronkowski with a six-year, $54-million contract extension. It’s a massive reward for the player who set the yardage record and touchdown record at that position last year. Today, the player who is currently the game’s highest paid tight end spoke about that development, offering a serious appreciation for Gronk’s prowess. Representing the FRAM Ready to Role program, Cowboys TE Jason Witten appeared a local Walmart to lead a hands on, under-the-hood, car care skills training deal with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas teens. Before it all happened, I asked Witten for his reaction to Gronk’s new riches. “I think obviously the bar just continues to get raised […]

Jason Witten still has a long way to go to catch Tony Gonzalez, the NFL record-holder for career receptions by a tight end, but the Cowboys TE does deserve congratulations for passing Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome to move into third on the all-time list.

At this late stage of the week, you have surely heard about every story line centered around quarterbacks, star skill players, loud talkers and frequent Tweeters. But there are 11 players on either side matching up on any given play. Below we list five matchups that, based on tape study, we are interested in seeing play out in Week 1

Shannon Sharpe was a seventh-round draft choice in 1990 from Savannah State who would eventually become a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Broncos and Ravens. Even more significant is that Sharpe was one of the first to represent the current breed of NFL tight ends.

They were locked out for 136 days, an NFL record for labor stoppage. Now NFL players are ready to get back at it.