Few players in the history of football are as universally beloved as the late Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton. Enjoy the legendary skills and grace of the man called “Sweetness” in the premiere of “A Football Life: Walter Payton” Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on NFL Network.

If there was any chance that Tarvaris Jackson might return to the Minnesota Vikings after the lockout is over, forget it. Jackson, who is working out in Minnesota with a group of players that includes Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald, spoke yesterday and his words probably will make the split official.

Matthew Stafford is the siren temptress of fantasy football and is right at the top of the list of injured players who have the most to prove in 2011.

Analyst Pat Kirwan has another team to add to the list of potential suitors for Tiki Barber: the Washington Redskins.

We’re getting into crunch time on NFL Network’s “The Top 100: Players of 2011” list, with players 30-21 revealed on Sunday night.

It seems every team these days is uninterested in appearing on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” After the show made Jets coach Rex Ryan such a big celebrity last summer, why exactly is that? It’s a question Pat Kirwan was asked Wednesday during his NFL.com chat.

The New England Patriots are thought to be one of the teams interested in what is expected to be a deep group of veteran receivers available when the free-agent market eventually opens.Pat Kirwan has an idea of which receiver they should target.

Most league observers agree that Bengals owner Mike Brown won’t budge off his stance that he won’t trade QB Carson Palmer, who has threatened retirement if he doesn’t get a ticket out of Cincinnati.

Steve Smith is the latest NFL veteran to put his home up for sale. Smith reportedly wants out of Carolina, and the Panthers are reportedly willing to oblige the four-time Pro Bowler.

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.

The top seven quarterback prospects all went early in the 2011 NFL Draft, many of them earlier than expected. But each quarterback enters a different scenario with his new team, with unique circumstances determining how early they will be expected to contribute.

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.

Coach Pete Carroll isn’t keeping the Seahawks’ draft strategy cloaked in mystery.

The Buccaneers put on a clinic in risk-versus-reward draft strategy this week. Probably more risk than reward.

It’s no secret that the Colts’ offensive line has been breaking down and they need to start protecting Peyton Manning, who isn’t getting any younger. So it’s no surprise that they filled two of their pressing needs with offensive linemen in the first two rounds of the draft.