NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

NFL Owner Bob McNair knows that fans dislike the preseason, and is one owner on board with wanting to see the NFL go to an 18-game regular season.

The owners talked about the schedule on Wednesday in Atlanta at a meeting, but held off on voting for a specific proposal. McNair says moving to an 18-game regular season "makes sense," while acknowledging that some things with the two extra games have to be worked out.

"I think we can figure out a way to make it work, and everybody will be happy," McNair said. "There are a few problems, as it relates to the schedule and the weather and that sort of thing. We'll just have to work through that, and we can always adjust later on, too."

Players have raised concerns about the added grind of two more games on top of an already demanding schedule. McNair said the owners have studied injury rates and will seek feedback from players before moving forward with a plan.

"It's difficult, if you try to start before Labor Day, because so many people are still out on vacation, and so it's hard to get a good crowd," McNair said. "And then up north, if you extend the season, you get into bad weather there.

McNair feels that an 18-game schedule will be in place by the 2012 season.

With the regular season nearly in sight, the Seattle Seahawks head to Minnesota to take on Brett Favre and the Vikings Saturday at Mall of America Field.

The preseason Week Three matchup pits two teams looking to establish an identity.

Favre is in his second week back with the Vikings, but the primary members in the cast of characters he throws to can't say the same.  Percy Harvin's migraine problems of last year have continued.  They've gotten so bad that the second-year receiver collapsed last week and had to be taken to the hospital.  Reports out of Minnesota indicate a possible return to game action for Harvin as early as Saturday's game against Seattle; however, it's anything but set in stone.

Minnesota's second big-play wideout will definitely not play Saturday.  Sidney Rice is expected to miss at least the first half of the season while recovering from hip surgery.  The injury occurred in the Vikings' final game of their season, a 31-24 road loss to New Orleans in the NFC Championship game.

Seattle has its own injuries to deal with on offense.  The team's offensive line, a unit ravaged by injuries last season, already is starting to wear thin.  Rookie left tackle Russell Okung injured an ankle in the team's 27-24 preseason Week Two loss to Green Bay and will be out for the rest of the preseason.  Joining Okung on the sideline for the immediate future is guard Ben Hamilton.  A sore knee has kept Hamilton from practicing two straight days and will force him to miss Saturday's game.

As part of SeahawksGab Editor Devon Heinen's preseason preview, he offers some extra points regarding the preseason Week Three matchup that Seahawks fans should keep in mind.

• Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers picked apart the Seattle secondary last week.  While Brett Favre isn't Aaron Rodgers, the 20-year veteran is certainly not past his prime.  Seattle will need to shut down the Vikings' reserve wide receivers that will see larger roles.
• Against Green Bay in the second game of the preseason, rookie safety Earl Thomas showed why Seattle spent a first-round pick on him in April.  He also showed that he's a rookie.  The former Texas Longhorn got beat early by wide receiver Greg Jennings for a 56-yard bomb coming from the right hand of Aaron Rodgers.  Later, Thomas helped cornerback Kelly Jennings break up an attempt down the left sideline intended for Green Bay's Jennings.
• Getting pressure on Favre and Minnesota's reserve quarterbacks will be paramount.  After forcing an interception, a poorly thrown ball and recording a sack in Seattle's first preseason game, Chris Clemons was neutralized in Seattle's second exhibition.
• A calf strain that's limited kicker Olindo Mare the past two weeks could keep him out of action for a second consecutive game.
• Running back Leon Washington will start for Seattle Saturday.  It's his second game back from a season-ending broken leg injury he suffered last season with the New York Jets.
• Mike Williams' role in the offense continues to increase.  He saw time with the reserve offense against Tennessee in Seattle's first preseason game, taking a short button-hook route near the right sideline 51-yards for a touchdown.  Against Green Bay last week, Williams played with the first team.  The first-year Seahawk recorded the team's first reception of the game and had two catches of 17 yards.

Can't get enough NFLGridironGab?  Follow SeahawksGab Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

The other day former Steelers coach Bill Cowher said that he felt Ben Roethlisberger was growing up and maturing. Most know that for some reason former Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw had some harsh comments about Ben, but it sounded like it Cowher doesn’t share those same feelings.

Wednesday after practice Roethlisberger said he had no issues with Cowher’s comments, and that he was actually flattered about the words his former and first NFL coach said about him.

“Any time a Hall of Fame coach kind of gives that fatherly advice, it’s an honor that he sees you in that light,” Roethlisberger said. “I think it’s a good thing.”

There were rumors in the past that Cowher and Ben didn’t see eye to eye on things, and while that is probably true, both seem to have put anything they didn’t agree on aside, and now both are moving on, which is a good thing to see.

Cowher has the right to say what he feels about Roethlisberger, and it’s good to see the QB respond with a shrug of the shoulders and say that he thinks it’s a good thing that Cowher had nice things to say.

When the Eagles drafted Cornelius Ingram, it was a bit of a wild card pick. Ingram was a guy who showed a lot of promise in college but suffered an ACL injury that caused many teams to shy away from him. His draft stock dropped a lot because of the injury. Still remaining on the board in the fifth round, the Eagles decided to take a risk on him and see what the kid had to offer.

In his first series of OTA's and early on in Training Camp, Ingram showed a lot of promise. He was essentially a play-making tight end with great hands that the Eagles had plans to use in the red zone. However, things took a turn for the worse as Training Camp continued, and Ingram ended up tearing his ACL costing him to be placed on injured reserve and missed the 2009 season.

Not too long after Ingram went down, Stewart Bradley suffered the same injury during Eagles Flight Night. The two young players became rehab buddies and pushed each other in rehab sessions throughout the 2009 season.

Both players returned to the field in 2010 with redemption in mind. Bradley has shown that he is back and ready to pick up where he left off before his injury. On the other hand, Ingram has not made the same impressive improvements.

Ingram has allowed rookie Clay Harbor to creep up on him for the backup tight end position and looks far from his athletic self on the field. His knee has been bothering him, and you can tell that he is far from being 100 percent.

We've now been told that Ingram has a "significant" cyst in the back of his knee. With that information, we now have to ask if the Eagles and Ingram are going to have to go their separate ways. It seems that Ingram may be one of those guys that will never be able to shake the injury bug. The situation is sad, because Ingram definitely had a lot of potential. However, as a franchise, the longer you keep Ingram on the roster in the state he is in is the longer you keep a healthy player off it.

Things definitely do not look good for Ingram.

2009 Regular Season Records:

(7-9, 3rd in NFC North)                                                      (10-6, NFC West Champs)

Game time:

Sat., Aug. 28th, 8:30 p.m. ET, Soldier Field

Background:

There's no rest for the weary, especially when the weary show a shallow offensive pulse.  The Cardinals hope to get things pumping against Chicago and it's always a rowdy affair when the Cardinals and Bears meet.  The rivalry dates way back into NFL history when the Bears booted the Chicago Cardinals across the Mississippi to St. Louis.  The two teams lock up this week in Act 3 of the 2010 pre-season.

The third week of the preseason is generally considered to be the most "regular season-like" contest before the games count.  Since the team has shown lack-luster efforts the first two weeks, you could say this is as important a pre-season game can get.  Having said that, teams still don't put much stock in the results, but do tend to leave their starters in a bit longer as they try to work the kinks out before the regular season.  In the Cardinals' case, they are most likely still trying to hammer out who their starter at quarterback is, though it's still definitely Matt Leinart if he wants the job.  If Leinart exudes confidence and moves the team down the field a few times for any amount of points, I expect Derek Anderson to fade into the background.

After the Cardinals were wiped by the Packers in the third preseason game last year, people pushed the panic button prematurely.  With a broiling quarterback controversy rustling feathers in the Cardinals' nest,  it appears that some may place a great deal of emphasis on this game, perhaps unnecessarily so.  If things don't go well, expect the same hands at the panic button again this year, but you won't find mine.

What to Watch For:

Not that those who are panic ready wouldn't have anything to talk about.  Matt Leinart is really struggling to find his footing so far this pre-season.  The offense has looked downright terrible in two games so far, so expect quite a bit of playing time for the first team in this contest.  To make matters worse, the Cardinals had to stick around in Tennessee after a regrettable Monday Night Football performance before heading up to Chicago.  Obviously, watch for Leinart or Anderson to hopefully take a big step forward in Week 3.  I still expect Leinart to keep the top spot, but if he falters again and Anderson has a big day, it's going to be hard for Whisenhunt to defend starting Leinart.

The Cardinals' running game also looked pretty bad against Tennessee, unfortunately.  The Titans, however, did blitz a lot and the Cardinals pretty much ran directly into the teeth of some of that pressure.  In addition, Whisenhunt seemed much more concerned with testing his quarterbacks with passing downs rather than beating up his running backs last week.  In any event, the Cards really don't need to pound Beanie Wells round now, especially since he's still a little sore from his rib injury.  Let's look for a little consistency on the offensive line, specifically from tackles Brandon Keith and Levi Brown.  The interior of the line, which is comprised of Alan Faneca, Lyle Sendlein, and Reggie Wells from left to right, should be fine this year.

The 4th wide-receiver position still seems to be up for grabs, though Stephen Williams continues to pull away from the pack in my estimation.  Andre Roberts almost dropped a Matt Leinart pass over the middle against Tennessee and Ed Gant dropped a sure TD reception from Max Hall as well.  The receiving Jones, Onrea and Mike, both seem to be blips in the rear view mirror at this point for the 4th spot.  In my mind it's Williams' job to lose at this point.

On the defensive side of the ball, I'm really anxious to see Greg Toler get more playing time.  The Cardinals have been grooming him to take the spot opposite DRC, but Trumaine McBride has been getting the majority of the snaps.  McBride had a poor showing against the Titans as Vince Young targeted Trumaine throughout the first quarter.  Hopefully, we'll finally get a good look at Toler in Week 3.

Last Meeting:

Nov. 8, 2009, Week 9 @ Chicago, Cardinals won 41-21.

Bears' Key Returning Personnel

• Jay Cutler, QB
• Matt Forte, RB
• Devin Hestor, WR
• Johnny Knox, WR
• Brian Urlacher, LB
• Lance Briggs, LB

Bears' Key Losses

• Orlando Pace, LT (free agency)
• Gaines Adams, DE (death)
• Adewale Ogunleye, DE (free agency)
• Nathan Vasher, CB (San Diego Chargers)
• Alex Brown, DE (New Orleans Saints)

Bears' Key Additions

• Julius Peppers, DE (Carolina Panthers)
• Chester Taylor, RB (Minnesota Vikings)
• Brandon Manumaleuna, TE (San Diego Chargers)
• Chris Harris, SS (Carolina Panthers)
• Major Wright, S (3rd round draft pick, first selection)

Bears' 2009 Rankings

• Passing Yards:                             17th   (217.1 yards per game)
• Rushing Yards:                           29th      (93.3 yards per game)
• Passing Yards allowed:           13th     (211.4 yards per game)
• Rushing Yards allowed:         23rd     (126.4 yards per game)

Bears' 2010 Season Outlook:

Unquestionably, things are looking up for the Bears due to the simple fact that they should be getting Brian Urlacher back if he recovers from his calf injury, which will obviously make them a completely different defense.  Urlacher missed almost the entire season last year; they can't afford that again.

On top of that, the team is welcoming Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor to provide an immediate spark to the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.  Jay Cutler could put up some huge numbers on offense this year, along with Matt Forte running the ball and sleeper break-out candidate Johnny Knox catching passes.  Don't forget about the ever dangerous Devin Hester as well.  The Bears definitely have some weapons.

The Bears, however, have a stacked division with both the Packers and Vikings as NFC heavy hitters.  Now that Brett Favre has returned, the Bears' season picture doesn't look quite as rosy as it did before.  In addition, many caution not to overlook the Lions, who are definitely heading in the right direction with a maturing Matthew Stafford calling the signals.

Cardinals' Week 3 Goals:

1. Keep everyone healthy.
2. Move the ball somewhere for points with Matt Leinart under center.
3. Establish some consistency with the tackles on offense.
4. Make a decision on the 4th wide receiver spot.
5. Establish the punt returner.
6. Plant Greg Toler at CB and see what he's got out there.

At training camp, it was all smiles from the two quarterbacks, but with Anderson (background) starting against Chicago, Leinart (foreground) may not be smiling anymore.

Number three is number one on the depth chart for at least one week.  Coach Whisenhunt has shuffled the cards by benching Matt Leinart in favor of Derek Anderson, who will take the field first for the Cardinals this Saturday against the Bears.

"I don't think we have performed the way we should have on offense," Whisenhunt said.  "We're looking at different players in different spots."  The head coach's remarks are decidedly understated, considering the importance of establishing a clear first string quarterback.  Whisenhunt, however, is billing the move not as a permanent decision, but just an opportunity to view how the team responds to trotting Anderson out there to start.

There's no question that the offense has struggled to move under Leinart's direction.  In Leinart's defense, however, he's 10/13 for 77 yards with 0 INTs.  The problem is that he has zero touch downs as well and few first downs.  In addition, it's been reported that Leinart is giving up on his first read very quickly, opting to check down to safe yet non-threatening throws.

Whisenhunt plans to insert Leinart in the second quarter, giving him the opportunity to run the two-minute drill and play well into the second half.  This means we'll get a good look at what the Cardinals can do with Derek Anderson running the first team offense with a clean slate, rather than following in Leinart's wake.

I guess Leinart has to look over his shoulder after all.  This time, however, it's not a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback; it's a Cleveland Browns cast-off.  Leinart lost his starting job to Kurt Warner during the 2008 pre-season.

I have no great love for Leinart.  On the contrary, his body language, arm strength, accuracy, and leadership are all questionable.  At first blush, this move seems like a welcome change of pace to Leinart's frustrating drive-stalling efforts.  Upon second thought, however, it seems like a dubious choice.

Think about it this way.  Suppose Anderson goes out there to start the game and the best happens; the Cards drive down the field and put up six.  What does that prove?  Honestly, not much.  It's a very small sample size, meaning the occurrence of a certain result is not an indicator of the occurrence of similar results in the future.

For poker players out there, it's like chasing a flush or a straight and hitting it the first time you make such a play.  Does that mean it was the right play or that you should do it all the time?  Of course not.

In the meantime, you've destroyed Leinart's barely there confidence to get a look at a quarterback that probably isn't a better option anyway.  Anderson's still learning the Cards' system and the INTs will mount, most likely at a rate that will outstrip his TDs. I think it's tough to say that Anderson is per se a better quarterback than Leinart right now. As a result, a single successful performance won't tell us much about whether Anderson should start over Leinart.

I've always felt that Leinart doesn't need to be a stud for the Cardinals to win.  I would take a safe, albeit vanilla offense under Leinart over a high risk-high reward offense under Anderson.  Derek's style of play will most likely lead to an increased number of turnovers.  This will put a tremendous strain on a defense that has new players everywhere on the field.  I've yet to see a team consistently lose the turnover battle and win games.

Such is my opinion.  Do you disagree?  Let me know in the comments section.

As Whisenhunt said, it's not a permanent move and it may be a wake up call to Leinart.  There will be much more on this breaking story as it develops.

The last time these two teams met was during October 2008 in London's Wembley Stadium. The game had been billed (and rightfully so) as one of the most anticipated of the season with the two high-flying offenses squaring off in the International Series before a record crowd.

It would not disappoint, as the playmakers stepped up and did their thing. Drew Brees finished the game with 339 yards and 3 TDs ; Philip Rivers threw for 341 yards and 3 TDs; Ladanian Tomlinson rushed for 105 yards while Deuce McAllister and Pierre Thomas combined for 83 yards and a TD. When the smoke cleared and the clock read zero, the Saints had held on to defeat the Chargers 37-32.

The real difference in that game turned out to be the outstanding play of the Saints offensive line, which did not give up a sack, and a heads-up play on defense in which Jonathan Vilma intercepted Rivers to end an impressive drive down the field.

A lot has changed for both teams since then. McAllister is now retired and Tomlinson is a Jet. Many players have come and gone and I'm sure both QBs would love to have all of their playmakers healthy and ready to play. But one thing that remains the same is that this matchup is being billed as another high-scoring affair in which both offenses will be expected to post monster numbers.

In fact, some are even proclaiming (very prematurely I might add), that this game could amount to being a very early look at Superbowl XLV. I believe that once again, the Saints' offensive line and aggressive defense are going to be the difference in this one when it's all said and done.

Offensively, the two teams are very similar. Both QBs have an arsenal of weapons to utilize through the air and on the ground and neither are afraid to use them. And because it's going to be the third game of the preseason, I look for many of the starters to see a bit more action than they have in the previous two. With that said, this is how I see things shaping up.

Since Rivers will be without his big target, Vincent Jackson, I look for TE Antonio Gates to get most of the throws and RB Ryan Mathews to handle most of the load on the ground with Michael Tolbert backing him up. As for the Saints, we all know about their woes as of late at the running back position.

Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush are going to both see some, but limited, playing time I think. I expect to see more of Chris Ivory as well as the debut of Ladell Betts and DeShawn Wynn as they try to fight for a spot on the roster. I also expect (and look forward) to seeing more of the development of young WR Adrian Arrington, not behind the arm of Chase Daniel this time, but Patrick Ramsey.

The key for the Saints is going to be protecting whoever is playing quarterback (most likely Ramsey). With Chargers DB Antonio Cromartie no longer with the team, their defense is just that much less effective. If the Saints QB performance is on spot, then this should be another pleaser for the sold-out home crowd.

Bob Glauber of Newsday reports that the Bengals are about to release wide receiver Antonio Bryant. This comes just months after the Bengals signed Bryant to a four-year, $28 million contract. Bryant’s bad knee turned out to be worse than originally expected (the bad knee was a large reason why the Bucs released Bryant early in the offseason).

Details are not yet know, but we imagine there has to be some sort of injury settlement involved. We’ll keep you posted. Less than 24 hours ago, Bryant said he was “really close” to being healthy again, the Bengals, obviously, think otherwise.