NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas reports at least one member of the Cowboys hopes three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo has to earn the right to retain his starting job.

The Cowboys went 1-5 when Romo started last season. They won four of nine games started by 38-year-old backup Jon Kitna after Romo suffered a broken collarbone, including a stretch of three wins in four games immediately after head coach Wade Phillips was fired and replaced by offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

“I loved playing with Kitna,” tight end Martellus Bennett said during a Tuesday appearance on ESPN 103.3′s Ben & Skin Show. “Kitna is one of my favorite people to play with. Just being out there on the field with that guy just makes you play even harder. He made some things happen in limited time, so I think if he got a longer chance, he’d be able to do more.

“I hope there’s a chance for a quarterback competition this year. Every position, I think we need to put more competition into it.”

Bennett, who has 68 catches for 702 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons since the Cowboys drafted him out of Texas A&M with a second-round pick, added that he thought Romo was “awesome.”

BleacherReport.com recently posted an article regarding Houston Texans running back Arian Foster's pros and cons of 2010 and what it means for 2011.  

In 2009, Foster took off in the last few games of the regular season.  He appeared to be the projected starter for the 2010 season until the Texans drafted former Auburn standout, Ben Tate, in the third round.  Then in the 2010 preseason, the rookie running back Tate let all expectations down when he broke his ankle.  

The Texans were then left with former starter with fumble problems, Steve Slaton,  and Foster.  Weeks later the team signed former Giant and Buc, Derrick Ward.  However, it wasn't long before the Texans, and their fans, knew who would be their full-season-starter at running back.

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Today's edition of the Bengals QB rumor mill heads back to where many fans were in January:  Eagles back-up Kevin Kolb.

PFT ran a report on Adam Schefter's tweet that the team has an interest in Philly's former starter, noting as evidence the fact that new WR coach James Urban was the QB coach of the Eagles last year.

While the prospect is intriguing and no doubt welcomed by the majority of Bengaldom, we just don't see it happening. The market for Kolb will be a first round pick at least, and the Bengals simply won't go that high.  Arizona, Minnesota, San Francisco and other teams will likely also join the derby and the Bengals won't be able to compete.

Frankly we don't see Kolb being worth that high of a pick. He was uninspiring in his short stint as a starter (7 TDs, 7 INTs, 76.1 rating), and while he could very well be a quality starter, the chances of him being better than other, cheaper options is up for debate.  There certainly should be no doubting Schefter's point about Urban. It makes perfect sense that the team would discuss Kolb with his former position coach, and Urban probably gave his former pupil glowing reviews. That makes perfect sense.

So would the team have an interest? Certain

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In a letter to Packers season-ticket holders, president Mark Murphy laid out the NFL’s side in the ongoing labor dispute between the owners and players, and expressed optimism that the season would not be delayed according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Murphy confirmed that the Packers would play in the league’s regular-season opener Sept. 8 and said he felt the two sides would reach an agreement on a collective bargaining agreement that would save the 2011 season.

“We appreciate your continued support of the Packers, and I look forward to seeing you back at Lambeau Field this fall for another thrilling season,” Murphy said in the letter.

“As defending champions, we’re especially excited to host the NFL’s season opener Thursday night, September 8. We have some tough issues to resolve between now and then, but I’m confident that we will be able to find a resolution that works for the players, owners and fans.”

Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick is up to a total of 10 private workouts and three official visits with one of those upcoming visits with the Raiders, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation.

He has previously worked out for the Titans and will also have a visit with the AFC South franchise. Among Kaepernick’s other workouts: the Dolphins, Broncos, Chiefs, Browns, 49ers and the Eagles.

With the draft being just about three-and-a-half weeks away, it's time to throw out the latest round of prognostications-sure-to-be-way-off, in the form of an updated 2011 Mock Draft:

1. Carolina: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri — Even though Panthers GM Marty Hurney drafted Jimmy Clausen last year, with a new coaching staff/regime in place in Carolina, I think the Panthers will take Gabbert to be the new face of the franchise. I like Gabbert a lot – his game reminds me a lot of Aaron Rodgers – but he needs to hold the clipboard in Year 1 as much as possible. This works well since the Panthers already have Clausen, who can start for this team on opening day.

2. Denver: Marcel Dareus, DT, Alabama — Dareus shot up draft boards after an excellent showing at the combine. Given his near-prototype size at defensive tackle (6'3, 319), he'd be an outstanding centerpiece for John Fox to build his newly-installed 4-3 defense around. Also remember that Fox's first draft selection when he came to Carolina was also on the defensive line (Julius Peppers).

3. Buffalo: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn — The Bills haven't had a franchise quarterback to build & rally around since the days of Jim Kelly, and there are increasing whispers that the Bills front office is intrigued by the idea of drafting Newton. To me, the Bills need a player will get people talking about the franchise, drive up ticket sales, and put the Bills "back on the map." Newton is as talented as any player in this draft, but comes with just as many red flags as virtues to build upon.

4. Cincinnati: AJ Green, WR, Georgia — Once the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is completed, the Bengals are officially & finally going to cut ties with Chad Ochocinco, as well as end the Terrell Owens experiment. That doesn't give Carson Palmer – who isn't going to be traded – a whole lot to work with. As a receiving prospect, Green has it all: size (6'4), speed (4.48 at the combine), great hands, and solid route-running mechanics.

5. Arizona: Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M – The Cardinals have a need at linebacker, and Miller is the type of guy who could come in and start at the Sam 'backer position from day one. I really don't think the Cardinals are going to try and draft Gabbert or Newton, because the veterans like Larry Fitzgerald just won't buy into the excuse of letting a young quarterback develop while they waste their athletic primes. There's too many quarterbacks potentially available (Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb, Matt Flynn) whom the Cardinals could acquire as an immediate starter.

6. Cleveland: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn — At one point in time, it seemed like Fairley could very well have been the first overall pick in this draft. But after the scouting combine, there were some concerns around Fairley's lack of size as a defensive tackle prospect (he's around 291 lbs). Still, anyone who watched Auburn football this year knows that Fairley simply dominated games, at times. He reminds you a lot Albert Haynesworth: all the potential in the world, but the occasional propensity to take a few plays off. But, he'd be a centerpiece player in the Browns new 4-3 defense.

7. San Francisco: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU — Possibly the best defensive prospect in this entire draft, Peterson is as athletically gifted as any cornerback to enter the draft since maybe Champ Bailey. With "the big two" quarterback prospects gone already, the 49ers would almost have to make this pick Putting Peterson opposite Nate Clements in the secondary would give the 49ers an excellent pair of corners.

8. Tennessee – Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska — In a division that features passing offenses like those of the Colts and Texans, the Titans can't go wrong with acquiring another top-flight corner. Amukamara has all the physical tools to be a lock-down corner in the NFL, but also has the ability to play Safety at a very high level. He'd be a great fit for the Titans defense.

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The first round of the 2011 Draft is still three weeks away and with the labor hearing beginning tomorrow, a lot is up in the air right now.  I'm going to assume that the labor issues will not be resolved early enough for free agency to occur before the draft.

Three weeks is a lot of time and there are several variables that could alter my rankings, but here is my initial board for the Lions' 13th overall pick.  I have built these rankings based on the Lions' schemes, the front office's approach to building the team and my opinion of the best available player that fits those criteria.

1. Prince Amukamara, CB Nebraska- Amukamara is the only player that could be available that fills the best player available criteriaand satisfies an immediate need.  He is a high character player that fits the Lions' style and the Lions get an inside look at Prince as a person from former teammate Ndamukong Suh.
2. Tyron Smith, T USC – Smith offers immediate depth and fills a massive need for the future.  The Lions have immediate questions surrounding the right tackle position and future concerns about the left tackle position.  Smith potentially fills both needs as well as qualifies as one of the best players available at 13.  Smith has elite athleticism for a left tackle, but he has limited experience playing there as he was a right tackle in college.  There have been some negative comments coming out about him recently, but I  view those as smoke screens from teams hoping he'll slide to them.  Heck, the Lions might even be the source of some of those comments.
3. Aldon Smith, DE Mizzou - There are three premier value positions in the NFL, quarterback, left tackle and pass rusher.  The Lions presently have all three filled, but other than quarterback none are filled long term.  Aldon Smith is young, but extremely talented and he would benefit from being a rotational end while learning from Kyle Vanden Bosch for a year or two.  The Lions' defense will always live and die by the pass rush, so they can't wait until KVB retires to find his replacement.  Smith will have a role in the present as the Lions heavily rotate defensive lineman so he'd probably see 15 snaps a game and be the primary backup defensive end.

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Let me take you back almost a year ago.  It was the night of the first round of the 2010 draft and the Oakland Raiders just selected Alabama LB Rolando McClain.   The Bills were on the clock.  Jimmy Clausen was available, as were a pair of tackles Anthony Davis and Bryan Bulaga.  I was sure the Bills weren't going to disappoint again.  They desperately needed help at tackle, their quarterback problems had been well documented.  It took Buffalo all of about 45 seconds to make their selection.  It came so fast, I remember standing up out the chair, readying myself for the pick.  My dad (who is an Eagles fan), said, "Well that didn't take very long, they must've got the guy they wanted", to which I responded, "if they're making this pick this fast, it's gotta be Clausen."

As you're well aware, the pick wasn't Clausen nor was it Davis or Bulaga; it was C.J. Spiller, running back from Clemson.  In past Bills' selection, I've been pissed and disappointed.  This was just total shock.  They passed up a quarterback and help on the offensive line for a running back when they already had Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.  I might have been able to understand the selection had Lynch been traded prior to the draft, but that wasn't the case.  In fact, Lynch wasn't traded until after the first month of the season.  Spiller's rookie season was a huge disappointment.  He ran for fewer than 300 yards, had just 157 yards receiving and no rushing touchdowns.

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U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson has decided to hear arguments from attorneys for Tom Brady, Drew Brees and other current players, as well as attorneys for retired players according to the Associated Press.

The current players and retirees have filed similar antitrust lawsuits against the league in addition to their requests for an injunction to stop the lockout.

The arguments will be heard Wednesday. The players say the lockout should be stopped because it is causing irreparable harm. The retirees say it could jeopardize retirement benefits subsidized by the league.

The retirees asked to consolidate the cases. Attorneys for the NFL didn't oppose combining the cases, but they want the lockout kept in place.