NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Yesterday, NFL.com columnist Michael Lombardi waited until the last paragraph to say something sad…or stupid, actually. Lombardi made up rumor saying Indianapolis Colts' safety Bob Sanders will never play football again and said that his career may be over.

"There is some concern that Bob Sanders might never be able to play football again, with his shoulder and biceps issues," and, "He reduced his contract but his rehab has been slow."

According to Bob Sanders' agent, he says the Internet rumor is completely false and not true at all. Lombardi didn't offer much details than just one or two sentences on the whole ordeal.

It first caused conflict when a source at ProFootballWeekly.com reported that Sanders is having the best off-season of his career. Jim Caldwell said he was doing fine as well.

"He feels good about where he is physically, and when he feels good about himself physically, obviously he can relax and play the game the way he knows how," Caldwell said. "All of us realize when he cuts it loose, some big things are bound to happen."

A team spokesman for the team said nothing has changed since the month of June.

Sanders has missed a lot in the past two seasons and missed 14 last season. But he has participated in all of the practices and everything and hopes to get himself back into shape for the 2010-11 season. It was also reported Sanders will reduce his contract.

"I've been able to rehab myself back to pretty decent health where I can actually practice full-time," Sanders said. "The knee has been doing great. The arm has been doing great. I feel great."

Sanders has three years remaining on his contract of a five-year deal for over $37 million.

What Lombardi said was just a bad idea. It was just a rumor he made up. Since moving from the National Football Post to NFL.com, things haven't been going so well. He's might as well just another Chad Ford or Adrian Wojnarowski, guys who just make up rumors just to get hits.

Not a good idea. I expect Sanders to have a pretty solid year coming back. Maybe we can finally see a full, 16-game season for number 21.

Oh, boy, let's hope so.

I think that as the Eagles get closer and closer to Training Camp, there are many more people worried about the Eagles defense than the offense. This is with good reason as there was a lot of inconsistency on the defensive side of the ball last year.

Although I believe a lot of areas on defense have gotten better this offseason, I think the cornerback position is one that got worse. Sheldon Brown had a Pro Bowl type season last year, and was shipped out of town as a reward. To make matters worse, the Eagles didn't chase after any free agents and waited all the way until the fifth round of the draft before adding a corner.

Even though there are a lot of people who get annoyed with Asante Samuel's playing style, he is a starting cornerback in the NFL and you know what you're going to get out of him. As it stands now, there is a lot of question as to who will line up on the other side of him and what they will bring to the table.

We could very well end up seeing the two corners who were on the Patriots undefeated team as the Eagles starters in 2010. This would mean that Ellis Hobbs would line up opposite Asante. It's a definite possibility but Hobbs has yet to impress in his short time in Philadelphia.

Competing with Hobbs, will be a group of players who don't add up to a whole lot of starting corner experience in this league. It's a scary thought and exactly the reason someone needs to step up.

In my eyes, there is no clear cut front-runner so it will make for a very interesting competition. Macho Harris, Joselio Hanson, Dimitri Patterson, and Trevard Lindley are all guys that think they should start over Hobbs. The real question will be if any of them can step up and prove it.

The NFC West seems to be the least intriguing and most predictable division to forecast.  Mike Singletary’s 49ers are prime to take over Arizona’s reign atop the standings.   It would be the first time in doing so since 2002.  San Francisco certainly should accomplish this feat, likely being crowned best as soon as early November.

As for Arizona, Seattle, and St. Louis they may be better off served hitting the fast forward button on their remotes, seeking the opportunity to take an early sneak peek ahead toward New York City’s Radio City Music Hall come mid-April.  Call it what you want but call it, this division could be over before it even gets started.

San Francisco (12-4) – Can you name any other team that’s more sure of a lock to wrap up their division before Thanksgiving?  Could this be the most anticipated season since the Steve Mariucci Era?  Things are looking up for the Bay Area fans, and deservedly so, seeing the expectations are as high as they’ve ever been in almost a decade.  And why not, considering S.F. has the top LB, a feisty leader and excellent example calling the shots, and one of the most electrifying trios on the offensive side of the rock, you can only wonder and ask yourself, “Could this be “the year”?”

What’s not to like?  They upgraded an average offensive line via draft, Alex Smith looks the part, and they participate in possibly the weakest division. Niners faithful may even become hard-pressed to find a ticket entering winter at Candlestick!  Things are definitely looking up.

Arizona (5-11) – The post-Kurt Warner days begin, insert Matt Leinart -stay tuned.  With the retirement of Warner, you can clearly see why more questions than answers arise approaching camp.  Yet the main cause for concern could translate over into a balanced offensive attack, a new change of identity for Ken Whisenhunt’s group.  Chris “Beanie” Wells and Tim Hightower lead the ground gang and will likely be seeing more opportunities to make their presence known and stamp their impact on a Leinart-led offense.  Larry Fitzgerald still remains, however, he will be without his exclusive partner in crime Anquan Boldin.  Could we see trouble generating points in the Desert?  Finding the end zone could be the equivalent to finding a diamond in the rough for a squad two years removed from representing the NFC.

So if that proves true, the defense, already minus Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle,  may be under a tremendous amount of pressure to help balance out the team’s fortunes and success.  In essence, I’m unsure if they are fully prepared and quite ready yet to embrace the challenge which is set and presented before them.   And who knows if they’ll be able to take on the treacherous task of stepping outside new boundaries with such short notice.  Fully grasp yourselves for change, albeit a sad one, Cardinals fans.

Seattle (5-11) – Good news: It’s all possible Justin Forsett could have himself a Ray Rice type of season.  Bad news: When Justin Forsett is your most reliable weapon on offense you’re in bad shape.  While you’re at it, don’t bank on the good news coming to fruition, its just a possibility.  It just seems like a rebuilding year is inevitable for the proud supporters of the team with the most eccentric uniforms.  Undoubtedly the 12th man will still be on display, yet nonetheless, it begs to question: Will Pete Carroll give the fans a product worthy of cheer?

Matt Hasselbeck is always hurt and has seen better days, constant whispers and rumors of the mega-hyped Terrell Owens bug the team and surround the organization, and Charlie Whitehurst is being looked at as the heir apparent at QB.   Not good news for a franchise that used to be a guaranteed lock come fall for NFC West dominance.   Supremacy has past, the new era for mediocrity has just begun.  Why won’t it be a rebuilding year in Seattle?

St. Louis (2-14) – Once upon a time they were considered one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams to watch.  The darlings of football, a team anyone would love to see on TV -the casual fan, the kids, the wives.  Who wouldn’t want to witness “The Greatest Show On Turf”?  Ponder that era of aerial excitement and scintillating sensational fireworks for just a split-second, and then return to earth, back to reality.  You know its another down year for the Rams when everyone and their brother is fretting about whether or not to draft Steven Jackson because of the team he’s suits up for on Sunday.  One moment he’s the second coming of Eric Dickerson, the next moment he’s the remix of Ricky Williams because of the unreliability factor.  It’s not good when Jackson is the player whom the Rams count on and come to expect big things from, week in and week out.

If Spagnuolo and staff can’t rely on their so-called superstar and face of the franchise, then who can they rely on?  Rookie 1st overall pick Sam Bradford?  QB, yet another position where you don’t know what will happen and what to expect.  Defensively, a slew of holes are clearly evident, and you can be sure a plethora of points will be allowed.  An abundance of more reasons can be produced to why this team will be once again owners of the #1 selection in next year’s draft -and that’s the one thing you can expect from this team chalk-full of non-expectancies.

Joe Namath and Curtis Martin are among six Jets greats in the first class of the team's Ring of Honor at its new stadium.

Weeb Ewbank, Winston Hill, Joe Klecko and Don Maynard will also be enshrined Aug. 16 at halftime of the first game at the New Meadowlands Stadium, the preseason opener between the Jets and Giants.

When Namath made his guarantee that the Jets would beat the Colts in the third Super Bowl, Ewbank was his coach, Hill his left tackle and Maynard his top receiver.

Klecko was a dominant defensive lineman in the early 1980s, and Martin won the league rushing title in 2004.

Terrell Owens is taking advantage of the lack of NFL news to drum up a job for himself. After 1 year with the Bills after being dumped by the Cowboys, Owens agent is making noise about all the interest his client is gathering.

Of course, it is an agent, so it means that maybe 1, at the most 2 teams are really interested in him right now. Any injury could get many other teams interested.

The Raiders are among the teams that are rumored to be interested in TO (name one player that is a character that doesn't get tied to the Raiders!!).

It wouldn't work for the Raiders with their present situation. They have 3 young WR's that need time on the field, and having selected a WR with their 4th round pick, they are going to have healthy competition for that position. Add in Zach Miller, Darren McFadden out of the backfield in the flat, and an accurate QB in Jason Campbell that will attempt to stretch the field, there is potential for the Raiders to put up 17-20 points a game.

Put TO into that mix, though, and those WR's will not get the practice and game experience needed. And there is the inevitable concern about chemistry, TO has burnt bridges wherever he has gone.

Yes, he can be productive (his numbers last year in Buffalo were due to a bad QB and a bad offense) and he can be a great model for the WR's (his practice habits and his conditioning are 2nd to no one in the league). However, with a large influence like JaFumble Russell already released, now is not the time to bring that attitude back into the locker room. Unless there is any major injury, pass on TO.

The AFC West appears wide open this season with four teams that all feel they have something to prove. The Chargers remain the best team in the division, but there are three other teams hungry to get past them to the top:

San Diego (10-6) - Last season the Chargers went on a huge run to win the division after a rough start, and seemed poised to play the Colts in the AFC Title game. Then they ran into the Jets, and they bottomed out in the playoffs.

San Diego made some interesting offseason moves, the biggest at the RB spot as they drafted Ryan Mathews in the first round, and he is expected to be the starter this season in front of Darren Sproles. They also are dealing with two holdouts in WR Vincent Jackson and LT Marcus McNeill.

Look for the Chargers to once again be the best in the division, as Philip Rivers is a top 5 QB, and the roster is still talented enough to win 9-11 games. Their test will be in January to see if they can overcome playoff demons of the past.

Denver (7-9) - Last season the Broncos with new coach Josh McDaniels were the talk of the NFL when they won their first 6 games. Then they dropped 7 of their last 9 and missed the playoffs, and plenty of long term questions popped up.

First the team parted ways with unhappy WR Brandon Marshall, who they sent to Miami for a 2nd round pick. Then they drafted not ready QB Tim Tebow in the first round, and he will be a project his first season in the league.

The team needs to be more consistent on offense, and while Kyle Orton is no Tom Brady, he is perfect for leading a young team. On defense the team got a huge year from Elvis Dumervil with 17 sacks, and he is a happy man with a new fat deal.

Bottom line though is this team is not talented enough to make a serious run in the AFC, and while they can win some games against lesser teams, they are not going to be able to push past 7 wins.

Oakland (6-10) - The Raiders finally cut ties with overweight QB JaMarcus Russell, and will give the ball to former Redskin QB Jason Campbell to start the season. They need to figure out the RB spot and if Darren McFadden is the real deal, or should Michael Bush get 15-20 carries a game.

On defense, they are still known to give up big plays and make bad mistakes, and with the same coaching scheme and guys in place, the team will still commit too many penalties and make game-changing errors that usually stop Raider teams from being very good.

Look for them to win 6 games, and be in more games but not have the ability top better teams in the league and still be the same old Raiders.

Kansas City (4-12) - Another team that needs to get more talent on both sides of the ball. They have a solid QB in Matt Cassel, and went out and got a 1400 yard rusher in Thomas Jones to go side-by-side with Jammal Charles, but have a serious void of playmakers on defense.

They got former Browns head coach Romeo Crennel to run the show there, and also drafted Eric Berry to make plays in the secondary. This team still looks like they are about 2 years away from being in any type of shape to make a run at the top spot in the division.