Suspensions are about as contagious as the common cold around the NFL landscape these days and there are now three more names to add to the list of those affected. Not surprisingly, each of these players are currently looking for better situations and greener pastures in the league after fallouts (either still ongoing or in the past) with their former employers. Although all three cases are different in nature and severity of infraction, each player has some time to pay for the infractions that they have committed. More »

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With all of the off-field injuries that have taken place in recent years, players continue to put themselves in harm’s way during the offseason. Although this incident certainly seems more benign than some other activities that have caused players to miss time in the past, this particular activity could violate the terms of Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith’s contract. The good news for Carolina is that this isn’t a serious injury in need of excessive rehabilitation and Smith can still train himself to get in football shape with the ailment. Smith had surgery to insert a plate and some screws into the arm to aid the healing process and is expected to make a full recovery by the end of the preseason at the latest.

NFL contracts do not permit players to participate in any organized football outside of a league setting, but since Smith is expected to be back and ready to go in time for the regular season, it is unlikely that the Panthers will take any action. It is believed that Smith was injured during a flag football game at his youth camp over the weekend, but the injury is said to have occurred the day after the camp was supposed to finish up. It remains unclear whether or not Smith was playing in a pick-up game with some adults or just messing around with the kids attending his camp. Regardless of circumstances, the Panthers now have one addition worry to add to their already lengthy list heading into the 2010 season.

Already expected to be reliant on the run this year with a Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams two-headed attack, the Panthers cannot afford to lose their one big playmaker for any extended period of time. A stalwart wideout with the club in Muhsin Muhammad recently announced his retirement leaving the Panthers already with a short depth chart at receiver. Teams may really key in on stopping the ground attack and forcing the Panthers to air it out with inexperienced quarterbacks Matt Moore and rookie Jimmy Clausen who will be competing for the starting gig this summer.

The only possible silver lining to this situation for Carolina is the fact that Smith’s injury and presumed absence from training camp means that the younger wideouts on their depth chart will get more reps. Some of the names to look out for include three players drafted this past April in Brandon LaFell, Armanti Edwards, and David Gettis. Of course the Panthers still have Dwayne Jarrett on their roster, but he has been a huge disappointment to this point in his career and may be on his last chance. Some lesser names that could rise up to claim the spot are Trent Guy, Dexter Jackson, Charly Martin, Kenneth Moore, Wallace Wright, and Oliver Young. With their head coach John Fox coaching for his job this season, the road ahead looks awfully bumpy for this franchise in the difficult NFC South division.

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Although the timing is likely just a coincidence, two great pass catchers in the NFL’s history called it a career this week in the dead of the NFL’s offseason. Both Isaac Bruce and Muhsin Muhammad announced their intentions to hang up the pads which really should come as no surprise to fans around the league. Each had decorated careers and was incredibly difficult to contain during the height of their careers, but at 37 years old, both had clearly lost a step in recent years and their respective organizations were ready to turn the page to a new chapter. More »

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Under the final year of the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA), many teams have had the luxury of retaining their young superstars at bargain prices. Any players with less than six years of service in the league were eligible to be given the restricted free agent (RFA) compensation for the upcoming season. Between RFA designations and the thirty percent rule which only allows players in 2010 to receive a thirty percent raise in their base salary from 2009 to 2010, the activity has been negligible to say the least. More »

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The draft free fall was quite the television spectacle for several prospects throughout this process as household names and first round locks turned into worried looks and speculation from draft analysts. As NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the continuous trek to the podium to announce names throughout the night, the drama increased with each appearance the Commissioner made without calling the names of certain prospects. There are a number of players who were subjected to this tenuous wait, but here are a few of the more high profile names that finally found NFL homes. More »

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Without a doubt, one of the biggest names swirling around the rumor mill this offseason is defensive end Julius Peppers. It has been speculated that Peppers is likely headed out of Carolina, but nothing is certain just yet. This week, though, we will get a better idea if the speculations are, in fact, true. More »

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This year’s free agent crop is going to be quite difficult to forecast with the uncapped year in the near future and many potential younger free agents becoming restricted under the pre-determined language of the current CBA. Two names who will be unaffected by the CBA’s restrictions are Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers and New England Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork. Both have been vocal about their standings with their current clubs and appear to be burning bridges on their way out of town. More »

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The new year will for some franchise’s inevitably bring in a new regime to run the show and the list of team’s likely to be searching for new head coaches this year is right up there with seasons past as the coaching carousel begins to spin. With Hall of Fame resumes lurking in the weeds like Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan, John Gruden, and Brian Billick, owners will undoubtedly be infatuated with the thought of making a blockbuster hire this offseason. More »

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Its halfway through the season and I’m going to break down my picks for the top five running backs in the league. This going to be based on all aspects of being a running back, not just yards or just touchdowns, but rather a compilation of everything. More »

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It’s Monday, and there’s tons of feedback out there from this weekend’s games. So, that means it’s time to hit today’s best links and see what gems are out there.

Here are today’s best: More »

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