All-Pro wide out Larry Fitzgerald is confident that the Arizona Cardinals can make the 2010-11 their third consecutive good season. Although the Cardinals will be without the now-retired Kurt Warner, Fitzgerald believes that the additions of Alan Faneca, Joey Porter, and rookie Dan Williams will keep the team in the Super Bowl hunt. The biggest mystery in Glendale is who will start under center in the Cardinals week one contest with the St. Louis Rams. Will Warner’s back up Matt Leinart finally be able to live up to the expectations or will former Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson take his job. Arizona has two running backs capable of having break out season in Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells, but the passing game is what has made the team succesful the past two years. The quarterback battle in Arizona should be one of the most intense in the NFL this summer.

Football may be the most popular sport in the United States, but the rest of the world is much more concerned with a different type of football. The sport we call soccer is growing in the United States, and with the World Cup kicking off this past weekend in South Africa many people connected to the NFL enjoying watching “The Beautiful Game” this off season.  Peter King of Sports Illustrated (arguably the top NFL writer in the country) even made the trip to South Africa and wrote a World Cup edition of his Monday Morning Quarterback column. On his twitter account, Chad Ochocinco commented about Messi, the US’s young striker Jozy Altidore, and shared some of his pics of himself with some of his favorite “footballers” like Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees tweeted he liked what he saw from the US team in their historic 1-1 tie against England in Rustenberg. Brees’ teammate Darren Sharper even made the trip to South Africa. Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals celebrated US goal with a  “#USA yesssssssss!!!!!” chant and reminisced about playing goalie in grade school. Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons tweeted “You got to love soccer…no commercials till halftime” while Packers’ QB defended his support of US Soccer urging fans to “show some love for that tie against one of the worlds best teams”. Minnesota Vikings kicker Rhys Lloyd and Englishmen even changed his twitter background to English national team’s Three Lions’ crest. With all this love for the World Cup in the NFL perhaps both footballs can exist in America.

One of the biggest contributors to the New York Jets’ surprise run to the AFC Championship game was cornerback Darelle Revis. The 24-year-old has been nicknamed “Revis Island” for his ability to shut down the league’s best receivers. Despite being widely touted at the best cornerback in the NFL, Revis will only make $1 million in 2010 if the Jets don’t restructure his deal. There were rumors going around him wanting to paid $20 million, but the former Pitt Panther recently called that figure a bit high. Revis did  stress he wanted to be the highest paid defensive back in the NFL. There was a lot of criticism when Charles Woodson was named the Defensive Player of the Year over Revis. The Jets’ defensive backfield (anchored by Revis) only gave up 8 passing touchdowns in 2009. Currently, the richest CB in the NFL is Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders who makes around $15 million a year. Revis has made it known that the Jets have informed him that they promised him to get the deal done before training camp this summer.

The ongoing Brett Farve saga of “will he, won’t he” has taken another turn with news that the 40 year old quarterback will need surgery on his ankle if he wants to play this year for the Vikings. The future hall-of-famer had one of his best seasons in his 19 year career, passing for 4,202 yards, 33 TDs, and a career low 7 interceptions. It is not clear if the surgery will prevent Farve from starting the Vikings opening game, should he decide to return to the NFL for his 20th her the NFL. Last season, Farve had a torn bicep surgically repaired amazingly by Dr. James Andrews. The Vikings and Farve were one interception away from going to the Super Bowl last year, and with only a few players leaving Minneapolis this off season many are expecting the same success for the Purple People Eaters. Though there are plenty of people who are over caring about if Farve returns to the game, but I for one would love to see #4 for one more year in the NFL.

Following his second sexual abuse scandal, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been suspended by the NFL for up to six games of the 2010 NFL season. It is possible that the two-time Super Bowl champion get his punishment reduced to four games on good behavior, but should Roethlisberger serve his full suspension it would cost him a reportedly $2.8 million in salary. There have also been reports that the Steelers front office has even reached out to teams about trading Roethlisberger for a first round draft pick. The franchise also brought in Byron Leftwich to cover their bases should Big Ben get suspended. Any team that would decided to trade for the shamed athlete could heap a mess of bad press all over their organization, but they would be getting a player who has consistently been one of the best in the league.

Does the Miami Dolphin’s trade for Brandon Marshall make the Fins a legitimate contender in the AFC East this season? Maybe. Let’s take a look. The Dolphins went 7-9 last year, but did show some promise. Miami lost there last three games of the year by less than a touchdown. Had the Dolphins found a way to win those final trio of games against Tennessee, Houston, and Pittsburgh, they would’ve been a playoff team. Chad Henne is still a young quarterback, but he showed some progress throughout the season. The Dolphins already have a talented young receiver/kick returner in Ted Ginn Jr. and adding Marshall to the mix could really cause defense problems. Davone Bess led the team in receptions last season with 76 catches, but had only two touchdowns. The Fins also saw the rebirth of Ricky Williams last season, with the controversial running back rushing for over 1, 000 yards. Williams teammate Ronnie Brown also added 638 yards on the ground last season and scored 8 touchdowns. Add Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long to the mix and Miami’s offense looks pretty solid for next year. If the Dolphins can improve their defense they could give the Patriots, Jets, and Buffalo Bills some serious problems this year.

When comparing themselves to the empty trophy cases of the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Cleveland Browns the Redskins shouldn’t feel too bad about their franchise. The Skins won Super Bowls in 1982, 1987, and 1991, but they only made two playoff appearances in the 2000’s. Owner Daniel Snyder has thrown plenty of money at big name players in recent years like Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall, but the team has struggled at the quarterback position for years. McNabb has consistently been a top-tier quarterback in the NFL for a long time and could still have a number of years ahead of him at age 33. In the backfield, McNabb will have three former stars in Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker. At receiver McNabb will get to throw to proven players like Santana Moss and Chris Cooley while youngsters Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kellyhave shown potential. With McNabb under center most experts will likely at least mark the Redskins as a legitimate playoff contender for the 2010-11 season.

The often troubled Adam “Pacman” Jones might be back in a NFL uniform this year. The former Tennessee Titan will work out for NFL scouts in New Orleans today is has been reported. Jones had two stellar years as a Titan in 2005 and  2006, but since then has been mired in off the field trouble. The Saints, 49ers, Lions, and Jaguars all have been rumored to be interested in Jones’ services, but it is unclear the exact seriousness of the team’s intentions. With a serious list of legal troubles, highlighted by a 2007 Las Vegas strip club shooting incident, Jones might be  serious liability for any NFL team. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League were in talks with Jones last season, but withdrew their interest after Jones mixed up the United Football League with the Canadian Football League in an interview. Jones displayed in his short time in the NFL that he has all the tools to be a good player, but it will be interesting to see if any team is willing to give him another shot.

A report published by the NFL’s Injury and Safety Panel has said that NFL that players had a 88% higher rate to suffer a anterior cruciate ligament injury playing on FieldTurf. FieldTurf is leading brand of artificial turf used in the NFL with nine stadiums in the league using the brand. Corporate leaders at FieldTurf are denying the report’s authority and calling the panel’s findings “flawed”. FieldTurf requires less maintenance and is much more convenient for teams that play in domes, but if it becomes a fact that players are much more likely to sustain serious injuries on the surface teams will have to make a tough decision. Losing players to injuries can devastate a team’s chances to compete in the NFL. Doctors have talked about the possibility of creating a more advanced shoe that players can wear that will lessen the likelihood of ligament damage, but no breakthroughs have been made. It will be interesting what the affect around the league.

GM A.J. Smith must have jumped the gun when the San Diego Chargers said they would tender running back Darren Sproles for the coming season. The Chargers announced today that in fact they were going to put a 1st and third round tender on Sproles for next season. It is unlikely any other team in the NFL will be able to sign the 26-year-old with the tender. Sproles will make around $7.27 million next season, a hefty price tag for a player that’s never rushed for more than 343 yards in a season. The six-year pro is a duel threat out of the back field catching 45 balls and scoring eight touchdowns in total in 2009. Prior to the Chargers tender offer, Sproles was thought to be in talks with a number of teams.