10. Purple Jesus vs. LT2
Who’s the best running back in the NFL? Is it Adrian Peterson, or the current king LaDainian Tomlinson? We may get a definitive answer if Peterson can stay healthy the entire season.

9. J-E-T-S – Brett, Brett, Brett!
Brett Favre sheds Packers gold and green for Jets green and white. Can Favre lead the Jets back to respectability after last season’s 4-12 disaster, or should the veteran have stayed retired?

8. The antics of Ocho Cinco
He already changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco, who knows what else the ego-driven Bengals receiver will do? For the Bengals to have a chance this season they need him to do his talking on the field in the form of yards and TDs.

7. Aaron Rodgers leads or sinks the Pack
If Favre’s on the list you can’t ignore his Green Bay replacement, Aaron Rodgers. The Packers made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game last season, and if Rodgers doesn’t get them back there again there will be a ton of Packers fans waiting to say I told you so about Favre.

6. The perfect Patriots
After last year’s 16-0 regular season was followed up by a huge upset loss in the Super Bowl the Patriots were still the overall favorite, but after Brady’s injury that surely can’t be the case anymore.

5. NY Giants – remember them?
Has any defending Super Bowl champ received as little respect as the Giants? There are some experts picking the G-Men to finish last in the NFC East.

4. Donovan McNabb’s last chance in Philly?
The clock could be ticking on McNabb’s career in Philadelphia if the injury-plagued pivot can’t right the ship now.

3. Tony Romo tries again
Romo goes for that elusive playoff win once again this season, and football fans should get a few looks at Jessica Simpson brandishing her wares as well.

2. Ricky Williams returns?
There been a lot of buzz about Williams’ focus returning to the gridiron. Is it just buzz, or is Williams relevant again?

1. What else are you going to do on Sunday?
Do work around the house? Stick to work around the couch.

We’ve already played 16 NFL preseason games. The highlight so far? Brett Favre running a lap.

Between Favre’s trade to the New York Jets and the start of the Olympic Games in Beijing, this may have been the quietest Week 1 ever in exhibition play. But it wasn’t without incident. Matt Ryan had an excellent 20 minutes for the Atlanta Falcons in a 20-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars (-3.5). John David Booty wasn’t so hot in his NFL debut for the Minnesota Vikings, getting thrown around in a 34-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks (+3).

Unfortunately, the most important plays from Week 1 led to injuries. The Denver Broncos may have been hit the hardest, losing linebackers Boss Bailey (sprained right ankle) and Louis Green (concussion). That’s not going to do much for Denver’s No. 26-ranked rushing defense. Perhaps they can pick up Brandon Moore, who was waived by the San Francisco 49ers

Summer might be down time for many handicappers, yet this past Sunday was one of the red-letter days on the betting calendar: the first day of NFL training camps.

It was still a bit anti-climactic, though. Brett Favre did not report to the Green Bay Packers camp in De Pere, Wis. as previously planned. Favre says Packers GM Ted Thompson asked the un-retiring quarterback to put it off for now; Thompson is presumably shopping Favre’s services around the league to see what he can get in a trade.

Terry Glenn won’t be reporting to the Dallas Cowboys camp in California, either. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decided to pull the plug on contract talks, even after the Pro Bowl wideout agreed to a “split” deal that would pay him significantly less money if he re-injured the knee that kept him out of almost all of the 2007 season. There’s a chance the two sides will resume talks later.

Terrell Owens is off to an impressive start, missing out on the Dallas Cowboys first mandatory off-season minicamp. (Didn’t he pull this disappearing act last year? And the year before that?) It seems the hot-tempered Pro Bowl receiver is attending to a family matter and isn’t expected to make an appearance at all this week.

“He didn’t want to go into it, and I really don’t want to either,” Cowboys’ coach Wade Phillips said. “It’s a family matter and just leave it at that. It’s not anything more than that.”

Owens has had a history pulling stunts in the past, but his teammates are insisting that this isn’t one of those stunts.

“It wasn’t anything that you guys would go crazy about,” quarterback Tony Romo said. “I don’t think it’s a big deal.”

The Cowboys signed Terrell Owens to a 3 year, $25 million deal, including a $5 million signing bonus, with a $5 million first year salary back on March 18, 2006. As far as finishing off his career in Dallas, Owens says he has no intention of playing anywhere else and plans on entering the Hall of Fame as a Cowboy.

The Dallas Cowboys are listed at 7/1 odds to win the 2009 Super Bowl.

As of Tuesday, Boston College QB Matt Ryan is now the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Ranked third in the nation for his 4,507 yards passing record in 2007, Ryan signed a six-year $72 million contract which (at that cost) pretty much assures him a starting position. According to the contract negotiations, he is guaranteed $34.7 million, which is $4.7 million more than No. 1 draft pick Jake Long will receive with the Miami Dolphins.

The Falcons’ former starting QB, Michael Vick, was suspended indefinitely by the NFL and currently is serving a 23-month jail term for his role on federal dogfighting charges.

If you think that with Ryan at the helm the Falcons have a decent enough chance at winning the 2009 Super Bowl, then you might want to get your NFL futures bets in while the odds are this good: the Falcons are 150/1 to win.

He hasn’t even been reinstated and he’s already been traded to a different team. Wonder if he’ll get along with Terrell Owens when he does get back to the grid iron?

Seems Adam “Pacman” Jones, the Tennessee Titans cornerback who was suspended for the entire 2007 season last April after an investigation into his involvement in a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club. (For more on the case, read this.)

The terms of the deal between the Titans and the Cowboys are not yet known, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he’ll be reviewing a possible reinstatement before training camp opens in July, which would put Jones on the active roster list for the start of the regular season.

Adam Jones was the first defensive player drafted, taken 6th overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2005 NFL Draft. He then missed most of training camp, holding out in a contract dispute. After Jones had signed the deal with the Titans, he donated money to the 100 Club, a charity that financially supports the families of firefighters, police, and emergency workers.

Currently in most sportsbooks, the Dallas Cowboys are at 9/1 odds to win the 2009 Super Bowl.