Around the league....

Hanesworth, Revis Johnson (Chris or Andre, take your pick), Roethlisberger, and even LT... the original LT. All of these names are in the press and not because of their amazing talent, but because of tabloid drama. Contract stalemates, rape accusations, and big fat drama queens demanding trades (after collecting 21 million dollar bonus checks).

Thats not what real fans are interested in. I can care less what happens with the bank accounts of Revis, Mangold, D'Brick, or Harris. They are all under contract and will be there, on the field, week one. Lets focus on what is going on in the NFL regarding.... ummmmmm football.

There are a few up and coming teams that really interest me:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a team that Dan Dierdorf of CBS described as ' a young team devoid of talent' last year. Thats still one of my favorite quotes, but is it still true? They have a fascinating young coach, Raheem Morris, who is a highly motivational character that players seem to gravitate to. They play hard for him, but if they don't start winning in 2010 he will lose his players very quickly. With so many holes it's hard to understand how or why the Bucs weren't bigger players in the free agency market.

Their young QB needs more than Kellen Winslow as a weapon to be successful. Why not make a run for Miles Austin and give up the RFA compensation? How about Boldin or even Brandon Marshall? There were so many playmakers available this offseason and Tampa barely took a wiff. Dude, I like some of the overall talent on their defense including the rookie DT's. But, if I'm Josh Freeman, I am scratching my head while watching the Jets surround Sanchez with every possible option.

The San Fransico 49ers are so close to being a playoff team that it hurts. It has been a rough decade to say the least for the darlings of the bay area. They stumbled upon Singletary who is starting to look like the real deal as a head coach. If Gore stays healthy and Alex Smith can just be average, I see the 49ers in the playoffs in 2010. They certainly are in the NFL's weakest division, and they have assembled talent very methodically via the draft. They are a team to watch.

I see absolutely no chance that the Chicago Bears make any noise in 2010. It's time for Smith to hand the whistle to someone new and gracefully exit as the coach of this team. I like that they have gone all out during the past few years making some aggressive moves. I just hate the players they have targeted. Jay Cutler and Julius Peppers are as qualified to be team leaders as Terrell Owens. And I have a weird feeling they may sign him next. I wouldn't build my franchise around guys like that. With teams like the Vikings and Packers, the Bears are just going to be spinning their wheels this year. Bring Ditka back!

On the AFC side I see the Colts, Jets and Ravens as the top 3 teams barring any major long-term injuries, and on the NFC side it's the Cowboys, Vikings and Packers. I also see the Patriots and Redskins as two teams to watch out for. I would like to spend a little time on the teams that are the true sewer slime of the league.

The Rams, Lions, Bills, and Browns are just simply horrible. I have some respect for what the powers that be in Detroit are trying to do, and I like their last few drafts and some of the free agents they have landed. But, until they start winning, they are still the Lions. The Lions and Rams have young QB's who they can point to as a reason for hope. The Bills and Browns don't even have that. Bills fans have to reminisce about the Bledsoe era and the Browns have dig way back to .... yes ... Vinnie Testeverde to remember what it was like to have a legitimate QB behind center.

If I was the Bills owner I would have offered Shannahan any amount of money to take over has head coach. If individual players can get contracts with tens of millions of dollars guaranteed these days, why not pay a coach 50 million for 5 years? They would have landed him for that. And, I assure you, they wouldn't have picked a RB with their first selection. Shannahan would have turned Lynch into a 2,000 yard rusher, and would have brought Donavan up their instead. Remember, he did play for Syracuse. Why not finish your career in your old neck of the woods?

As for the Browns, Joe Hayden better be able to cover at least two receivers at a time for him to be worth the #7 overall pick. I hated their draft and I think they will be a complete joke this year. I can't wait to watch Holmgren fire Man-Gi-Nah!

Finally, I really hope to see the Denver Broncos struggle. I think Josh McDaniels is a grade A douche bag, and the impulsive, man crush-esc pick of Teabow in the first round may come back to haunt him. Orton had stepped up as a quality QB and a leader on a team that was in shambles after losing their long time coach and franchise QB. Josh has run Cutler, Scheffler and Marshall out of town and now he has started to alienate Orton by bringing in a 1st round QB with a ton of hype to wait in the wings. I just don't get what the Broncos owner was thinking when he dumped a legend for a wanna be.