Jason Campbell

Flacco completed 21 of 34 passes before leaving after one series in the third quarter. Last year, he threw as many as 34 passes only seven times for a team that relied heavily on the run.  

l RAVENS 24, GIANTS 10: Joe Flacco threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns for pass-happy Baltimore, whose no-huddle offense befuddled visiting New York.

Favre completed 16 of 26 passes and took a couple of big hits while playing two series into the third quarter.

l VIKINGS 24, SEAHAWKS 13: While Brett Favre had an up-and-down 2010 Metrodome debut, his two newest receivers definitely gave him something to smile about. Favre threw for 187 yards and two interceptions, one that rookie Earl Thomas returned 86 yards for a touchdown in host Minnesota's victory over Seattle.

After scoring on a one-yard run, the first-round draft pick put the Bills (2-1) ahead for good, 21-14, with a 20-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the first half. Spiller now has three touchdowns in two starts in place of injured veterans Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch.

Stafford was 13 of 17 for 141 yards and threw a touchdown pass.

l LIONS 35, BROWNS 27: Matthew Stafford threw a touchdown pass, rookie Jahvid Best had a 51-yard run and Aaron Brown scored twice in the fourth quarter to lift host Detroit.

Campbell jersey was 6 for 8 for 93 ya........rds before leaving the game.

Campbell was down on the ground for about five minutes before being carted off the field.

Campbell landed hard on his right shoulder after being sacked by cheap 49ers jersey  linebacker Travis LaBoy. He was found to have a stinger.

Oakland Raiders jersey quarterback Jason Campbell left Saturday night's 28-24 preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers after being injured on a sack in the first half.

At the snap of the ball, Ray Rice caught it and stuffed it in the belly of Boldin

At the snap of the ball, Ray Rice caught it and stuffed it in the belly of Boldin, who was running right on the end around. Boldin then flipped the ball to Flacco, who was running left behind the line of scrimmage.

The big pay-off on the world's most intricate flea-flicker? A short dump-off to Rice over the middle. OK, so it was a lot of work for a small gain, but it sure was fun to watch.

I wouldn't get your hopes up, though. Since Ravens coach John Harbaugh let us see this in practice, it probably means we won't ever see it in a game (at least not without some alterations). Harbaugh knows that giddy reporters and bloggers like me will quickly get this info out into the blogosphere where other coaches -- namely Jets coach Rex Ryan -- can find it, thus forcing them to prepare for it.

"Yeah, we run that," Harbaugh said when I asked him about the trickeration (yes, I used the Bushism while delivering my question). "We do a lot of stuff, so teams have to prepare for that. I'm sure the Jets will be lining up against that here now tomorrow probably."

Two questions later, another reporter asked Harbaugh if he and the Ravens have been paying Willis McGahee attention to what has been going on with Ryan's Jets on "Hard Knocks." You can probably paraphrase Harbaugh's answer yourself without me telling you, but here it is anyway.

"You don't see anything that you would really be interested in seeing," he said. "It's not like they've got their practice script and their coaching video. If we had that, we'd take a close look at it."

Harbaugh then made a pretty funny joke about Ryan planting spies in the crowd at McDaniel College.

"We do suspect that Coach Ryan has had a few of his local friends from Ellicott City out here with their cameras videotaping practices," Harbaugh said. "That's OK. He knows what we're doing. We pretty much know what they're doing. I'm sure there will be a few wrinkles."

 Recent quarterbacks who were drafted in the first round started immediately as rookies, for better or worse (see Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco in '08 and Mark Sanchez and Matt Stafford in '09). Rodgers sat behind Brett Favre for three years and learned at the feet of an NFL icon before taking over as the Packers' starter in '08.

"I'm sure it was frustrating for Aaron," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said Tuesday.

Frustrating? Likely. Beneficial? Absolutely.

In just two years, Rodgers has evolved into one of the NFL's best quarterbacks. He's not yet on the same street as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or Drew Brees—those guys have been on the job a lot longer, and each has won at least one Super Bowl—but Rodgers is driving toward their neighborhood.

Rodgers became the first quarterback in league history to pass for more than 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. More noteworthy are his career touchdowns (59) and interceptions (21). That's almost a 3-to-1 ratio, which would be remarkable for any quarterback, whether his name be Montana or Moe.

Although Rodgers played in only seven games his first three seasons, the former Cal QB took a lot of mental reps and gained significant knowledge watching Favre on the field and in the meeting room.

"(Rodgers) had a chance to be under the system for a while and learn the intricate things of the system," Lions linebacker Julian Peterson said. "He has a great grasp of it right now and is doing an excellent job of it.

"You knew he had first-round talent (but) obviously he slid (to the 24th pick). He wasn't too happy about it, but it really worked out for the best of his interests because he went to a team with a good foundation, a good supporting cast around him. All he had to do was learn from one of the best quarterbacks in the game, and it's worked out for him very well."

The Eagles didn't let go of Brian Dawkins until he was 35

For the Eagles, the "known" included not only McNabb, the team's starter from 2000 through 2009, but also a core of veterans who led the team through a decade of playoff appearances and a loss in the 2005 Super Bowl. In the past two years, nearly all those veterans — Brian Westbrook, Brian Dawkins, Jon Runyan, Tra Thomas, Sheldon Brown and others — were traded, were released or left through free agency. The current Eagles are so young that when Reid excused players older than 30 from an afternoon practice, only one nonkicker qualified.

With so few veterans around, particularly on offense, Kolb and the younger players have adopted a leadership-by-committee approach.

"Our big push is just 'one unit' right now," he said. "We don't care about individuals, we don't care about spotlights."

Kolb recognizes his role as a de facto leader, but stresses that he was "not going to force anything." Younger players have more opportunities to assert themselves than in years past. "We speak up when somebody wants to speak up, and everybody listens and trusts each other."

Other players sound comfortable both with Kolb's style and with the team's democratic philosophy.

"Everybody had their question marks, but I think he's definitely answered those," the second-year receiver Jeremy Maclin said of Kolb. "Now we have a team that grows as a unit."

A number of factors contributed to safety Quintin Mikell's decline in 2009: the loss of Brian Dawkins, the revolving door at linebacker, the risky play of the cornerbacks and a new defensive coordinator in Sean McDermott.

But Mikell told the Inquirer that he also let his discontent about his contract affect his play last year. Playing for a relatively paltry four-year, $4 million deal, Mikell thought that he deserved an extension as the starting strong safety. But the Eagles had smartly locked him in at a cheap rate before he became a starter, and Mikell had little leverage to get a deal done.

Now 29, Mikell's one of the Eagles' oldest players on a team that's constantly looking to get younger. And the Eagles have never rushed to provide more money to players entering his thirties. But there are a number of factors that suggest Mikell will be in Philly for the next few years.

First, Mikell's really not that old. The Eagles didn't let go of Brian Dawkins until he was 35. Dawkins was, of course, somewhat of an athletic freak, but his case shows that the team is willing to pay an older safety. Giving Mikell an extension of three to four years at age 30 isn't unreasonable. Plus, since Mikell only became an every down player in 2008, he has relatively little wear on his tires.

Second, Mikell's not going to command Antrel Rolle money. Rolle, who got a five-year, $37 million contract this off-season from the Giants, was 27 years old and one of the best safeties in the league. Mikell can be a solid starter, but he's not a difference-maker who deserves a huge deal. The Eagles should be able to compensate him adequately without breaking the bank for an aging player.

Finally and most importantly, Mikell's more valuable in Philadelphia than anywhere else in the NFL. Let's assume for a minute that he has at least as good a season as he had in 2009, and probably an improvement from that down year. Can the Eagles afford to let him go? Even if Nate Allen looks good at free safety this fall, he's still very young. Pairing him with an even more inexperienced replacement at strong safety -- such as 7th-round pick Kurt Coleman -- could be a disaster.

Eli Manning flying under the radar

The longest off-season of Eli Manning's football life is mercifully over, but no matter how much extra time the Giants' quarterback had to agonize over the way last season went so wrong so fast, his essential core remains unaltered. Unlike so many of his NFL counterparts, the man they call 'Easy Eli' doesn't do off-field histrionics or bold sideline pronouncements.

Manning believes his 2010 Giants are good enough to win the Super Bowl, but his way of saying so isn't going to lead anyone to confuse him with Rex Ryan. "Yeah, talent-wise, it's definitely there," Manning told The Record on Thursday, shortly after lunch and a few hours before the evening portion of two-a-day training camp sessions began.

No defining anything less than that title as a failure.

No guarantee.

No boast, no brag.

 "It's just about getting the most out of everybody, working hard, staying healthy, being fully committed and staying together as a team," Eli Manning added. "That's what it comes down to."

Manning is adept at espousing the company line, at staying in the best graces of management with an understated personality that fits perfectly into the franchise portfolio. That's why this training camp sets up so perfectly for him. With publicity hounds up and down the division and the loudest barking dog sharing his own stadium,Eli Manning goes quietly about his work. He already has the one thing they all want, and a 2007 Super Bowl ring complete with MVP honors does more to silence the blowhards around him than anything he says could hope to do.

Yet Manning is cursed by his own success. If the worst title an athlete can earn is being the best at his sport without ever winning a title (Dan Marino anyone?), the one for the guy who should have won so much more isn't much fun either (the 1980s Mets, Brett Favre anyone?) Like winning that second major in golf, a second Super Bowl elevates a quarterback into rare company.

 "I'll find out what it means hopefully," Eli Manning said. "For me, it's about competing, getting better, become a better player, getting the most out of all our players, out of their potential and getting them to play at their highest level.

Peyton Manning nearly took the lead in the brothers' Super Bowl race, only to see his Colts lose last year's title game to the Saints. Back on equal footing, Eli and Peyton start over again, eyeing the same prize with much the same approach. High-profile player; low-profile person.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin can go days without being asked about the quarterback who has started every game for the past five seasons.

 "The only questions I ever have [with Eli] are [about the way] we continue to upgrade our expectation level and he's well aware of that," Coughlin said. "He's just Eli. He's flying along."

I asked Mannning if he has a few more Super Bowls in him and he only smiled and said, "I hope so." If he is going to get another, it'll be behind a persona that's definitely more Derek Jeter than Ben Roethlisberger.

Let his rivals make noise up and down the NFC East, from Tony Romo and his merry band of wide receiver battles in Dallas to the transfer of Donovan McNabb, who finally escaped the negativity of Philadelphia only to land in the ineptitude of Washington. Let his New York counterparts make plenty of training camp noise across the state, where Ryan and his Jets take their turn in the Hard Knocks spotlight and deal with the holdout of their best player, Darrelle Revis.

Manning is at his most comfortable when the attention is elsewhere. While the Jets turned themselves into the NFL's darlings by getting within one half of last year's Super Bowl, while they stayed in the headlines with every controversial off-season roster move, Manning rolled along in the background, blurring his vision in front of the tape machine.

Standing in the shadow of the leafy trees on the University at Albany campus Thursday, he explained just why he's been so quietly focused. An epic collapse after a 5-0 start – the Giants' finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs last season - had quite a sobering effect. The defense bore the brunt of the embarrassment, giving up a staggering 85 points in the final two games. But Manning's 14 interceptions and 13 fumbles must also be corrected, and he's had a lot of time to think about them.

 "The off-season was definitely way too long," he said. "You just think about not wanting to have that feeling again, that feeling we had at the end of the season. We got off to a great start, but those last 10-11 weeks just weren't good. We didn't play well. You just want to get that feeling of playing bad football out of our system. Not making the playoffs and ending the last few games the way we did, playing poorly, that's not us, that's not how we want to be thought of or associated with.

 "So we've got to get back to work."

Yes, the longest off-season of his football life is over. But the work is just beginning. The noise around him is deafening, but none of it is coming from Manning. And that's just the way he likes it.

Joe Thomas has big dreams for Browns

Joe Thomas is not taking his talents to South Beach.

He is more interested in what is swimming underwater than what is sunning on the sand. His favorite recent catch was a 5-pound Lake Erie smallmouth bass.

One star does a hit-and-run ESPN hour to tell the world he's dumping Cleveland for the sub-tropics. The other guy ice fishes on episodes of Ohio Outdoors.

Surely, Thomas is in the discussion of who is the favorite athlete of this heartland's pro sports fans now that LeBron James is in Heatland.

Mention this to Thomas and he says, "I can't say I really think about it too much.

"Josh (Cribbs) is certainly the most well known. He's certainly the guy that people think about when they think about the Cleveland Browns. I'm comfortable with that."

Point taken, but ...

Cribbs has been to two Pro Bowls in his five Browns seasons. Thomas is three-for-three.

Thomas is signed through 2011. In 2012, depending how the labor situation pans out, he could become the first Browns player to be slapped with the "franchise" tag, binding him to the Browns for another year.

Or, a contract extension could be worked out.

"I'm just taking it one year at a time," Thomas said Monday after the fourth practice of training camp. "When the time comes to talk about long-term, I'm sure the Browns will come to me."

That's as noncommittal as anything James said before he bolted. Thomas, though, provided something Browns fans can really sink their teeth into. He did so when he was asked if he still thinks about making it to Canton one day as a Hall of Famer — one of the first things he brought up when Cleveland made him the third pick of the 2007 draft.

"On a day-to-day basis," Thomas said, "no, I don't really think about it. Certainly, in the offseason when I'm working out, those are the motivations that go through your head. Trying to turn this team into a winner, take us to the playoffs, turn this into a dynasty.

"Those things go through your head ... keep playing well, keep improving. I think doing those sorts of things can get you to the Hall of Fame."

A football dynasty in Cleveland? Can you imagine?

This is real: Thomas is one of the best left tackles on earth. He and Denver's Ryan Clady were the two offensive tackles on last season's All-Pro team.

Football players wear out faster than basketball players, but Thomas is still young by any standard and should have at least five great years left. He's barely older than James, having been born Dec. 4, 1984. James was born Dec. 30, 1984.

The national media thinks the Browns still stink. ESPN sent its travel bus to Berea Monday, and the talking heads played smiley-face with players and coaches. The same network pegs the Browns at No. 28 in its current rankings.

Entering his fourth pro season, Thomas wants the team to be light years better than No. 28, and he wants it now.

He got a huge kick out of the four-game winning streak that enabled the 2009 Browns to finish at 5-11. He has been viewed as more finesse than smash-mouth, but his run blocking was superb during the 4-0 stretch when the team averaged 225 rushing yards. In the last three games, Jerome Harrison averaged 187 yards.

"We ran the ball extremely well at the end of the year," Thomas said. "I think Jerome is going to be better than he was last year. Hopefully, we'll give him the ball early and often and he'll continue what he did at the end of last season."

Thomas is protecting a new quarterback, 35-year-old Jake Delhomme.

"He has a very calm sense about him," Joe Thomas said. "He drops back and puts the ball where it's supposed to be. If the blitz is coming, he knows where it's coming from.

"He kind of makes everybody more comfortable on offense. He knows exactly what he's supposed to do.

"He's going to help everybody else around him get better."

Thomas said he intends to keep getting better. Funny thing, though ...

He came into the league saying he diligently studied his favorite left tackle, Walter Jones. At the time, Jones played for Mike Holmgren in Seattle.

Now, Holmgren is in Cleveland and Jones is retired.

Who is Joe Thomas supposed to study now that he has arrived at the top, and all the young left tackles are studying him?

Actually, he has an answer for that. He studies tapes of Hall of Famers. He studies current Pro Bowlers. He even studies the lot of young tackles who keep getting drafted way up there where teams are looking for the next Joe Thomas.

"You're always striving for perfection," he said.

LaRon Landry is probably the happiest defender in camp

LaRon Landry is probably the happiest defender in camp. Landry is being used closer to the line of scrimmage this season, much as he was for half of his rookie year in '07. Landry can be more aggressive in the new scheme and should be a factor against the run and on the blitz. The past two years, his job was mainly to stop big plays deep.

The Redskins on Monday released third-year quarterback Colt Brennan, a fan favorite who had hoped for a long career in Washington.

"I was totally surprised," Brennan said in a phone interview shortly after leaving Redskins Park. "I actually was walking off the field today and someone asked, 'How'd you do today?' I said I had a good day."

Brennan struggled in training camp and the Redskins acquired quarterback John Beck from the Baltimore Ravens for cornerback Doug Dutch earlier Monday. Brennan, however, said the Redskins' decision was based on their strong interest in Beck.

"To be honest with you, it was never a situation with me playing and how I did," Brennan said. "It was basically that they always had a real strong interest in John Beck."

"They told me they think I can play," he added, "So they just wanted to give me an opportunity to catch on somewhere."

Brennan hurt his left hip during the final 2009 preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team put him on the season-ending injured reserve list and he underwent surgery. Brennan had surgery on his right hip before his rookie year.

Brennan had base salaries of $295,000 in 2008 and $385,000 last season. Although he became a fan favorite after his productive rookie debut in the 2008 Hall of Fame game, he has never appeared in a regular season game.

The former University of Hawaii standout quickly achieved cult status after LaRon Landry he went 9 of 10 for 123 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Canton, Ohio, when the Colts were playing many rookies on defense.

If Brennan clears waivers in the next 24 hours, he would be free to sign with any team. "It's definitely a bummer because . . . I definitely love the area, and I can't say enough about how good the fans have been to me," he said.

Third-year free safety Kareem Moore had two interceptions in three plays Monday during the morning session at Redskins Park.

Moore, who has worked with the first-team defense since organized team activities, made a nice catch on a deep ball quarterback Donovan McNabb intended for wide receiver Joey Galloway. He then caught a pass McNabb threw to tight end Chris Cooley.

"Just trying to play the defense, to make plays," Moore said as he jogged off the field to lift weights. "Don't try to be too aggressive, man. Just when they come, just make them."

Considered the only true free safety on the roster, Moore, 25, is expected to start alongside strong safety LaRon Landry. The Redskins did not move Landry, who played free safety the past two seasons, to strong safety to create more playing time for Moore, but Moore is taking advantage of the opening, the team says.

"Kareem is a true free safety," said safeties coach Steve Jackson. "He was drafted to play free safety, and what happened was he was stuck behind LaRon."

The Indianapolis Colts won’t undertake their first practice of training camp

I saw the clip on NFL Network of the reasons why Steve Tasker is not in the Hall of Fame.  The arguments against him really hit me hard.  They suit up, they make plays, and they add points to the board, and they still don't get love from voters.

They ask a kicker to make game-winning field goals, they do that, and come on the field celebrating and saying, "You've won us Super Bowls."  The kicker will say, "Does that mean I'm going to the Hall of Fame?"  They'll say, "Nope".

The only pure special teams player to get into the Hall of Fame was Jan Stenerud, and he was selected on his first ballot.  How is it that after that, nobody else gets in?

Ray Guy helped the Raiders win games and has been highly recommended for the Hall of Fame.  That's been the case for many years.

If I were them, I'd go on strike, refuse to play any more NFL games until more special teams players get into the Hall of Fame.  If special teams players aren't as special as offensive and defensive players, then let's see teams win without them.  Let's see the Bears win without Robbie Gould!  Let's see the Browns win without Joshua Cribbs! Let's look at the Patriots of this decade and see if they could've won without Adam Vinatieri!

Will Reggie Wayne report?

The four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver would like a new contract. But he'll have to get in line, along with defensive end Robert Mathis, behind franchise quarterback Peyton Manning.

That fact didn't sit well with Wayne during the offseason, and he hinted in interviews with several Indianapolis media outlets last month that he might not report to training camp on time.

However, a post on his website this week talks about finding a good place to eat in Anderson and the impending end of his summer vacation.

How will players recovering from injury look?

Key starters Dwight Freeney, Adam Vinatieri, Anthony Gonzalez and Bob Sanders each are recovering from ailments of varying degrees.

Each has fared well in offseason training, and each is reportedly ready to report to Anderson University today.

But a forboding note appeared at the bottom of Michael Lombardi's column on NFL.com last week suggesting Sanders' injuries might be severe enough to end his career.

The Colts quickly denied it, but many eyes and ears will again be trained on Sanders' medical updates.

 What is the team's first impression of its once and future home?

Only Manning and center Jeff Saturday remain from the Colts roster during the last season they called Anderson their training camp home 12 years ago.

Several members of Indianapolis' front office already have gotten a good look at AU's renovations, but what will the players and coaching staff think?