The Celebrities battle of NFL Stars and Hollywood

The Madden NFL '11 Pigskin Pro-Am, as well as the pregame performance of the national anthem by American Idol finalist David Archuleta, will air on NBC at 4 p.m. on Aug. 8.

The thousands of fans that packed Bluffs Park were separated into two sections, with one area supporting the blue Famers team, and the other cheering for the red Gamers team. With a free copy of Madden NFL '11 on the line for the winning-team's fans, the supporters cheered rabidly during every snap. Malibu High School cheerleaders were on hand to perform for the fans.

Tony Gonzalez jersey's team included former San Francisco 49ers teammates Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, who won two Super Bowls together. "I could not ask for a better tandem. That is probably the best tandem ever," Gonzalez said. "We are going to do some trick plays and mix it up. My son is nine-and-a-half years old, and I helped coach his team, and we won the championship, so I know what I am doing out here."

Current NFL players served as head coaches. Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons jerseys, who holds the NFL record for career touchdown receptions by a tight end, coached the red Gamers team. Terrell Owens, an unsigned free agent and six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, coached the blue Famers team.

Former quarterbacks preferred a longer field that was harder for the defense to defend. Joe Montana, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, said that a shorter field "makes it a lot harder. The closer you get to the end zone, the tougher it is to score, especially when you are playing against 11 guys."

Former running backs, such as Marcus Allen, liked the idea of a smaller field because they could score more touchdowns. Allen, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1981 at USC and is enshrined in both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame, said "I excelled in a smaller area, so when you condense the field, I know how to perform in that area."

The game was played on a 40-yard field rather than a typical 100-yard football field. There was some debate among the former athletes about whether a smaller field was a positive feature.

"I have been on fumes since I retired in 2004," said former Denver Broncos tight end and three-time Super Bowl Champion Shannon Sharpe. "It is easy to look good, but it is hard to get out here and play and go through training camp and a season. I know I could not do it. I am not going to fool myself and say for the sake of cameras that I could go out and play. I could not play anymore, and I know that. But I can look good."

Despite still being in incredible physical shape, there was little talk among the former players about potential comebacks to the NFL.

"When you are done playing, you do not stop something you have done for a long time, so I continue to workout and stay in shape just for personal benefit," Warner said. "I feel great. It is fun to be out here and it is fun to pick up a football again because I have not picked up a football in a long time, so it is going to be a good time."

Kurt Warner jerseys, the Super Bowl XXXIV MVP who retired in January after 12 seasons in the NFL, explained why so many former players maintain such great fitness levels.

Despite being retired, many of the former professional football players were still in terrific shape. When asked to assess his level of fitness, Sanders, who played both professional football and baseball, asked, "Do you want me to take off my shirt and show you? I look fly, I look good."

Other celebrities included "American Pie" actress Shannon Elizabeth, Joe Manganiello from "True Blood" and "Access Hollywood" correspondent Maria Menounos.

Craig Robinson, an actor from "Hot Tub Time Machine" and NBC's "The Office," was not intimidated competing against so many Pro Football Hall of Famers. When asked before the game for his MVP prediction, Robinson joked, "Me! You can take that to the bank. It is not going to get you anything, but you can take it there. I am actually pretty bad, so we will see what happens."


"In this game, I do not get to play the position that I played in "'The Blind Side,'" Aaron said. "It is not really about size; it is about the skill and the speed because in this game there is no contact. You have to be able to catch."


The Pigskin Pro-Am also featured actors that have played football players, including Quinton Aaron from 'The Blind Side,' which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Jesse Plemons from the television show "Friday Night Lights."

The game featured Pro Football Hall of Famers Marcus Allen, Michael Irvin, new Joe Montana jersey, Jerry Rice and Rod Woodson, as well as NFL legends Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe and Kurt Warner.

"We were searching for an iconic location with a great view that people would love to come to and this was it," said Tracy Perlman, the NFL's vice president of entertainment, marketing and promotions.

Teams comprised of celebrities and former NFL stars went head to head in the Madden NFL '11 Pigskin Pro-Am flag football game last Thursday at Bluffs Park. The game promoted the Aug. 10 release of the EA Sports video game "Madden NFL '11."

A Fantasy Football Sleeper? Matthew Stafford

And speaking of fantasy football, don't forget that you can still cash in on SB Nation's offer of getting 50% off the fees for a CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Commissioner league. Normally that will run you $179.99, but by using this link when you sign up, you can get it for only $89.99.

Although I definitely think new Stafford jersey is a sleeper, I don't know if I'd pick him too high for my own team. Like I said, he's a solid backup for sure, but would anybody be willing to roll with him as their No. 1 QB from the very beginning? Unless I'm sipping on the Kool Aid a bit too much before my draft, I have a tough time saying yes to that question for myself. Risks are definitely a part of fantasy football, but for such an important position, I'd rather go with a proven talent than the potential of Stafford, but that's just me.

Most people aren't going to draft Stafford with the intention of him being their No. 1 QB week in and week out, but he isn't a bad backup at all. Aside from the fact that he should improve as a quarterback now that he has a year of experience under his belt, just look at the players around him on offense. With the likes of Jahvid Best, Calvin Johnson jerseys, Nate Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler lining up alongside Stafford, he has a number of options to throw the ball to. What's more, with what should be an improved offensive line protecting him, you would think his numbers (and the chances of staying healthy) will increase in 2010.

One person who likely is on the bandwagon for the latter argument is new NFL jerseys Network's Michael Fabiano. Recently for NFL Total Access, he broke down his top five quarterbacks for fantasy football, and although Stafford was not one of the players at the top of his rankings, he was one of Fabiano's "sleepers." When you really think about it, that is probably the best description you can give Stafford when it comes to fantasy football.

I haven't given fantasy football rankings and stuff like that a ton of thought yet (I will probably save that until the hour before my first draft like usual), but I have been thinking about where Matthew Stafford jerseywill go in most drafts this year. On the one hand, Stafford had injury problems last season, played for a 2-14 team and didn't put up out-of-this-world numbers. On the other hand, this year he is part of a potentially explosive offense, and we all saw how great he can be at times last year.

Why Larry Fitzgerald will Disappoint this Season

Larry Fitzgerald jersey is a great talent, and I hope that he proves me wrong this season. I do not see that happening, though. There is too much going on down in Arizona to make me comfortable, whether or not he thinks that this is a very talented team this year.

I could be dead wrong and he could get 1,500 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. For that to happen though, Leinart and Fitzgerald would have to click early and often (and Leinart would have to be very good), the running game would have to struggle, and the defensive coordinators of the league would have to forget how one defends Fitzgerald.

When you combine the new quarterback, the lack of new Boldin jersey, and his method of catching passes, it's going to be a rough year in Arizona. There is no doubt that Fitzgerald could still hit 800 yards and get multiple touchdowns, but I don't see a career year happening.

Looking at how thin the Cardinals' wide receiver corps is this year, and looking at their fondness for throwing the ball to many targets in a game, that's going to be a problem for Fitzgerald this season, as those less effective players will suddenly be more open as teams concentrate on Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald's method of catching the ball in front limits his yards after catch. Last season, he averaged 3.0 yards after catch. By comparison, Andre Johnson had 5.3, Reggie Wayne had 4.3, and Greg Jennings had 7.0. In other words, a double-team on Fitzgerald would hurt him a lot more than it would hurt these other players.

Unlike others, Fitzgerald is a wide receiver that likes to get in front of the ball, rather than try and reach over and get it. From there he can make his move. If he's double-teamed, then the defense can put a man in front of him to work with the other defender that would be alongside him.

You may be thinking that without Boldin in there, Fitzgerald will have more balls thrown his way and will actually have a breakout season as the obvious star on the team. That sounds good, but he's going to be double-teamed again and again this season, which is especially dangerous because of how he plays.

Third and most importantly, the loss of Anquan Boldin is going to make it far harder for him to get open. The Cardinals currently do not have a strong number two receiver. Steve Breaston is good, but it is unclear if he can manage being that everyday number two guy, and it's too early yet to make a judgment on Early Doucet. Maybe tight end Ben Patrick can take a bit of pressure off, but that is unlikely as well.

Second, the Cardinals jerseys seem to be moving, at least for now, towards a more run-oriented approach. With the uncertainty at quarterback for both Leinart and Derek Anderson, Chris Wells and Tim Hightower will bring some much needed stability, as there is no doubt in my mind that both will have very solid seasons.

How could I possibly say this? My reasoning is threefold. First off, the change in quarterbacks from Kurt Warner jersey to Matt Leinart is going to take some getting used to, and as such, the chemistry will be a little slow to start. Leinart has to know where Fitzgerald likes the ball thrown and make sure that he can reasonably catch it, which is not too hard to do for him.

Having said that, he will likely fail to break 1,000 yards this season, and, not necessarily through any fault of his own, will not have a season comparable to ones he has had in the past. That is not to say he will have a bad season, but it will fail to met expectations.

Larry Fitzgerald is one of the top receivers in the league. There is no question about that. He can make plays not many receivers can, and it is a delight to watch him play. Personally, he's my favorite receiver to watch, and last season he broke his career high in touchdown catches with 13.

My five favorite camps

 1. Arizona Cardinals at Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, Ariz.:  Clean, clear air. Picture-postcard town. Nice people. Mountains to the north. Evergreens everywhere. And the new Cardinals jerseys in the middle of all of it. What's wrong with this picture? I'll tell you what: Absolutely nothing.

2. Buffalo Bills at St. John Fisher College, Pittsford, N.Y.: Not only can you get up close and personal with the Bills football jerseys, but players and coaches routinely stop to talk to fans and sign autographs after practices. The setting is perfect, a small town in western New York that is so picturesque Marriott put a combination hotel/spa here. After practice, tool on down to the Erie Canal, rent a bike and enjoy the view. Then stop in at the Coal Tower and send me the postcard.

3. Seattle Seahawks at Renton, Wash.: It's so close to Lake Washington that when the Seahawks recruit high-profile free agents (T.J. Houshmandzadeh, come on down) they fly them in by seaplane. The Seahawks have a state-of-the-art building, with the best of everything at their disposal ... except, maybe, their roster. It's time to find players who can return Seattle to the top of the NFC West, guys.

4. Oakland Raiders in Napa, Calif.: It's the wine country, and it's gorgeous. Cool mornings. Hot afternoons. St. Helena and Calistoga to the north, and Healdsburg to the far, far north. Sonoma to the west. And the Napa Running Company in the heart of downtown Napa. If you're hungry, the Red Hen Cantina is less than a mile down the road. There is nothing missing here ... except Ken Stabler and Cliff Branch.

5. Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wis.: I promise that one of these summers I'll have my daughter join the crowd and ride her bike with one of the Packers to Ray Nitschke Field. It's a time-honored practice and one of the most cherished rites of summer training camp. To appreciate it, you must see it. Then you know why Green Bay loves its football team. There is no other camp in the world like this, and hallelujah. When you're in Green Bay in August, all is right with the world. The Pack is back, every day is Take Your Kid to Work Day, and the only thing you have to shovel is another brat down the spout.

The choice of Tony Romo

On the possibility of Terrell Owens jerseyreturning to Dallas: I don't know, that's not up to me to decide. I've told this to a lot of the people before that I feel we're the deepest receiving corps team in the league, and I'm perfectly comfortable with five or six guys. The competition at the receiver position is going to be very strong in training camp, and there's going to be a lot of young [players] who, hopefully, will continue to develop and get better and mix in with the older guys.

On Dez Bryant's chances to get early playing time: Like I said, everything's going to play itself out in training camp. There's a lot of competition on this football team and that's the way we like it. We like it when everybody's got to go out and compete every day and play to the best of their abilities. I think if you get a bunch of position battles like that, it helps the football team.

On the Donovan McNabb jersey trade: For me, I learned a little while back that you only have so many opportunities. And when I was younger, Bill Parcells gave me an opportunity, and I wasn't going to be afforded five games to figure it out. I had to show it in about a two-game stretch there, and that's part of the process. Obviously, the Eagles made a decision and they felt a certain way, and the Redskins feel a little bit of a different way.

On the pressure of being the quarterback of the Cowboys jerseys: I'm sure if I had been in a different situation, I'd know a difference. But I don't know what to compare it to. I know everyone tells me it's different, like you and some other media members, but I think that's just the perception sometimes on that side of it. I think when you're playing quarterback in the NFL there's pressure to perform every week, whether you're playing in a different city or with the Cowboys… If I was playing somewhere else, I would still be committed to being the best player I could be.

On the layout of the NFC East: I know that the division is going to be a little different than it's been in the past. We always kind of knew going into the season the teams and what we were expecting from each one a little bit, and you really don't know what to expect this year. I think every team has a legitimate shot to be a really good football team.

Last week on Brian Kenny's radio show for ESPN , Cowboys quarterback new Tony Romo jerseysidestepped questions about Terrell Owens' current free agency and the notion of Owens' return to Dallas. After spending last season with the Buffalo Bills, Owens still hasn't found a team willing to take him on for the 2010 campaign, but Romo seemed disinterested in a possible reunion, saying the Cowboys had, "the deepest receiving corps… in the league." Romo also touched on the Redskins' acquisition of Donovan McNabb, the progress of rookie receiver Dez Bryant, and the pressure that goes with being the quarterback of the Cowboys. Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

Giants 2010 Preview

So Reese did not go into the off-season bent on upheaval. Instead, he continued to build from the same blueprint that has made this team a power in the N.F.C. East. A big part of this strategy was letting running backs Brandon Jacobs jerseyand Ahmad Bradshaw recover from operations. Jacobs had a torn meniscus in his knee cleaned up in January. His backup, Bradshaw, had off-season surgery on his feet and right ankle. The poor health of these runners helped drop the rushing attack from No. 1 in 2008 to No. 17 last season. At least, that's what Reese is betting.

It's possible that at 29, Eli Manning jersey isn't done developing. He made noticeable strides as a pocket passer in his sixth season last year. Manning doesn't have a General's command of the offense like a certain other member of his family, but he still exhibits at least Lieutenant qualities. Coordinator Kevin Gilbride gives his quarterback full audible powers. Gilbride also trusts Manning's rifle arm in critical situations and supports the risks he takes when things break down. (Makes sense – Gilbride was present for Super Bowl XLIIV).

Defensively, the new Giants jerseys did actually make a change – philosophically. They reverted to the system that brought them a Lombardi Trophy. Coordinator Bill Sheridan and his convoluted scheme were dismissed after one awful season. In Sheridan's place is Tom Coughlin's former Jaguar assistant, Perry Fewell, a fiery Cover 2 guru who served as the interim coach in Buffalo last year. Fewell installed a scheme more akin to the aggressive one Stave Spagnuolo ran. Tactically, Fewell's system and Spagnuolo's are different. (Fewell prefers defensive backs to play zone; Spagnuolo favored press coverage.) But conceptually, both schemes are predicated on going after the quarterback.

2010 NFL: The Predictions Of New York Jets

2010 NFL Predictions The Jets football jerseys are going to be a trendy betting darkhorse to ride this year, but for all of their talk, we think they could take a step back.  They'll still make the NFL playoffs Predictions with a wild card because their defense is simply too good to give up a ton of points, but Sanchez is worrying.  Any time a quarterback throws 20 picks, that's too many, and we know he was a rookie, but he had four games with three picks or more.  He may even end up with fewer throws as Ryan tries to minimize his mistakes.  We're not sold on the backfield duo of Greene and Tomlinson, and while they have a great offensive line to run behind, Green is a second-year player, and Tomlinson is hurting.  Take them to the playoffs, but we wouldn't bet on the Jets' online sports betting odds to win it all in 2010.

The defense is the reason why the Jets are a 3-point NFL Week 1 betting favorite against Baltimore (ironically, head coach Rex Ryan was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore before heading to the Big Apple), and it could be better this season.  If Antonio Cromartie can remain focused, he'll be a very good corner opposite Darrelle Revis, who is trying to sort out a contract dispute right now.  Shaun Ellis will receive help up front from a returning and healthy Kris Jenkins, while Bart Scott knows what Ryan wants his linebackers to do as he followed him from Baltimore.

The Jets have replaced Thomas Jones and Leon Washington with Shonn Greene and jets-babe in the backfield, and while Greene had a pair of 100-yard games in the playoffs, is he a true No.1 running back?  Also, is Tomlinson healthy?  He won't be an every-down back, but we're not sure how much longer his body can hold up.  Guard Alan Faneca is gone, and while the Jets still have one of the best lines in the league, losing him will hurt.  Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes and Jerricho Cotchery is the type of receiving corps that can kill you one week, then drop two touchdowns in the next game.  Still, the offense depends on the progress of Mark Sanchez jersey, who tossed 20 picks last year and didn't look like the pivot that NCAA football betting players saw at USC.  Sanchez also had a knee injury this summer, so that's something to watch.

New York Jets 2010 NFL Predictions - NFL Betting Odds – Can Defense Carry Jets To Super Bowl Picks? If you're betting NFL Predictions  this year, you've surely heard something about the New York Jets, who many are picking to take the AFC East Odds away from the New England Patriots.  Granted, the Jets have arguably the best defense in the league and a great running back, but we're not sold on the quarterback. NFL Week 1 Betting Lines Jets -3 over Ravens Betting Odds.