Content provided in partnership with

Big battles: key competitions to watch

Sporting News, The, July 21, 2006 by Vinnie Iyer

Bears running back. Cedric Benson proclaimed himself the starter after a disgruntled Thomas Jones was demoted in minicamp. Look for Jones to turn this into one of the summer's hottest competitions.

Bills quarterback. J.P. Losman has learned quickly under passing guru Steve Fairchild which will help steady the shaky 2004 first-rounder as he tries to hold off Kelly Holcomb and newcomer Craig Nail.

Broncos running back. This looks like a Tatum Bell-Ron Dayne platoon, but coach Mike Shanahan has a history of picking a back to carry the load each week. Bell, a speedster, had some big games in 2005 and is the favorite--as long as he holds on to the bail.

Most Popular Articles in Sports: The first family: Archie, Peyton and Eli are incredibly famous, immensely ...; The growing gap: driving distances are skyrocketing on the PGA Tour. So why ...; Which pistol caliber for self defense? Four different people come to four ...; Drag racing - National Hot Rod Association; The world's most popular .22: the Marlin Model 60 just keeps on ticking; More »

Colts running back. What Edgerrin James did as a rusher, receiver and blocker is hard to replace with fast rookie Joseph Addai or career backup Dominic Rhodes alone. They'll share the load.

Jaguars wide receiver. Jimmy Smith's retirement leaves an opening for a No. 1 target, and entering Year 2 Matt Jones has stood out. He has the edge over third-year players Ernest Wilford and Reggie Williams.

Jets quarterback. This might turn out to be wide-open with rookie Kellen Clemens as an intriguing third entry to the competition between Chad Pennington and Patrick Ramsey. Going in, Ramsey has the best combination of experience and health.

Lions quarterback. Passing a crash course in "Air Martz" isn't easy. Both Jon Kitna and Josh McCown have played for good passing teams in the past, but Kitna has the better resume when it comes to grasping downfield schemes.

Steelers free safety. Pittsburgh needs a playmaker--someone who can feed off all the things strong safety Troy Polamalu does--to replace free-agent departure Chris Hope. Free-agent addition Ryan Clark has the inside track, but don't rule out promising rookie Anthony Smith.

Big battles: key competitions to watch

Sporting News, The, July 21, 2006 by Vinnie Iyer

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Health

Most Popular Articles in Sports

Most Popular Publications in Sports