• Brady Quinn is pretty infamous around the blogosphere and it’s because of pictures like the one above. At Browns training camp, Brady Quinn was photographed wearing tights under his shorts, a stark contrast to Derek Anderson’s standard look. It’s not a huge deal (I photographed Antonio Cromartie wearing something similar yesterday), but it’s definitely another feather in the tiara for Quinn.

• Another interesting quarterback storyline exists in the desert, where Matt Leinart has been given the #1 spot at the start of training camp despite a great 2007 season from veteran Kurt Warner. For now, it’s the right thing to do. Leinart got injured, he wasn’t benched because of poor performance. Despite all the pictures of Leinart doing everything but playing football, he’s the Cardinals’ franchise quarterback, not Warner.

• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Bills running back Marshawn Lynch will not be punished for his role in a hit-and-run accident that left a woman injured. Way to take a stand, Roger. This means that Lynch will be good to go for the Bills’ September 7th opener against the Seahawks.

• He Who Shall Not be Named faxed his reinstatement letter into the NFL league offices today. But you knew that already.

• Should we pay any attention to the Carolina Panthers this year? With stories like these, it’s making it hard to ignore them. The Panthers, set on committing to a ground attack featuring 1st round picks Jonathan Stewart and Deangelo Williams, have brought in former tank Natrone Means to mentor the young backs. With a bunch of 330 pounders on the offensive line, the Panthers look ready and willing to punch the NFC South in the mouth.

• Close your eyes and try to imagine the Philadelphia Eagles without Dononvan McNabb and Brian Dawkins. Pretty difficult, right? Well, 2009 could see the Eagles missing two franchise faces. The 34-year-old Dawkins hinted at retirement in a press conference at training camp, saying this could be his last ride.

• Self proclaimed offensive genius Charlie Weis sung “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at Wrigley Field over the weekend. Beginning his rendition amidst a chorus of boos, Weis hung in there and delivered a decent performance. In other news, Wrigley Field has reported a shortage of polish sausages and cotton candy.

• In relatively unrelated news, Chris Balke, a two-year starter at offensive line for Valhalla High School (1999-2000), finally tied the knot over the weekend. In case you didn’t know, he’s my brother. Congratulations, Chris and Jackie!

• Anquan Boldin, one of the brightest receivers in the NFL, isn’t pleased with Arizona Cardinals management. After saying the Cardinals lied to him about his request for a new contract, Boldin has come out and said he won’t resign when his contract expires after the 2010 season. While it’s often hard to side with a client of Drew Rosenhaus, at least Boldin will still hit the field during training camp and bust his ass, something his own starting quarterback hasn’t even done.

• The last couple days have seen nearly every major conference be put into the spotlight of Media Day. One of those was the Big Ten, my least favorite conference. New Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez took the podium and gave one of the week’s most amusing comments. Rodriguez said he would answer a reporter’s question about West Virginia “so he wouldn’t have to address it for 13 or 14 more years.” Get real, Rich. The questions won’t stop, especially when your Wolverines lose their opener to a talented Utah team.

• One of the NFL’s most consistent receivers, Rod Smith announced his retirement from the NFL today. The 38-year-old had battled injuries for the last couple years, but remained a positive force in the Broncos’ locker room. Smith’s numbers support his induction into the NFL Hall of Fame, but the Broncos need him to continue to mentor troubled receiver Brandon Marshall, who appears hellbent on destroying his NFL career before it even begins.

• The San Diego Chargers, knowing they have a limited window of opportunity to win championships, have always been an organization that looks out for their own. That trend continued yesterday, as the Bolts inked star defensive end Luis Castillo to an extension through 2014. With stars like Antonio Cromartie, Shawne Merriman and Philip Rivers just two years away from free agency, general manager AJ Smith will be busting his ass to get as many of his stars signed as possible.

• With so much talk about the Giants and Cowboys, I guess the Eagles’ Donovan McNabb was getting a little bit antsy. McNabb came out and hyped up the Eagles‘ chances at a Super Bowl berth. I understand it’s foolish to count out Andy Reid’s boys. But come on, Donovan. Because you “should have” beat the Cowboys, Giants and Redskins, that makes you Super Bowl contenders?

• More news about he who shall not be named. Reports have surfaced of an old, indecisive quarterback calling up the Minnesota Vikings using a cell phone provided by the Green Bay Packers. In other news, both the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are downplaying their interest in you-know-who.

• Good news for teams that haven’t signed their first round pick yet. The Bears (#14 Chris Williams) and Giants (#31 Kenny Phillips) have both signed the dotted line with their top choices With a few more first rounders getting signed, this should speed up negotiations between teams and unsigned picks.

• Patriots offensive lineman Nick Kaczur will be appearing in court today to defend his arrest in April that included a drug possession charge. Kaczur, easily one of the most unique and difficult last names to pronounce in the NFL, will be arraigned on charges of OxyContin possession. Leave it to the Patriots to find guys who can’t get down and party like everyone else with a bag of hippy lettuce and instead hit the hard prescription stuff. Kaczur’s assistance in arresting his dealer after his own arrest will assuredly shorten his sentence (which is maximum a year in prison) to a slap on the wrist and a small fine.
• Only six first round picks have signed as of this morning. Is everyone aware that camp starts this week or is it just me? These signings always fall like dominoes but come on guys. Lets get everyone into camp and stop bitching about $500,000 in incentives.
• The more I look at the Minnesota Vikings, the more I see a playoff team waiting in the wings. In all seriousness, Tavaris Jackson is about the only question mark with this team (and a big one at that). The Vikes defense, which was incredible last season, added drunk driving pass rush specialist Jared Allen and the offense added the speedy services of Bernard Berrian at wide receiver. Something tells me that the Packers, with or without the retired bastard who will go unnamed, are going to get leapfrogged in this division by the Vikings.
• Surprise, Surprise, Chad Johnson is going to report to camp on time. What a waste of time this whole story has been. Remember when Chad went Kobe on Cincy and said he couldn’t play there anymore? Come on. This passing offense is one of the most prolific in the NFL and theres no way the Bengals were going to let him walk. Props to Marvin Lewis for playing hardball during the situation; we knew he wasn’t going to cave.
• Brian Urlacher and the Bears are going long term on a contract that will keep Urlacher at Soldier Field for 43 more years. While this is a good move by the Bears, they still lack any form of intelligence on the offensive side of the ball. Get ready for a year full of 13-10 and 14-9 shootouts.

With NFL training camps opening up around the league and College Football Live’s return to ESPN, I thought it’d be fitting to start a daily article on the happenings in the world of football, both professionally and collegiately. Every weekday, I’ll break down some of the day’s top stories from the gridiron.

• Caron Palmer has lots of things on his mind this offseason. A few months after bashing the Cleveland Browns, Palmer went on a Los Angeles radio show and made his feelings about the Ohio State Buckeyes…very clear. Palmer, speaking about the USC-Ohio State clash, said that he “cannot stand” Ohio State, and expressed frustrations about “all the crap” he hears about the Buckeyes. Well, Carson, you do play in Big Ten Country.

• One of the offseason’s biggest soap operas finally came to an end yesterday, as the Dolphins traded tap-dancing Jason Taylor to the Washington Redskins for a 2nd round pick in 2009 and a 6th in 2010. It’s hard to tell who got the worst of this deal. The ‘Skins suffered some injuries on their defensive line and responded in the way they’re accustomed to: Squandering draft picks for someone who will play two more seasons, at most. Meanwhile, the 1-15 Dolphins just traded one of the most productive defensive lineman in NFL history. Nice.

• Another “distracting” veteran was sent packing as well. Jeremy Shockey, one of the league’s biggest team cancers, finally made his move to New Orleans official. The Giants receive a 2nd and 5th round draft pick in next year’s draft. A nice haul for the Giants, who seem comfortable with Kevin Boss. But if Shockey keeps his trap shut and plays (a long shot), he should see plenty of opportunities from quarterback Drew Brees.