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The Cincinnati Bengals have resigned themselves to the fact that Carson Palmer won’t be playing for the team again – he has said he would rather retire than play for Cincinnati any longer. He will be traded to a West Coast team eventually. So despite a crying need for a quarterback, the Bengals resisted taking one with the No. 4 overall pick, instead going with the top-rated receiver on the board, Georgia’s A.J. Green (that mean the end for Chad Ochocinco?).

Cincinnati’s resistance to taking, say, Blaine Gabbert at No. 4, could pay off well because both Ryan Mallett and Andy Dalton are still available with the draft’s second round kicking off later tonight. Reportedly Cincinnati is enamored with Dalton, the former TCU star. In fact, the Bengals reportedly tried and failed to trade into the Packers' 32nd spot Thursday night in an effort to land Dalton.

The Bengals pick at No. 35 in Round 2. Only the Patriots and Bills are ahead of them in the second round. Is it possible that both take a quarterback? Certainly the Bills might but New England would seem unlikely to do so even though Tom Brady is getting up there in age. It’s certainly possible a team trades with the Pats for that pick, however. The 49ers, Cardinals, Redskins, Raiders and Dolphins all could be looking to slide into that spot. The Bengals better hope they get either Mallett or Dalton because the drop-off after those two is steep: After Mallett and Dalton, the remaining quarterbacks, such as Nevada's Colin Kaepernick, Iowa's Ricky Stanzi and Virginia Tech's Tyrod Taylor, are not NFL ready. Cincy needs a quarterback who can potentially play right away.

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And with the first pick of the 2012 NFL draft, the Washington Redskins select quarterback Andrew Luck, Stanford.

It sure seems that the Skins are angling for the first overall pick next season if Coach Mike Shanahan is actually serious when he says that John Beck could be the team’s starting quarterback this season – you know, if there is an NFL season. But Shanahan did imply this week that Beck could be the guy for Washington. And really that might just be by default because obviously the Redskins are either going to cut or trade Donovan McNabb and Rex Grossman, who started three games last year is a free agent. Soon to be 30, Beck has made just four career starts and lost all of them in his rookie year with the Miami Dolphins. He hasn’t thrown a regular-season pass in the past three seasons.

“Let me say, when John Beck did come out [of BYU], I had him rated as the top quarterback coming out that year, and I didn’t even think it was close,” said Shanahan, who traded with Baltimore last August to get Beck. “I had a lot of confidence in John Beck when he came out in 2007. I evaluate the quarterbacks every year, and I do have confidence in John Beck. He was by far my No. 1 guy. I think the world of him.”

Washington chose not to take a quarterback in this year’s draft despite an obvious glaring need. Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert was there when the Redskins were set to choose at No. 10 overall but Washington instead traded down to acquire more picks and address other areas. In all, Washington selected 12 players yet no QB.

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The Houston Texans are about to make former No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams a part of history in a way. That’s because new Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, the former Dallas Cowboys coach who was hired this offseason, says the team will use Williams at outside linebacker in their new 3-4 defense next season.

Why is this historic? At 6-foot-7, 290 pounds, Williams is set to become the largest full-time linebacker in NFL history after playing the first five seasons of his career as a defensive end. Williams reportedly will play on the weakside, but Phillips wouldn’t say whether or not Williams will be used exclusively at linebacker or if he will make the switch back to the defensive line at some point in the season. Last season Williams finished with 28 tackles and 8.5 sacks from his end spot.

This move was made possible largely because the Texans drafted Wisconsin defensive end J.J. Watt with their first-round pick in last week’s NFL draft. Originally it was thought Watt would compete with Antonio Smith for a spot opposite Williams but now both Watt and Smith should start at end. Connor Barwin would be the outside linebacker opposite Williams. The Houston pass rush was a weakness last year and this gets their four best pass-rushers on the field at once. Houston finished 30th in the NFL in defense last year and 32nd against the pass.

Before Phillips made the switch to a 3-4 scheme, Houston had been in a 4-3 in Williams’ first five seasons. When Phillips was with Dallas, he made a star of DeMarcus Ware, who played outside linebacker in Phillips' 3-4 with the Cowboys. Ware is around 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, so he is quite a bit smaller than Williams.

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When the Arizona Cardinals didn’t draft a single quarterback in last week’s NFL draft, it was fairly obvious that the team was going to go after a veteran this offseason. Obviously the Cards aren’t going into another season with Derek Anderson (if he comes back), Max Hall or John Skelton under center after last year’s disaster.

And it appears the Cardinals have set their sights on Kevin Kolb, who was the opening day starter for the Philadelphia Eagles last season before losing his job to Michael Vick. Because of Vick’s career resurrection, Kolb, especially at his current contract price, is expendable.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter says the Cardinals are the favorites for Kolb and that the Cards and Eagles discussed a deal at various points this offseason, including the first day of the draft. Remember that Arizona had the chance to draft Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert in Round 1 but instead took LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson. Kolb’s contract is up after this season so it makes no sense for Philly not to deal him for a likely 2012 first-round pick rather than risk getting nothing when he leaves as a free agent after next season. Plus Kolb’s value likely won’t ever be higher.

Really the only other option for Arizona, minus signing a potential retread who will be cut free like a Vince Young or Donovan McNabb, is trading for Denver’s Kyle Orton. The Seattle Seahawks also are in the market for a veteran quarterback but probably will bring back Matt Hasselbeck. No free agent signings or trades can happen while the NFL is under a lockout.

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Because it’s assumed the Washington Redskins are either going to waive or trade Donovan McNabb when the NFL opens for business again following the lockout, the team currently has one quarterback on its roster: journeyman John Beck. Yes, Coach Mike Shanahan has sung Beck’s praises and said he could be the team’s Opening Day starter, but no one really believes that about a 30-year-old who has started four games in his career and lost them all – and those came in his rookie season four years ago with the Dolphins.

Washington may bring back Rex Grossman, who took over for McNabb late last season, but Grossman has pretty much proven he’s not an NFL starter either. Thus the Redskins are on the list of QB-needy teams along with the likes of the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, to name a few. And it appears Washington might be zeroing in on the player it wants: Vince Young.

Young is currently under contract with the Titans, but they have already said he won’t be back. Installed as head coach in February, new coach Mike Munchak said he'll stick with the ouster of Young that was announced prior to Jeff Fisher's departure as head coach. Plus Tennessee took Jake Locker in the first round of last week’s draft and he’s the future there – although why not trade McNabb, who could start while Locker learns, for Young? There is likely not a trade market for either guy, however, due to their hefty salaries. Young, set to make a $4.25 million bonus in addition to his $8.5 million salary, is expected to be cut within the first 10 days of the new league year.

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We continue our look at potential 2011 NFL Offensive Rookies of the Year with Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker, who was surprisingly taken No. 8 overall when some experts debated whether he would even go in the first round.

So will Locker be the starter when the Titans open the season on Sept. 11 against Jacksonville? Of course the Titans won’t have Vince Young then; he will be cut or released by the team this offseason – new coach Mike Munchak has already said Young isn’t in the Titans’ plans, which was largely due to VY’s fallout with former coach Jeff Fisher.

The Titans fell for Locker because of his athleticism, which is off the charts, and the fact he is a football junkie – although everyone certainly had him rated behind Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert, who was on the board when Tennessee chose Locker. The former Washington star has been knocked for his passing accuracy, which was 53.9 percent overall with a high of 58.2 percent his junior season. By comparison with two other top-10 picks, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s percentage last season was 66.1 and Gabbert’s was 63.4.

Young, the third overall pick of the 2006 draft, was 30-18 as a starter, but he fell short with coaches and management when it came to work ethic. That won’t be a problem with Locker. However, the Titans don’t really want him to start on Day 1. The plan, General Manager Mike Reinfeldt said, is to add a veteran quarterback to the roster and let Locker develop without the pressure of playing too early. Plus it will be tough for a rookie QB to start this year, in particular, with a lockout perhaps keeping camps closed for much of the summer. Locker opened at 16/1 on Bodog’s NFL odds to win 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

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The Detroit Lions surprised many during April’s draft when this up-and-coming team drafted Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure with the No. 57 overall pick. After all, the Lions took RB Jahvid Best last year in the first round. Best was on his way to what appeared to be a stellar rookie season – he had five total touchdowns in the first two weeks but then his season went downhill with a turf toe injury. Best finished with 171 carries for 555 yards and four touchdowns and 58 catches for 487 yards and two scores.

Leshoure, who is 5-foot-11, 227 pounds, was named the University of Illinois’ MVP last season after setting single-season records with 1,697 rushing yards, 122 points, 20 touchdowns, nine 100-yard rushing games and five consecutive 100-yard rushing games (including a 330-yard game vs. Northwestern). He ran for 184 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries in Illinois' win over Baylor in the Texas Bowl. So you can see why the Lions pounced on him, and they traded back into the second round to get him. But will there be enough carries for Leshoure to be a factor for 2011 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year? He opened at 12/1 to win that on Bodog’s NFL odds.

General manager Martin Mayhew said Leshoure filled "a definite need" at running back. The Lions ranked 23rd in the NFL in rushing at 100.8 yards per game in 2010.

"In this business you've got to have two good running backs," he said. "I think this guy complements Jahvid very well, so it's a need for us."

Having a two-back system in the NFL is no in vogue, so look for Leshoure to get nearly as many carries as Best. And should Best get hurt again, Leshoure would be the main guy on an offense that appears ready to be one of the best in the NFL with QB Matthew Stafford (if he can stay healthy) and WR Calvin Johnson.

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The NFL owners won’t be voting on a possible new collective bargaining agreement with the players when all 32 owners meet today in Chicago, but today’s gathering will go a long way toward whether we start the 2011 NFL season on time.

Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league officials will attempt to address concerns of some owners about terms that have been under discussion in recent weeks. Today’s session is designed to give each owner a chance to express an opinion on the state of the negotiations. If Goodell can help the small market and large market owners reach a consensus, an end to the lockout — perhaps in July — could be in sight. However, currently there are vast differences between what some owners want from a new labor agreement as some think Goodell isn’t getting enough concessions from players.

This is the first meeting called by the league strictly for labor matters, and the 32 team owners and representatives who will be on hand were advised last week to prepare to stay an extra day. The two sides reportedly have agreed to an unofficial timeline as to how events such as training camp and free agency would play out if there is an agreement on the more significant elements of the deal. Most people believe that a drop-dead date to play a full preseason would be an agreement by July 15 – losing the preseason entirely would cost ownership some $700 million. The first preseason game, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is scheduled for Aug. 7.

Each side is eager to get something done before the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis rules on the league's request to permanently block an injunction that originally lifted the lockout. Any deal would have to be ratified by at least 24 of the 32 NFL owners.

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Football season is almost here! Well, football north of the border style as the 2011 Canadian Football League season kicks off next Thursday when B.C. visits Montreal. And thus Bodog has unveiled several football props for the year.

Let’s look at the prop for which player will lead the CFL in passing yards this season. The reigning passing king is Saskatchewan's Darian Durant, who threw for 5,542 yards in 2010 to outdistance second-place finisher Kevin Glenn of Hamilton by 440 yards. U.S. football fans might remember Durant from his days as a North Carolina Tar Heel. Durant is the second-favorite on Bodog to repeat as passing champion at odds of 11/4.

The favorite is Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo at 9/4. Calvillo, who finished fourth in the league in passing last season with 4,839 yards, is poised to break a hallowed record this season. He is zeroing in on Damon Allen’s career record of 72,381 yards passing and should reach that mark before Thanksgiving. Calvillo is 4,221 yards short of Allen’s all-time yardage mark. The only time in the past nine years he hasn’t thrown for significantly more yards than he needs was in 2007, when he missed five games because of his wife Alexia’s lymphoma.

Calvillo, who has been the starter in Montreal since 2000, already is the only Alouette quarterback ever to win three Grey Cups. Calvillo was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last fall but says he’s healthy. The 38-year-old will try to lead the club to a third straight title, which hasn't been done in the CFL since Edmonton won five in a row from 1978 to 1982.

The other top players on this prop are Calgary’s Henry Burris at 15/4, Edmonton’s Ricky Ray at 9/2 and Glenn at 11/2.

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Following Auburn’s national championship game win over Oregon and Tigers stud defensive tackle Nick Fairley declaring for the NFL draft, Fairley became No. 1 on most NFL experts’ big boards following all the early entries were released. But as is often the case in potential draftees, NFL decision-makers starting poking holes in Fairley, mainly in character issues. And the Detroit Lions emerged as big winners for this.

Fairley didn’t have a free-fall like Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, who also was at No. 1 on many big boards for a while but slipped all the way to No. 51 overall in the draft. But the Lions were thrilled that Fairley was available at No. 13 overall and they snapped him up despite having just invested the No. 2 overall pick last year on another defensive tackle. But that worked out pretty well as Ndamukong Suh was a Pro Bowler and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Can Fairley join his teammate in winning the award this year? Fairley opened at 13/2 on that prop on Bodog’s NFL odds – the co-second favorite behind Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson.

Adding Fairley to a line that has Suh, Corey Williams, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Cliff Avril, Sammie Lee Hill and Lawrence Jackson means the Lions probably have the best unit in the NFL now. But that depth could hurt Fairley as the Lions are planning a rotation among the tackles to keep everyone fresh. For what it’s worth, no team has had back-to-back NFL Defensive Rookies of the Year. And before Suh won it last year, no defensive tackle had won the award since the mid-1990s. At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Fairley has great explosion off the ball and had 11½ sacks and 24 tackles for loss last year. But he only played two seasons of major college football and was only dominant for one. So it’s a risk for the Lions but one they felt they had to take.

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By far the biggest NFL draft surprise this year had to be the utter free-fall by Clemson star defensive end Da’Quan Bowers.

When Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck announced he was staying in school, most experts had Bowers rated as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2011 class after he led the nation with 15.5 sacks last season for the Tigers. However, red flags went up in NFL offices all over when Bowers had Jan. 4 surgery to repair a torn right meniscus. Teams were scared off by the potential for degenerative arthritis might mean further surgery and a shortened career.

But aggressive Buccaneers GM Mark Dominick, after seeing Bowers not get taken in the first round, vowed to pounced at No. 51 overall if Bowers was still there despite the Bucs having taken Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn with their first-round pick. And sure enough, Dominick kept his word. Now the Bucs have a totally new defensive front, adding Clayborn and Bowers to last year’s top two picks, tackles Gerald McCoy and Brian Price. And expect Bowers to start at left end right away as Tampa Bay is desperate for a pass rush after finishing 30th in the NFL in sacks in 2010. Bowers already has vowed to make all those other teams pay for passing on him. His agent said recently that Bowers expects to be ready for training camp – assuming there is one — and there have been no setbacks in his recovery.

So could Bowers be in the running for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2011? He opened at 18/1 on that prop on Bodog’s NFL odds. A defensive end hasn’t won Defensive ROY since Carolina’s Julius Peppers in 2002.

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We continue our look at potential 2011 NFL Offensive Rookies of the Year with former Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who was taken with the 10th overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

First off, it will be tough for all rookies in 2011 because the lockout is robbing them of precious time with their coaches and fellow players, not to mention learning the playbooks, etc. But someone has to win the award. The Jaguars clearly wanted Gabbert as they traded up six picks to get him (sending a second-round pick to Washington). So now it appears there is legitimate competition for incumbent starter David Garrard.

Gabbert threw for 3,186 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, and had 6,800 yards and 40 touchdowns during his three-year college career. He’s the first legitimate franchise quarterback taken by the Jaguars since Byron Leftwich in 2003. Gabbert is mobile with a strong arm but figures to have a steep learning curve in the NFL coming from a spread offense. Thus he is a long shot to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year on Bodog’s odds, opening at 22/1. But of the 15 rookie quarterbacks drafted in the top 10 since 2000, San Diego's Philip Rivers is the only one who didn't start a game as a rookie.

Garrard certainly will enter camp as the starter. But he is just 39-37 as a starter and has one playoff victory. Fans seemed to blame him for the Jaguars’ season-ending three-game losing streak in 2010 that cost the team a shot at the AFC South title. Garrard had solid numbers overall, completing 64.5 percent of his passes for 2,734 yards, with 23 TD passes and 15 interceptions for a passer rating of 90.8. Garrard says he welcomes the competition from the rookie.

“My thing is the best man will play," said Garrard. "The cream will rise to the top. … “If Blaine comes in and he is above and beyond just better than me then best of luck to him. Because the best person who is going to give this team a chance to win should be out there.”

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The Baltimore Ravens have looked for a true home-run threat at receiver seemingly forever, but the Ravens think they found one when they took Torrey Smith from down the road at the University of Maryland in the second round of April’s draft with the 58th overall pick.

Smith ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and consistently showed an ability to get behind the secondary during his three-year stint in College Park. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder became one of the most electric players in Terrapins history, catching 152 passes for 2,218 yards and 19 touchdowns during his three-year career. He set Maryland's school record for all-purpose yards (5,276 yards) and finished as the ACC's career record holder for kickoff return yardage (2,983) to go along with a school-record three career kickoff returns for touchdowns. In his final home game, against N.C. State, Smith caught 14 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns. That’s one more touchdown catch than any other Terp had all season.

The Ravens have two sure-handed receivers in Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason but Smith should help stretch defenses for QB Joe Flacco. The Ravens, who were even pondering taking Smith with their first-round pick, chose Smith over Miami's Leonard Hankerson, Kentucky's Randall Cobb and North Carolina's Greg Little.

“When you add Torrey to the mix, as one of our scouts said, he can peel the top off a defense,” GM Ozzie Newsome said to reporters. “Joe has the ability to throw the deep ball, so now we’re giving Joe an additional weapon. I think that just opens up our passing game, which makes our running game that much better.”

Can Smith with the 2011 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award? He opened at 16/1 on Bodog’s NFL odds to do so. Only two receivers, however, this decade have won the award: Boldin in 2003 with the Cardinals and Percy Harvin in 2009 with the Vikings.

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Terrell Owens will be back in the NFL says super agent Drew Rosenhaus, and even sooner than you think.

News came Monday that T.O. recently underwent surgery for his ACL and would be out for six months, likely missing the entire 2011-12 season. However Rosenhaus revealed to ESPN that the 37-year-old receiver had his ACL repaired way back in April, and that he would be ready for the 2011 season.

"He's many, many months into his recovery now. He's doing fantastic," Rosenhaus told ESPN. He said Dr. James Andrews, who performed the surgery on Owens, was confident the receiver could play as soon as August.

Rosenhaus went on to say that speculation of Owen's retirement were "nonsense. " Adding, "he is a legendary healer. He comes back from injury faster than anybody I've ever seen."

However, Rosenhaus is notorious for exaggerating the abilities of his clients. Just two weeks ago his was touting the first-round talent of Terrell Pryor.

Rosenhaus would not reveal how Owens injured the knee but said it did not happen while the receiver was taping a TV show for VH1, as one source told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen. Another source said Owens tore the ACL during a personal workout but there is still no official confirmation.

"He's been around people for months that had no idea he had this surgery," Rosenhaus said.

As for who he'll play for when football is finally back, it's difficult to tell. Sources say the Cincinnati Bengals have no plans to bring him back, therefore it will be another offseason where the receiver with a bad attitude and hall-of-fame credentials will have to find a new home.

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Many people believe the Detroit Lions could be the surprise team of 2011 after more than a decade of doldrums in the Motor City. The Lions offense showed signs of being explosive last year when Matthew Stafford was healthy (which was rare) and throwing to All-Pro WR Calvin Johnson. Plus the Lions look like they have a keeper in second-year running back Jahvid Best, who had five touchdowns combined in his first two NFL games before injuries got to him last year.

Despite all those weapons, the Lions didn’t stand pat in the draft. They took Boise State receiver Titus Young with their 44th-overall pick in the draft and also traded up to get Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure with the No. 57 overall pick. Could Detroit have a second straight Rookie of the Year to join 2010 Defensive Rookie of the Year Ndamukong Suh? We will deal with Leshoure in another Beat story, but Young is 14/1 on Bodog’ NFL odds to win that prop.

While the Lions threw for the 12th-most yardage in the league (3,810) last season, their team average of 6.3 yards per attempt was the fourth-worst in the NFL. They ranked in the league's bottom third in total passes of more than 20 yards and more than 40 yards. Young had 71 catches for 1215 yards and nine touchdowns last year for Boise State. He ranks second all-time at BSU with 204 catches and holds the Boise career record with 3,063 yards receiving. The 5-foot-11, 174-pounder also returned 56 kickoffs for 1,449 yards (25.88 avg.) with three touchdowns in his career. He isn’t a burner but has a knack for getting downfield – some compare him to Eagles WR DeSean Jackson. Young will start the season as Detroit’s No. 3 receiver, that deep threat to complement Johnson and Nate Burleson.

“The guy is an explosive playmaker,” Lions GM Martin Mayhew said. “He’s got speed, great hands.”

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The Washington Redskins, despite their storied history, have never had an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (and only one on offense). Can former Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan be the first in 2011? Kerrigan opened at 15/1 on Bodog’s NFL futures odds to win 2011 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Washington, it was thought, would target a quarterback with its first pick, which was No. 10 overall, in April’s draft. And Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert was on the board then, but the Redskins instead chose to send that pick to Jacksonville – which chose Gabbert – and move down six spots to the Jags’ pick (along with getting Jacksonville’s second-round choice). The Skins needed help on defense and Kerrigan certainly should contribute right away as he was the 2010 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American.

Kerrigan had 26 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and five forced fumbles last season for the Boilermakers; he finished his college career with 33.5 career sacks and tied an NCAA record and set a Big Ten mark with 14 career forced fumbles. The 6-foot-3, 267-pounder played defensive end at Purdue but will move to outside linebacker in Washington’s 3-4 defensive scheme. . It’s the same move former Texas star Brian Orakpo, who will play opposite Kerrigan, faced after he was drafted a couple of years ago. Washington defense needs all the help it can get as last season it ranked 31st in the NFL in passing yards allowed and 26th in rushing yards allowed.

“He fits into our system very well,” Skins head coach Mike Shanahan said. “He should make the conversion very quickly.”

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are known for their defense. Yet they haven’t had an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year since Kendrell Bell in 2001. Can 2011 first-round pick Cameron Heyward end that decade-long drought this season? He opened at 16/1 on Bodog’s NFL futures odds to win the award.

Heyward is a defensive end out of Ohio State whom the Steelers took at No. 31 overall. Heyward has good NFL genes as his father is former NFL running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, who incidentally played at the University of Pittsburgh and was a first-round pick himself by the Saints back in 1988. Heyward is the second defensive end drafted on the first round by the Steelers in the past three years. They took Ziggy Hood No. 1 in 2009. Heyward was the last of a record 12 defensive linemen taken in the first round.

Heyward started all four seasons at Ohio State and was a Lombardi Award semifinalist last season for the best defensive lineman in the country. He finished his Buckeyes career with 163 tackles (78 solo) with 15.0 sacks, 37.5 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries. He had six tackles and a sack in Ohio State's 31-26 win over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl in January despite playing much of the game with a serious arm injury. Heyward tore ligaments in his elbow in the second quarter against the Razorbacks, and he underwent reconstructive surgery Jan. 12. He should see playing time right away as the Pittsburgh defensive line is rather old. Hood is the only Steelers’ starting defensive lineman who is under 30 years old. Heyward should be able to adapt quickly because Ohio State incorporates some of Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's principles into its defensive schemes.

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With the league and the Players Association still reportedly on track to get a collective bargaining deal done in the next couple of weeks NFL betting talk could soon change from the odds we'll have a season to the odds of who'll win the Super Bowl.

Still on the table for discussion is the league's rookie wage scale, with the owners wanting to dramatically reduce the amount of money they give to unproven players. Basically, teams don't want a situation where they're paying a player like JaMarcus Russell $40 million for several years of sub-par performances.

That's not to say, however, that the league's highest-drafted rookies aren't going to still be making boatloads of money on their first contract – new Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is going to be a wealthy man however things work out.

And Newton might also end up as the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year this season – or at least he's one of the favorites for the award at Bodog heading into the season. Newton, a Heisman Trophy winner and the first overall pick, is tied with Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones at 11/2 odds to win that award this season.

Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is next on the Offensive ROTY list at 13/2 odds, followed by New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram at 15/2, and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder at 10/1.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker sits at 16/1 odds, while Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is just ahead of him on that list at 15/1 odds. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert is listed at 22/1 odds.

The favorite to win the Defensive ROTY is Arizona Cardinals defensive back Patrick Peterson, the fifth overall selection in the 2011 draft who sits at 6/1 odds to claim the award.

Detroit Lions tackle Nick Fairley and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller are the second favorites at 13/2 odds right now. Head over to Bodog's football props page for the complete list.

Get all your NFL odds at Bodog Sportsbook.

Hmmmm interesting. Kerrigan has the potential... let's see how's he gonna do it to make it to the Rookie of the year.


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---> Check out this site for 2011 NFA Betting Lines

It looks like other than the maybe Hall of Fame Game that we will have a full NFL preseason and regular season as the league owners and the NFLPA are reportedly on the verge of a new collective bargaining agreement.

Reports are that the last major hurdle between the sides was bridged on Thursday as the owners and players agreed to a rookie wage system, which was the last big obstacle. Owners apparently made a concession on the money that could be paid if a player reaches the fifth year of his rookie contract. After the new deal is completed, top draft picks from the 2011 draft are likely to make about half of what those from 2010 made. The sides also reached a tentative agreement to make the 2011 salary cap $120 million, according to ESPN. Now that a cap number has been formed, teams need to determine the minimum cash payroll number, or what teams will be required to spend – i.e. the cap “floor.” The 2009 cap was $128 million while last year there was no salary cap.

There probably won’t be an agreement today but owners could well vote to ratify a new CBA at their meeting in Atlanta next Thursday. There are a few issues to be resolved yet, including free-agency rules for 2011. Another potentially contentious issue is the final disposition of the players’ antitrust lawsuit against the league.

If an agreement can be forged in the next few days, negotiators could present it to the mediator, Judge Arthur Boylan, on Tuesday. Then the owners could vote on the deal in Atlanta, while players likely would take steps to re-form their union. That would most likely allow free agency to begin later this month and training camps to open by the end of the month. The Hall of Fame Game, set for Aug. 7 in Canton between the Bears and Rams, might have to be sacrificed because the St. Louis and Chicago were originally scheduled to report to training camp next week. They wouldn’t likely have enough time to prepare for even an exhibition game and might be at a competitive disadvantage when the free-agent frenzy begins if they are the only teams in camp. The league had set a deadline of today to avoid canceling that game.

Football is almost back! Bet on NFL futures now at Bodog Sportsbook.