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10. Dallas Cowboys

As “America’s Team” and with Jerry Jones as your owner, the beginning of any NFL season will cast all eyes on the Cowboys by default. Tony Romo is still the starting quarterback, and with Jessica Simpson no longer around to blame for his failures on the field, the question is will he finally play to his potential and get the ‘Boys deep into the postseason after a year where they failed to post a winning record? The answer better be a resounding “yes” or head coach Jason Garrett (career backup QB that he was) may have to throw on a jersey and become a player/coach.

9. Cam Newton

The overall number 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft was taken by a team that already had a young quarterback in Jimmy Clausen. Seen as a pick the Carolina  Panthers could not pass up, Newton is currently in a battle with Clausen for the starting QB job. Newton will get to show his stuff for the first three quarters of Carolina’s next preseason game on Thursday (Aug. 25th). Will he impress enough to earn the starting nod once the games count?

8. Brett Favre comeback part…?

Brett Favre

This was a non-story when the NFL lockout ended until Michael Vick tweeted that he would be “honored” to have Favre as his backup in Philadelphia. That tweet was quickly deleted, but sent the rumor mill spinning out of control. The Eagles have since signed Vince Young to hold the clipboard for Vick, but that did not kill Brett Favre Voorhies yet…

7. Peyton Manning

The 4-time NFL MVP had neck surgery in the off-season and while it was common knowledge that he would not be ready for the pre-season, there are now whispers that Manning won’t be ready for opening kickoff. Re-enter Brett Favre. The Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted (in jest, we hope) on Sunday (Aug. 21st) that he was “in Hattiesburg” (as in Mississippi, where Favre lives). Now the sports world is forced to endure another pre-season of Favre “will-he-or-won’t-he” rumors because the Colts may need a starting quarterback. Shoot me now.

6. Jay Cutler

His team’s season ended in a NFC Championship playoff game loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, but Cutler was done about more than half the game before the final whistle. Cutler went down early in the game with what seemed to be a minor injury. Problem was Cutler never returned and, even worse, looked unaffected by what was happening on the field. Cutler took a beating on Twitter from his fellow players watching at home. Everyone from running back Maurice Jones-Drew to Deion Sanders questioned Cutler’s toughness. Turns out that Cutler had ligament damage in his knee. Still the players that called him out never apologized. Can Cutler rebound, and will his teammates (including Brian Urlacher, who did defend him after the game) respond to him as their leader this season?

5. Carson Palmer

In one of the weirdest developments of the off-season Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback Carson Palmer threatened to retire if he was not traded to another team. The Bengals did not budge, but they did bend a little just in case Palmer was serious. They drafted quarterback Andy Dalton in the second round and signed former Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski. They also re-signed Palmer’s younger brother Jordan (also a quarterback). To add insult to the game of chicken, long-time Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco was traded to perennial contenders The New England Patriots. Carson is not even on the Bengals official roster as of Monday Aug. 22nd, but if he decides to just show up for the start of the season the first QB to be cut would be his little brother. Insane.

4. Donovan McNabb

Thought to have found a new life in Washington, McNabb’s only season in the nation’s capital was the worst of his career. He was benched for the final three games of the season, a demoralizing slap in the face for a QB with McNabb’s track record. His exodus from the Redskins was a given, now the question is will he be able to lead the Minnesota Vikings to the promised land or was his season in Washington more than a fluke?

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

Similar to the Dallas Cowboys, the Steelers are always a team to watch heading into an NFL season because of off-the-field drama. The last couple of seasons the microscope has been on starting QB Ben Roethlisberger, but with Big Ben being a virtual choir boy leading the Steelers back to the Super Bowl after missing the first four games of the 2010 season the acrimony has come from other areas of the “black and yellow” squad. It began with linebacker James Harrison‘s comments criticizing Roethlisberger’s play in the Super Bowl. Harrison, who is no stranger to controversial remarks, in this case needed to, in the immortal words of ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the morning, “just shut up” here. Your quarterback got you to the Super Bowl after missing four games with a suspension. He pretty much beat the Jets in the AFC Championship game by himself. Smh. Then you have Hines Ward, who showed off his twinkle toes on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, then was pulled over for in a bizarre incident with a female companion that was deemed a misunderstanding, yet followed that up with a DUI arrest practically a week later. These guys prove that they feed off turmoil. I would not count them out.

2. Plaxico Burress

The Giants wanted him back (after turning their back on him at his lowest point), but he signed with the Jets. After hauling in a touchdown pass in his 2011 preseason debut eerily similar to the catch he made to win Super Bowl XLII for the other New York team, Burress is officially back. Can he lead another New York team to a Super Bowl victory?

1. New York Jets

For the third season in a row Jets head coach Rex Ryan predicted the Jets would not only make it to the Super Bowl, but win it. After falling short in the AFC title game two straight seasons, the average viewer had no reason to believe Ryan this time. After all, the Jets’ best chance was presumably this past season where they vanquished their bitter rival Patriots in an emotional Divisional playoff game. Unfortunately it seems to the Jets that was their AFC title game because they ran out of gas to the Steelers. Ryan must have known something the rest of the sports world did not. He already had a Super Bowl hero in Santonio Holmes at WR and could not get it done in 2010. Then the Jets signed Plaxico Burress. Burress cannot be covered as he proved time and again as a member of the Giants and Steelers. With both Burress and Holmes on the ends that can go up and get the ball on a fade route, you have to like the Jets’ chances to be there at the end.

BONUS:

Tiki Barber

After four years away from the game, Barber wants to come back to the NFL after a failed attempt at broadcasting. Does anyone want a 36 year-old running back who hasn’t played for four years. Some say the layoff has kept wear and tear off his body, but with the lifespan of an elite running back peaking at age 30, Tiki’s plight may be daunting.

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According to ESPN.com, Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant is being sued by A+A Diamonds LTD for an unpaid jewelry bill of $246,000. The New York based company filed a civil suit Friday in Dallas.  Bryant’s attorney, Texas state Sen. Royce West, said that Bryant did know the jeweler and that the issue in dispute was how much is actually owed and when it was due.

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Bryant was drafted in the first round by Dallas in 2010 and finished his rookie season with 561 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. He was recently ejected from an upscale Mall in Dallas for wearing his pants too low, but the charges of criminal trespass were dismissed.

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Jackson finished the night with 210 receiving yards on just four catches in the 30 to 27 win. It was the third most receiving yards ever in one game for an Eagles receiver.

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This may seem like a cruel joke considering The Dallas Cowboys current 1-7 record on the year. But, fans are fans. Despite the bad season this team is having, the dialogue in the group, Dallas Cowboy Fan, is still moving and if you ARE a true Dallas Cowboys fan, don’t hide now! Join the group here!

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The NFL preseason has already started and the popcorn, beer, hot dogs and whatever football food that’s consumed, is being stored for the winter, so now is the perfect time to show you the most popular NFL groups on BlackPlanet.

Dallas Cowboy Fans Only

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

N.F.L.

NY GIANTS

If your NFL team isn’t listed here, now is the time to form your own group!

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VIA ESPN:

Never-before-released court documents and amateur video help provide the clearest picture yet of what happened inside a Las Vegas strip club on Feb. 19, 2007, when Adam “Pacman” Jones showered scantily clad dancers with money. Just minutes after “making it rain,” Jones was involved in a fight inside the club. A short time later, three people were shot outside the club.

Jones initially was charged with felony coercion for his role in the melee. The charge later was reduced, but the incident ultimately helped push his NFL career to the brink.

The video and documents, including witness statements, search warrants and internal police memos, were obtained by “Outside the Lines” and the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The documents include differing statements Jones provided to Las Vegas police — one made the day of the shooting and one from seven months later.

The amateur video, held as evidence in the shooting case, could be played when Arvin Edwards stands trial in February. Edwards is charged with three counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting.

Jones was in Las Vegas for NBA All-Star Weekend. After losing $50,000 or $60,000 gambling at Caesars Palace, according to statements, Jones went on a hot streak, winning $120,000 at the Palms hotel and casino.

Shortly after 2 a.m. on Feb. 19, Jones and an entourage of about seven people — a group that included his stylist; his business manager, Chris Horvath; and Robert Reid, Jones’ massive bodyguard for the evening — arrived at the Minxx Gentlemen’s Club & Lounge. Celebrity sightings at the club increased as the evening progressed. Rapper Nelly and rapper/producer Jermaine Dupri, both Grammy-winning artists, arrived at the club not long after Jones. Professional boxer Zab Judah and Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson were also in the crowd.

Jones told police he arrived at the club with “close to $100,000.” He took $40,000 out of his Louis Vuitton bag and exchanged it for several stacks of $1 bills, which he put in a black trash bag, according to his statement. So much money was thrown onto the main stage that dancers, after their sets, started filling buckets with the loose bills covering the stage.

At one point, Jones told police, Dupri called him to the stage. Jones climbed the short steps while cradling “probably about $12,000 to $14,000,” according to one of his statements.

For more about this story, please click here and find out what happened with Adam “Pacman” Jones!

Suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones is done with the inpatient portion of his NFL-ordered alcohol treatment and has returned to Texas, where he hopes to soon rejoin the team.

Jones’ attorney, Worrick Robinson, said the player is handling personal matters while waiting for Commissioner Roger Goodell to determine if Jones will be reinstated and be able to play again this season or in the future.

“He’s using this time to focus on himself and focus on his priorities, which is to stay committed to the program he started,” Robinson told the Associated Press. “He’s re-establishing his life in Dallas with this program being a priority.”

Jones was suspended indefinitely last month for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The commissioner said then that the suspension would be a minimum of four games and that he would evaluate the situation after that time. The fourth game was Sunday, and Jones took part in a program in the Boston area during the month while he wasn’t playing.

Robinson said there has “not been any timetable for when a decision will be made by the commissioner.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said last week that he would welcome Adam Jones back to the team if he’s reinstated and didn’t expect it to be a distraction if the player returned.

“No, not if he’s adhering to the kind of things that he has to address,” the owner said. “He was a hard worker, hard practicer and certainly contributed positively to our team. So I don’t consider him a distraction.”

Be A Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader:

With her down-home sensibilities and killer smile, Governor Palin can easily trade her Alaskan cold shoulder for a blazing hot blue and silver cheerleading uniform thus driving crowds into a frenzy. Besides… with “America’s Team” falling on hard times, Governor Palin can use the skills she learned during the McCain campaign to bring a smile to everyone down in the Lone Star state.

Become the “White Oprah”:

Her easy-going nature and charm can get her on any TV in America. In fact, the other white Oprah (zing!) can put her money where her mouth is and invest in another entertainment asset that will go along with her collection of Dr. Phil and Rachel Ray. Palin can touch on the issues that are really top priority in America: when to run from a black person, how to answer a question without answering it and why dating an older man who’s married is a gift and a curse.

Be a Playboy magazine cover girl:

Men love women who love guns and although most liberals aren’t fans of the NRA, they’d run over each other to cop the latest issue of Playboy. Imagine a smoking-hot Republican on the cover of Hugh’s prized mag. She might single-handedly revitalize the print game — that or at least become the iconic wet dream for men all over this great land of ours.

Be on Dancing With The Stars:

Retired football giants, reality TV stars, Kim Kardashian and more have all been on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars with mixed results. I think homegirl could two-step with the best of them. Judging by the hips Palin has she’d at least be better than the one-legged girl. Ultimately, some drama may unfold when she sees Emmitt Smith in the changing room and says, “Maybe it’s not so bad to have a black president after all…“