According to an NBC/Pro Football Talk report, the latest injury update on New England TE Rob Gronkowski is that he was able to practice at full speed earlier today and will “definitely” play, via Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

It’s not known how much Gronk will play, but even if he’s a glorified decoy, he’s obviously a huge weapon for Tom Brady and the New England offense.

You have the Jets emerging as a threat with rookie QB Mark Sanchez and the Ravens rolling right along with 2nd year QB Joe Flacco, but you also have the duds and the disappointments.

Lets have a look at all 32 AFC teams.

AFC EAST

1. New York Jets 3-0

It has been a great story for the Jets this season. Mark Sanchez has quieted the doubters, and has this team on their way to a playoff spot.

But not all the credit goes to Sanchez.

The defense has played phenomenally, giving up only 11 points a game, good for 2nd in the league. The run defense is 9th in the league, and the pass defense is 5th.

With a defense like that, and Sanchez consistently hitting Cotchery, this Jets team could take the division title.

2. New England Patriots 2-1

With the return of Tom Brady, many thought the Patriots would be back to their dominant selves again, but New England has shown some vulnerability.

Sure, their record is decent enough, and their ranks in the team stats are solid, but if you look at the games they have played New England has had some uncharacteristic trouble beating the opponent. Case in point: Week 1, when they almost lost to Buffalo, a team that is struggling on offense. This has me thinking it’s the defense that is holding the Patriots back.

Both Moss and Welker are dealing with nagging injuries, which could hinder the Patriots if they continue to linger. The Patriots will have a winning record, but they are not the 18-1 team they were in 2007.

3. Buffalo Bills 1-2

This was supposed to be a bounce back year for the optimistic Bills, but it has been the opposite.

The defense is playing terribly, T.O. has only 98 yards receiving in three games, and the team does not have a rushing TD.  Buffalo is going to have to step it up both offensively and defensively if they want to have a chance in this division.

4. Miami Dolphins 0-3

Probably the biggest letdown in the AFC so far.

After posting an 11-5 record in 2008, the team looked rejuvenated. This year, however, they are playing like the 1-15 team they were in 2007. 

Now that Chad Pennigton is out for the rest of the year, the team picked up now former Chiefs QB, Tyler Thigpen. Will Thigpen be the answer? I don’t see it happening.

Miami has dug itself in a huge hole in arguably the best division in the AFC. It will be a long season for the Dolphins and their fans.

AFC NORTH

1. Baltimore Ravens 3-0

This team is proving that last year wasn’t a fluke.

Joe Flacco is the real deal. He has driven this offense rather than just managing the game, something that makes me think this team could win the Super Bowl this year.

The defense is still the same dominate force, but now the Ravens don’t have to solely rely on their defense to make the big plays. Joe Flacco has developed a solid rapport with veteran Derick Mason, and if Flacco can continuously find Mason, watch out.

2. Cincinanti Bengals 2-1

Kind of a surprise to me that this team has a 2-1 record, but Cincinati has a knack for laying low and surprising you.

Carson Palmer isn’t having a spectacular year, but he is healthy, and that’s really what the team needs. Cedric Benson has been a sleeper this year, and Ochocinco is back to playing well.

The schedule has them playing some tough teams, but if everything continues we could see Cincy in the playoffs.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers 1-2

Pittsburgh probably didn’t see themselves being 1-2 after week 3 and in 3rd place, but that’s the way it has gone for the previous Super Bowl champs.

Their current 1-2 record is deceiving and should improve with their next 3 games coming against San Diego, Detroit, and Cleavland. I don’t see the Steelers failing to recover and not making the playoffs.

Big Ben is looking sharp and Willie Parker has finally found his footing in the running game. Look for the Steelers to win three weeks straight and get back on track.

4. Cleavland Browns 0-3

I don’t mean to diss on the Browns, but there are so many problems with this team right now, most noticeably the QB problem. Neither Brady Quinn nor Derek Anderson have shown themselves to be the answer, but you can’t just blame them.

The Browns’ O-line is non-existent, the WRs seem like they are not even on the field, and the defense is just awful. All of this makes the Browns the worst team in the NFL, as of week 3.  This looks like to be another disappointing year for the Browns.

AFC SOUTH

1. Indianapolis Colts 3-0

The Colts find themselves atop the division. Not much of a surprise there.

Peyton Manning really runs this team, something that he has been doing for years. The Colts are a dominant force in the league, and I like their chances of making it deep into the playoffs.

The rout of the Cardinals Monday night was a sign that the Colts are finally hitting their marks. Watch out NFL.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-2

Jacksonville is a perfect example of a medicore team that just needs some more talent to become a good-to-great team. They are once again showing signs of being a .500 team, but’s I think it’s possible for the Jaguars to be a 9-7 team. 10-6 would be pushing it a little.

Just a little more talent, and this team could make a name for itself.

3. Houston Texans 1-2

Houston is a great example of an up-and-coming team.

With the duo of Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, Houston can be dominating on offense. What’s killing them is their running game and their defense. Steve Slaton has yet to find his footing, and the defense is in the bottom four in three out of the four primary defensive stats.

Like Jacksonville, Houston is a team that just needs a little more talent. They have the offensive weapons, but they desperatly need the defensive weapons.

4. Tennessee Titans 0-3

The biggest shocker in the NFL is that the Titans are 0-3. I didn’t expect to post better numbers than last year, but I never expected to see them in last place and 0-3.

They are in a desperate place right now.

The Titans’ pass defense is ranked 29th, which could be the source of the problems. They are giving up 23 points a game, a little too high if this team wants to succeed.

They better find a cure fast before they dig themselves to deep into a hole.

AFC WEST

1. Denver Broncos 3-0

Denver has found its way back to the top of their division even after losing their star QB and having to deal with Brandon Marshall’s antics. Yet the Broncos have overcome those off-season problems.

The only problem the Broncos have is trying to sustain their current lead. Last year they blew their division lead, and I hope they are trying something different so that it does not happen again.

Kyle Orton is doing what he does best: winning football games. As long as they keep playing consistently, and not suffering any major injuries, the Broncos could easily win the AFC West title.

2. San Diego Chargers 2-1

San Diego has a great QB in Philip Rivers, but LT has yet to come back to his old ways.

LT is on the “DL” right now and the Chargers have yet to find a good replacement for him, which has led to the Chargers being second to last in rushing yards. Their inability to run the ball has been the main source of the Chargers not making it deep into the playoffs the past couple of years.

The defense remains steady, but far from great.

The Chargers need their running game back or there is little hope for this team to make the playoffs.

3. Oakland Raiders 1-2

The Raiders do have a win, but don’t expect many more.

This team can’t score if the players’ lives depended on it. JaMarcus Russell seems like another 1st pick bust. Darius Heyward-Bey has only one catch this year. These players just prove that the Raiders draft the worst possible guys.

Something is wrong with this organization. It needs to be revamped, and it needs to be done now.

4. Kansas City Chiefs 0-3

I wanted to believe in this team and I wanted them to succeed, but all they have shown is that they are still way behind.

They made the worst move in releasing Tony Gonzalez, who is the greatest TE to ever play. He was also their entire offense. Once he left, so did the offense.

Dwayne Bowe is showing promise, and Matt Cassel…well…we will just have to wait and see. Their O-line is just terrible, so it’s no wonder Casel can’t score. The defense is always on top of him.  

The Chiefs were hoping to compete this year, but thats not going to be possible this year. All I can say is wait ’til next year.

Stay tuned for the follow-up article about the NFC.

——————–

1. Sam Bradford

This past Saturday, Oklahoma was upset in new the Dallas Cowboys stadium by BYU. What’s worse is that last year’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Sam Bradford, injured his throwing shoulder on his way to the ground. Sooner Nation stopped breathing for a moment, however with recent reports it seems that the Sooner’s Slinger will only miss 2-4 weeks.

I’ll Tell You This: For all of you skeptics of Mark Sanchez and other athletes coming to pro sports early, and for all of you haters of high schoolers jumping to NBA, this is the case against you. Bradford decided to stick around one more year when he could have been the #1 pick last year. What if this was a career ending injury? Even though it’s not at this point, what if it severely affects Bradford’s play?  Bradford would possibly never get to live his dream of playing pro football. And worse, what would be his future profession after dumping all of his time into becoming an A-level quarterback?

2. Saving Weis?

Charlie Weis and all of South Bend (and those who support the Irish) may breathe just a little easier after Notre Dame pitched a shutout against Nevada. Jimmy Clausen finally looked like the quarterback that he has been hyped to be, completing 15 of 18 passes for 315 yards and 4 touchdowns.

I’ll Tell You This: No coach in sports is under as much pressure as Charlie Weis is right now. Notre Dame MUST win, and look good in doing so. However, this was Nevada. It’s the first week of the season. The team that should have won did. Next week brings bitter rival the Big Blue of Michigan. Someone shoot Charlie a text and let him know his job is still on the line.

3. Al Davis Strikes Again

Once again, Bill Bellicheck is a genius and Al Davis is a fool. This past weekend the New England Patriots traded DE Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders for a first round pick in 2011. Seymour is getting older and has seemingly started to lose a step, but is still an upgrade to a porous Raiders D-Line. However, the question remains: is he worth a first round pick?

I’ll Tell You This: There is not a soul on the earth that can honestly tell me that Al Davis made a good move, or ever will. Seymour is a “right now” type of guy, and Oakland is FAR from a “right now” type of team. There is no doubt that the Patriots will likely be picking top 5 in the 2011 draft, and that is something that no one in the entire NFL (save for New England) wants to see (and it’s possible that Al Davis won’t even live long enough to see). Al Davis needs to let go of this historic NFL franchise or they will never succeed. It’s definitely the black hole….a place where NFL players and winning go to die.

4. The Rookies

NFL rookies take the cake this year as both Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions and Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets will both get the starting nod at quarterback for their respective teams this season.

I’ll Tell You This: Although I think both guys are talented and will be good quarterbacks in the NFL, both teams are making mistakes starting them. Yes, some quarterbacks do well when thrown right into the mix (see Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts). However, in many cases it hurls what may have been a talented superstar into the cursed pool of the draft day flops (See Ryan Leaf, Joey Harrington, and David Carr). And some never can turn it around afterwards. Both teams have respectable veteran starters in Daunte Culpepper (Detroit) and Kellen Clemens (NY).  I can only hope for the sake of these two QB’s that they follow Peyton’s path to success and not Ryan Leaf’s path to America’s Funniest Home Videos.

5. The Knockout Heard Round the World

Everyone has seen it. Most of us saw it every hour for 48 straight hours on every sport program on television. And while for a fan of MMA like myself it was somewhat exciting to watch, America was once again taken aback by another sports thug when Oregon standout running back LeGarrette Blount sucker punched Boise State’s Byron Hout after Hout spouted a little trash talk to Blount. Blount made things worse by almost going Ron Artest-style on a couple fans on his way to the locker room. It took 4 or 5 police officers and building security to keep him from broaching the stands.

I’ll Tell You This: Although it is very sad to see a player throw away his career for lack of ability to keep his attitude in control, I do find it funny that the game started with both teams meeting at midfield for a handshake in light of “Good Sportmanship Week.” What I also find funny is that Blount ran his mouth ALL week before the game and then after getting held in check and to career lows, couldn’t take what he had been dishing out. The senior received a one year suspension, thus ending his college career. What will he do with his time off? Maybe he should give the Winnepeg Blue Bombers a call. He can hang out with Pacman Jones. They would make a cute couple. Canada can have him too.

**********

You can follow BigMB on Twitter by going to www.twitter.com/mylesb3269.

——————–

We are just over one week away from NFL kickoff 2009, less that a week from College Football, and coming down the stretch in Major League Baseball. Here are my top 5 stories for this week.

1 – LA Dodgers Make Deals to Solidify Playoff Roster

As the waiver deadline approaches the most active team seems to be the L.A. Dodgers, picking up White Sox slugger Jim Thome and Diamondbacks’ hurler Jon Garland. As of today the Dodgers hold a 5.5 game lead on Colorado, who also made a move trading for White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras.

I’ll tell you this: the Dodgers are putting together a team that will compete with the Yankees in the World Series. There is no doubt in my mind that the Dodgers are the team to beat in the National League, save for maybe (and this is painful for a Cub’s fan to admit) the Cardinals.

2 – A Tale of Two Cities: Minnesota and Philadelphia

Brett Favre and Michael Vick have made their comebacks and the inevitable debates have followed.

In Minnesota, talk of team mutiny was rumored, some sources saying that the locker room was split. These rumors were put to bed quickly, but Viking Nation may see it differently. One Vikings fan was found to have a live goat in her trunk painted purple and gold.

Vick has also been met with equivalent praise and disapproval, with Donovan McNabb going on record saying that Vick’s presence and the style of play-calling involving Vick was “a gimmick” and a distraction from their game plan.

I’ll tell you this: Like it or not, the Vikings became a contender when they signed Favre. However, Vick brings quite the distraction both on and off of the field. It will be interesting to see, but if McNabb is already skeptical about Vick’s role, then that can’t be a good sign for the Eagles.

3 – Trouble in Ann Arbor

In what has been a tumultuous summer of violations in College Football, one last situation has raised its ugly head right before the season’s start.

This week some former and current players accused Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff of exceeding the NCAA’s practice guidelines and complained that the staff was over-working student athletes beyond the maximum weekly and daily hours limitations. Rodriguez responded with an emotional press conference, completely denying the allegations by saying that they were “miscommunications” and “just not true.”

I’ll Tell You This: The Wolverines went 3-9 last year in Rodriguez’s first year at the helm. While it would not surprise me that these players were over-worked, I think the bigger issue is that, to save his job, Rodriguez has to find a way to bring Michigan back to being one of the premier teams in the NCAA.

4 – Injuries in the NFL Preseason

With the NFL preseason coming to an end, injuries have already begun to raise their ugly heads at big-time positions for teams.

Patriots QB Tom Brady injured his shoulder when Redskins $100 million dollar man Albert Haynesworth crushed him in the second quarter of their game last week. The master of masking issues, Bill Belichick, down-played the injury saying that Brady would be ready for the regular season.

Brett Favre has said that he has a cracked rib, but played in the Vikings’ preseason game against Houston without any protection. Could it be that Favre is preparing an excuse for what might become a disappointing season?

Finally, all of Kansas City stopped breathing for about 24 hours when off-season acquisition QB Matt Cassel went down hard with a knee injury. At first the prognosis was 4-6 weeks, seemingly a finishing blow to KC before the season even started; however, now reports are saying that the MCL strain that Cassel suffered was minor and he would return to the lineup possibly sooner rather that later, maybe even for the season opener.

I’ll Tell You This: Nothing can kill a team’s season faster than an unexpected and unnecessary preseason injury. Hopefully all of the above stay healthy so we can watch as many teams battle it out for the playoffs at full strength as possible. A healthy NFL is a more fan-friendly NFL.

5 – The Return of Pacman

Adam “Pacman” Jones has returned to football. But this time it’s not in the NFL. It’s not even with the upstart AFL, which launches next month. 

No, Pacman Jones is headed to the Canadian Football League. He has signed “in principal” a one year deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

I’ll tell you this: Who cares?

Apparently no-one in the NFL is ok with giving Jones yet another chance to prove that he can’t control his personal life, and honestly, I can’t blame them. Jones is just one of those players with all the talent in the world but no self-control. And playing professional sports is a luxury. He can’t control his life, he is a thug, and he is not a role model like we want our athletes of today to be.

Good riddance Pacman. Canada, you can have him.

**********

You can follow BigMB on twitter by going to www.twitter.com/mylesb3269

* – Jose Contreras and Jim Thome photo credit: by Charles Rex Arbogast – AP via South Side Sox

ESPN.com has just reported that Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl TE Kellen Winslow has beeen suspended for one week without pay, including the Sunday game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Following the loss to the Washington Redskins, Kellen Winslow stated that he was unhappy with the way the Browns had handled his staph infection, stating he felt like “a piece of meat.” The suspension will cost K2 a reported $235,294, which is equal to one game check. Kellen Winslow will not be allowed to practice or attend team meetings this week.

(Update: Since the publishing of this post, Phil Savage has released an official statement on ClevelandBrowns.com. Follow the link to read it. Also, is it possible that the Drew Rosenhaus factor is at play here?)

Winslow’s loss will give those Cleveland Browns fans who claimed that the run game was more efficient with Kellen Winslow’s absence versus the Giants will get what they wished for this week against the Jaguars. If the Browns are productive on the ground in Jacksonville, those Cleveland fans may be onto something.

From the perspective of fantasy football owners, Steve Heiden is a formatable tight end who does not have Kellen Winslow-like big play ability, but does catch what ever hits his hands, and is a good red zone target.

In other NFL news, New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison will miss the remainder of the season, possibly ending the 15 year veterans career. The Boston Globe reported that Harrison tore his right quad muscle while attempting to tackle Jay Culter of the Broncos last night.

Sammy Morris, who also left last night’s game at the half, was listed as questionable for return for the New England Patriots. Reports out of New England state that Morris’s injury was not that serious and he was seen walking around the locker room after the Patriots win over the Broncos without a limp.

Check in with www.Midwestsportsfans.com for additional updates as they become available.

Kurt Fraschetti

profootballinsight@live.com