Did anyone else notice that New England Patriots placekicker Stephen Gostkowski signed an extension with the Pats worth nearly $14 million!

Wholly crap, I was sitting in an Italian restaurant looking at my phone, checking my twitter feed, and when I saw it I nearly choked on the Focaccia!

The heck with work, tomorrow morning I'm waking up my 13 year old and 9 year old sons and we are going to start kicking. Heck, I'm going to get my 6 year old daughter out there as well; maybe even the wife!

Every day after school, as soon as I get home from work we are all going down to the local field and for one hour we are going to kick. $14 Million! How hard can it be? Really? The guy kicks an inflated pigskin threw a a stationary object that is 10' high and 18 1/2' wide, and he's going to get $14 million!

I've been preaching to my 13 year old since the day he could understand me that he needed to get good grades and get into a good college so that he could get a good job. I've had it all wrong! You don't need to know Jack, as long as you can kick. - Keith A. Baker

• NCAA Football 2010 Season Previews (Full List)
• NFL 2010 Season Previews (Full List)

2009 final record (overall, conference): 8-5, 3-5
Bowl Game: Outback Bowl (W 38-35 OT vs. Northwestern)
Final Ranking (AP, Coaches'): NR, NR
Conference finish: 5th SEC West
Offensive rank: 16
Defensive rank: 68

2009 Individual Statistical Leaders

Rushing: Ben Tate, 1,362 yards, 10 TD
Passing: Chris Todd, 2,612 yards, 22 TD, 6 INT
Receiving: Darvin Adams, 997 yards, 10 TD
Tackles: Josh Bynes, 104 total tackles; Craig Stevens, 95 total tackles
Sacks: Antonio Coleman, 10 sacks (8 solo, 4 assisted)
Interceptions: Walter McFadden, 6 interceptions (2 touchdowns)

2010 Season Outlook

Key Matchups

September 9 @ Mississippi State: The Bulldogs won't win the SEC or anything, but they'll be hell-bent on escaping the basement of the SEC West and what better way than by starting conference play with a win? The opener against Arkansas State should be a win, but with Clemson and South Carolina coming up, winning this one is a must.

October 16-30 vs. Arkansas, vs. LSU, @ Ole Miss: With Alabama heavily favored to represent the West in the SEC Championship, the battle for second place will be in full-swing all season. Auburn, Arkansas and LSU all field solid teams and even Ole Miss could make a nice push in the division.

November 26 @ Alabama: As we stand now with this game months away, there aren't many people who would give Auburn much of a chance in this one. That said, the Iron Bowl is one of the biggest college football rivalries, and if you ask most people in the South, they'll tell you it's THE rivalry. From 2000 to 2007, Auburn owned this game with their only loss coming in 2001. With Alabama now a national power again, the Tide has taken the last two. This is one of those rivalries where one team can lose all of their other games (not that either will), but if they win this one, the season will be considered at least a moderate success, especially if it knocks the other out of the national title hunt.

AP: 22nd

Coaches': 23rd

Key Losses

Chris Todd, QB; Ben Tate, RB; Tommy Trott, TE; Antonio Coleman, DE; Walter McFadden, CB

Key Returning Players

Mario Fannin, RB; Onterio McCalebb, RB; Darvin Adams, WR; Lee Ziemba, OT; Ryan Pugh, C; Josh Bynes, LB; Daren Bates, LB/S; Neiko Thorpe, CB

• NCAA Football 2010 Season Previews (Full List)
• NFL 2010 Season Previews (Full List)

2009 final record (overall, conference): 9-4, 4-4
Bowl Game: Cotton Bowl (W 21-7 vs. Oklahoma State)
Final Ranking (AP, Coaches'): 20, 21
Conference finish: 3rd SEC West
Offensive rank: 44
Defensive rank: 21

2009 Individual Statistical Leaders

Rushing: Dexter McCluster, 1,169 yards, 8 TD
Passing: Jevan Snead, 2,632 yards, 20 TD, 20 INT
Receiving: Shay Hodge, 1,135 yards, 8 TD
Tackles: Kendrick Lewis, 84 total tackles; Johnny Brown, 81 total tackles
Sacks: Emmanuel Stephens and Marcus Tillman, 5.5 sacks (5 solo, 1 assisted)
Interceptions: Patrick Trahan, Fon Ingram, Cassius Vaughn and Kendrick Lewis, 2 interceptions each (Fon, 1 touchdown)

2010 Season Outlook

Key Matchups

The first five: The Rebels have a tough schedule once they reach October 16, but before that date, it's cake. Four of their first five are at home with the lone exception being a trip to take on Tulane. Jacksonville State, Vanderbilt, Fresno State and Kentucky are at home. I'll stop short of saying they have to start the season 5-0 to come up with a successful season, but it sure would help with a tumultuous road ahead.

October 23 @ Arkansas: The trip to Tuscaloosa the week before to take on the defending champs is likely going to be a loss for the Rebels, but the Rebels can win the road trip to Arkansas the week after. If they do, they'll set a good tone for the second half of the schedule and would do themselves a big favor towards reaching eight or nine wins.

November 27 vs. Mississippi State: This was an tough matchup last season that culminated in a 41-27 loss for the Rebels. Four turnovers, including three Jevan Snead interceptions, didn't help matters. The home team has won 10 of the last 11 Egg Bowl games, so the Rebels have that going for them, but they'll have to be on their toes to close out their season against the rivals Bulldogs coming off trips to Tennessee and LSU the previous weeks.

AP: Not Ranked

Coaches': Not Ranked

Key Losses

Jevan Snead, QB; Dexter McCluster, RB; Shay Hodge, WR; Patrick Patterson, WR; John Jerry, G; Daverin Geralds, C; Marcus Tillman, DE; Patrick Trahan, LB; Kendrick Lewis, S

Key Returning Players

Brandon Bolden, RB; Markeith Summers, WR; Jesse Grandy, WR; Bobby Massie, OT; Kentrell Lockett, DE; Jerrell Powe, DT; Jonathan Cornell, LB; Johnny Brown, S

• NCAA Football 2010 Season Previews (Full List)
• NFL 2010 Season Previews (Full List)

2009 final record (overall, conference): 5-7, 3-5
Bowl Game: None
Final Ranking (AP, Coaches'): NR, NR
Conference finish: 6th SEC West
Offensive rank: 65
Defensive rank: 58

2009 Individual Statistical Leaders

Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 1,391 yards, 12 TD
Passing: Tyson Lee, 1,444 yards, 4 TD, 14 INT
Receiving: Chad Bumphis, 375 yards, 4 TD
Tackles: Jamar Chaney, 90 total tackles
Sacks: Pernell McPhee, 5 sacks (4 solo, 2 assisted)
Interceptions: Corey Broomfield, 6 interceptions (2 touchdowns)

2010 Season Outlook

Key Matchups

September 9 vs. Auburn: The Tigers won't be an easy win by any means, and the Bulldogs have won just once against Auburn since 2001 including their 3-2 loss in 2008, but with a very tough schedule on the horizon including a matchup at LSU the following week and versus Georgia in Starkville the week after, winning the conference opener could be key for not only getting off on the right foot, but making the bowl season as well.

October 9 @ Houston: This is going to be a major test for the secondary against one of the country's most prolific offenses. Case Keenum put up 5,671 yards and threw for 44 touchdowns a season ago, threw a touchdown pass in every game and failed to reach 300 yards just twice (vs. SMU: 233 yards; vs. Air Force: 222 yards). The offense will also have to be all systems go facing off against last season's top scoring offense (tied with Boise State).

g>November 27 @ Ole Miss: The Bulldogs and Rebels are widely expected to finish fifth and sixth in the West in either order this season. This game could determine not only who's in the basement, but whether the Bulldogs, or Rebels for that matter, go to a bowl game.

AP: Not Ranked

Coaches': Not Ranked

Key Losses

Tyson Lee, QB; Anthony Dixon, RB; Jamar Cheney, LB; Marcus Washington, CB

Key Returning Players

Chris Relf, QB; Chad Bumphis, WR; Marcus Green, TE; Derek Sherrod, OT; Pernell McPhee, DE; K.J. Wright, LB; Jonathan Banks, DB; Charles Mitchell, S

Today is Darrelle Revis Day in New York. Jets fans will be scouring the internet, checking their favorite news sites, typing his name into Google Search and refreshing their twitter feed on their cell phone all day looking for news that Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw's source was in fact correct and Revis and the Jest would come to terms today..... or at least announce it.

From where I sit, the self imposed media blackout has caused more press about the situation than if the sides just let everyone know what was going on. This way, speculation has just run wild.

All day yesterday there were whispers that that the Jets' All-Pro cornerback, who has now been a no-show for the past 25 days now due to the contract impasse, may be close to signing a new deal. For every one of those claims that the Jets and Revis were meeting yesterday, there was a report rebutting the claim stating that contrary to reports, the Jets and Revis' agents were not scheduled to meet yesterday and that there were strong indications that such an encounter never occurred as both sides have been far apart in the financial terms of a reworked deal.

As the sun rises in the East on Wednesday morning we have now reports that Revis has taped a television interview that is scheduled to air today, and reports also disputing that claim. Then there is the theory that this is all a PR stunt and that this will all conclude on HBO's Hard Knocks this evening. As crazy as that may seem, while so many were out bashing columnist Tim Cowlishaw saying that there was no way he could have an NFL source that the reporters don't, has anyone considered the fact that his source was an HBO source and not a Jets, agent, or NFL source?

Look, I'm not saying that you will see Revis sign on Hard Knocks tonight, but stranger things have happened.  Besides, we've already seen saw Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum get their deals on Episode One, so it's not like they haven't done this before or that it would be something out of character for them to do?

The Jets have been a PR machine for months now doing anything and everything to fill their new stadium and sell their PSL's. They signed on to do Hard Knocks and brought in Hall of Famers to be LaDainian Tomlinson and long time nemesis Jason Taylor. They've added suspended player for ¼ of the season, Super Bowl MVP, Santonio Holmes, and they've brought in perhaps one of the best known problems in the league, defensive back, Antonio Cromartie and his entire virtually instantaneous family.

If Revis signs on Hard Knocks this evening a lot of people will be pissed off. But it won't be the fans, it will be the media. Think of all the Jets bashing the media has handed out recently. How bad to the Jets want to stick it to the media by giving them no opportunity to break the story? The Jets fans will be happy because they finally got their guy. The main stream media will be furious because no one will have been able to break the story and the public will find out the same time they do. Except for Tim Cowlishaw....

There has certainly been a lot of pomp and circumstance about the Bret Favre situation this preseason. That was expected I guess, but now that "Bret Favre's plane has landed in Minnesota," we can actually talk about what Favre does ‘on the field' again.

The other big pre-season news is the Darrelle Revis holdout situation with the Jets. On Sunday, Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw came out with the pronouncement that he had "inside information" that Revis would come to terms with the Jets this Wednesday (tomorrow). The report has been highly contested by his peers and is being watched closely.

We only have to wait one more day to wait and find out if Cowlishaw's source was "in the know" and since Revis is deemed to be such an integral part of the Jets success this year, the world will be watching the wires closely. The moment any news comes on this front, it will spread like wild fire.

One of more important less covered topics this preseason has been the contract situation between the New England Patriots and their All Pro guard Logan Mankins. The topic may not be as "sexy" as some of the others around the NFL because it involves an offensive lineman; however that doesn't mean the issue may be any less important in the outcome of NFL games.

Mankins has stated that the Patriots have broken a promise to pay him more than New Orleans Saints offensive guard Jahri Evans' seven-year, $56.7 million deal and has maintained that the Patriots' offer was for seven years and $45.5 million.

At this point, it appears as though Mankins is so disgruntled that New England Patriots All-Pro offensive guard is prepared to sit out the entire season.

While this would clearly be a blow to the Pats, not all Patriots watchers necessarily feel that this will adversely affect the outcome of the Patriots season. As Derek Hanson of the Foxboro Blog points out,

"Logan Mankins has clearly been the Patriots' top offensive lineman for several seasons.  While his refusal to play certainly is a blow to the team, I don't foresee any major consequences.  In general, left guard is not a "make or break it" type of position. The Patriots still have an above average offensive line without Mankins, and they also have a strong record of overcoming injuries/losses of high-profile players."

Derek isn't the only one that thinks that way. Our Hank Koebler had this to say about the prospects of Mankins missing from the lineup.

"The loss of Mankins isn't a big blow for the Patriots. They're moving last year's rig tackle Nick Kaczur to left guard and letting Sebastian Vollmer, a strong young pass-blocker, take over at right tackle. If the line suffers any drop-off at all, it will be minimal, and Tom Brady's innate ability to make small movements in the pocket will counteract that. If anything, the offensive line might even improve if this shuffling of the line pays off. As usual, the Patriots know what they are doing when it comes to personnel."

While many are concerned about the void this may create, Derek and Hank may both be onto something. In the Belichick era, the Patriots certainly seem to have proven to ability to plug in back up players into their system and have them succeed.

Nevertheless, this situation certainly can't be categorized as good news for anyone associated with the Patriots and you would have to think it's a particularly disturbing situation for Tom Brady, Laurence Maroney and the rest of the running backs.

It's time to roll out my top 5 fantasy running backs for the 2010 fantasy season.  For those of you that have been reading my Quarterback and Wide Receiver rankings, you know that I don't just join the popular crowd. When it comes to elite running backs though, the top 4 guys are hard not to figure out. I might have them scuffled around differently, but those top 4 have all the key ingredients in place to be elite again this year. They all have solid offensive lines, they all get the bulk of the carries, and they all are big contributors in the receiving game as well. Most people haven't completed their fantasy draft yet. I usually suggest not having your draft until after the 3rd preseason at the earliest. Frankly, it is the 4th preseason game where you can really find some depth for your team. You'll usually see talent jumping off the screen in this game because this is where everyone left in camp not guaranteed a spot is fighting for one. I'll give you a couple names of some possible deep steals that you can watch for in the last preseason game.  Now, let's get to the Top 5...

5)  Ryan Grant - 2009 Stats - 1,253 Yds, 11 TD's, 4.4 Avg.

Grant is a bigger back with speed and size.  He had a solid season last year and if he stays healthy, I believe he should surpass that in 2010.  Green Bay could have the number one passing attack in 2010 and they have a lot of receiving threats that the opposing defense has to defend against.  Ryan should get favorable matchups in the receiving game as well as coming out of the backfield.  The top defenders will have their hands filled with guarding receivers like Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and a great pass catching tight end in Jermichael Finley.  Ryan gets the bulk of the carries as well so he doesn't have to worry about coming out of the game in the red zone or splitting the reps like DeAngelo Williams or Ronnie Brown do.

4)  Ray Rice - 2009 Stats - 1,339 Yds, 7 TD's, 5.3 Avg.

The toughest decision with putting Ray Rice in the top 5 was whether he would go 3 or 4.  The reason for the dilemma is that Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew are real similar "bowling ball" type running backs. Some of the pressure will be taken off of Rice in 2010 thanks to Raven's quarterback Joe Flacco getting new toys in wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Donte Stallworth.  The Ravens also drafted two young tight ends in Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.  This will be the first season that Flacco has had an allotment of receiving threats.  Rice comes in behind MoJo through because he also shares the backfield with Willis McGahee, Leron McClain, and Jalen Parmele.  He still gets the majority of the carries but they will eat into some of his fantasy points.

3)  Maurice Jones-Drew - 2009 Stats - 1,391 Yds, 15 TD's, 4.5 Avg.

MoJo is just a real physical runner.  He's small, but packs a huge punch.  He can hide behind those huge offensive linemen and then just burst out for a long gain.  He's also a big threat out of the backfield in the receiving game.  I'm not a big believer in the Jaguar's quarterback, David Garrard, but MoJo has proven that he can carry this team on his back.  He has a young, very talented back behind him in Rashad Jennings, but they usually only use him to spell Jones-Drew.  MoJo is the number one red zone threat on this team.   They rather pound it on the ground than go to Garrard's arm.

2)  Adrian Peterson - 2009 Stats - 1,383 Yds, 18 TD's, 4.4 Avg.

Adrian could easily be the number one fantasy back.  He's a monster running the ball.  He has a nose for the end zone and seems to step up his intensity the closer he gets to the end zone.  The two things that keep him at number two to me is the fumbling problem and can he stay healthy with his violent running style. I also wonder if Brett Favre can keep defenses from stacking up the box against A.D.  I know Favre had the season of his life last year, but I'm not that confident that the 41 year old Favre he can be that dominant two years in a row.

1)  Chris Johnson - 2009 Stats - 2,006 Yds, 14 TD's, 5.6 Avg.

First off, no. I don't believe that Chris Johnson will become CJ2K this year, however that doesn't mean that I don't think he'll have a good year. I can see him running for 1,700 or 1,800 yards this season. My feeling is that I would expect to see him have more receiving yards this year, and perhaps not enhancing on his already high bar he's established for rushing numbers.  CJ's stats shot up after VY started being his QB last year.  Now with having Young in place the whole season, you can only expect him to stay firm as the number one back.  There's really no reason to over analyze it...He's simply the best back in the NFL!

As you probably know by now, since May, our own Danny Hobrock has been traveling from campus to campus brining you 2010 College Football Previews from Division I NCAA Football schools across America.

In addition to putting out new previews each day, Danny often sends in updates on noteworthy players or issues that arise at schools after he's already left their campuses and we update the team previews.

Monday's 2010 Oregon State Beavers Preview update takes the cake.

"In what can only be described as a sad/legendary ending to his Saturday night, offensive lineman Tyler Thomas was arrested after police officers were called to a residence not his own just before 5 o'clock in the morning on Sunday. Thomas was found trespassing naked (yeah, naked) in the home office of the residence. Officers ordered him to the ground, but alas, he did not oblige. Instead he assumed a "three-point stance and lunged at the officers," according to the Gazette-Times.

Thomas was Tasered and taken to jail. It was reported, quite unnecessarily, that Thomas had been drinking. Un-freaking-believable. Kudos for the after-hours commitment to perfecting his stance for the upcoming season, but it won't do him any good as he was dismissed from the team."

I'm not certain if this is worthy of a David Letterman monologue, but if Letterman's writers are reading, there you go..... - Mike Cardano

Mike is the founder of Around the Horn Baseball and Xtra Point Football.

• NCAA Football 2010 Season Previews (Full List)
• NFL 2010 Season Previews (Full List)

2009 final record (overall, division): 8-8, 5-1
Division finish: 2nd NFC West
Offensive rank (Points, Total Yards, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards): 18th, 27th, 22nd, 25th
Defensive rank (Points, Total Yards, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards): 4th, 15th, 21st, 6th

2009 Individual Statistical Leaders

Rushing: Frank Gore, 1,120 yards, 10 TD; Glen Coffee, 226 yards, 1 TD
Passing: Alex Smith, 2,350 yards, 18 TD, 12 INT
Receiving: Vernon Davis, 965 yards, 13 TD; Michael Crabtree, 625 yards, 2 TD
Tackles: Patrick Willis, 114 total tackles, Dashon Goldson, 76 total tackles
Sacks: Manny Lawson, 6.5 total tackles; Justin Smith, 6.0 sacks, Parys Haralson, 5.0 sacks
Interceptions: Dashon Goldson, 4 INT, 0 TD; Dre’ Bly, 3 INT, 0 TD; Patrick Willis, 3 INT, 1 TD

2010 Season Outlook

Key Matchups

September 12 at Seattle: The 49ers narrowly missed the playoffs last year with an 8-8 record, but in all actuality, they owned the division, as they were 5-1 in the NFC West. For the 49ers to improve on their record, it is crucial that they maintain this divisional dominance. Seattle has worked hard to improve their passing attack and increase the potency of Matt Hasselbeck’s weapons. The 49ers have also gotten better through the air, but they have a strong running game to complicate it. For that reason, it’s likely that the 49ers have the edge in this game.

October 3 at Atlanta: The 49ers and the Falcons will square off in the Georgia dome, and both teams are going to be similar to each other on offense. While the 49ers have a better receiving corps and a slightly better offensive line than the Falcons, Atlanta has a better backfield, including the quarterback position, so the offenses should be about even with each other in this matchup. On defense, the 49ers play a 3-4 and the Falcons play a 4-3. The Falcons’ front seven and the 49ers’ front seven are close in their level of play, but the Falcons’ defensive backfield is way better than the 49ers’ last line of defense.

January 2 vs. Arizona: At this point, the Cardinals’ transition into a run-first team will be nearly complete, and they will have learned how to best compensate for the loss of several key players. If the division race is close at this point in the season, this final regular-season game could decide the divisional race.

Key Losses

Walt Harris, CB; Dre’ Bly, CB

Key Returning Players

Frank Gore, RB; Michael Crabtree, WR

About 3:30 EST Sunday afternoon Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw tweeted the following:

TimCowlishaw Revis and Jets announce new deal, probably Wednesday. You heard it here first. "Inside information!"

Some four hours later we still find all the NY tri-state area papers and media outlets scrambling to check and recheck their sources looking to confirm the information reported by Cowlishaw.

Looking into his claim a bit further, we find out that Cowlishaw cites a source who he claims "has never been wrong."

The New York Daily News, Newark Star-Ledger, the NY Post, Adam Schefter of ESPN and just about any other credible source you might find claims that they made their calls to sources and there is in fact no activity between the Jets and Darrelle Revis that would warrant such a statement.

It's not often that you find a credible journalist go out on a limb like this if he doesn't have it right.

It's not like the Dallas Morning News columnist is backing down either. As the clock ticks and the naysayers come out of the woodwork (many of them, his peers) to rebuff Tim's claim, Cowlishaw tweeted again:

TimCowlishaw I expect Jets writers to shoot down what I wrote about Revis. That's their job. It's not Wednesday is it? I fully expect it then.

ESPN's Senior NFL Analyst Chris Mortensen may be the only person that's giving any credibility to Cowlishaw's claim tweeting,

mortreport On Revis, even though Jets sources deny what @timcowlishaw is reporting; I hesitate to shoot down a very respected journalist like Tim.

I think that it's important to note that while Cowlishaw is in fact a columnist and not a reporter, that doesn't mean that he can't have a credible source.

If Cowlishaw's information holds true and the Jets and Revis announce a deal on or about Wednesday, many "well respected reporters" are going to look ignorant as they have apparently alienated Cowlishaw on this one and left him alone on "Revis Island." In no uncertain terms, basically what they are saying is that the sources they have as reporters are better than ones he could possibly have as a columnist and he can't possibly get info that they couldn't.

As Chris Mortensen stated, Cowlishaw is in fact a well respected journalist. Tim is very well established and it's not like he needs to make a splash to give himself street cred. In addition to currently being a sportswriter for The Dallas Morning News, Cowlishaw is also a regular panelist on the ESPN sports talk show Around the Horn and formerly the lead reporter for the ESPN2 racing show NASCAR Now.

I think it's also important to note that while Tim is not currently a "reporter," his resume does suggest that he has had the ability to make the necessary contacts to break such a story as in the past he's been a beat writer for the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers and provided coverage of Oklahoma Sooners football and the San Francisco Giants.