Posted by Will Brinson

The Jacksonville Jaguars' quarterback situation is one of the most obvious in the NFL, because Blaine Gabbert is the locked-out rookie and David Garrard is the overpaid veteran. There's a clear-cut hierarchy for playing time, especially as it relates to development, even if Garrard says he's "open" to competition. 

And yet, it might be one of the most intruiging situations in the league.

That's because Jack Del Rio's job hangs in the balance based on whether or not the Jaguars make the playoffs, which is based on whether or not Garrard can improve on his performance from the past few years.

If he can't, Gabbert could eventually see playing time. But Del Rio doesn't want that to happen.

"In a perfect world, I'd like to see him not have to play this year in terms of having time to develop," Del Rio told Dan Pompei of the National Football Post. "That doesn’t mean I would keep him on the bench if I thought he was the best option to win. Ideally he’s able to get that time to develop and really learn the game at this level. I'd love to see Garrard have a nice season, lead us into a playoff position, and then see if we can get hot.

"Things don't always happen the way you have them planned though."

No they don't. Especially when your schedule features the Jets, the Saints, the Steelers, the Ravens, the Titans and the Texans before the bye. (Even the easiest game on the schedule, Week 4 against the Panthers, is on the road and features a decent defense.)

That's not an easy stretch of games for any quarterback to play against, and it's entirely possible/likely that Garrard struggles through the first half of the season.

If he does, don't be surprised to see Gene Smith, Wayne Weaver and plenty of fans curious to see what the future of the franchise -- Gabbert -- actually looks like on the field.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

• NFL.com has a preview of the owner’s meetings that begin Tuesday in Chicago. Still plenty of obstacles to get a deal done.

• Eagles coach Andy Reid showed up at a Kenny Chesney concert and then put on Chesney’s cowboy hat. Apparently, the crowd loved it.

• An interesting story on Raiders rookie RB Taiwan Jones and how he has overcome his battles with dyslexia.

• Did you know the late Clarence Clemons, sax man for the E Street Band who died last week, once had NFL aspirations? Only a bad car accident when he was a senior in college wrecked those dreams.

• It seems like Patriots RB Kevin Faulk will have quite an uphill battle to keep his job.

• Outgoing Jacksonville mayor John Peyton played a big role in keeping the Jaguars on the right track these past couple years when things did not look good for the franchise.

• Former Seahawks T Brandon Frye was arrested last weekend on suspicion of DUI in Conway, S.C.

• Former NFL player Eric Naposki is set to go on trial for a murder that occurred in 1994. In the late 1980s, Naposki played a couple seasons with the Patriots and the Colts.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

With so much talk about AEG and which teams across the NFL that it’s targeting for relocation to Los Angeles, there are only really a few organizations that are truly in danger.

The Chargers are one, for sure. Maybe the Raiders, and depending on what happens with the Minnesota voters and their desire to partially fund a new stadium, perhaps the Vikings.

But if Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver has anything to say about it – and since he’s the owner, he absolutely does – Jacksonville doesn’t have to worry about losing its NFL franchise.

“I have no interest [in Los Angeles],” Weaver told the Florida Times-Union today. “I have been consistent in saying I am committed to Jacksonville and have no interest [in moving].”

Two years ago, the Jaguars perhaps would have been a fine candidate to leave, but last season, none of their home games were blacked out. With the lockout, though, ticket sales have slowed again. But if Jacksonville fans were worried, they can breathe a sigh of relief at Weaver’s latest proclamation.

“We have to work hard and be more creative because we’re in a small market in a difficult economy with high unemployment rates and a housing crisis that is more difficult than in other cities,” Weaver said.

And the team will have to be the one to solve those problems, because, as Weaver says, the Jaguars are going to stay in its small market instead of moving to one of the biggest in the country.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

Last week, we told you how AEG had targeted five NFL teams for possible relocation to Los Angeles – the Chargers, Jaguars, Raiders, Rams and Vikings.

Now, NFL.com has the news that AEG actually is targeting even more teams than that and that those teams are receiving monthly briefings detailing the progress of the downtown stadium (which will be named Farmers Field, as seen in the photo at right) and the surrounding area.

More from the story:

The next milestone for the Farmers Field effort comes on July 31, when AEG is expected to turn in a memorandum of understanding with the city council, which will outline a financing plan to build the stadium. AEG has committed $1 billion for the project, and is looking for $350 million in bonds from the city that would be repaid through new revenue created by the stadium, including the grounds lease and self-imposed seat and parking taxes.

The stadium will take approximately 30 months to build on the current site of the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The city has insisted that the proposed Pico Hall -- which would replace the West Hall -- be up and running before the West Hall is torn down to make way for Farmers Field, so the city won't lose convention business.

Like I wrote the other day, if I’m a Chargers fan, I’m feeling awfully nervous that L.A. is going to snatch my team away. And the more teams in the running for possible relocation is probably welcome news.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

All along, it’s been assumed that if AEG in Los Angeles – desperately trying to entice a team to L.A. – succeeded, it’d come at the expense of the Chargers. 

But in this Orange County Register report, AEG president Tim Leiweke says the group actually has been in talks with five teams in order to convince them to move to downtown Los Angeles. AEG is short for Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns or controls sports and entertainment properties around the world.

Those teams include the Chargers, the Jaguars, the Raiders, the Vikings and the Rams.

Most of those potential franchise moves wouldn’t be a huge surprise (especially San Diego and Minnesota, which most likely will keep the Vikings in a Minneapolis suburb but has talked to AEG within the past week – Jacksonville, meanwhile, seems to have stymied much of that relocation talk), but a potential move by the St. Louis franchise is something that hasn’t been discussed much lately (if at all).

More from the Register:

“St. Louis, Jacksonville, not extensively, certainly Oakland, San Diego, Minnesota are still in the mix," Leiweke said listing the teams AEG has met with before adding: "We're not packing any (moving) vans right now."

Leiweke also said AEG is prepared to pay the cost of for an NFL franchise to get out of a current lease so as to relocate to Los Angeles.

"Just as an example, if it's San Diego, they would have to pay $24 million under their agreement to get out of the lease," Leiweke said. "We would pay that."

AEG has been aggressive in trying to track down a team, and eventually, it probably will succeed. A couple weeks ago, I spoke with long-time Chargers beat writer Jerry Magee (now retired from the San Diego Union Tribune), and he said fans in San Diego were worried about the team moving a few hours up the coast.

I can’t say I blame them. They’re right to be worried. Because AEG means business. And eventually, the group will find somebody willing to relocate.

UPDATE (3:21 p.m. ET): If you have an opinion (or a guess) about which of those five squads could end up in L.A., take the CBSSports.com poll on our Facebook page.

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Posted by Andy Benoit

It’s no secret the Dallas Cowboys are looking for a change in their backfield. Bruising veteran Marion Barber is expected to be released after the lockout, and the team invested a third-round pick in Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray in April.

Murray’s arrival indicates that Felix Jones will be stepping into a full-time starting role. However, this isn’t to say that the Cowboys planned all along to feature the electrifying Jones.

According to ESPN’s Calvin Watkins, they had their eye on Mark Ingram. Watkins says the Cowboys planned on trading their second-round pick to Jacksonville to get back into the first round and snatch the Heisman Trophy winner. That would have certainly augmented the Ingram-Emmitt Smith comparisons.

Alas, the Jaguars traded up in the first round to get Blaine Gabbert, and the Cowboys spent their second-rounder on North Carolina linebacker Bruce Carter.

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Posted by Will Brinson

One of the things that hasn't really been talked enough is how the Jaguars drafting Blaine Gabbert affects David Garrard. (The Jags, unsurprisingly, have tried to downplay the idea of any controversy.)

That's probably because the effect is obvious: Garrard is as good as gone at some point in the future. But what about 2011? Well, it seems like Garrard's handling the whole thing well, and sounds optimistic about the possibility of competition.

"I just tell them I am always open to competition," Garrard said, per Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union. "I think competition's healthy. You never shy away from competition. That's just sports."

Also "just sports" -- when the team that paid you a lot of money and seemed to regret it decides to trade up and draft one of the top-two prospects available, there's a good chance that your options for competition over the long haul are pretty limited.

Such is the case with Garrard, who, by the way, is already 33. (I know, right?)

Gabbert stepping in and playing right away seems like a mistake, if only because the Jaguars are better served letting Garrard play his deal out and having Gabbert learn on the bench.

But don't forget that Jack Del Rio is in a bit of a tricky spot with the 2011 season -- he could see his job on the line/be out the door if the Jaguars don't make the playoffs.

Unless of course, he had a great excuse like "we had to play with a rookie quarterback" ... or something along those lines.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

• According to the Believe in Heroes web site, Titans coach Jeff Fisher and the rest of his traveling party have reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Which is pretty awesome.

• Is it possible that Donovan McNabb could sign with the Ravens as Joe Flacco’s backup QB? It doesn’t seem likely, but I suppose it’s not out of the realm of possibilities.

• Former Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser and Colts owner Jim Irsay are in a bit of tiff.

• Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck didn’t receive a playbook from his team during the brief period the lockout was lifted. Doesn’t matter, though. He found a way to procure one anyway.

• The Minnesota legislature isn’t interested in helping the Vikings build a new stadium until it gets a handle on the state’s $5.1 billion budget deficit.

• Now, everybody in the Raiders organization becomes a salesman/saleswoman. And that means you, new defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan. (“So, how many season tickets can I put you down for, lady?”)

• If you buy Jaguars season tickets, the franchise is willing to reward you for your faith. By giving you “Teal Deals” books with more than $3,000 worth of gift certificates for local businesses.

• In the midst of this chat, NFL.com’s Gil Brandt said he thinks Alex Smith will end the season as the 49ers QB and that the Saints pick of Mark Ingram could be the steal of the draft.

• Here are a few possibilities of where Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco could catch passes next year. I suppose it depends on if there are any good bull-riding opportunities in those cities.

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