More football. That’s what every fan wants.

NFL owners are eager to increase the regular season from 16 to 18 games. The players aren’t so sure. During a five-hour meeting at a posh hotel in downtown Atlanta, the push to add two more games to the regular season picked up steam with the 2010 NFL football season just around the corner.

“I think it’s a win-win all around,” said Bob Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots. The owners also unanimously approved Stan Kroenke’s proposal to purchase majority ownership of the St. Louis Rams, assuming he turns over control of two other teams he owns — the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche — to his son.

Kroenke owns 40 percent of the downtrodden Rams and exercised his right to purchase the rest of the team from the Rosenbloom family for a reported $750 million. “Obviously, all of us know and respect Stan,” commissioner Roger Goodell said. “He’s been a terrific owner in the NFL and we’re confident he will continue to be a great owner.”

Kroenke must turn over operational and financial control of the Nuggets and Avalanche to his 30-year-old son, Josh, by the end of the year. He must give up his majority stake in the teams by December 2014 to meet NFL rules against cross-ownership of franchises in other NFL cities.

But talks on the expanded season dominated most of the…

Of course, he needs to save the Raiders first.

It took two preseason games for Jason Campbell to stop feeling like the deposed quarterback of the Washington Redskins and to begin feeling like the rightful quarterback of the Oakland Raiders for the 2010 NFL football season.

The Oakland Raiders acquired quarterback Jason Campbell from the Washington Redskins for a 4th round draft pick in 2012. An while Campbell may be an upgrade for the struggling Raiders franchise, the expectations and hopes should be kept under control in Oakland because Jason Campbell is far from the savior that will save the bay area franchise.

“It was weird when I first got here,” Jason Campbell said late Saturday night, standing in a rapidly emptying visitor’s locker room at Soldier Field after he made his second preseason start for the Raiders. “But as months have gone by, it’s kind of like getting farther away now. Last week, the first time being in a different uniform playing a game just felt different. But this week, it was like, ‘Okay, you got that first game out of the way. Now let’s turn to the second game”.

Campbell’s five-year tenure with the Redskins was all about change. He endured new head coaches, offensive coordinators and offensive systems. When the Redskins – under another new coach, Mike Shanahan, and a new general manager, Bruce Allen – stopped believing that the former first-round draft choice was the answer for them at quarterback, the biggest change of all came when Campbell was traded to the Raiders in April.

The Redskins’ new regime had traded for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, making Campbell’s…

It seems the city of Denver is more excited about an unproven young quarterback than somebody who has established himself to be their legitimate starter.

Every day, Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton hums passes across the team’s practice fields with a precision he’s never quite had before. His receivers marvel that he is so accurate they don’t have to break stride or reach to catch the ball. They say he is as good as they have seen him. One, Brandon Lloyd, says the ball “just sticks in your hands.”

If the Broncos can escape mediocrity in the 2010 NFL football season, Orton will probably be a major reason why. And yet the better he looks, the more the fans who visit training camp refuse to care. They don’t shout his name. They don’t wear his jersey. And when practice ends nobody screams or begs for him, or even shows him a whit of loyalty.

Such is life in the summer of Tim Tebow, where the third-string quarterback is the most popular man on the field. “It’s been an interesting summer,” Orton says with a small laugh. He then waves his hand dismissively.

“I don’t care about the glare at all,” Orton elaborates. “Listen, I live to play football. I don’t want to be anything other than a football player in regards to all the fanfare. I just want to play football.”

It is not an indictment of Tebow that the team’s first-round draft pick is not ready yet for the NFL. He was always going to be a project that would take two or three years before he develops into a starter. But maybe no one understood just how good Orton was about to become. And while it is still only the preseason and…

You read it, there’s dissension within the Cardinals camp.

Quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson know something about the issue more than anyone else in Arizona, especially after last Thursday, when Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt announced that Anderson was replacing Leinart as the starter in Saturday’s preseason game against the Bears in Chicago.

“I don’t think we’ve performed the way we’ve needed to perform on offense in the preseason,” Whisenhunt said after practice at Vanderbilt University. “And we’re just looking at different players at different spots, trying to find a little groove. It’s a great opportunity to look at combinations of different personnel.”

Whisenhunt insisted that Saturday’s game is not a “dress rehearsal” for the 2010 NFL football season, even though his players will be dressed and rehearsing. But the competition at quarterback has obviously tightened, and Whisenhunt is curious about how both players will react in different roles.

Matt Leinart declined any comment until Friday after Whisenhunt announced the decision. Derek Anderson chose not to say much. “I think the last couple weeks have been good, and I just want to keep building on that,” he said.

There are other changes in the starting lineup. Greg Toler will replace Trumaine McBride at left cornerback. Rookie Daryl Washington will start at inside linebacker for Pago Togafau, and other reserves, such as guard Deuce Lutui, could get some time with the starting units.

But those are honky-tonk acts compared with the…

Ugh.

One of the biggest reasons Brett Favre decided to return to the Minnesota Vikings for the 2010 NFL football season was his familiarity with an offense that he enjoyed being around so much in 2009.

Suddenly, in some ways, Brett Favre feels like he’s starting all over again. His two favorite targets — Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin — have struggled with ailments throughout the preseason. Rice had hip surgery Monday and will likely miss the first half of the regular season while Harvin has hardly practiced because of recurring migraines.

“Not a lot different than last year as far as chemistry is concerned,” Favre said Wednesday. “It would have been nice to come in and go to bat with the guys that wefinished with last year, but that is part of football. Every coach will say the same thing. Regardless of who is put in there we have to play the same way.”

With Favre leading the way, the Vikings changed from a run-oriented offense in the first three years under coach Brad Childress into a pass-first unit that finished second in the league in scoring.

Vikings receivers caught 207 of the 377 passes completed last year, nearly all of which were thrown by Favre. When Favre stepped into the huddle in San Francisco on Sunday night, Rice and Harvin were not even in the stadium, meaning 143 of last season’s receptions weren’t around.

Bernard Berrian (55 catches) and Greg Lewis (eight) are the…

Tom Brady hates the New York Jets. Rex Ryan doesn’t like the New England Patriots.

The verbal sparring has started again between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets. And what’s funny is, the 2010 NFL football season hasn’t even started yet.

During his contractually mandated weekly appearance on WEEI radio on Monday, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was asked about “Hard Knocks,” the HBO show giving an inside look at the Jets training camp. “Honestly, I haven’t turned it on,” he said in a casual manner. “I hate the Jets, so I refuse to support that show.”

The question and answer lasted just 42 seconds and came two-thirds of the way through a 19 1/2 -minute interview. But it didn’t take long for the Jets to hear about the words from Brady, who usually is more guarded in his comments.

Ryan’s, whose tongue is a lot looser, liked Brady’s remark. “It’s great. Hey, join the club,” Ryan said with a laugh.

The back-and-forth may be calculated to stir emotions. It may be the true feelings of the star quarterback and the brash coach. Or it might be just good-natured, off-the-cuff banter. But their words enlivened the often boring preseason routines. Ryan isn’t a big fan of Tom Brady or the team that has dominated the AFC East, a status that seems threatened by the Jets’ addition of key veterans in the offseason.

“Hell, he knows we hate the Patriots, so what’s the difference?” the coach said with a smile. “My brother’s got a couple of Super Bowl rings. He loves Tom Brady, but I don’t have them, so I don’t like Tom Brady. I respect him, but I don’t like him.”

His brother Rob is a former Patriots assistant. Rex took…

Oh yes, fantasy football returns.

Just in case you’re wondering who to grab for your fantasy football teams once the 2010 NFL football season arrives, we’re giving you the lowdown on who to draft, beginning with arguably the most important player of your team, the quarterbacks.

Let’s begin with Dallas Cowboys’ Tomy Romo. Look for Romo to go back over 30 touchdowns this season as he has more talent with Dez Bryant and Kevin Ogletree showing promise. Romo should have a more consistent fantasy season with so much talent around him. Now, we need to see if the offensive line can keep him healthy as they will have a new left tackle this season.

Next we have Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans. The Texans’ defense is going to be shaky in the secondary as they lost top corner back Dunta Robinson in free agency and linebacker Brian Cushing is out the first month because of suspension. As the Texans give up the points on defense, their offense will have to score into the 30s to win football games. At the center of this output is Schaub, as he has a good group of pass catchers to throw the football too. Look for Schaub to have another strong season as long as he’s not on the sidelines with an injury.

Of course, Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts has to be a valuable fantasy football asset as well. Look for Manning to have another fabulous season as Anthony Gonzalez is returning to give “The Sheriff” another gun in his holster. With so many weapons to throw at, the Colts individual receivers could suffer in numbers because the football gets spread around. While that may not be good for them, it is very good for Manning as he can use all his weapons to find more mismatches in the defense and take advantage.

Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers has become quite a steal…

Yes, we’re officially joining the Saints bandwagon this early.

With just a couple of weeks away before the 2010 NFL football season begins, there are a lot of questions about the capability of the New Orleans Saint to win back to back championships. As expected, all eyes will the on the defending champs on how they will play the first few games of the season.

The New Orleans Saints are entering the new season at the top of the league, as defending Super Bowl champs, rather than as the bottom-feeders they are so accustomed to being. So can they re-peat next year?

The Saints are returning 20 of 22 starters from last year’s team – typically, Super Bowl champions have many key contributors picked off their rosters as a result of the players’ new found fame. These players often become over hyped and thus choose to move on to other teams in search of more lucrative contracts.

In this case, however, the Saints have only lost two starters from their 2009 team; and those two starters were not key contributors. The addition of Clint Ingram; who will compete with Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Jonathan Casillas, and Stanley Arnoux for the starting strong-side linebacker spot; should prevent any drop-off in production.

Ingram, a fifth year pro from the University of Oklahoma, has tons of potential that he never managed to display in Jacksonville. Ingram is strictly a strong-side linebacker in a 4-3 defense as he struggled mightily when the Jaguars tinkered with a 3-4 style defense.

Now that he is returning to the Gregg Williams’ run 4-3 defense…

I can’t say I’m surprised.

After putting us all through the ”will he or won’t he charade all over again, Brett Favre decided that he will postpone retirement and play for the Minnesota Vikings for the 2010 NFL football season after all.

And just to show how sure he was this time, he expressed a desire to play in Sunday’s preseason game at San Francisco a day after rejoining the Minnesota Vikings. On Friday, coach Brad Childress said that wish will be granted.

You read it, Brett Favre will play a series or possibly two during the nationally televised prime-time game on NBC. Childress said ideally the first series would go 10 plays for Favre because, “that’s what he needs right now and all he’s ready for right now.”

“I think he’s doing a good job of rounding into” form, Childress said. “He has been throwing the football, there is no question about that. Just conditioning his legs. … He’s versed in our system and our calls.”

Tarvaris Jackson will take over for Favre and play past halftime and then be replaced by Sage Rosenfels. Childress said he does not know whether rookie Joe Webb will get in the game. The rest of the first-team offense will play the first quarter.

Middle linebacker E.J. Henderson, who suffered a fractured femur last December, will make his first appearance this preseason and play with most of the defensive starters in the first quarter.

The rotation at the cornerback spots will be a bit different…

Following Sam Bradford’s performance on his pro day, many believe that he is next in line if Tom Brady and Peyton Manning retires, to carry the league.

You see, some things are for already for sure with Sam Bradord, and those are his ability to read the field, his quick release, and his ability to throw with accuracy. Some commented that not one ball was uncatchable during the aforementioned pro day, because the only incomplete pass was a drop by the receiver.

Of course, Bradford’s pro day does not account for whether he can do that with a 270 pound defensive end in his face in the coming 2010 NFL football season. Still, Bradford’s pro-day was so impressive that some commented that it was the best by a quarterback in 10 years.

Bradford processes information quickly. He scans the field and is able to work the progression of the play. By working the progression, we mean check out receivers in order to see if they are covered and getting the ball to the open guy. He has the vision to find the next receiver quickly.

He has made good decisions. He has thrown for 4464 yards, with 48 TDs with only 6 interceptions. That gives him a QB rating of 168.3. He is a playmaker and has 5 rushing TDs. He converts an above average number of 3 downs which is critical in the NFL.

He can run but is much more of a pocket passer than most other spread QBs. That will give him an advantage over a Tim Tebow or Chase Daniel. He moves around in the pocket to avoid the rush but still keeps his vision down field. Problem is, he is not nearly as accurate moving as he is when he can set his feet. If he goes to a team like the Lions, he had better work on that because behind the Detroit offensive line he will be running a lot.

He has above average but not great arm strength. Many of his…