When the Steelers drafted Santonio Holmes three years ago, he was arrested twice before training camp. An inauspicious start for a player new to an organization with a history of avoiding guys with "character concerns."
Now, almost five months removed from his Super Bowl MVP performance (and, for the record, eight months removed from his last arrest, although the charges were later dropped), Holmes seems more focused than ever on his day job. Maybe he has matured, or maybe Hines Ward has rubbed off on him. Or maybe both, given his current physical state.
Earlier this week, EA Sports released the player ratings for Madden 10. And now, with the NFL Draft in the rearview, and nothing else to do between now and training camps, we'll ponder the important questions. Like: How is [Player who is obviously rated too high] rated above [Player who is obviously rated too low]?
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
It was 20 years ago that Bo Jackson became a pop-culture icon when Nike featured him in a series of "Bo Knows ..."commercials for what was then a new kind of shoe, the Nike Cross Trainer. Now Nike has come out with a new Trainer 1 shoe, and to celebrate the release they brought together superstars from all sports for the 2009 Nike Training Summit. Superstars like Amare Stoudemire, Brandon Roy, Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Peterson, Troy Polamalu (right) and more talk about everything from who they think the greatest athletes are (Troy's answer will surprise you) to what other sports they would play if they could cross over like Bo (again, Troy's answer will surprise you).
Last week, I left the comfort of my mother's basement shoddy little East Coast apartment to rep FanHouse at the 2009 Nike Global Training Summit in Newport Beach, California. The primary reason for convening 50-some media members in sunny SoCal? The introduction of the Nike Trainer 1, the Swoosh's newest crosstraining shoe, which celebrates the 20-year anniversary of the "Bo Knows" campaign, featuring Bo Jackson.
Larry Fitzgerald vaulted himself to the top of everyone's wide receiver rankings with a ridiculous close to 2008, as well as an otherworldly playoff run that ultimately resulted in a trip to the Super Bowl.
Things have been a little different this year, though -- Fitzgerald is dealing with Anquan Boldin's possible holdout and -- as a native Minnesotan and lifelong Vikings fan -- the emotions of possibly having Brett Favre wear Minnesota Vikings colors.
If you're Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, the last year hasn't been so bad. Think about it: You had 96 catches for 1,431 yards and 12 touchdowns during the regular season; you had three touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game, you had two more touchdowns in Super Bowl XLIII (so what if you wound up losing the game?), and you're named the MVP of the Pro Bowl. Not a bad year, right?
Well, things just got a little bit better for Larry on Friday, as it was announced that he was the cover guy for EA's Madden NFL 10 (along with Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu).
So what does Larry think about being on the cover? Why is he sure he's going to reverse the Madden Curse? What's the latest on Anquan Boldin's contract situation? And why does he think Matt Leinart is the next Steve Young? I asked Larry all of these questions and more during some time here in New York. Read the full interview after the jump.
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
After a Cinderella run to the Super Bowl -- and nearly winning the thing -- the Cardinals will look to continue building momentum as a franchise. They have a gaping hole in the backfield, because there is no true every-down back on the team anymore. Also, Anquan Boldin's situation really needs to be resolved, and the team could struggle to replace dearly departed offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
There will be no retired player on the cover of EA Sports' Madden NFL 10. Instead, EA Sports will return to its custom of jinxing an active player picking one of the NFL's biggest stars for the cover of their best-selling annual game.
The game itself won't be released until August, but the process of choosing this year's cover boy is well underway. The company has narrowed its choices down to nine finalists. If you think we're due for a defensive player on the cover, this may be your year.
It's been almost a week since the Cardinals publicly stated that they would listen to offers for their sometimes-estranged, sometimes-content pro bowl receiver Anquan Boldin. I guess it's nice to know that they'll listen, but, as things currently stand, they haven't had anything to listen to. Like many cold calling sales ventures, the phone-time has increased, but the productivity has not.
According to The Arizona Republic, general manager Rod Graves has had plenty of phone calls about Boldin, but nothing concrete in the way of trade offers. No one even tried the old, "hey, we'll give you a fifth rounder for him." Nothing.
The talk of Cassel's offseason value began sometime around Thanksgiving, shortly after he had put together back-to-back 400-yard passing performances. He would finish out the season with a quarterback rating of more than 100 in five of the final seven games, and before the Patriots franchised him in early February, the consensus was that Cassel was the best available free-agent quarterback -- by a wide margin.
When the Steelers drafted Santonio Holmes three years ago, he was arrested twice before training camp. An inauspicious start for a player new to an organization with a history of avoiding guys with "character concerns." 
It was 20 years ago that 
Will Brinson kicked it at The OC for the 
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call 
There will be no retired player on the cover of EA Sports' Madden NFL 10. Instead, EA Sports will return to its custom of 
It's been almost a week since the Cardinals 
Matt Cassel
