You think the NFL chopping Brandon Marshall's suspension from three games to one isn't a major development for the Denver Broncos?

Just look at the preseason. Marshall caught 10 of Jay Cutler's 30 completions in the preseason in fewer than five quarters of work.

Marshall is a blossoming superstar. He and Cutler could be a special tandem for years to come. Marshall was originally suspended for three games because of several legal scrapes over the past couple of years. Under the original guidelines, Marshall was supposed to serve at least two games. However, he appealed his case in New York on Tuesday. Thursday, his attorney Harvey Steinberg said Marshall will only miss one game.

That means the receiver will be out for the Broncos' season opener at Oakland on Sept. 8 on ESPN's Monday Night Football. However, he should be on the field for Denver's home opener Sept.-- against San Diego.

Barkers, what do you think? Usain "Lighting" Bolt ran 9.69 100 meters, and stands at 6'5'' and weighs in at 190. The Jamaican runner just won Olympic gold in the 100 meter and all i can think about is how he would look in a football uniform. we all know it takes more than measurables but its obvious he might have the best measure of any receiver if he chose to change careers (his size and speed competion kinda reminds me of randy moss).

Usain Bolt at age 21 is the World's fastest man. I saw what he can do on the track in the Olympics (winning gold easily in the 100 m) but now i'm wondering...just wondering...maybe the NFL is the next place he shines. Why would he even choose to change career paths? Well a reason is, what left does he have to prove as a sprinter after dusting the all competitors at the age of 21? if you saw him running in the Olympics, you would notice that he almost looked bored at the lack of competition. He is 21 and by far the best at his sport.

So i was just thinking that there might be a slim chance...just a chance that he would decide to bless the NFL with his size and speed and we all know the GM's around the league would be salivating at a chance to work him out.

I guess its a little hopeful thinking but don't you guys agree? don't you want to see if this guy can ball? if he can catch and take a hit. Even if he would try out and flop, at least give it a chance. Barkers, Bark on this because i want to hear what you have to say?

BEIJING -- Michael Phelps swam into history with a magnificent finish Saturday, tying Mark Spitz with his seventh gold medal by the narrowest of margins in the 100-meter butterfly.

His arms soaring across the water one last time, Phelps got his hand on the wall a hundredth of a second ahead of Serbia's Milorad Cavic. Phelps' time was 50.58 seconds, the only time in these Olympics that Phelps won an event without breaking the world record.

The 23-year-old from Baltimore has now pulled even with the greatest of Olympic records, matching Spitz's performance in the 1972 Munich Games.

Call this one the Great Haul of China -- and it's not done yet.

Phelps will return on Sunday to swim in his final event of these games, taking the butterfly leg of the 400 medley relay. The Americans will be heavily favored to give him his eighth gold, leaving Spitz behind.

Phelps pounded his fist in the water and let out a scream after the astonishing finish. The crowd at the Water Cube gasped -- it looked as though Cavic had won -- then roared when the "1" popped up beside the American's name.

His time was 50.58 seconds

Cavic's was 50.59.

"I had no idea," Phelps said. "I was starting to hurt a little bit with probably the last 10 meters. That was my last individual race, so I was just trying to finish as strong as I could."

A notoriously slow starter -- Phelps was seventh out of eight at the turn -- he really turned it on with the return lap, his long arms windmilling through the water as he closed the gap on Cavic and fellow American Ian Crocker, the world record-holder.

As they approached the finish, Cavic took his final big stroke and reached for the gold. Phelps, his timing a bit off but fully aware of where he was, did another mini-stroke and actually slammed the wall with his hands on the follow-through.

That was the difference.

He wasn't necessarily the fastest, just first.

"I actually thought when I did take that half-stroke, I thought I lost the race there, but I guess that was the difference in the race," Phelps said.

It was reminiscent of the 100 fly finish at Athens four years ago, where Crocker appeared to have the race won but Phelps got him at the wall by 0.04.

"My last two Olympics I've been able to nail my finishes, and it's been by four one-hundredths and one one-hundredths," he said. "I'm happy and kind of at a loss for words."

Cavic had no words. Clearly perturbed at losing by a fingertip, he stormed past reporters in the mixed zone without stopping.

Andrew Lauterstein of Australia won the bronze medal in 51.12. Crocker was again denied the first individual gold of his career; he didn't even win a medal, finishing fourth by a hundredth of a second in 51.13.

"It was a tight one," Crocker said. "I saw my short differential between getting a medal or not, but then I realized Michael's was pretty close, too. I'm really glad that he came out on top.

"It was everything that an Olympic final should be. It doesn't matter who's in the heats, you just got to get out and race and it's anybody's game. It was one of the more intense races that I've been in, which makes it a great way to end the meet."

While the medley relay figures to be nothing more than a coronation, Phelps isn't ready to talk about No. 8.

"It's not over yet," he said. "I really think the Australian team looks great for the relay. It's going to be a race."

Just a little team USA basketball update.

Marshall returns shot at Adam Jones

The sudden Jones-Marshall feud hit a new level at the Broncos-Cowboys dual workout this afternoon.

After Adam Jones, in his first season as a Cowboys cornerback, said Denver receiver Brandon Marshall doesn't compare to Dallas receiver Terrell Owens,

"First of all, T.O. is 10 times faster than Brandon Marshall," Jones said. "And 10 times stronger than Brandon Marshall. You can sometimes get your hand on 'B' at the line. T.O. has a good thing where he snatches and whips. I wouldn't say he's nowhere near T.O."

Marshall struck back. He came onto the practice field for the second workout with a sign taped to the back of his jersey reading, "21's no Champ."

Jones wears No. 21. Champ, of course, is Denver's superstar cornerback Champ Bailey.

Pretty good stuff for a training camp workout, huh? It will be fun to see if Jones and Marshall cross paths Saturday night when the two teams play a preseason game in Denver.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid285859616/bclid294430730/bctid1726 720163

CLICK ON LINK. Stuart Scott sings some "ill be" while wearing a shirt that reads "born in the streets". click on the link pretty entertaining

heard this in morning. a sad story about relatives of an Olympic athlete or coach getting stabbed by a native Chinese man in his late 40's. soon after that the man committed suicide.

i just saw breaking news on ESPN. Brett Favre to the jets, ill keep it updated as i watch. It looks like the Packers will get a conditional 4th round pick in return. (conditional: so like if the Jets win the superbowl they will get a 1st round pick from the packers and if they make the playoffs they get a 2nd ect ect..)

CHAD PENNINGTON WAS RELEASED TODAY TO MAKE ROOM FOR FAVRE.

Question though, does this make the jets a playoff team? and are you excited to hopefully see them whoop on those homo Patriots? how long do you think brett will play?

and what about MAdden? do they change the cover uniform? and is madden curse back in play (thanks for that topic bigmike236)

10. Dallas Cowboys

This fan base, which was really a bunch of band wagon jumpers during the Aikman-Irvin-Emmitt dynasty, apparently has transformed into die-hards. With fans in every city, "America's Team" is wildly popular. Simpletons flock to the star and seem to be enamored with it. Of course, the rules about cheering for a team you have no connection with is still a violation.

9. Chicago Bears

Where else can you not put any kind of offensive threat on the field for 20+ years and still have a packed stadium year after year. Bears fans come out regardless of the absolute crap management keeps rolling out there in Grossman, Orton, Griese, Benson, Salaam, Enis etc.

And, they brave the frigid conditions Chicago has to offer during December. The real test will be this season. After actually re-signing Grossman and probably sporting the worst offense in the NFL, will they come out and show their support?

8. Buffalo Bills

After all the heartbreak of the four Super Bowl losses and the rebuilding years since, these fans pack in every Sunday, usually in negative 10 degree weather to root on the Bills.

Yes you can argue they are on this list out of pure boredom (because what else is there to do in Buffalo), but people in Atlanta, Miami, and Arizona don't show up in perfect weather. The loyalty of a Bills fan can never be questioned.

7. Denver Broncos

Always in the top five of attendance, especially with the hazardous weather Mile High has to offer, Broncos fans also do quite a bit of traveling. I've seen stadiums in Broncos away game that are one-third filled by Denver fans.

That being said, they do have the dumbest "fan participation" since "The Wave." Whenever the opposing QB throws an incompletion, the crowd stands up and screams at the top of their lungs, "IN-COM-PLETE."

After about the fifth time you hear it, you start to question Denver's football IQ. Are they doing it because some of the fans are a little slow, or are they trying to annoy the other team's QB by razzing him with the dumbest response ever invented? Either way, lose it and you might climb the ranks a bit next year folks.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

The "Stillers" fans are a very annoying bunch. If you ever encounter one and the subject of football comes up, all you'll hear about is how many rings they have. Whatever your argument is, they will counter with that. And, I didn't even bring up the extremely lame "Terrible Towels" that they swing around like they're in a Ricky Martin video.

That being said, they have Heinz field and sports bars around the country rocking on Sundays. They are very passionate about their football and it's completely understandable. Before Sidney Crosby, what else have they had to root for?

5. Green Bay Packers

I'm sure John Madden is coughing up a brat after reading how low on the list they are, but before Lord Farve, did you ever hear about them? I'm surprised the league is actually planning on playing actual games in 2008 with Lord Favre retired.

Green Bay is one of the few places where players actually have interaction with the fans though. The Lambeau Leap, although played out, is still pretty cool and no one else's fans have anything like it.

Their dedication during subzero temperatures is second to none and the waiting list for season tickets is insane. The main reason Green Bay is at number five is because of the cheese heads. Using silly props and stupid looking hats makes me want to throw turd at my TV.

4. Cleveland Browns

How can you not have complete respect for these fans? They have every reason to go the way of a Falcons fan, but their loyalty about the Browns has no rival. Art Modell ripped their team out from under them and as soon as the expansion team was given back, the Dog Pound was back in full effect.

The Pound was firing on all cylinders last season as the team seemed to turn the corner. If they ever do get over the hump, the city of Cleveland better watch out!

3. Oakland Raiders

OK yes I know, they still don't get it that it's beyond lame to dress up for Halloween every Sunday. They still don't know the rest of the league laughs at them and not with them. Dressed more for a Star Trek convention than a football game, Raiders fans have fallen on tough times with moronic ownership and season ticket holders like Kevin Federline being the faces of The Nation.

That being said, sitting in The Black Hole is not safe (and that's coming from an Eagles fan). It's hard to put your finger on whether Raiders fans love their team or if they just have a hatred for yours. At any rate, they are the only fans in the league that Eagles fans actually respect, so that's saying something.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

When you're the sixth smallest market and have the second highest attendance average over the last decade, that speaks very loudly. Also known for having the best food at a tailgate, KC will blow your doors off with its BBQ.

Arrowhead is widely regarded as the loudest stadium in the league and that is directly attributed to its fans. What's even more amazing is that Kansas City hasn't won a playoff game since 1993 and their last Super Bowl was the same year as Woodstock. Chiefs fans are the reason their team has a home field advantage.

1. Philadelphia Eagles

Some might call this biased, but the most passionate fans in all of sports are without question Philadelphia Eagles fans. Eagles fans are cold-blooded bastards and probably give KC a run for their money as being the loudest. They are, by far, the most knowledgeable fans in the league, and invented the perfect "boo."

What cemented Philadelphia fans' reputation as the most amoral, loathsome collection in sports is famously called The Booing of Santa Clause. You would boo and throw snow balls too if Santa came out drunk in a half-done costume. We demand all out effort every play from our players, coaches, and Santas.

The passion of an Eagles fan is so great that they had a jail in the old stadium! The 700 Level was considered worse than one of Dante's Levels of Hell. They simply demand all out effort from their players. They must deal with sports owners whose actions have not produced a champion in 25 years.

The Eagles, who are clearly the favorite team in Philadelphia, haven't hoisted a championship flag in 48 years. The waiting list for season tickets is so long that you could sell out three stadiums full of Eagles fans for games.

Eagles fans are just as passionate for their hatred of the Cowboys. Ask any Eagles fans this question, "Who's your favorite team?" and you will get the same response, "The Birds and whoever is playing the Cowboys." Until you've been in an Eagles fans shoes, you just don't understand.

So that's the list. I welcome all comments and am up for a debate if you feel your team has been left off or not rated high enough.

RAIDERS OUT THERE, TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKE AND DONT LIKE.

For what it's worth, the Raiders released their first depth chart in advance of the 49ers game Friday:

notice: Drew Carter currently beating out Curry

OFFENSE

WRa€"Javon Walker, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Chaz Schilens

LTa€" Kwame Harris, Mario Henderson

LGa€" Robert Gallery, Paul McQuistan, Brandon Rodd

Ca€" Jake Grove/ John Wade, Chris Morris

RGa€" Cooper Carlisle, Fred Wakefield, Jesse Boone

RTa€" Cornell Green, Seth Wand

TEa€"Zach Miller, John Madsen, Tony Stewart

WRa€" Drew Carter/ Ronald Curry, Todd Watkins, Arman Sheilds

QBa€"JaMarcus Russell, Andrew Walter, Marques Tuiasosopo

FBa€" Justin Griffith, Oren O'Neal, Marcel Reece

RBa€" Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden, Michael Bush

DEFENSE

DEa€"Derrick Burgess, Greg Spires, Trevor Scott

DTa€" Tommy Kelly, Josh Shaw, Derrick Gray

DTa€" Gerard Warren, Terdell Sands, William Joseph

DEa€" Jay Richardson, Kalimba Edwards, Greyson Gunheim

OLBa€" Ricky Brown, Robert Thomas, Sam Williams

MLBa€" Kirk Morrison, Edgerton Hartwell

OLBa€" Thomas Howard, Jon Alston, Isaiah Ekejiuba

CBa€" DeAngelo Hall, Stanford Routt, John Bowie

CBa€" Nnamdi Asomugha, Chris Johnson, Michael Waddell

FSa€" Michael Huff, Hiram Eugene, Rashad Baker

SSa€" Gibril Wilson, Jarrod Cooper, Tyvon Branch

SPECIALISTS

Pa€" Shane Lechler

Ka€" Sebastian Janikowski

Ha€" Shane Lechler

LSa€" Jon Condo, Jake Grove

KRa€" Tyvon Branch, Johnnie Lee Higgins

PRa€" Johnnie Lee Higgins

Among those not listeda€"S Greg Wesley, QB Jeff Otis, WR Jonathan Holland, WR Drisan James, WR Chris McFoy, RB Adimchinobe Echemandu, CB Darrick Brown, RB Louis Rankin, TE Chris Wagner, LB Grant Irons, LB Malik Jackson, T Mark Wilson, DT Mauricio Lopez, TE Darrell Strong.

What to make of it?

Not much. There is a lot of cat-and-mouse that goes on with teams as they ponder cut-downs and the eventual makeup of their 53-man roster and practice squad.

Raiders running back Darren McFadden is a rookie. For once, he actually acted like one - even if just for one play.

"I missed an assignment," McFadden said Monday.

That he did, letting a 49ers blitzer get by during a historic joint practice in Napa between the Bay Area's two NFL teams.

McFadden's job was to block for the quarterback but he got confused by the unfamiliar personnel.

So there's your headline: "McFadden human, after all." Other than that, the No. 4 overall draft pick continued his splendid ways.

"I can't find something to complain about Darren," Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said. "He brings it every day."

McFadden said pass protection has been his biggest challenge because in college he was a tailback, receiver and quarterback - but rarely a blitz picker-upper.

"In Arkansas, we had four or five pass protections the whole time I was there. "I come out here, you have 10 or 12. If you're a split-second late, you're going to miss him."

New faces: Players liked the idea of facing a different team in a non-game environment, as the Raiders did on two-a-day Monday.

"It turns up the competitive juice," defensive end Jay Richardson said. "Had a couple brawls, it was good stuff."

Mistaken identity: During one of the few scrums between the teams, Raiders safety Jarrod Cooper got in a mutual chokehold with who he thought was 49ers running back DeShaun Foster, his friend and former teammate.

Instead, it was Frank Gore on the other end. Teammates quickly broke it up.

"You know, they got the same face mask," Cooper said. "I was just asking Gore not to punch me in the face ... You know how it is. We don't fight anymore, we sue."

Lights on: Kiffin noticed an increased effort from receiver Javon Walker, who pondered retirement last week before owner Al Davis intervened.

"That's how we want him to be at every practice, not just because we're going to play somebody else," Kiffin said. "I'm not into the whole, 'Well, when the lights go on, they play well.' That's not my deal.

"I'm trying to work him out of that mentality."

Briefly: Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha woke up sick and vomiting, so he missed the morning practice. ... Nose tackle Gerard Warren practiced after sitting out four days with a thigh injury. ... Kiffin said quarterback JaMarcus Russell's sore right elbow is "very close" to being 100 percent healthy, one week after he dinged it on McFadden's helmet.

- David White

Raiders left tackle Kwame Harris wants to act spitting mad, he really does.

He wants to curse the 49ers for giving his job to a rookie last year, or shake an angry fist at the team for showing him the way out of Santa Clara's door. But he can't, even though a part of him tries.

"It was tough over there," Harris said, just to get the obvious out of the way. "There's a little bit of that 'Let me show you.' But it's balanced by the fact ... those are the guys that brought me into this league, like family in a sense.

"There's not animosity or 'Screw you guys.' "

That explains why Harris walked across the field Monday and shared handshakes, man-hugs and small talk with his former teammates, who came by for two joint practices with the Raiders behind the Napa Valley Marriott.

Harris made some solid blocks against his formers and had some obvious misses. The first is a sign of improvement, the latter an indication he isn't altogether resurrected yet.

Think of him as the new version of Robert Gallery, who salvaged his career and ego under offensive line coach Tom Cable last season.

"Anybody who's gone through that ... been beaten up a little bit, there's going to be a confidence factor," Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said.

That would be Harris, all right.

The 49ers drafted him in the first round out of Stanford in 2003. By his fifth year, he was the backup right tackle in a contract year. Pass protection was his main issue, and the fans were brutal. Again, think Gallery versus Raider Nation.

Did Harris like the way the 49ers unceremoniously dumped him? Of course not. But Raiders fans who want him to share their hate for the Niners must forgive him for being in a forgiving mood.

"Not playing last year was probably one of the hardest things I ever had to go through, period," Harris said. "While last year sucked, and going through that was tough, I don't feel like they were unfair to me. If I look at it like an adult, they gave me a fair shake."

With that said, Harris could not get out of town fast enough. He became a free agent in January. The 49ers didn't try to keep him, which was fine all the way around. Jacksonville was an attractive option, if only because it's far from the Bay Area.

"To be honest with you, I wanted a fresh start somewhere else," Harris said. "I wanted to get out of this market and start all over."

So what does he do? Sign with the Raiders, just across the drink, for $16 million over three years. He'll be the starting left tackle with no viable backup plan in sight. All this, while practically within earshot of the past he's trying to avoid.

Cable thinks Harris can fit into his zone-blocking scheme. Kiffin said it takes time for new players to settle into the Raiders' style of offense.

The sooner, the better. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell's blindside is depending on Harris holding up - technically and otherwise.

"Anybody who has gone through a year like last year would find it rather challenging," Harris said. "You have to take a step back and reassess yourself, see where you are and kind of look at yourself in the mirror.

"In terms of going out there and feeling like I can get the job done, I feel I can do that."

blessing in disguise says ken lucas? there first game is against the chargers and i didnt really think they would beable to beat them with #89 so i think they have no chance without.

The Death of RB/RB

Matthew Berry

When Barack Obama talks about "Change we can believe in!" I can only assume he means some new theories for TMR's Draft Day Manifesto for 2008.

I've been writing a version of this column for a decade, updating it every year. There are always new twists, strategies and trends, but at its core, it's always been running back/running back in the first two rounds. I've spent a lot of time talking about how fantasy football is all about minimizing risk. If nothing else, you knew a team's main running back was touching the ball at least 20 to 30 times a game. You didn't know that about a wide receiver.

Well, for the first time in the decade or so that I've been writing this, it's best player available (at least in the second round). Too many running backs are in time shares. Too many quarterbacks are about the same skill level. And look at last year's scoring leaders: Of the top 30 players in standard ESPN.com scoring, only seven were running backs. Eight were wide receivers,-- were quarterbacks, plus the Chargers D/ST sneaked in there, as well.

The reason for the running back/running back rule in previous years was simple. You score in real football by touching the ball. So you want guys who touch the ball as often as possible. That would be running backs, and then quarterbacks (RB before QB because you often can play three RBs to only one QB, so it's a matter of positional depth).

The idea is also this: Fantasy sports, specifically fantasy football, are about minimizing risk. Luck will always have some part in it, so when you can minimize risk, you have a better chance of success. And you know running backs and quarterbacks will touch the ball.

At least, that was the thought. But with the move to more running back by committees, you know running backs will touch the ball, but you just don't know which one.

Consider this fact from ESPN Researcher Jason Vida:

Last season, the player who led his team in rushing attempts accounted for fewer than 54 percent of his team's attempts, the lowest percentage in the past 10 NFL seasons. At the same time, a team's second-leading ball carrier (the player with the second-most rushing attempts on a team) got the ball on more than 23 percent of team rushing attempts, the highest percentage in the past 10 NFL seasons. The bottom line: In 2007, NFL teams gave fewer carries to their leading rusher and more carries to their second backfield option than in any of the past 10 seasons.

Two more points from Jason: Only three running backs averaged 20 carries a game last year ( Willie Parker, Clinton Portis and Edgerrin James). In the previous four years, at least seven runners got at least 20 carries a game.

Meanwhile, in 2007, LaDainian Tomlinson led the league with 1,474 rushing yards, and Clinton Portis led the league with 325 carries. These totals are the lowest for a league leader in each category since 1990.

By my count, more than half the teams in the NFL have at least a somewhat murky distribution of the touches (Atlanta, Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Minnesota, New England, New Orleans, New York Giants, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Tennessee).

Sure, some of them -- including the Vikings, Giants and Jaguars -- have multiple productive backs, but the point remains the same. With less that is certain about running backs, the less reliant we should be on them in the early rounds. And I managed to successfully use the word "murky" in a sentence. Always fun!

As a result, I say you go running back in the first round, and then it's best player available. Points come from everywhere, but they still seem to come most consistently from running backs. The difference now is that the point differential is not as great and there are more running backs contributing to point totals (but contributing less in terms of total points) than before.

Read the complete "Matthew Berry's Draft Day Manifesto," part of our free Fantasy Football Draft Kit.

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