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San Diego, CA - The San Diego Chargers agreed to contract terms with five of their draft picks on Monday, including first-round pick Craig Davis.

Davis, taken with the 30th overall selection in the draft, signed a five-year contract, while linebacker Anthony Waters (third round), cornerback Paul Oliver (fourth round, supplemental draft), tight end Legedu Naanee (fifth round) and linebacker Brandon Siler (seventh round) each agreed to four-year deals.

Davis caught 141 passes for 2,107 yards and seven touchdowns in a four-year career at LSU. He became just the seventh player in school history to gain over 2,000 yards receiving in a career.

Safety Eric Weddle, San Diego’s second-round pick, remains the only unsigned draft pick for the Chargers.

Latrobe, PA - The Pittsburgh Steelers signed standout safety Troy Polamalu to a four-year contract extension on Monday.

Polamalu’s contract makes him the highest-paid safety in the NFL, a total of $33 million dollars through 2011, according to the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette.

The 5-10, 207-pound Polamalu has been named to the past three Pro Bowls, and was a key member of the Steelers’ 2005 championship team.

“Troy Polamalu is a very special football player who has been a key ingredient to our success over the past few seasons,” said Steelers president Art Rooney II. “We are excited to know he will be a Steeler for many seasons to come.”

Despite battling various injuries for much of last season, Polamalu finished third on the team with 82 tackles. The Steelers first-round draft pick (16th overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft, Polamalu has amassed 308 tackles, 10 sacks and 10 interceptions for his career.

Pittsburgh, PA - The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Monday they have signed linebacker Lawrence Timmons to a five-year contract.

Timmons, who was drafted 15th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft, started all 13 games for Florida State last season and was named third-team All-American. He was second on the Seminoles with 79 tackles to go along with five sacks.

Pittsburgh also announced they have agreed to terms with cornerback William Gay.

Miami, FL - The Miami Dolphins signed quarterback John Beck, the first of their two second-round draft picks this season, to a four-year contract on Monday.

Beck, the 40th selection overall and fourth quarterback taken, was a four-year letterman at BYU, where he started his final three years. He completed 885 of 1,418 passes for 11,021 yards and 79 touchdowns and 34 interceptions in his collegiate career.

During Beck’s senior season, he connected on 289 of 417 passes for 3,885 yards with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions en route to being named a first- team All-Mountain West Conference choice and the conference Offensive Player of the Year.

Also, Miami signed center/guard Drew Mormino, the second of their two sixth- round selections, to a four-year contract; and defensive tackle Brian Soi as an underafted college free agent.

By José Miguel Romero

Seattle Times staff reporter

The NFL’s developmental league in Europe was many things to many people. For quarterback Gibran Hamdan and those who played overseas, it was about more than the 10 games, 10 chances to crack pads in the spring and summer.

And now it’s gone.

The NFL, citing a lack of return on its investment, ceased 15 years of operations last month in Europe to focus on presenting the NFL brand to the widest possible global audience. That focus includes staging regular-season games outside of the U.S., including a game in London this fall.

The decision put many players, coaches and support staff out of work, leaving the NFL to consider other ways it can develop players like Hamdan, a seventh-round draft pick, and others who relied on NFL Europa to gain experience.

For the Europa players, the camaraderie of daily practices, games and living out of a hotel is also gone. Hamdan spent three years in Europe, more than most players.

“I’d be remiss if I said it didn’t affect me more than the other guys,” said Hamdan, who played for the Amsterdam Admirals and was named the league’s offensive most valuable player in 2006. “It really helped me develop as a player. More than anything, we all built great friendships, and you get to see another part of the world.”

Hamdan is one of the lucky ones. He has managed to hang around the NFL community for several years, spending time in training camps and on practice squads for the Seahawks, Washington, San Francisco and now Miami, where he will be for training camp.

Teams at one time could add 10 NFL Europa players to their camp rosters, but that number was cut to seven this year even before the league was discontinued. With no new developmental league yet established, opportunities are disappearing for guys holding on to a dream.

“A lot of guys won’t have a place to play or may fall by the wayside,” Hamdan said. “There was a pool of players [for NFL teams to work out when needed] at the drop of a hat. Now a guy gets cut, and maybe he makes the decision that he has to move on.”

There has been talk of the establishment of at least two new professional leagues — the United Football League, which counts NBA owner Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks) as a potential franchise owner, and the All-American Football League. Both would fill rosters with former college players; the UFL appears to be most similar to NFL Europa in that it would employ low-round draft picks, undrafted free agents and released NFL veterans.

“It’s clearly a loss,” said Mark Waller, senior vice president of NFL International. “It was a tough decision. Lots of people are interested in setting up other leagues. … My view is that the strength of the game and the loyalty to the NFL is so strong that there will always be great talent every year. The player development side is the biggest issue. We need to get our thinking together.”

Waller said football in Europe could continue in the form of a working agreement with colleges in England to field teams and develop international players.

As for the Seahawks and other NFL teams, the loss of NFL Europa won’t have an immediate major impact, according to Tim Ruskell, Seattle’s team president and general manager. Only a handful of players who came out of NFL Europa have gone on to productive NFL careers.

“I don’t think the fans will see much difference in terms of the product on the field,” Ruskell said. “If there is an immediate impact, we’re going from 10 Europe players to seven now. … But we’re going to be able to overcome that.”

Ruskell said he wouldn’t be surprised if another league, NFL property or not, sprang up.

“There’s always been this urge to have either a spring league or a competing league,” Ruskell said. “Something will come up.”

Ruskell, a former scout, liked having NFL Europa from a personnel and developmental standpoint. Seahawks defensive tackle Chuck Darby cut his teeth in Europe and became a success story. Darby worked his way into the starting lineup with Tampa Bay while Ruskell was there, then rejoined him in Seattle in 2005.

Hamdan and other former NFL Europa players believe a new league can be successful because of the popularity of football in the United States and the growing number of players who want to play beyond college.

“It’s something certain players need,” said Lynn McGruder, a defensive tackle whom the Seahawks allocated to NFL Europa this past spring. “People will keep knocking down doors just to play.”

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com

By: Bob Raissman

Dog days looming for NFL, networks

Anyone at the National Football League, or in the offices of their TV partners, not familiar with the kind of heat the Humane Society of the United States is capable of bringing should flash back to December 2004.

That’s when Wayne Pacelle, president/CEO of the Humane Society, targeted HBO Sports, calling for the network to fire Roy Jones Jr., an analyst on the network’s “World Championship Boxing” telecasts, if he did not give up his heavy involvement in cockfighting.

HBO Sports boss Ross Greenburg, an animal-rights supporter, was confronted with a troubling, complicated dilemma. HBO Sports was not responsible for Jones being a participant in a barbaric practice - at the time illegal in 48 states - and Jones was not breaking the law.

Normally, broadcasters are under an inordinate amount of scrutiny from viewers. Things get much hotter - like in the Jones cockfighting situation - when activist groups, relentless in their pursuit of a cause, get involved.

Just ask Don Imus.

Jones was terminated, a year after the Humane Society contacted HBO Sports, for what the network said was an unrelated matter.

This brings us to Michael Vick, who was indicted on dogfighting charges on Tuesday. It would appear the quarterback is just a problem for Falcons owner Arthur Blank and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Here’s who is also in a fix: the NFL’s national broadcast partners - Fox, ESPN, CBS, NBC and the NFL Network.

For if any network suit believes activist groups that want Vick suspended are not going to put major pressure on them too, they are delusional. Vick is not an employee of the networks. Yet these outlets televise NFL games, including ones Vick plays in. This gives them target status. On its Web site, the Humane Society is now urging its members (of which there are more than eight million) to implore the NFL to act and suspend Vick.

If Goodell does not suspend Vick, it would not be surprising - as it did with HBO and Jones - if the Humane Society, and other concerned citizens, put pressure on the NFL’s high-profile TV partners.

It would be hard for animal-rights activists to affect broadcast coverage. Fox, NBC, ESPN, CBS and NFLN have contracts with the NFL that must be honored. The network suits can stand - or hide - behind them. No one should expect them to refuse to televise a Falcons game.

There is another way to negatively affect the NFL’s TV partners and force them to pressure Goodell into suspending Vick: activists could certainly make life uncomfortable for the broadcasters, and their advertisers, by urging a boycott of products sold by any company advertising on an NFL game.

This would immediately generate more terrible publicity for the NFL. It could also have severe financial implications. If NFL advertisers start believing the public perceives them as being in bed with a league that allows one of its marquee stars, involved in dogfighting, to keep playing without sanction, these major corporations could start pulling their money out of NFL telecasts.

Another issue for these networks is how they handle the Vick story. Traditionally, NFL TV rights-holders have been very cautious covering players’ off-field behavior when it had little or no impact on the game they are broadcasting.

These Vick allegations rise to a level far above the deviant behavior routinely exhibited by some NFL players. The warped mentality described in the Vick indictment is off the charts. This is not your standard drug/alcohol/nightclub fracas kind of thing. Those stories usually have a short shelf life. The Vick story won’t. It’s about a player who may have a dark side beyond description and comprehension.

The pregame and halftime shows will be hard-pressed to give the story short shrift. But never underestimate the ability of these programs to sweep negative NFL stories under the artificial carpet. Last season, CBS’ “The NFL Today” cast interviewed Shawne Merriman and did not ask him one question about being busted by the NFL for steroids.

ESPN will be first up. It is scheduled to telecast the Aug.27 preseason game between the Falcons and Bengals. Already ESPN, through “Outside the Lines” and “SportsCenter,” has showed a willingness to tackle the Vick story. Will the clowns on “Gameday” and “Monday Night Football” rise to the same level?

The Falcons will make three national regular-season TV appearances in 2007. Even if they made none, thanks to Vick, they will be a national story.

And perhaps a costly one - for the NFL and its TV partners.

While the Atlanta Falcons and Nike pleaded for patience yesterday and cautiously stood by embattled Michael Vick, pressure continued to mount on the NFL to take immediate action against the star quarterback who has been indicted on dogfighting charges.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) said it was “disturbed by the message the NFL and the Falcons are sending” by not suspending Vick. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) planned a protest outside the NFL offices for this morning. And New Jersey state assemblyman Neil Cohen announced that he is drafting legislation that would elevate animal fighting in his state to a second-degree crime, punishable by up to 10years in prison.

“The NFL needs to send a strong message right now by sacking Vick,” PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich said in a statement. “Anyone who could force a dog to fight to the death should be kept away from all vulnerable forms of life, like children and animals.”

The NFL, according to sources, is waiting for the legal process to play out before deciding on a punishment for Vick, even though commissioner Roger Goodell’s new personal conduct policy allows for suspensions in the absence of convictions. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league has received close to 1,000 calls and e-mails about Vick in the past two days.

This morning at 10 a.m., the NFL will hear from PETA, whose members are expected to converge on league headquarters on Park Ave., carrying signs that read “NFL: Sack Vick” and “Tackle Cruelty.” PETA, along with The Rev. Al Sharpton and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, had earlier sent a letter to the league, the Falcons and Vick’s sponsors condemning dogfighting. PETA has similar protests planned for Atlanta and Richmond.

McCarthy said the NFL is aware of PETA’s planned protests, but did not have any comment.

“By allowing Michael Vick to continue as part of the NFL, they are clearly ignoring the cries of the American public and are seemingly condoning these barbaric acts,” said Wayne Pacelle, the president of HSUS. “While these disturbing dogfighting charges against Vick are being prosecuted, the NFL and the Falcons need to disassociate themselves from this cruel and unacceptable conduct.

“Vick will have the opportunity to defend himself in court. By not suspending him, the NFL is sending the wrong message to the American public.”

The Falcons and Nike sent similar messages yesterday when both refused to cut ties with or punish Vick. While the Falcons said they are “exploring our options,” the shoe company put at least a little distance between itself and its indicted client.

Nike issued a statement saying the company has “not terminated our relationship” with Vick, but it suspended the release of Vick’s fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V, which was due to be released on Aug.23.

“Nike is concerned by the serious and highly disturbing allegations made against Michael Vick, and we consider any cruelty to animals inhumane and abhorrent,” the company’s statement read. “We do believe that Michael Vick should be afforded the same due process as any citizen.”

HSUS blasted Nike for its stance, however, and for continuing to market a $16 “Vick Hero” T-shirt to young boys.

“Michael Vick is no hero,” Pacelle said. “A string of dead, wounded and suffering animals has been left along the Eastern Seaboard as a consequence of this dogfighting ring. This is no moment to tell America’s youth to look up to such a man.”

Later in the day, Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who gave Vick a 10-year, $130 million contract three years ago, issued his plea for due process. Blank, who said in his statement that he was “saddened and distressed” about the Vick mess, addressed Falcons fans, whom he acknowledged are “anxious to hear more from us.”

“This is an emotionally charged and complicated matter,” Blank said. “There are a wide range of interests and legal issues that need to be carefully considered as we move ahead, including our need to respect the due process that Michael is entitled to. Given the differing perspectives and strong feelings around this issue, we probably won’t make everyone happy, but we are committed to doing the right thing.”

Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday on two counts of operating an illegal dogfighting ring out of his home in Smithfield, Va. He faces the possibility of six years in prison and $350,000 in fines if convicted on both charges. He is due in federal court in Richmond, Va., on Thursday, the day of the Falcons’ first training-camp practice.

Included in the indictment is an allegation that Vick and his three associates traveled with their dogs to illegal fights in four other states, including New Jersey. That, in part, spurred Assemblymen Cohen to attempt to strengthen the penalties for animal-fighting crimes in the state.

“Reports of well-to-do, successful role models turning to animal blood sport and torture as a means of entertainment is, quite simply, chilling,” Cohen said. “The grand jury’s actions in the case of Michael Vick helps send the right message: Torturing defenseless animals for fun and profit is disgusting, deplorable, and absolutely unacceptable, no matter who is involved.”

PETA statement

“These dogs didn’t stand a chance. Pit bulls were allegedly hanged, slammed to the ground, electrocuted, and shot. The NFL needs to send a strong message right now by sacking Vick,” says PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich. “Anyone who could force a dog to fight to the death should be kept away from all vulnerable forms of life, like children and animals. Dogfighting is a coward’s blood sport that deserves harsh punishment, no matter how famous the alleged perpetrators are.”

braissman@nydailynews.com

They balk at vests with product logos

Teddy Greenstein

July 20, 2007

Outraged by a new rule that would turn photographers into walking billboards, several prominent newspapers are considering boycotting NFL games this fall.

The edict would require photographers to wear red vests with prominent product logos.

“We cannot abide by this,” said George de Lama, the Tribune’s managing editor for news. “We don’t work for the NFL. Our photographers, just like our writers, are there covering games on behalf of our readers.

“We will talk to our colleagues in Tribune Co. and elsewhere in the industry. I think it’s pretty clear that the NFL will hear a unified position from news organizations on this.”

The New York Times and Houston Chronicle are among the other newspapers that have expressed serious concern over the new rule.

The National Press Photographers Association also is outraged, with John Long, chair of NPPA’s Ethics&Standards Committee, telling News Photographer magazine:

“It totally goes against our code of ethics to force photographers to advertise as if they were some sort of NASCAR vehicle. We are independent gatherers of news, storytellers with no agendas. Our integrity comes from objectivity. Do reporters put up with this kind of disrespect from the NFL?”

The NFL, seemingly consumed with money and marketing, has a history of dictating what its on-field personnel can wear during games. Just ask Jim McMahon, who was fined $5,000 for wearing an Adidas headband during a 1985 game.

The NFL even initially refused to allow two head coaches to wear a suit and tie for games because of its tie-ins with Reebok, which supplies the coaches’ apparel.

Last month Commissioner Roger Goodell finally relented by permitting the 49ers’ Mike Nolan and the Jaguars’ Jack Del Rio to adopt the Tom Landry look — but only for their teams’ eight regular-season home games in 2007.

Messages left for the NFL on Thursday were not returned, but the league likely will point out that photographers at the Olympics had to wear vests that featured the word “Kodak.” But those bibs were darker, the logo was smaller and the Olympics are essentially a non-profit event.

At the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, some photographers reportedly wore vests inside-out to protest the inclusion of a “Tostitos” logo.

“Having to wear anything promoting products is not something journalists would choose to do,” Pete Cross, the Palm Beach Post’s assistant managing editor for photography told News Photographer. “We consider it distasteful and unethical.”

Lionizing Penn State

Most prognosticators view Michigan and Wisconsin as the preseason favorites to win the Big Ten. Not ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit. He likes Penn State.

Herbstreit likes the fact the Nittany Lions will host Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa. Their toughest road game? Michigan, on Sept. 22.

Herbstreit will be among the rotating analysts on ESPN’s “College Football Live.” The show’s debut is set for 2:30 p.m. Monday.

Mark Kriegel

FOXSports.com, Updated 3 hours ago

Editor’s note: Hours after Mark Kriegel’s column was written and posted, Nike announced that it was suspending the release of its Air Zoom Vick V shoe.

When asked for comment on Michael Vick’s indictment as the alleged owner and impresario of a merciless dogfighting operation, Nike e-mailed the Associated Press a statement, saying that it is “reviewing the information.”

In other words, Nike said nothing, did nothing. In cases like these, this is what the sneaker giant usually does. So don’t be surprised. Be disappointed.

Even the NFL, which paid proper homage to due process, came out with a statement saying that the league was “disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him … The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal …”

The Falcons, for their part, acknowledged that the organization was “disturbed by the news.”

Feeling the pressure?

Nike appears to have felt some heat on the Michael Vick issue. And as a result, the company has decided to suspend the release of its Air Zoom Vick V shoe this summer.

But with the launch of the Zoom Vick V — which your kids can buy for a mere $100 — a month away, Nike is studying the situation. All of a sudden, the company that made cool a corporate art form sounds like the Pentagon. Did you really expect different?

It’s not about the dogs.

It’s about the shoes.

Actually, this being Nike, it’s also about image. And whether Nike wants to realize it or not, Vick’s has been irreparably harmed.

Not so long ago, Michael Vick was projected as the ballplayer for his time, a star whose gifts were ideally suited for the digital age. In the post-Jordan era, he played the hot position in the hot sport. There had never been a quarterback like Vick, who just may be the best athlete ever to take a snap.

One doesn’t need to be a great athlete to be a great quarterback, of course. But in this age of computer-generated special effects, he had that most precious commodity: the capacity to thrill. So, after only three pro seasons, with his completion percentage at a mere 52 percent, Vick earned simulated gridiron’s highest honor. His likeness was featured on the cover of Madden NFL 2004.

Vick might have taken to calling himself Superman, but Nike — whose imprimatur remains the gold standard among athletic endorsements — knew even better. Nike called him money. You may recall one of the most spectacularly produced commercials — The Michael Vick Experience — in which a young fan is strapped into a ride through which he sees, feels and hears the game through the quarterback’s perspective, finally and miraculously somersaulting into the end zone.

Now Michael Vick’s experience — real, not simulated — will include arraignment, a possible perpwalk, perhaps even jail time. I’m not saying Vick will do time, just that there’s a chance. The case against him seems stronger than say, the sexual assault case against another Nike endorser, Kobe Bryant. That was his word against hers in a state court. And when the alleged victim backed off, the case collapsed.

This is a federal case. The feds would not go digging around Vick’s property at 1915 Moonlight Road, Smithfield, Va., to make a case against Larry, Moe and Curley. Image means a lot to them, too. The feds want a star quarterback. And they wouldn’t have brought the indictment if they didn’t think the case against him was a very good bet.

It’s a conspiracy case, though. They’re generally much easier to charge than to prove. The indictment speaks of three informants. They will not be good guys; they will be vulnerable on the stand — the cruelest, most vicious dog being infinitely more sympathetic than a rat.

Still, the fact is, there is no way for Vick to win here. Even if he wins in court, the damage will be severe. A bar fight, a substance abuse problem, all of that can be dealt with. But in the public’s mind, dogfighting is somewhere between wife-beating and the ultimate sin, point-shaving.

It’s bad enough that Vick’s career completion percentage remains at 53.8 percent, and that he finished last season out of the playoffs with the league’s 20th best quarterback rating. But cruelty to dogs? That’s not going to fly. That’s an irredeemable sin in a country where Marley and Me has been a bestseller for the last nine-and-a-half years.

The indictment says Vick bet large sums on dogs, and that he had losers killed — electrocuted, shot, drowned, smashed against the ground. He may have even killed some himself.

More than a month ago, Vick told an Atlanta TV station: “Everywhere I go, all around the world, people still support Mike Vick. So regardless of what I go through people gonna love me.”

That’s the Michael Vick Experience right there, as out of touch as his biggest corporate sponsor.

Training camp goals: Chargers

Camp goals | Strategy and personnel | Camp calendar

Training camp goals

1. Coaching ‘em up

After winning two AFC West titles in three years and compiling an NFL-best regular-season mark of 14-2, Marty Schottenheimer was forced out. Enter Norv Turner, who is known for two things: being an offensive guru and a bust as an NFL head coach.

This will be Turner’s third shot directing his own squad and the Chargers fans’ fingers are crossed this time is the charm. In stints with the Redskins and Raiders, Turner’s mark is 58-82-1.

The Chargers’ brass is quick to point out those franchises produced teams not nearly as stout as the Chargers. And that assessment is right on.

Turner takes over a team that is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. That said, Turner still needs to prove he can lead an entire team, and not just one aspect of it.

Turner, though, won’t need any time making adjustments to the Chargers’ high-powered offense, led by NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson. It was Turner, as the offensive coordinator, who installed the scheme back in 2001.

2. Getting the inside right

The Chargers, after going 14-2, have few questions and not many positions unsettled. But that’s not the case at inside linebacker, where the Chargers must find ample replacements for veterans Donnie Edwards and Randall Godfrey.

The plan is for Matt Wilhelm and Stephen Cooper, two guys who have paid their dues, to fill in for the two 12-year pros.

In short stints, Wilhelm and Cooper have done little to show they can’t do the job. But filling in occasionally and doing it on a weekly basis are two different things.

It’s critical Wilhelm and Cooper prove early that they are up to the task. The Chargers have a had a stout run defense for years and that helped fuel last year’s showing as the top team in sacks. When the Chargers are successful on the early downs, it puts rivals in obvious passing situations which the linebackers on the edge — Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips — can take advantage of.

3. Establish a solid wide-receiver group

While nearly every other position strikes fear into defensive coordinators, the wide receivers’ spot remains a work-in-progress.

With veteran Keenan McCardell not invited back, the team turns to third-year pro Vincent Jackson as the go-to guy. Jackson has the size and speed to be a difference-maker but he has had problems avoiding injuries and playing with consistency.

The team burnt its top pick on Louisiana State’s Craig Davis, hoping his ability to run after the catch will increase his productivity.

Eric Parker is the No. 3 receiver, but he first must put a disastrous showing in last season’s playoff loss behind him.

Broncos | Chargers | Chiefs | Raiders

For these QBs, it’s win now … or else

By Skip Wood, USA TODAY

As NFL training camps begin this weekend, many teams won’t need an X or an O to represent the quarterback in their offensive play diagrams. A question mark would work just as well.

Instability among starters at the game’s most important position is almost epidemic around the league this summer. Even putting aside the inevitability of injury, midseason — or even mid-camp — change is foreseeable for more than half of the 32 teams.

Len Dawson, a Hall of Fame quarterback and an NFL analyst for more than two decades, says he’s never seen so many passer predicaments at once.

Not “at least in the modern era,” says Dawson, who led the Kansas City Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl IV. “Back in my era, before free agency … we didn’t have this, but now I think what you’re seeing is just a sign of the times.”

Besides players’ increased freedom to switch clubs, teams’ uncertainty at quarterback comes from more pressure than ever being placed on the position. They need to win now for constantly revolving coaches. They have to justify large salaries and elite draft status. They must master mind-bendingly complex playbooks and decision-making. Then there are increasingly large, fast and strong defenders capable of inflicting injury on every snap.

“If a guy doesn’t perform almost immediately, or at least show signs of real potential, then you start looking for other options,” says another Hall of Fame quarterback, Warren Moon.

For every Peyton Manning, coming off his first Super Bowl win with the Indianapolis Colts, there’s at least one Eli Manning, who through his three seasons with the New York Giants has yet to overcome frustrating inconsistency.

For every Tom Brady, he of the three Super Bowl trophies with the New England Patriots, there’s at least one Donovan McNabb, a five-time Pro Bowler who has not won a Super Bowl and has missed time the last two seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles because of injuries.

For every Drew Brees, who spearheaded the New Orleans Saints’ resurgence a year ago, there’s a Michael Vick, whose uneven play and low pass-completion percentage had vexed the Atlanta Falcons — and now he faces federal charges related to his alleged involvement with dogfighting.

“You’re always looking for ‘that guy,’ ” Moon says, “and if you don’t have a real good one, that’s going to be a problem.”

There are exceptions. The Chicago Bears reached the Super Bowl last season with underwhelming play from Rex Grossman.

In the last 10 seasons, however, seven teams that won the Super Bowl had true stars at quarterback: John Elway (two titles), Kurt Warner (one), Brady (three) and now Peyton Manning.

Even the other three championship quarterbacks — the Baltimore Ravens’ Trent Dilfer, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Brad Johnson and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger— were capable managers who minimized pivotal mistakes.

Thus, much of the conversation about quarterbacks this season is occurring in the interrogative.

Can someone become a new star? Who’s too old? Who’s too young? Who will start the season on the field but end on the sideline?

Great expectations

When the Giants acquired No. 1 draft pick Eli Manning from the San Diego Chargers the day he was chosen, expectations were heady. Family lineage indicated Eli would follow in the footsteps of his brother Peyton and his father, Archie.

He inherited the starting job early in his rookie season and has kept it. He’s coming off his best season in terms of completion percentage (.577), which gives him a .541 career mark. But to go with his 54 career touchdown passes are 44 interceptions and a penchant for streaky play.

The Giants’ new offensive coordinator, Kevin Gilbride, who moved up from quarterbacks coach and recruited Chris Palmer to be Manning’s new position guru, still thinks Eli has the necessary tools.

“You know, he’s somewhat enigmatic in that we see moments of brilliance and moments of poise and physical toughness and skill that are just almost dazzling,” Gilbride says.

“The biggest challenge we’re going to have is getting Eli to play as we see in moments over the course of a whole season. And I think we can do that, and I think Chris is the perfect choice to be able to help bring that out of him.”

However, the team signed veteran backup Anthony Wright during the offseason — just in case.

Injuries hamper a career

Looking to quell talk of a quarterback controversy that would carry into training camp, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio named Byron Leftwich his starter soon after last season. So now, heading into the fifth and final year of his contract, Leftwich is in a position that dictates success — or else.

Injuries, though, have plagued him. He played in six games last season, down from 11 the previous season, and David Garrard filled in capably. Yet it’s hard to dismiss the worth of a player who has 51 career touchdowns, 36 interceptions and a 59% completion rate.

He understands why some do.

“I don’t care who you are, if you miss as many games as I did the last two years, there are going to be doubters,” Leftwich says. “People are going to question: Can you do this, or can you do that? That is the frustrating part of it. People start to question your ability when you are not out there. …

“Instead of saying you are injury-prone, what is being questioned is if I can play. When I am out there, I am going to win more than I am going to lose. I know that. … That’s what always happens when I am out there on a consistent basis.”

A quarterback’s development

After Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan finally replaced Jake Plummer last season with 2006 first-round draft pick Jay Cutler, the rookie responded nicely.

He started the final five games, throwing nine touchdown passes against five interceptions and completing 59.1% of his passes.

So is he the future? Shanahan certainly hopes so. The Broncos traded Plummer, who retired, and signed Patrick Ramsey, 28, as Cutler’s understudy.

“This is a growing process, and he is maturing by working extremely hard,” Shanahan says. “Hopefully, the learning curve keeps going and he plays well. … A quarterback can’t do it all, and hopefully we have the supporting cast to take a little bit of pressure off of him.”

The Broncos have brought in players, including running back Travis Henry from the Tennessee Titans and wide receiver Brandon Stokley from the Colts. Cutler likes the newcomers and is looking forward to continuing his relatively surprising ascent.

“With Mike always sitting back there watching and critiquing, he’s so much further ahead of me brain-wise with this offense,” he says. “It’s tough stuff, but I feel comfortable with it. I feel I’ve got a lot of the basic stuff down, a lot of the stuff I didn’t have last year.

“I’m able to put some things together that I wasn’t able to (last season), so it’s always going to be a learning process, but I think I’m catching up to it.”

Weighing present vs. future

Now that Trent Green is with the Miami Dolphins, the Chiefs are looking at one of the more intriguing quarterback competitions going into training camp.

Do they go with 11-year veteran Damon Huard, who just signed a contract, or with Brodie Croyle, who was drafted in 2006?

Huard guided the Chiefs to a 5-3 record last season after Green suffered a concussion in Week 1. Yet Croyle is the hope for the future. What to do in the present?

“That’s going to be the big question around here,” Dawson says. “I do think that Brodie’s going to be given every opportunity to show what he can do.”

Chiefs coach Herm Edwards doesn’t disagree. How each quarterback reacts to Edwards’ run-oriented approach will be pivotal.

“You tell those guys, ‘You don’t have to win the game, but you have the ability to lose the game if you make some bad throws,’ ” he says. “That’s not like you’re going to play cautious, but your surrounding cast will help win the game. … If they learn that, they’ll be fine.

“As they gain confidence, you open things up for them. But it’s all about confidence at any position … the quarterback, especially, because of the fact that he touches the ball every play. You have this team in your hands.”