Insider with Jason La Canfora

Thanks for the question, Jon. Had to start my maiden voyage with the fellow Baltimorean. The Raens have explored a lot of options at WR, but haven't pulled the trigger. Right now they would have to get Suggs signed to a long-term deal and off that franchise tage to create cap room (and they are getting pretty close to getting T-Sizzle locked up). I don't see Marshall getting dealt at this point and the Cards don't really want to deal Boldin either, as evidenced by the deals they turned down at the draft. Right now I think the Ravens stick as is and hope someone like Williams steps up. If the issue is acute during camp, though, I wouldn't rule out them looking at options (and getting Mason fully healthy is a must). Ratt - "I'm Insane" (sometimes the Ipod has a mind of it's own)

Hello again. Sorry about that delay. Believe it or not I was not the culprit; something happened with the software, just as I posted my first response. Weird. Anyhway, I'm back and jumping back in> Thanks for hanging with us.

Thanks for checking in from across the Atlantic, Luke. Do you supports Man City or United? As for the Bears, they dabbled with the Burress idea and have had contact with his agent, Rosenhaus, but from what I am hearing are not inclined to dive in there. There isn't much on the free agent market. If Mar4shall became available it's something they might explore, but for the most part teams are pretty set now on their training camp rosters, and will make changes as injuries occur, players fall off, etc through the preseason. Dead Boys - "Down In Flames"

Winning their division without him a year ago would have to put them in the mix, right? I think the loss of Matt Birk has been unplayed, and I think QB could be an issue even if Favre returns. But they have a strong D and they can run the ball with the best of them (would like ot see Chetser Taylor get more touches). In the NFC things are generally fairly wide open. If they get solid QB play - no matter then name on the back of the guy's jersey - I think they can compete with anyone in the conference. Pavement - "Flux = Rad"

Thanks brother, you are far too cool. Everyone here at nfl.com and nfl network have been beyond cool and welcoming. Already feeling at home. Steelers are gonna be tough again. Like their team. Beck - "New Pollution"

Hey Ron, I'm sitting in my house right now too. Not a bad polace to be. I don't fancy the Bills' chances in that tough division. & wins per year seems to be their standard, and they could end up right around .500 again. They lost Dockery and Peters, and seem to be trying to rebuild that O Line every 3 years or so. They have some weapons in the pass game (Jackson could catch a lot of balls in the slot this season), but do they have the road graders to grind it out? I'm not so certain. Having a guy like Ray Brown - a longtime warrior in the trenches - on the staff can't hurt. Loenard Cohen - "Love Calls You By Your Name"

I had a feeling "The Cult of Colt" would follow me here today. For those not in the know, the Skins 3rd string QB has quite a following in the DC area. To me, he's still very much a project. He has a swagger to his play, but the lack of size, or a big arm - as well as the slingshot delivery - give me pause. This will be a big preseason for him, obviously. I wonder if Chase Daniel puts any heat on him as well. The Skins are not married to the idea that Todd Collins has to be the No. 2, so Colt will get his shot. I know a lot of people out there are rooting for him.

This is the huge overarching issue that drapes over the 2009 season. These things generally get done at the last possible second (and, often, with several deadlines pushed back, as we saw last CBA go-round). I would expect the same this time. We're at the very beginning of the process and there is much to sort out. The sides have barely even exchanged ideas at this point. I know there are a lot of brilliant people on both sides of the issue, and no one would want to kill the golden goose that the NFL has become. But there are many difficult issues to hash out, and it will take time and countless hours of negotiating over the coming months. A work stoppage would bej bad for all involved. Let's hope one is avoided. Superchunk - "Garlic"

I really like Singletary, let me say that upfront. And talking to guys on that team, he has the players io his corner, even guys like Vernon Davis who he clashed with at the onset. I like his mojo. They finished strong and we all know that division is far from superior. They have some new players adjusting to the 3-4, they need a big season from a guy like Nate Clements, who got huge $$ a few years back, and losing Walt Harris (as smart as they come), hurts. But I get a good vibe from them. I like what they can do with Gore and I have a feeling that Smith's erratic production might ultimately cost him the job, if not before the season than during it. They want ot control the ball, beat people up, play in Singltary's image and have a QB who is not going to hurt them. Hill lacks the upside, for sure, but he can be steady. Upgrading that position might be the last step they need to get to the postseason, but both these QBs should be plenty motivated. Joe Strummer and the Mescellaros - "Nitcomb"

I got a feeling Brady Quinn gets the nod.

Tough, tough division, Anthony. And they play the AFC East and NFC East. Yikes. I think Leftwich will win that job and be okay. They're gonna be more of a head-cracking team I think, with three RBs rotating and with more a vertical element as well, especially if Byron is the QB. Very different style of QB from Garcia.

All i saw was that supermodel get medieval on his backside with a verbal beatdown. Haven't actually seen the show. Am I missing much (supermodel aside)? I don't really follow any shows anymore. We dropped HBO for a while, but now that we have it again I gotta get caught up with an entire season of Flight of the Conchords I missed. Other than that, I'm out of the loop. TV hasn't been the same for me since The Wire ended. The Gap Band - "You Dropped a Bomb On Me" (Ipod has uncanny sense of timing)

Are we talking yards or catches? I have a feeling that passing offense is going to flow through Olsen. He could end up as the primary in a lot of instances from what I am hearing, and he and Cutler developing a nice chemistry.

I love Canda. Been to Toronto, Windsor and London, Ontario, but never the home of the Frontiacs (I covered hockey for like 12 years in a previous life). Anywho. I don't see Young playing unless Collins gets hurt, and with an older QB that is entirely possible. But we both know they protect Collins pretty well, he doesn't hold onto the ball like he used to and with that run game he doesn't have to drop back all that often to begin with. Young has to focus on rediscovering his confidence and deisre first, and then go about winning his locker room over first and foremost, whether he gets a chance to throw a regular season pass or not. He has a lot to prove. The Clash - "Police and Thieves"

I love that dude's game (as a true shrimp, I tend to go for the smaller guys, back to Joe Washington and Lionel "Little Train" James). Talking to scouts, MJD is without a doubt the best pure football player on that roster, to many of them. Can he be a guy who carries the rock 30 times a game? Probably not, but fewer teams are asking guys to do that. he's a weapon whenever he has the ball in his hands, and a real matchup problem for LBs in space. I think he's going to have a nice season, and that O Line can't possibly get as beat up as it was last year, right, with all the season-ending injuries?

You may have missed the intro. Sorry mate. I put the IPod on shuffle whenever I do one of these chats and put the the titles of the songs at the bottom as they pop up. You can tell a lot about a person by the music they listen to, dontcha think?

No way we were getting through this without a few questions about No. 4, right? I'd have to put it somewhere around 97 percent at this point. Barring soem freak medical situation I see him with the Vikes. Just a matter of when it becomes official and they get everything signed, from what I gather.

Getting Manning healthy from the get-go will be a help. But they need guys like Gonzalez to step up, and that defense was downright porous at times last season. To me you're in the hunt anytime Peyton is behind center, but I do think it's a team that needs to sort some things out. Certainly to me you have to label them contenders, though. Mott The Hoople - "Honaloochie Boogie"

There are like 100 questions in this hopper my man. What question didn't I answer? And in the future, shoot me an email at lacanforaNFL@yahoo.com if I don't get to you in a chat and I'll do my best to answer whatever you have. As for why you just started seeing me, last week was my first week at the NFL Network and NFL.com. I was at the Washington Post for the previous 10 years. The Minutemen - "I Felt Like a Gringo"

For the sake of the front office and coaching staff, I think it had better be. Lot of pressure there to finally make that leap and get into the playoffs. They have a lot of pieces in place and if not for some crazy runs of interceptions/late-game turnovers they may have been a few games better last season.

He's another guy with heavy pressure resting on his shoulders. He may have to win back some guys on that team as well, especially on the defensive side of the ball. With Romo it's December and January that will tell the story, again. He needs to be better down the stretch. There's a lot to like about his game, but with TO gone, this should be his team now. Urge Overkill - "Heaven 90210"

Well, that division could be up for grabs a bit, but I'd have to rate the Chargers the favorites again. Hard for me to jump on the Raiders bandwagon until we see more stability from the QB position.

I'm all for it. The league wants to make the game as global as possible, and I can understand why. And with such a huge population in that part of the world, every league is lookinhg at make a mark in Asia. There have been players of Asian descent in the league recently (Dat Nguyen and Scott Fujita come to mind), and it would be pretty cool if at some point a player directly from Japan or China got drafted. I imagine that is still many years away, but I hope the day comes. Outkast - "Synthesizer"

I think so. It's still a little early, but very good signs pointing in that direction.

Eat, drink and be merry? Enjoy good friends and good family ... and watch as much NFL as possible every Thursday, Sunday and Monday? Works for me.

Hells yeah. He's a Baltimore guy like me and a muscial genius. "Freak Out" might be my favorite album. I think the Bears will have more bite at the point of attack. Good point. That guy was/is a heck of a position coach regardless of his head coaching record.

Hey Joe, I'm getting some heat, too, just haven't posted anything yet. I'll post one of the rough ones right after this answer.

Well, I found the post bashing me, but it was a little too offensive to post, I fear. But trust me I have a thick skin and I know people will take issue with me from time to time. It's part of the gig. As for the Chiefs, I think they have a ways to go. Tough climb. QB play should be better but I worry about their ability to run the ball sufficiently, and they are still rebuilding that defense (Dorsey gotta make some strides). REM - "Moral Kiosk"

Good point. I think there will be a job for Toomer somewhere in the league, just might take an injury or two for it to develop. He's someone I'm keeping an eye on. Babyshambles - "Crumb Begging"

I think it comes down to Pennington's health. He's a guy who has battled arm problems before, and I know they like a lot of what Henne can do. Not too many teams make it through successive seasons with just one QB. Odds are he'll get a look, if in nothing else than a reserve/mop-up duty.

Alright my friends, looks like my time is up. Sorry again about the technical difficulties at the start of the chat, and sorry for not getting to every question. Again, hit me up at lacanforaNFL@yahoo.com and I'll be at your service. Might take a little while for me to get to every email, but I will certainly make it my mission to do so. Look forward to being your eyes and ears for years to come, and thanks for taking the time to stop by. Have a great week. Cheers.