Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger isn't worried about a little tear in his rotator cuff. That's cool. You know who is worried? This guy! There are no little injuries when it comes to rotator cuff injuries.
But Roethlisberger is playing it off and I suppose if it was that big of a deal, the Steelers would shut him down immediately.
Also coming out of Steelers camp, new offensive coordinator Todd Haley intends to let Roethlisberger run a lot of no-huddle this season, which means the Steelers could end up running an offense similar to his days as coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals.
You remember, back when Kurt Warner was killing it. Not sure if Roethlisberger can put up those kind of elite stats, but he figures to get an opportunity if the team can't find a solid running attack. Seriously, it seems like the Steelers open every season committed to the run, and Roethlisberger ends up flinging it a bunch.
Expect a pretty good year from Roethlisberger, who also predicted Mike Wallace will return to the team soon.
A.J. Green is on the move
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Red Dalton is looking for more responsibility this season, and our Bert Breer reports the club is ready to give it to him . The good news is this means Dalton could become more of an option as a QB2 in most leagues, but everybody wants more production from A.J. Green.
And it looks like it could be happening.
When you look at some of the biggest prospects at receiver, most of them are fighting with other receivers in their tandem (think New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys among others). But A.J. Green is in a similar situation to guys like Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and Dre Johnson as the only show in town.
And he's a healthier option compared to Johnson, so don't be surprised to see Green sneak into the top five of receiver rankings this season.
Quick Outs
Your Darren McFadden injury update: He's good! Wait, let me check .... yep, still going strong!
» I've been high on Hakeem Nicks for a while, but WFAN reporter Anita Marks joined the NFL Fantasy Live podcast on Tuesday and said Nicks has yoked up this season to David Boston-like proportions. Not that Nicks was a small guy, but anytime the word David Boston-like enters your lexicon, it's time for concern.
» Miles Austin isn't concerned with the closing window in Dallas (whatever the hell that means), saying he's only concerned about what's happening on the field. Hopefully it's a return to his 2009 form when he had 11 touchdown receptions. Two down years from Austin is scaring some, but I like a big bounce-back from the veteran Cowboys receiver this season.
» Jacksonville bust alert: Laurent Robinson has already been ripped by coach Mike Mularkey, and now comes word no progress has been made with Justin Blackmon's. Wait, wasn't the new rookie wage scale supposed to end this sort of thing? At least the team will have Maurice Jones-Drew to lean on. Oh, wait. The home of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Jack Youngblood deserves better.
»New York Jets running back Joe McKnight suffered food poisoning at Applebees. And you guys want to make fun of Arian Foster for being a vegan?
» The New York Jets are asking for a monster year from Shonne Greene. Well, Mark Sanchez is their quarterback, so it makes sense. But Greene did average 4.4 yards-per-carry in the final 12 games, so this could make Greene a huge breakout candidate. And yes, I'm a sucker.
» Congratulations Darren McFadden, looks like you made it through again!
For the record, you can submit your fantasy questions to NFL Fantasy Live, Michael Fabiano or me on Twitter. But realize, NFL Fantasy Live has 50,000 followers, and Fabiano has 60,000. Me? Just 13. See, the odds are better that I will answer your question, so hit me up both via Twitter or via Facebook. Also be sure to catch the latest "Dave Dameshek Football Program."
