Former NFL LB Willie McGinest, who now works as an analyst, said that he has friends on the Arizona Cardinals and that they’ve told him they prefer QB John Skelton as their starting quarterback over QB Kevin Kolb. ‘Talking to some of my buddies down there, it seems like they’re gravitating toward Skelton a little bit more,’ McGinest said. ‘He’s a big quarterback, he’s tough in the pocket, he has a carefree attitude, he really doesn’t have any pressure. He didn’t get a huge contract like Kolb did, and he’s one of those guys that can command a huddle, can come in there, and guys just like his attitude.’
Cardinals | Players prefer John Skelton as starting QB?

New York Jets OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson said the team has greatness written all over themselves. ‘We have an opportunity now to do something spectacular,’ Ferguson said. ‘We still have Shonn Greene, he’s an excellent back. We have a great offensive line. We’re going to do some nice things this year. The focus should be on what’s gonna happen this year, and what’s in our power to do. We have greatness written all over us. It’s just a matter of time.’
Jets | Players expect greatness

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he expects FS Ed Reed to show up for training camp. ‘Ed Reed plans on being here,’ Harbaugh said. ‘I talked with Ed. I had a great conversation and I’m looking forward to seeing him.’
Ravens | Confident Ed Reed will play

New York Jets special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff said QB Tim Tebow would possibly be used as a situational kick returner this season. ‘There are certain situations (on kickoffs) where he might be on the field that he could be utilized possibly to block or possibly to field a ball,’ Westhoff said. ‘If a team squibs it at you or pops it at you, he might be the perfect guy to put in that could make an adjustment. If they kick it deep, he could block. If they squib it or pop it, he could be a guy that we’d have with a ball in his hands.’
Jets | Tim Tebow to be a kick returner?

Carolina Panthers C Ryan Kalil announced in a full-page ad taken out in the Wednesday, July 25, edition of the Charlotte Observer that the team will win the Super Bowl this upcoming season. ‘Every team says it every year, whether it’s publicly or not,’ Kalil said. ‘They say they’re going to win the Super Bowl. We’ve said it in the past in meeting rooms and behind closed doors. This year’s different. There’s a sense of urgency, a winning attitude that I haven’t seen before. And it’s in the way we prepare. It’s in the way we approach each work day, and I think fans will see it in the way that we play.’
Panthers | Ryan Kalil has big expectations

There still remain 13 unsigned players from the 2012 NFL Draft class. The Miami Dolphins still have three draft picks (QB Ryan Tannehill, DL Olivier Vernon and TE Michael Egnew) unsigned.
NFL | Still some draft picks remain unsigned

Miami Dolphins WR Chad Johnson said he expects to have a rebound season in 2012, primarily because he is no longer being muzzled. ‘My personality was controlled last year (in New England),’ Johnson said. ‘You didn’t hear me at all last year. Zero. Zilch. When my mouth is running, it forces me to perform. It’s never been vindictive. I never got anybody in trouble … One of the things I like about being here, that’s so refreshing, and is such a weight off my back, is I can be me, whatever that entails. When I can be me, I am loose. Everything just flows for me. Whether it’s the style of play, the way I learn.’
Dolphins | Chad Johnson expects big season

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees discussed Tuesday, July 24, his expectation that his team would rise to meet its own unusual set of challenges, which include being without suspended head coach Sean Payton for the entire season. ‘I’m excited about the unknown because in a lot of ways, we don’t necessarily know what to expect,’ Brees said. ‘With all this stuff swirling around us, in the end, all we can worry about is what we can control … I know the type of guys we have. I know the coaches we have. I’m excited to watch it all come together.’
Saints | Drew Brees ready for 2012 season