With the third week of NFL preseason action wrapped up, here is a look at some of the major storylines to come out of the NFL training camps so far this summer.
Atlanta Falcons
Michael Vick has officially entered his plea of guilty in his federal dogfighting case, which means the star quarterback could be facing as much as five years in jail. This saga has been the focus of the NFL for the entire offseason, and both the Falcons and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will be relieved to put this ugly episode behind them. This means the Falcons can now concentrate on getting Joey Harrington acclimated to the team system, especially now that the impressive D.J. Shockley is out for the year with a knee injury. It is also promising for the Falcons that Warrick Dunn is back and taking part in full-gear workouts after he had back surgery earlier this summer. Dunn recorded six carries for eight yards in Atlanta's 24-19 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.
New England Patriots
Star cornerback Asante Samuel has finally ended his holdout and will rejoin his teammates after missing all of training camp plus the first three games of the preseason so far. The fourth-year player, who broke out with ten interceptions last season, was trying to get an improved contract from the team. This is a big coup for the Patriots, who are arguably the league's best club at creating a team atmosphere while not being held hostage by star players. Also, getting Samuel back gives the Patriots a true shutdown cornerback, something which is rare around the league today.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins signed Joey Porter during the offseason after the volatile linebacker was released from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the only team Porter had ever played for. Porter then suffered a knee injury during the summer, and had to undergo arthroscopic surgery. But the three-time Pro Bowler claims to be ahead of schedule for rehabilitation and while he will not in the Dolphins' preseason finale at New England, he says he is aiming to be fit for the regular-season opener with the Washington Redskins.
Green Bay Packers
If Brett Favre's mood could not get any worse after the Packers failed to sign Randy Moss, who eventually went to New England, Favre must have been downright distraught when Donald Driver went down with a foot injury in last week's game against Jacksonville. Favre has been throwing to Driver since the receiver's rookie season in 1999, and would have been his No. 1 target again this season. Driver's injury is not thought to be serious, but this puts an even bigger spotlight on the Packers' inability to land another solid receiver for Favre during the offseason.
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