Hanging Chad

Brett Favre's arrival to New York means Chad Pennington's departure from the Jets. GM Mike Tannenbaum said Pennington will be the odd-man out, so where could the soft-armed and oft-injured veteran land?

He isn't likely to be brought in as anyone's immediate starter, especially not at this point in training camp. But there are several teams who could bring him in at least as quality backup:

Carolina: An insurance policy behind Jake Delhomme certainly wouldn't be a bad idea after the team flopped hard in Delhomme's absence in '07.

Dallas: The Cowboys have been tied to rumors with Tampa Bay's Chris Simms. They're concerned - or should be - with Brad Johnson turning 40 in September.

Detroit: Drew Stanton or Dan Orlovsky aren't enticing options should Jon Kitna go down.

Kansas City: Coach Herm Edwards had Pennington in New York, and Brodie Croyle could use a better push than Damon Huard can provide.

Miami: One of the few places Pennington could compete for the starting job. Veteran Josh McCown, second-year man John Beck and rookie Chad Henne haven't blown anyone's socks off.

Or, if we really want to throw another grenade on the drama, let's envision him swapping spots with Favre in Green Bay and looking over Aaron Rodgers' shoulder.

Giants' swift move could pay big dividends

With names like Shaun Alexander, Kevin Jones and Ron Dayne still dangling on the unemployment line, it still came as no surprise that general managers took immediate notice when Shane Olivea's four-game suspension was rescinded.

The former starting right tackle for the Chargers was generating interest from multiple teams after he was released Feb. 28. San Francisco was among the known suitors, but interest waned when Olivea was suspended June 20, meaning he would miss the first four games of the 2008 season.

When that decision was overturned Thursday, it only took the Giants a matter of hours to scoop him up with a one-year deal. Olivea lost his job in San Diego in large part because he tends to be streaky, but he does play with a nasty streak. And 26-year-old right tackles who have started 57 of 60 career regular-season games aren't easy to come by in July.

It was a no-brainer for the Giants, who had only inexperienced youngsters Guy Whimper and Adam Koets behind starters David Diehl and Kareem McKenzie. If Diehl or McKenzie went down, Whimper has only limited playing time in two seasons and Koets has yet to see regular-season action. Now the Giants have an outstanding insurance policy in Olivea, a former seventh-round pick who is in his prime.

Jobs of any kind are proving difficult for the trio of running backs to come by. Alexander clearly lost a step -- or two -- during his final two injury-plagued seasons in Seattle, and he and Dayne will have to accept backup roles if they're going to be in the league in 2008.
Jones has been diligently rehabbing from ACL surgery five months ago, and recently held a workout in front of representatives from Miami, Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Detroit. He ran the shuttle and cones and caught some passes. If he can prove he is healthy enough to at least participate in non-contact drills by early August, he should end up in someone's camp early enough to compete for significant carries.

Olivea cleared -- and should be coveted

Shaun Alexander, Kevin Jones and Ron Dayne are still searching for work, but Shane Olivea's name will likely be mentioned more than all three combined in the offices of general managers leading up to training camp.

Olivea was cut by San Diego in February after losing his starting right tackle job to rookie Jeromey Clary in November. He was generating interest from San Francisco, among other teams, but didn't sign a deal and was then suspended on June 20 for violating the league's substance abuse program. That meant a team that signed Olivea would be without his services for the first four games of the regular season.

That suspension was rescinded Thursday, and Olivea will be coveted by several teams. He lost his job in San Diego in large part because he tends to be streaky, but Olivea does play with a nasty streak. And 26-year-old right tackles who have started 57 of 60 career regular-season games aren't easy to come by in July.

Expect Olivea to be scooped up quickly by a team looking for him to compete for a starting job.

Jobs of any kind are proving difficult for the trio of running backs to come by. Alexander clearly lost a step -- or two -- during his final two injury-plagued seasons in Seattle, and he and Dayne will have to accept backup roles if they're going to be in the league in 2008.

Jones has been diligently rehabbing from ACL surgery five months ago, and recently held a workout in front of representatives from Miami, Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Detroit. He ran the shuttle and cones and caught some passes. If he can prove he is healthy enough to at least participate in non-contact drills by early August, he should end up in someone's camp early enough to compete for significant carries.

Split Backfield in Miami?

Ronnie Brown has been a nice running through his first two years in the league. He has averaged 4.3 yards per carry behind one of the league's worst offensive lines and scored a modest 10 career touchdowns.

But "nice" and "modest" aren't exactly the adjectives at team wants associated with a No. 2 overall draft pick. "Serviceable" is another one that would fit that would probably make the Dolphins' personnel department cringe.

There was speculation when new coach Cam Cameron arrived in Miami that Brown would be used in a more versatile role, ala LaDainian Tomlinson, who enjoyed an historic 2006 while Cameron was calling the plays in San Diego.

However, as the Dolphins' season opener approaches, Brown is having trouble holding onto his starting job, much less appearing on the verge of a breakthrough third season.

As he did with Cadillac Williams at Auburn and Ricky Williams during his rookie season with Miami, Brown appears headed for more of a shared backfield load. This time it will be with Jesse Chatman, who spent the past two years out of the league trying to get his weight under control.

Brown didn't endear himself to Cameron by showing up to training camp overweight. Meanwhile, Chatman was slowly proving to be very consistent during the preseason.

Granted, all four of the teams that reached the conference finals last season had a two-headed attack in the backfield, but the Dolphins are still waiting to get the return on their investment they expected when they picked Brown in 2005.