Breaking Down the Latest Buzz on Training Camps Biggest Position Battles

NFL training camps wouldn't be much of anything without positional battles. They give fans, media and, most importantly, coaches competitions to keenly keep an eye on while all 32 teams prepare for the demanding regular season. 

Sure, late-round picks and undrafted guys are fighting for their jobs, but it's the battles for starting positions are the most intriguing. 

As camps open across the league this weekend, here is the latest news on the biggest and most intriguing competitions in professional football. 

Jake Locker vs. Matt Hasselbeck

Matt Hasselbeck was an efficient game manager for the majority of 2011. 

He threw for 3,571 yards at a 61.6 completion percentage clip and tossed 18 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. 

However, when rookie Jake Locker spelled an injured Hasselbeck last season, he flashed glimpses of his potential brilliance. He appeared in five games, tossed four touchdowns and no interceptions and currently has a career QB rating of 99.4. 

The Titans clearly drafted Locker to be their future franchise quarterback, but is the future now? 

According to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean, offensive coordinator Chris Palmer had this to say about the quarterback competition: "I am really proud of both quarterbacks. We are very pleased with both of them. They’re even. It is a competition right now. "

Matt Flynn vs. Russell Wilson vs. Tarvaris Jackson

We've got a somewhat unusual three-headed quarterback battle in Seattle. 

I like the sound of that. 

Tarvaris Jackson wasn't atrocious in 2011, but his poor decision-making clearly limited the team's success. 

He wasn't in a gunslinger role, but even as a game manager, Jackson struggled. 

So, the Seattle front office brought in Matt Flynn via free agency and added the intriguing Russell Wilson in the draft. 

Eric D. Williams of The Tacoma News listed Flynn has the favorite to win the job in a recent blog post in which he broke down all three candidates. 

He describes Flynn as the most efficient of the three throwers, though not as athletically impressive as Jackson or Wilson. 

Matt Moore vs. David Garrard vs. Ryan Tannehill

The Miami Dolphins are another team with a three-man quarterback battle on their hands that features a talented rookie. 

Matt Moore didn't receive the credit he deserved in 2011, after he took over the starting job on a horrible Dolphins club and went 6-3 from November on. 

He threw 16 touchdowns to only nine interceptions and finished the year with a reasonable 87.1 QB rating. 

Even with Moore and the team carrying some momentum into the 2012 season, Miami's front office wasn't ready to get complacent. They acquired David Garrard in free agency and made controversial quarterback Ryan Tannehilll their first-round selection in this year's draft. 

According to Barry Jackson of Miami Herald, Garrard has the early lead on the starting job, and got an interesting quote from center Mike Pouncey who said the following: "Matt Moore did a good job last year but when Garrard is in, it’s a whole different tempo."

That's interesting because Garrard didn't play football in 2011, and as Yahoo! Sports' Doug Farrar pointed out, Tannehill has been teaching the veterans the new offense, as it's the same offense he ran under former Texas A&M head coach and current Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman. 

Kevin Kolb vs. John Skelton

Kevin Kolb certainly didn't live up to his six-year, $65 million contract in 2011. Due to injury, He managed to play in only nine games, and tossed nine touchdowns with eight interceptions while Arizona disappointingly started the season 3-6. 

John Skelton stepped in, and while he wasn't fantastic, he did lead a handful of fourth-quarterback comebacks, and the team went 6-2.

Via ProFootballTalk.com, NFLNetwork's Willie McGinest had this to say about the feeling in Arizona's locker room: “Talking to some of my buddies down there, it seems like they’re gravitating toward Skelton a little bit more."

After a career marred with inconsistency, it should come as no surprise that some Cardinals players are seemingly in favor of Skelton. 

These two will battle it out in what should be a competition that goes down to the wire in the desert. 

Blaine Gabbert vs. Chad Henne

There's no getting around it, Blaine Gabbert had quite the forgettable rookie season. 

He was totally flustered throughout 2011, leading one of the most putrid offenses in football. He tossed 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while barely completing 50 percent of his passes. The team ended the year as the worst passing offense in the NFL, far from a good sign when the league's elite are winning with pass-heavy offenses. 

Gabbert was undoubtedly rushed into starting lineup last year, so it's unfair to call him a bust after his first professional season. 

However, to create a full-fledged quarterback competition, the team acquired Chad Henne in free agency. 

There hasn't been any news out of the Jaguars camp as to who's taken the early lead, but in a May column, SI.com's Don Banks hinted that members of Jacksonville's front office believe Henne will win the starting job away from Gabbert by late August.