Aug. 7 News and Notes From Around the NFL

The 2009 NFL season is finally upon us.

All NFL teams have officially reported to training camp, and if you have not started preparing for your upcoming fantasy football season, you are behind the eight ball. Fortunately for you, all we do here at Bruno Boys Fantasy Football is eat, sleep and breath fantasy football.

As we enter the second week of August, the focus is upon fantasy football drafts.

If you are looking for cheat sheets, player rankings, player profiles, or team breakdowns, we have it all available to you on our 2009 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet, which is available as a free PDF download on our homepage.

Our staff of fantasy football experts is also adding content to our Web site daily. Whether it’s opinion or news, sleepers or busts, you will find new content added to brunoboys.net daily, in order to help you prepare for upcoming draft.

Right now it’s time to take a look at news around NFL training camps and study the potential fantasy football impact.

This week we will discuss Eli Manning’s new contract, LenDale White’s weight loss, Braylon Edwards reporting to camp, and Reggie Bush’s surgically repaired knee.

Eli Manning Signs Contract Extension

The New York Giants and quarterback Eli Manning have agreed to a six-year contract extension worth a reported $97 million, with $35 million guaranteed. The extension will make Manning one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. He will even make more per season than big brother Peyton earns.

Manning did not have his best statistical season in 2008 when he passed for 3,238 yards with 21 touchdowns, but he did have his lowest interception total (10) since becoming the team’s full-time starter in 2005.

He lost his go-to-guy when wide receiver Plaxico Burress was lost for the season, after accidentally shooting himself in the leg during an incident at a nightclub. Burress has since been released by the Giants and is facing legal troubles stemming from the nightclub incident. The Giants drafted wide receiver Hakeem Nicks from North Carolina in the first round of April’s NFL Draft to help fill the void.

Getting the contract extension out of the way early means that Manning and the Giants can concentrate on football without the distraction of a contract negotiation.

Manning is currently ranked as the No. 17 quarterback by the Bruno Boys and he should be drafted as a QB2. He does not put up big numbers on a weekly basis, but he will make a solid bye week or injury replacement.

LenDale White Gives up Tequila, Loses 30-Plus Pounds

Tennessee Titans' running back LenDale White has reported to the team’s training camp more than 30 pounds lighter than he was during the 2008 season. He reported to camp at 228 pounds, which is the lightest he has been since high school. White committed to losing weight after the Titans' playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens in January.

When asked how he lost the weight, White’s answer was a little surprising. "It wasn’t a lot of major diet changes," he said. "It was watching what I drink. I was a big Patron (tequila) consumer." He went on to say that he used to drink a lot of alcohol, but he has cut it out completely and it has been six months since he had a drink.

White had 200 carries for 773 yards to go along with 15 touchdowns in 2008. He is part of a dynamic running back duo in Tennessee with second-year man Chris Johnson. Johnson is the speed back and White is the change of pace power back.

The question is, how will the weight loss affect White's power game? To be honest, it shouldn't. He is still a strong powerful back at 6'1" and 228 pounds and is an explosive runner. If anything, he should be more agile and have the possibility of breaking longer runs.

White is our No. 25 ranked running back in our fantasy football cheat sheets. Tennessee employs a heavy run oriented offense and White should once again approach double digit touchdowns. He is more than a handcuff for Johnson and he should be drafted as a high-end RB3 or flex player.

Edwards Finally Takes the Field With Browns After Missing Four Practices

After missing the Browns' first four days of training camp with an undisclosed injury, wide receiver Braylon Edwards practiced with the team for the first time on Wednesday.

An apparent leg injury had limited Edwards to riding a stationary bike during the Browns' initial training camp workouts, but he received medical clearance from team physicians on Tuesday and he practiced in full with the team on Wednesday.

Edwards, who also missed the team’s mini-camp last month, did not show any signs of rust during his first practice with the team as he made a leaping catch in the end zone for a touchdown against cornerback Gerald Lawson.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for the fifth-year pro.

After scoring 16 touchdowns in 2007, Edwards had a down year in 2008 when he posted 55 catches for 873 yards with just three touchdowns.

He is currently ranked No. 17 in the Bruno Boys Wide Receiver Rankings. After trading tight end Kellen Winslow, releasing Joe Jurevicius and likely losing Donte’ Stallworth for the season, the Browns desperately need Edwards to step up this season.

Draft him as a WR2, but if he can regain his '07 form he can put up WR1 numbers.

Make sure to read the full story, by clicking the following link: News & Notes From Around The NFL (8/7)