Who has most to prove in 2010?

All players have something to prove in a new season, but here's three who have more than the typical player. And for three different reasons.

May 19, 2010 at 8:55PM

I was out at Winter Park for today's OTA practice. A couple things jumped out at me:

. The only starters there were safeties Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson. I'm not a big believer in OTAs, so it doesn't bother me that more starters weren't there. But it does impress me that the two safeties are there. I'm guessing the coaches strongly hinted that they show up. But either way it was nice to see two players who need to get better show up and try to get better.

. Heath Farwell was there. That comes as no shock to anyone. He's 100 percent blue collar and hasn't forgotten where he came from as a former undrafted rookie. But it was still nice to see that a Pro Bowl didn't change this guy's attitude or approach.

. Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels handle the Brett Favre situation as well as anybody could. Yeah, they've got little choice. But they could whine and complain and bite people's heads off when asked about Favre. But they don't. They just show up for work.

Now, three questions off the top of my head ...

1. Which NFL player has the most to prove in 2010? I've selected three that have something to prove for three different reasons. I'd love to hear suggestions from readers as to which player they think have the most to prove this season.

Here's my three, with my answer below:

A, JaMarcus Russell.
He'll have to study and prove behind the scenes that he has the work ethic to keep a job in the NFL.

B, LaDainian Tomlinson.
His legacy and ticket to the Hall of Fame is set. But he very much has to prove that he has anythinig left in the tank. Was it age or San Diego's offense that was most responsible for LT's least productive season last year? He'll have a chance to answer that now that he's with a Jets team that led the league in rushing last season.

C, Jake Delhomme.
He's been putrid since the 2008 playoffs. Yet he's been given a second chance and SEVEN MILLION bucks in Cleveland.

My answer: Delhomme.
To play as poorly as Delhomme has the past 17 games, lose a starting job, get cut and end up as a starter in a city that's starving for some quality football ... well, that's some serious pressure to prove one's self.

2, My second question isn't football-related. My second question is: "What kind of parent picks up his toddler at the zoo, leans him over a barrier, puts him close to a caged wild animal and then blames the zoo when the kid gets scratched by the wild animal?"

3, We found out today over on AccessVikings that fans can mail items to Radtke Sports for Favre to sign. Full size helmets and jerseys will cost $400, or $500 if you want No. 4 to inscribe it to you. You can get a mini-helmet signed for $175. My question is this: Who would do something like this? Are you looking to re-sell it on ebay? I'm not a big autograph guy, but in this case you can't even say that you were there when Favre signed it. You mailed your item along with too much money and had it mailed back to you. I don't get it. Enlighten me. And I don't blame Favre for doing the private signing. Heck, if the demand is high at those prices, I say sign away.

about the writer

about the writer

Mark Craig

Sports reporter

Mark Craig has covered the NFL nearly every year since Brett Favre was a rookie back in 1991. A sports writer since 1987, he is covering his 30th NFL season out of 37 years with the Canton (Ohio) Repository (1987-99) and the Star Tribune (1999-present).

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