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Malcolm Kelly's rookie season with the Redskins has been slowed by injuries.

Had wide receiver Malcolm Kelly stayed for his senior season at Oklahoma, he'd be on the verge of playing for a national title. Instead, he's playing sparingly as a rookie for the Redskins – and he couldn't be happier, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL.
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Quarterback Daunte Culpepper joined the Lions in Week 10, but he hasn't changed the team's losing ways.

The Detroit Lions have some talent, but they still don't have any victories this season. With five games remaining, the Lions have a good shot to become the first team in league history to finish 0-16, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL.
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Defensive end Jevon Kearse and the Titans made it 10-0 Sunday with a come-from-behind victory over the Jaguars.

The Tennessee Titans are rolling through the NFL with a 10-0 record. However, history says the leader at the 10-game mark often doesn't have a successful ending to its season, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL.
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Green Bay Packers safety Nick Collins has found the end zone three times this season.

The glamour statistics in the NFL are usually associated with offensive players. But it's hard to ignore the numbers that Packers safety Nick Collins is putting up this season, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL.
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Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, who burned the Cowboys for 117 yards last week, was a fifth-round draft pick in 2005.

NFL teams capture championships in February. However, building a championship team is a 12-month project. To see how it's done right, just take a look at the New York Giants, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL.
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Dick LeBeau's Pittsburgh Steelers defense is ranked No. 1 in the NFL.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is celebrating his 50th season in pro football. Whether a player or a coach, LeBeau has long been a master at stopping opponents, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL.
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Safety Donte Whitner has been a big part of the Bills' 5-1 start this season.

When the Buffalo Bills took safety Donte Whitner with the eighth pick in the 2006 draft, there were some questions, such as: "Who?" Now in his third season, Whitner no longer is an unknown. And neither are the 5-1 Bills, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL.
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Saints quarterback Drew Brees is the NFC's leading passer despite not having his top two targets.

It's easy to get down on the New Orleans Saints and their 3-3 record. But the Saints are actually doing just fine when you consider how hard they have been hit by injuries, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL. Watch out once they get healthy.
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Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan has four interceptions in five games this season.

Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan is on pace to intercept 13 passes this season. Forget it, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL. History says that quarterbacks quickly take notice of ball-hawking corners and start looking in another direction.
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Jim Haslett takes over the winless St. Louis Rams on an interim basis.

Only one interim coach in pro football history has led a team to a championship the season he took over. So, don't expect a miracle in St. Louis, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL. All Jim Haslett can do is try to remove the laughingstock label that applies to the Rams.
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Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson was held to 67 yards on 26 carries in Monday's victory over the Jets.

History has taught us one lesson about NFL running backs: The longer they play, the less productive they become. And the cliff grows steeper as they approach 30. LaDainian Tomlinson is just about there – and signs of wear and tear are creeping in, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL.
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Safety Darren Woodson awaits a spot in the Cowboys' Ring of Honor.

NFL players can have great careers for a franchise. But a great player in team history doesn't necessarily qualify him for a spot in the Hall of Fame. That's when teams need to step up and do enshrining of their own, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL.
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After a 1-15 finish in 2007, the Miami Dolphins are going with all new captains in '08, including quarterback Chad Pennington.

More and more NFLers are wearing the patch. That's the captain's patch, which now belongs to 141 players, explains pro football columnist Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL.
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Eli Manning and the New York Giants want to avoid becoming the fourth Super Bowl champion this decade to miss the playoffs the following season.

There are at least two sure things about the 2008 NFL season: It starts Thursday and anything can happen. For instance, history says half the teams that made the playoffs in 2007 will miss the postseason in '08. Rick Gosselin explains in this week's Inside the NFL.
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Safety Rodney Harrison has helped the New England Patriots lead the NFL in turnover margin this decade.

The AFC has been the NFL's dominant conference in the 2000s, winning six of eight Super Bowls. You could argue that several factors have led to that supremacy. However, columnist Rick Gosselin focuses on just one in this week's Inside the NFL: AFC teams don't beat themselves.
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Jeff Garcia (left) was one of two quarterbacks to start for coach Jon Gruden last season when the Buccaneers won the NFC South.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden has a history of stockpiling quarterbacks. And he's not about to start apologizing for it. "Quarterbacks are the lifeblood of this league," he told columnist Rick Gosselin in this week's Inside the NFL.
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Quarterback Xavier Lee did not live up to expectations at Florida State and then failed to land a spot with the Ravens as a tight end.

The NFL draft is such a hit-and-miss proposition. But so is college recruiting, writes Rick Gosselin, who tracks some former Parade All-Americans in this week's Inside the NFL. Goose also weighs in on the Giants' chemistry, the Brett Favre saga and much more.
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San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis wrapped up Minnesota's Adrian Peterson for one of his NFL-leading 226 tackles last season. But was it a legitimate total?

Pro football columnist Rick Gosselin tackles plenty of topics in the kickoff edition of Inside the NFL. Speaking of tackles, Goose is leery of how the league tracks that statistic. He also has thoughts about the Hall of Fame, the NFC East and much more.
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Packers quarterback Brett Favre and Giants defensive lineman Michael Strahan had strong final seasons in 2007.

With the retirement of several NFL greats this year, many people are talking about "first-ballot Hall of Famers" and "future Hall of Famers." But before we rush these new retirees to Canton, let's consider those who came before them, writes pro football columnist Rick Gosselin in this month's Inside the NFL.
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Quarterback Brodie Croyle could be the key component of the Chiefs' youth movement.

The Kansas City Chiefs did not get better with age. Few teams do, writes Rick Gosselin in this month's Inside the NFL. But the Chiefs have adopted the Tony Dungy philosophy of draft 'em/play 'em – and the turnaround is in motion.
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