Cortland Finnegan left training camp Friday night to the surprise of the Titans organization, and phone calls have not been returned by Finnegan since that night.

The Titans already have plenty of challenges they're dealing with, including a holdout of their best offensive player in Chris Johnson.

Now their best player on each side of the ball is holding out, and that could mean disaster for a team that is widely regarded as being in rebuilding mode.

Finnegan has had a modest training camp so far, with nothing really standing out in his performance. He's basically just showed up to work and run through the motions.

He did appear to be in a good mood during Thursday evening's session.

This also comes as a major surprise considering Finnegan was so active during the lockout in organizing team activities, and he's never come off as a type of guy that is just about the dollar signs.

Finnegan is a cornerstone of the Titans secondary along with Michael Griffin at safety, but Alterraun Verner held his own on the opposite side of Finnegan last season as a rookie.

It shouldn't be expected that this will drag into the regular season, but it's always concerning when key players are missing those valuable reps in practice.

Finnegan regressed a bit last season, finishing with just two interceptions and nine pass deflections. Those are both his lowest totals since 2007, when he became the full-time starter.

The regular season is just a month away, and if you're the Titans you want Finnegan's mind on football and not money.

The Titans do have decent depth at cornerback after signing veteran Frank Walker, but he in no way brings what Finnegan brings to the table.

There's also Jason McCourty, who is going into his third NFL season, all with the Titans.

However, the Titans are already down one cornerback after losing Ryan Mouton for the season earlier in training camp.

The Titans front office needs to figure this out fast, because the they can't afford to have this extended out through training camp and preseason.

It's not good for team morale, and it's not good for Finnegan's preparation to go against the likes of Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson and Roddy White this season.

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With the rebuilding there are many positions that are up for grabs.  Sure there are folks who are considered the starters, but in all honesty there are many spots where a surprising upstart or veteran who's looking for one last shot could step up and take a spot.

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Their presence on the field was nothing short of remarkable for the passion and fearlessness.  Before the play-calling was stripped from quarterbacks, a legend like John Unitas made signal calling look so easy.

Indeed, it’s known for quarterbacks to be the field generals, and now defensive players (mainly middle linebackers) are glorified for their signal calling, most notably by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

However, long before No. 52 in Baltimore and other defensive players calling plays, being the defensive field general, now, Hall of Fame linebacker Chris Hanburger mastered the role as literally being a coach on the field as he called the plays for his defense.

For the past four years, four Redskins were ushered into the Hall of Fame: Hanburger, Russ Grimm, Art Monk and Darrell Green.  Redskin Nation was well represented, donning Hanburger T-shirts in Canton, along with owner Dan Snyder.

From 1965 to 1978, Hanburger laid the foundation on how defense should be played in Washington and for the NFL, despite not being in the limelight. 

With his uncanny speed to attack opponents and devastating clothesline, Hanburger was a student of the game as he consistently studied film after film and at times, get a late phone call at night from his coach, the late, great George Allen, about their opponents.

Hanburger went about his business as the leader for the Redskins defense, famously known as “The Over the Hill Gang,” and was not playing for the cameras.  Hanburger was always grateful towards his teammates, his family and the game of football. 

And in Canton, Hanburger continued to express his gratefulness, not only the people, but service workers as well.

“But I want to thank all you folks for being here,” said Hanburger during his Hall of Fame speech.  “I think it’s fantastic.  It’s overwhelming for me.  I had a blast in the parade today.  The folks of Canton, you all are tremendous.  I think the support is just great.  I thank all the volunteers.

“I don’t think folks here that are Hall of Famers are sitting here, I don’t consider myself a true Hall of Famer,” he continued.  “I say that because to me, I’m an Army brat.  I spent two years in the Army right out of high school before I went to college—to me the real Hall of Fame people are all the men and women of our armed forces, all the men and women in law enforcement, and all the firefighters, men and women.

“These people, to me, go over and beyond making a tackle or a blitz or doing anything, completing a pass.  They’re wonderful people.”

Hanburger was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1972, where he led the Washington Redskins to their first Super Bowl appearance, as they were the last team standing to spoil the Miami Dolphins’ chances of completing a perfect season.

During the 2011 Hall of Fame ceremony before Hanburger was introduced, Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese stated the Dolphins had to know where Hanburger was at all times in order to win. 

Nonetheless, history was written.

Moreover, for Griese and many other countless Redskins’ fans, Hanburger—the nine-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro and one of the 70 greatest Redskins—will forever be found, not hunted, but recognized, in the Hall of Fame.

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Here are five things that the Bulldogs learned from the first three days of practice.

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The Giants already lost cornerback Bruce Johnson to a torn Achilles but he wasn’t going to figure in to the rotation. Veteran Aaron Ross—himself a once-promising CB—will have to be relied on at the position going forward. Ross ironically refused an assignment to safety when camp opened. Now he gets his chance to prove his worth at the position.

Prince wasn’t anointed the starter at cornerback, so it’s not a direct blow to the Giants starting lineup. But the impact his loss has on the Giants secondary can’t be understated. The rookie was one of the last first-rounders to sign, and that coupled with the lost time due to the lockout made his learning curve severe. If anything he’ll be able to soak in the playbook and nuances of Perry Fewell’s defense for several weeks while he’s mired on the PUP list. Of course, nothing replaces physical participation.

But the bad news Saturday night didn’t end with Amukamara’s health woes.

Newly signed tight end Ben Patrick, originally signed for depth purposes but became much more important with Kevin Boss’s departure, suddenly retired because he “decided he no longer wants to play football.” The Giants are now left without a capable tight end on the roster besides Bear Pascoe, who served admirably as the starting fullback last season. Travis Beckum, who lined up at the position occasionally, is an H-Back type who doesn’t block.

The only "name" on the market is Alge Crumpler. There’s no evidence to suggest that they’ll look to add him to the roster. Jerry Reese has his work cut out for him. There are no clear options at the position and considering Eli relied on Kevin Boss often in the red zone, upgrading the position via trade may be the prudent move.

Here’s to hoping Tom Coughlin sent everyone home for the weekend rather than risk the possible loss of limbs.

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The difference between now and the other retirements is that he obviously has nothing left in the tank. Last season is perfect proof of that.

Favre-to-Miami rumors were exaggerated exponentially. Though head coach Tony Sparano should have just told everyone, "No, we don't want Favre!", the fact that he couldn't rule anything out should not be nearly enough to create the media frenzy that it did.

Favre is retired. He's done.

He had a great career. He's one of the best quarterbacks of all time. But the media and fans have to let him go.

I remember the 2008 offseason, Favre's first retirement and return, when I, being a Dolphins fan, was pulling for him to come to Miami. He still had the fire, the will, the ability and the love of the game that Miami desperately needed.

The Dolphins were coming off the worst season in franchise history—a 1-15 record. The team absolutely needed an upgrade at quarterback, and the possibility of acquiring an NFL legend was really exciting.

Then the Packers traded him to the Jets. Of all the possible teams, he went to Miami's worst rival.

Then to make matters worse, Miami signed Chad Pennington, the long-time despised Jets quarterback. Of course, it all worked out great as the Dolphins won the division.

The icing on the cake was the clinching Week 17 win in New York that gave Pennington a great win in his old stadium and sent Favre home to retire again.

Then he came back again.

But in 2009, Favre was spectacular. Everyone forgot the annoying coming-out-of-retirement saga from the summers previous as he had the best season of his career and led the Vikings to the NFC Championship.

Then last year he reminded us why most quarterbacks retire before they turn 41 years old. Eleven touchdowns vs. 19 interceptions is not NFL-starter quality.

When "Googling" Favre, the second suggestion is "brett favre dolphins."

That got blown WAY out of proportion.

Why would he sign with the Dolphins? Miami's no Super Bowl contender. Many fans and analysts predict another losing season for the team. Favre's almost-42-year-old body wouldn't change that.

No more reports, no more rumors, no more stories analyzing how Favre might fit in with Miami's roster. He's retired, people.

Can't Dolphins fans just get back to booing Chad Henne, griping for Kyle Orton, and criticizing the team's front office? 

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I walked over and introduced myself to Tony Dungy as a Minnesota Vikings fan and a U of M graduate. I expressed my appreciation for the job he had done with the Vikings defense. 

At the time he was the defensive coordinator, and the Vikings had the top-ranked defense. He stood up, shook my hand and thanked me.

He explained that he was returning to Minneapolis after scouting the East-West Shrine game. We chatted for a few minutes, and I walked away thinking what a genuinely sincere person Dungy was.

Fast forward to 2011.

Following the Vikings' practice this morning I had the honor of covering Leslie Frazier's press conference. While I didn't get to have a private chat with Frazier, I saw a lot of similarities between him and Dungy.

A soft spoken person, Frazier opened his press conference noting "the appreciation we get from our fans, I mean, a walk-through practice on a Saturday morning, to have this many people show up. Our support here has been terrific, which really solidifies in my mind we did the right thing by waiting to come down to Mankato to have training camp."

When linebacker Chad Greenway was asked earlier in camp about the transition from Frazier to new defensive coordinator Fred Pagnac he noted, "well, more yelling for sure."  

Frazier and Dungy have a lot more in common. Both played defensive back in the NFL, Dungy for three seasons with the Pittsburgh and San Francisco, and Frazier for five years with the Chicago Bears.

They both followed their playing days progressing from defensive backfield coaches in the NFL to eventually making their way to Minnesota as defensive coordinators.

Dungy left Minnesota in 1996 after being named the Tampa Bay head coach. After six seasons he would move to Indianapolis where he led the 2006 Colts to a Super Bowl championship. 

Here's hoping that Frazier can follow not only the success of that of Dungy's, but of another former Vikings defensive coordinator as well—Mike Tomlin, head coach of Pittsburgh, and bring Minnesota its first Super Bowl victory.   

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Where the Passer Rating formula only takes into account plays without considering the quarterback's teammates' efforts or the circumstances of a game, TQR allows for quarterbacks to be rated on every aspect of a passing play to establish their complete contributions to a game. For instance, on a pass play, all quarterbacks are given credit, labeled Dividing Credit, for what their teammates and receivers achieve on their part. This credit is broken down into four components: the pass protection, the throw, the catch and the run following the reception.

Other new factors come into play with TQR, such as Clutch Index, a 100-point scoring system as the new basis for rating (with 50 representing an average QB), and win probability and expected points. Also complementing the fundamentals behind a player's contribution to a win is the concept of defensive adjustment, and, when necessary, ESPN will consider opponent adjustment in discussions as well.

Regarding scoring and win expectations, ESPN explained,

"The goal behind any player rating should be determining how much a player contributes to a win. We went back through 10 years of NFL play-by-play data to look at game situation (down, distance, yard line, clock time, timeouts, home field, field surface and score), along with the ultimate outcome of the game, to develop a win probability function."

So, should we trust this system over passer rating?

Well, one thing is for sure: rating passers without considering rushing yards, a QB's win-loss record, sacks, leadership, play-calling or other intangibles has certainly been growing less substantial as a statistic over the years. Also, no quarterback should be considered a completely perfect passer in a game, wherein 60 QB's in the NFL have achieved the perfect score of 158.3 (and seven have achieved this feat more than once). TQR seems to be much more accurate and effective in determining a passer's overall game contributions.

However, the new rating system is very subjective, and some factors are not entirely specified. This is based on the fact that anybody may review an important play or close game differently than others.

Whether or not the league decides to use TQR, quarterbacks will most likely feel unaffected by the number or value they are assigned.

After all, it is just a number, but it is also a grade for players' performances. The new system may even affect the way Fantasy Football data is collected and impact those leagues based on the introduction and usage of new criteria.

For a better explanation from ESPN's staff of the statistics involved in computing TQR, click here.

This article was written by Jeff Cohn, a sports writer and enthusiast.

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Head coach Andy Reid presents quite an against-the-spread dichotomy during preseason action, posting an 0-7 ATS mark in Week 1, but bounces back nicely with a 10-2 ATS record the following week.

In last year's preseason opener, Philadelphia came away with a 28-27 victory, but failed to cover the three-point spread. The Eagles trailed, 27-19, after three quarters of action before rallying for nine fourth-quarter points.

Quarterback Michael Vick was the starter in that contest, completing 11-of-17 passes for 119 yards and an interception. He is likely to sit out this year's exhibition opener to allow newly-acquired backup Vince Young more playing time.

Word out of camp is Vick is forming a special chemistry with receiver Jason Avant, as starting wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin continue to miss first-team offensive drills.

Jackson is expected to end his holdout Monday, while no timetable has been given for Maclin to resume full duties due to an illness. It's safe to say that neither will be an available option against the Ravens.

The free agency period has formed a new sense of optimism around the franchise, as new cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie join Asante Samuel to form a formidable secondary.

Don't expect the trio to start blanketing opposing wide receivers until a Week 2 exhibition road contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug.18. 

Philadelphia is currently a 3.5-point home favorite and the total stands at 36.

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With this information, we can begin to look around and see which teams are in the best shape at the quarterback position, or which teams will almost certainly fail due to their lack of a bona fide passer in a quarterback driven league.

Here are the preseason power rankings of the top 32 NFL quarterbacks in 2011. 

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