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NFL

NFC North Q&A: Who is the best newcomer to this division?

Our NFC North reporters take a look at which of the new faces could make the biggest impact in the division.

Rob Demovsky, Green Bay Packers reporter: The Minnesota Vikings’ running back. Or I should say running backs. Latavius Murray proved in Oakland that he can be a workhorse with 461 carries over the past two seasons. Add second-round pick Dalvin Cook — one of the top running backs in the draft — and the Vikings might have replaced Adrian Peterson better than anyone could have expected. The Murray-Cook combination should take pressure off quarterback Sam Bradford, who badly needed help from the running game last season.

New Packers tight end Martellus Bennett gives QB Aaron Rodgers another proven playmaker to utilize. AP Photo/Matt Ludtke

Jeff Dickerson, Chicago Bears reporter: Martellus Bennett. The veteran tight end should be a huge weapon for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. I covered Bennett for three (often unusual) years in Chicago. He’s the ultimate Sunday player. Bennett doesn’t do much at practice, but he shows up ready to play on game day. It sometimes takes two or three defenders to bring him down after the catch. I think Packers fans will appreciate that toughness, and so will Rodgers.

Ben Goessling, Minnesota Vikings reporter: Given what Jared Cook meant to the Packers’ offense during their late-season surge, it was puzzling that GM Ted Thompson didn’t try to re-sign the tight end — until Thompson brought in Bennett. He’s bigger than Cook, has been more productive in his career and came at a price (three years, $21 million) that didn’t require the Packers to overextend themselves. Bennett and Lance Kendricks will join an offense that’s stocked, as usual, with weapons for Rodgers. That’s not a bad idea, in light of how much the Packers are expecting to get from young defensive backs.

Michael Rothstein, Detroit Lions reporter: This is a tough question because there are a lot of players with similar levels of importance, but Minnesota adding Murray might end up being the best signing in the short term (with Cook helping in the long term). Murray is not Peterson, but he’s a durable running back who has averaged 4.2 yards per carry in his career and has 20 touchdowns. He can offer Minnesota stability and balance in the running game and might be an excellent pairing with Cook for the Vikings.

NFL

Is the Giants' receiving corps best in the NFL?

Today’s question: Is the New York Giants’ receiving corps of Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard the best in the league?

Todd Archer, Dallas Cowboys reporter: I like what the Atlanta Falcons have with Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel. I like what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did in adding DeSean Jackson to Mike Evans. I like what the Pittsburgh Steelers have with Antonio Brown and a good group that will be better if Martavis Bryant returns to form. But from Nos. 1-3, it’s hard to quibble with the Giants. Beckham might be the most dynamic receiver in the league. Having joined a new team — if not in a new stadium — Marshall will be motivated to show what he has left. Shepard had a productive rookie season and should be better. We know the Giants will throw the ball a lot, and the trio will get plenty of looks from Eli Manning. Quick aside: I’m surprised Dwayne Harris hasn’t done more as a receiver with New York. I thought he would have been better after seeing him with the Cowboys earlier in his career.

At age 33, and coming off a down year, Brandon Marshall is the X factor in the Giants’ receiving corps. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Tim McManus, Philadelphia Eagles reporter: I’m a fan of Atlanta’s corps of Jones, Sanu and Gabriel, and have respect for the receivers in Oakland, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay as well, but the Giants’ receivers absolutely deserve to be in the conversation. It’s difficult to envision how the Eagles’ secondary will handle this group. Jalen Mills on Beckham? Patrick Robinson on Marshall? Ron Brooks, coming off a ruptured quad tendon, trying to keep up with Shepard in the slot? Could be trouble. More times than not, the Giants will enter a game holding a matchup advantage in that department, which is a beautiful thing to have going for you. Marshall is coming off a down year (788 yards, 3 TDs in 15 games). I’m curious to see whether at age 33, he can still reach lofty heights. That’s the X factor for me. If he can be the type of imposing presence we’ve become accustomed to, this just might be the best receiving corps in the NFL.

John Keim, Washington Redskins reporter: If we’re talking about the entire receiving corps, then no. If we’re talking just the trio of Beckham, Marshall and Shepard, it would be hard to top this group, though entering the season I’d put Green Bay ahead of the Giants. Beckham is clearly a top receiver, and Marshall is one year removed from a 109-catch season (the sixth time he reached triple digits). He’ll provide a major boost in the red zone in particular. But he’s 33. How much of last season’s dropoff was due to personal attrition versus the Jets’ quarterback situation? We’ll soon find out, though I have a strong hunch it was the latter. Shepard caught 65 passes, eight for touchdowns, as a rookie. So this trio should be strong and, by season’s end, possibly the best. But if we’re looking at overall depth for the top spot — and players beyond the top three — there are questions, and that could be a problem. I’m curious to see more of Tavarres King because of his speed.

NFL

Distributor: Dak signatures 'may not be' legit

The company that distributed Dak Prescott-autographed sports cards that were allegedly signed by a machine said Friday it conducted an investigation and found that some of the signatures “may not be authentic.”

Panini America said in a statement that Prescott’s representatives “have no knowledge” of how the cards in question were sent back to Panini. The company typically includes an affidavit with all products intended for signatures that certifies the item in question was signed by that athlete’s hand.

A message to Prescott’s representatives was not immediately returned.

Panini America is recalling the 167 Dak Prescott redemption cards it sent to its customers and will be replacing them with new autographs from Prescott. Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The company said it was recalling the 167 redemption cards it sent to its customers and would be replacing them with new autographs from Prescott. According to Panini, the new cards will have a special Prescott hologram.

Panini officials said the company re-signed the Dallas Cowboys quarterback to a new deal on Thursday, the day after ESPN reported that Beckett Grading Services refused to verify Prescott’s signature on Panini’s 2016 Prizm set.

Steve Grad, principal authenticator at Beckett, said his company looked at five autographed cards from collectors who received Prescott autograph redemptions.

“They had a very machine-like feel,” Grad said. “You could see the starts and stops.”

The lack of natural flow associated with organic signatures led to Grad’s conclusion that they were done by autopen, a machine that politicians have used to sign documents in bulk since the late 1950s.

“I immediately knew they were autopen,” Grad said. “I’ve never heard of a modern athlete doing this.”

NFL

AFC South Q&A: Are Titans in best position for long-term success?

The Indianapolis Colts appeared to be set for the future when they had an impressive 2012 draft class that was highlighted by quarterback Andrew Luck. They enjoyed three straight playoff appearances and back-to-back undefeated seasons in the AFC South. But Indianapolis has missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, and the rest of the division slowly is getting better, from top to bottom.

The Colts have Luck, the Titans have Marcus Mariota, and the Texans might have their quarterback of the future in Deshaun Watson. Which team in the division has set itself up for long-term success with the way it is building its overall roster?

The Titans have done an excellent job of surrounding quarterback Marcus Mariota with quality players at running back and on the offensive line. AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

Sarah Barshop, Texans reporter: The Titans have set their roster up for the long run, and it starts with Mariota. Before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 16 last year, Mariota was on a run that stacked up well against any quarterback in the NFL. Offensively, Tennessee is set in the backfield with DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. The Titans added No. 5 overall pick Corey Davis to their receiving corps, and Delanie Walker is as solid as they come at tight end. The offensive line is strong, and the Titans added to their defense this offseason by signing Super Bowl-winning cornerback Logan Ryan. Last season, Tennessee finished with the same record as the Texans but missed out on the playoffs due to a puzzling late-season loss to the Jaguars. While the Texans hope to have improved quarterback play in 2017, there’s no doubt Tennessee is the biggest threat to end Houston’s two-year reign atop the division. Moving forward, the Titans’ young talent puts them in a great spot to maintain potential success.

Michael DiRocco, Jaguars reporter: I really like what the Titans have done under general manager Jon Robinson and coach Mike Mularkey, who was fired after only one season in Jacksonville. Hitting on Mariota obviously is a big plus, but they’ve also invested heavily in the offensive line and run game — with right tackle Jack Conklin and running backs Murray and Henry — which fits right in with Mularkey’s old-school philosophy. Robinson gave Mariota some much-needed weapons for this season, led by rookie receiver Davis, and bolstered the secondary with Adoree’ Jackson. The Colts still have a lot of work to do to fix an aging defense. Nobody’s sure whether Watson will be a solid starter for the Texans, and if he takes several seasons to hit his stride, Houston’s defensive stars might be on the back end of their careers by then. The Jaguars might be searching for a quarterback after this season, and their offensive line still is one of their biggest weaknesses.

Mike Wells, Colts reporter: I don’t think anybody would have picked any team other than the Colts a few years ago, but I’m going with the team down Interstate 65 from Indianapolis, the Titans. Tennessee general manager Jon Robinson did something former Colts GM Ryan Grigson should have done for Luck a long time ago. He put a solid offensive line (seventh-fewest sacks allowed in the NFL last season) around Mariota and two quality running backs in Murray and Henry to go with him, so the young quarterback doesn’t always have to carry the team. Robinson also addressed the defense during the offseason. The Colts and Titans are in the best position of the four division teams, but Tennessee currently is a step ahead for long-term success.

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