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On the heels of the Seattle Seahawks' latest suspension of a player for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy -- Bruce Irvin, reportedly for using Adderal -- the News Tribune's John McGrath wrote a piece in which he said coach Pete Carroll has a responsibility to address drug issues with his players.

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New York Jets officials have kept mum about the status of running back Mike Goodson with the team after he was busted on marijuana and gun charges Friday. However, one of his teammates, who also joined the Jets as a free agent this offseason, thinks Goodson won't be on the roster much longer, according to the New York Daily News' Seth Wadler.

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The next few weeks are going to be critical to determining whether Rob Gronkowski will be ready to take part in games when the 2013 regular season gets underway and in what shape he may be at that point. Per Karen Gugerian of the Boston Herald, Grokowski is set to have his fourth surgery -- to remove the surgically placed plate from his forearm -- on Monday.

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The NFL has suspended another Seattle Seahawks player for a violation of the league's PED policy. This time, the four-game ban will hit defensive lineman Bruce Irvin, who had eight sacks last season as a rookie.

Irvin offered up the following apology, "I am extremely disappointed in the poor judgment I showed and take full responsibility for my actions. I will not appeal the discipline and instead will focus my energy on preparing for the season so I can begin earning your trust and respect again. I look forward to contributing to the team the moment I return."

Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett did sign with the team in the off-season, but it was Irvin who was expected to start in place of Chris Clemons, who is still recovering from knee surgery.

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The San Francisco 49ers are expected to use the legs of Colin Kaepernick a lot in 2013, but not exclusively so. Part of his appeal is that while he's always a threat to take off for the corner, he also can throw the ball to his receivers. That's where the question marks truly lie, though.

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Sometimes, you can tell how confident a team is with their starting quarterback by the way they handle the news that their backups are not quite at full strength.

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If NFL players won't take the Pro Bowl all that seriously when playing for some mythical "pride of conference affiliation," perhaps they'll be a little more willing to put forth optimal effort if the league goes through with some changes in how teams get formed.

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The big news this week in New England Patriots land was not that the team's recently waived DT was claimed by the Jacksonville Jaguars: instead, it was the development that star TE Rob Gronkowski is poised to have yet another round of surgery on his arm. However, the arm isn't the only body part giving Gronk trouble.

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Though he didn't find much success in his other NFL homes, LB Aaron Curry is optimistic about what he can bring to the table for the New York Giants, who signed the Wake Forest product to a contract last week, in the hopes that he can make an impact for them.

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When the Buffalo Bills made EJ Manuel the first QB off the board at last month's draft (No. 16 overall), some eyebrows were raised, as many had assumed that another passer would earn that honor (Geno Smith, perhaps, who lasted until pick No. 39 overall). But in the time since, we've heard from many Bills decision-makers regarding their strong impressions of Manuel. The Florida St. product will be competing with Kevin Kolb (and, in theory, Tarvaris Jackson) this offseason for the right to be the club's starter, and there are some who believe he may well win the competition.

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Despite the fact that the San Diego Chargers just lost pass-rusher Melvin Ingram to a torn ACL this week, and were willing to tweak their defense to suit former Colts DE/OLB Dwight Freeney, the two sides could not reach a mutually agreeable contract during the Syracuse product's visit to the team this week, according to U-T San Diego. So what's next?

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The Indianapolis Colts drafted NT Josh Chapman in the fifth round of last year's draft with the knowledge that they might not get a lot out of him during his rookie season. Chapman tore the ACL and meniscus in his knee during a game against Florida during his final year at Alabama, and practiced briefly midway through the season before being placed on season-ending IR. As the offseason has been rolling thus far in 2013, he's been back in action, and he could well be the starting NT in Chuck Pagano's defense this fall.

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After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used the No. 73 overall pick on N.C. State QB Mike Glennon, there was speculation that he could possibly push Josh Freeman for the team's starting job right away, however that was dispelled by comments from Bucs HC Greg Schiano. Nevertheless, Glennon does not appear content to simply be a backup during his rookie season.

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If nothing else, the Philadelphia Eagles have options when it comes to their QB battle this offseason. Chip Kelly and his staff inherited Michael Vick and Nick Foles, and have added G.J. Kinne and Dennis Dixon via free agency, as well as Matt Barkley in the draft. It's still quite early, but the Eagles have gone through some OTAs already, so where do things stand?

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