Fitzgerald’s stock rising?

Cards looking at Kolb: With the NFL lockout apparently close to an end, rumors about player movement are picking up. One of the biggest involves a deal that would send QB Kevin Kolb to the Cardinals in exchange for CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, according to a report XTRA 910 Phoenix. The move would clearly make Kolb more draftable in fantasy land, albeit as a No. 2 quarterback and potential matchup-based starter. But the big winner in the deal would be Larry Fitzgerald. The stud wideout posted nice reception and yardage totals last season despite playing with less-than-desirable quarterbacks, but had just six touchdowns. With a young, talented signal-caller like Kolb, Fitzgerald would once again be a top-five wideout in drafts.

Stewart wants Williams back: During a recent interview with the Charlotte Observer, Jonathan Stewart stated his desire to have DeAngelo Williams back with the Panthers. Of course, fantasy owners would disagree with that opinion. Stewart would be worth as much as a second-round selection if he landed the top spot on the depth chart under new coach Ron Rivera. But if Williams remains with the team and a committee situation continued, Stewart’s value would take a hit. Clearly, this is one of the numerous situations that owners must monitor in the weeks to come.

Rice unlikely to re-sign with Vikes?: During his appearance on “NFL Total Access,” Sports Illustrated’s Peter King said he’d be “surprised” if the Vikings re-signed Sidney Rice. One of the better wideouts on the free-agent market, Rice is likely to gain interest from a number of teams. And with the prospect of rookie Christian Ponder opening the season as the Vikings’ No. 1 quarterback, shedding the purple and yellow could be a positive move from a fantasy perspective. If Rice lands with the Bears, for example, he would almost certainly become the top option for Jay Cutler. That’s clearly a more attractive scenario than being on the receiving end of Ponder’s passes during what would be a transition year for the Vikings. Stay tuned.

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History-NFL

they formed, the American Professional Football Conference, was mostly an informal agreement to play a common schedule and name a champion at the end of each season of play. Teams were allowed to play games outside of the league, and membership was fluid in the early years. Two years later, the league renamed itself the National Football League. Only two teams currently in the NFL, the Decatur Staleys (now the Chicago Bears) and the Chicago Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals), are founding members.

League membership gradually stabilized throughout the 1920s and 1930s as the league adopted progressively more formal organization. The first official championship game was held in 1933. The NFL stopped signing black players in 1927 but reintegrated in 1946 following World War II. Other changes followed after the war; the office of league President evolved into the more powerful Commissioner post, mirroring a similar move in Major League Baseball. Teams became more financially viable, the last team folding in 1952. By 1958, when that season’s NFL championship game became known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played”, the NFL was on its way to becoming one of the most popular sports leagues in the United States.

The rival American Football League was founded in 1959. It was very successful, and forced a merger with the older NFL that resulted in a greatly expanded league and the creation of the Super Bowl, which has become the most-watched annual sporting event in the United States. The league continued to expand to its current size of 32 teams. A series of labor agreements during the 1990s and increasingly large television contracts has helped keep the league one of the most profitable and the only major league in the U.S. since 1990 to avoid a major work stoppage