Manti Te'o has recovered nicely after it was revealed that his deceased girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, never actually existed. Te'o further improved his position by attending Maxim's Hot 100 party, according to Busted Coverage. Maxim had poked fun at the situation by naming Te'o's girlfriend the 69th hottest woman in the world.

The story, broke by Deadspin, created a PR nightmare for the former Notre Dame standout leading up to the draft. There was a sentiment that because he had been deceived, Te'o may not be as affective on the field as previously thought. If you're having a hard time connecting how being duped into believing he had a real girlfriend and Te'o's on field play have anything to do with one another, you're not alone.

The decision to attend Maxim's party is a smart move for a number of reasons. If Te'o actually wants to put the fake Lennay Kekua chapter of his life in his rearview mirror, he has to be willing to put up with some extra crap in the short term. In the long run, embracing the situation will allow Te'o to move away from the embarrassing, for lack of a better word, scandal.

People get bored of poking fun at someone if that someone is also poking fun at the situation. I'm sure it's still rough to have to deal with the unnecessary attention, but Te'o is handling it about as best as anyone could. And, look at the bright side. He was at Maxim's Hot 100 party. I bet you wish you were there, and I know I wish I was there, so he's got that on us.

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Brandon Weeden will go into training camp later this offseason as the favorite to win the Browns' starting quarterback job, if for no other reason than being the young incumbent. Still, that doesn't guarantee that he'll be starting the season as the Browns' starter.

Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository wrote yesterday that Jason Campbell is hard to miss at Browns OTAs. Doershuk observed that Campbell was clearly the better quarterback in practice, although adding a disclaimer to that statement.

"I’m sure it had something to do with the fact Campbell is a ninth-year pro who was working against a No. 2 defense, but he definitely had better sessions than Weeden."

Doershuk also noted the size of Campbell as a positive aspect. Campbell brings a veteran presence to the Browns' quarterback battle, and he could eventually serve as a solid stopgap quarterback if the Browns decide that Brandon Weeden isn't the right quarterback for their team.

Regardless of what you may hear, this is not a straight-up quarterback battle as is the case in other places such as Jacksonville. The Browns would like to continue developing Brandon Weeden if at all possible, but if Campbell can distance himself from Weeden in training camp and preseason action, he may be able to make it impossible for the Browns and head coach Rob Chudzinski to pick Weeden over himself.

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While Reggie Bush's stint with the Saints wasn't enough for him to stick in New Orleans, it did give him an understanding of a high tempo offense. The Lions run a similar offense, and it's given Bush a sense of comfort in the offense.

"As far as from an offensive perspective it's a lot like what we did in New Orleans," Bush said on NFL AM. "It's a lot of spread-open passing. Obviously we can attack down field, and with the running game, a lot of screens, draws and stuff like that. Basically what I did in New Orleans, so running this offensive system has been pretty easy for me."

Many thought that Reggie Bush was a good fit for Detroit for just that reason.

The problem, at least for Bush and the Lions, is that there are some very significant differences between the Lions and the Saints team Bush was familiar to.

First and foremost, the Saints ran an offense centered around Drew Brees. While Matthew Stafford is certainly a key piece, there's little doubt that Calvin Johnson is the most important player on that offense. That's part of the reason that Bush was brought in. With enough coverage, a receiver can be blanketed. With more receiving options, the Lions should see more success on the field.

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On August 11 of last year, Chad Johnson allegedly head butted his then-wife, leading the Dolphins to cut the receiver, effectively ending the receiver's career as no team had any interest in signing him.

It's only gotten worse for Johnson.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that a warrant for Chad Johnson's arrest has been issued after Johnson failed to report to his probation officer.

Johnson received probation after pleading no contest to the charges resulting from the alleged head butt. Him and Evelyn Lozada have since divorced.

While it's a rough way to end a career, it is likely that this is the last we'll hear of Chad Johnson.

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After choosing to retire earlier in the week, David Garrard my be staying with the Jets after all, just not as a coach.

According to the USA TODAY, Garrard is seriously considering re-joining the Jets as a quarterback coaching intern. The move would allow Garrard to mentor rookie quarterback Geno Smith.

Interestingly, Garrard seemed to indicate to USA Today Sports that Smith was certainly the quarterback of the future in New York.

"I think Geno's going to be great," Garrard told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. "He still has a lot to learn in the NFL. He definitely has to work. But he has what it takes. Now he has to go out and prove it."

"The one thing the kid has is he's definitely the guy of the future. He'll get a whole lot more attention from the fans, because they definitely want to see that new guy, especially since Mark has had a rough (52 combined turnovers) couple of years."

David Garrard had been in the running to earn the Jets' starting quarterback job, but his knee did not allow him to continue competing. At that point, Garrard decided to call it a career. If he stays with the Jets, he'll be making a quick transition to coach and mentor. In that way, Garrard could remain very valuable to Geno Smith.

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The last time the Kansas City Chiefs got competent and consistent play from the quarterback position, in 2010, Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe led the league with 15 touchdown catches. So with Alex Smith coming to KC to bring some much-needed competency to the quarterback position, it wouldn't be far-fetched to imagine Bowe returning to the top of touchdown mountain in 2013. 

Bowe is so confident, though, that he's willing to predict that he'll lead the league in that category, as well as in receptions in general. That's what the 28-year-old former first-round pick told the media at practice Wednesday, according to Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star. 

Yes, new head coach Andy Reid has been known to run offenses that throw the ball a lot, but Bowe's never had more than 86 catches in a season. Since 2008, nobody has led the league with fewer than 115 receptions, which means he'd have to increase his high watermark by at least 33 percent in order to have a shot at finishing first in that category. 

That probably isn't happening, but it never hurts to reach for the stars. 

The excited Bowe also predicted that running back Jamaal Charles would also lead the league in rushing, which essentially means that he believes an offense that averaged a league-low 13.2 points per game in 2012 will suddenly become the best unit in the league in 2013. There's almost no other way Bowe puts up 115-plus catches while Charles rushes for at least 1,600 yards, which is the minimum requirement to be in the mix for the rushing crown. 

NFL.com is reporting that David Garrard is calling it quits because his knee simply isn't holding up. Garrard sent a text to NFL.com's Adam Schein, saying, "My knee is not holding up. Continuing to swell after practices."

While Garrard was never a top tier quarterback in the NFL, he provided several solid years for the Jacksonville Jaguars. His most successful year came in 2007 when he threw 18 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions. In the playoffs following that season, the Jaguars knocked off Pittsburgh for the second time that season at Pittsburgh before losing to the then undefeated Patriots in New England.

More importantly now is the hold that Garrard leaves on the Jets' roster. Prior to this development, Garrard was a favorite to win the Jets' starting job, but with Garrard gone, the quarterback competition in New York couldn't be more open, although Geno Smith seems to have the inside lane to winning the job.

Mark Sanchez still has some hope of recovering his career. With Garrard off the roster, he won't likely be cut in the immediate future, buying him time to impress his coaches. The problem Sanchez has is that the Jets have seen his true ability. Even if he's better than Smith right now, that's not a convincing enough reason to start him over Geno Smith.

In addition, Geno Smith's athleticism opens up the playbook for the Jets. His legs give the Jets options they wouldn't have with Mark Sanchez under center. Garrard's misfortune is a tough break for a respectable player that put together a decent career in the league. Still, that misfortune may have handed the Jets' starting job to Geno Smith on a silver platter.

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When I noticed this tweet from Drew Brees Monday night, I figured Brees and his wife Brittany were participating in some sort of local event for The Great Gatsby, which premiered over the weekend... 

Had a blast at #GreatGatsby recently. And yes, of course we dressed up! This movie will win some awards I imagine. twitter.com/drewbrees/stat…

— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) May 14, 2013

Turns out, though, that Drew and Brittany just like to mix things up and have some fun at the movies, and that this is at least the third time the New Orleans power couple has dressed up before heading to the theater...

Somehow, I can't see Tom and Gisele being this fun.

[Saints on Twitter]

Everyone in Tennessee is on notice going into 2013. Since Mike Munchak took over as the Titans' head coach, their record dropped from 9-7 his first year in Tennessee to just 6-10 a season ago. With such a drop off, it seems anything short of a winning record would leave Munchak without a job, and the Titans would begin evaluating who on their roster would follow him out the door.

Also on trial heading into the season is Titans quarterback Jake Locker. The Titans spent the eighth overall pick in 2011 to bring Locker to Tennessee, but since that time, he's been something of a disappointment. Last season, Locker completed just 56.4% of his passes, and worse yet, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns.

Still, Locker has been given a very good chance to succeed in Tennessee. Chance Warmack will beef up protection around Locker, and Justin Hunter will give Locker an explosive target to throw to. In addition, Chris Johnson is the most exciting homerun threat at the running back position. If the Titans' pass offense can loosen up the defense, holes will begin to open up for Johnson, and that's when the Titans could become a very fun team to watch.

Jake Locker is not the only quarterback from the 2011 draft class that's found his way into a proverbial "do-or-die" situation. Blaine Gabbert in Jacksonville, Cam Newton in Carolina and Christian Ponder have also been just 'meh' at points, and that's not good enough in the NFL.

Despite the challenge at hand, Locker has the tools around him that should allow him to succeed, especially in a division with only one playoff caliber team. Obviously, we won't know for some time whether Jake Locker will succeed as a starting quarterback, but he'll have no excuses to fall back on this time. He has the weapons and the blocking, and it's up to him to make it happen. Period.

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Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a young, talented team, but we can't understate how much the Colts overachieved last season. What's more, the man that lead that overachieving bunch is now the head coach in Arizona.

This season will be largely determined by the success, or struggles, of second year quarterback Andrew Luck. With success, the Colts can likely come close to their success of last season, but in a tough conference, a wildcard birth for the Colts seems extremely unlikely. Don't get me wrong, the Colts are still moving in the right direction, but they're not quite there yet.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are gearing up for a complete overhaul following the 2013 season. Last year, for the second consecutive season, the Cowboys lost a de-facto divisional championship game in week 17. I don't expect the Cowboys to be playing meaningful football so late in the season this time around.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens simply lost too many impact players this offseason to make it back to the Super Bowl next winter. The Ravens are still the best team on this abbreviated list, but even for them, it'll be a stretch to make a postseason run. The Bengals are a quickly rising team within their division, and the Steelers rarely miss the playoffs in consecutive years. In addition, Joe Flacco may be the most overpaid player in the league, eating up a lot more salary than he should. With so many factors against them, I fully expect the Ravens to miss the playoffs this season.

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