• It took half a decade, but Tony Romo is finally showing leadership qualities in Dallas, according to Jean-Jacques Taylor of the Dallas Morning News.
• A good question from Matt Bowen of the National Football Post: Can the players survive without game checks?
• I quite enjoyed the response made by Donovan McNabb’s agent to idiotic comments from Bernard Hopkins earlier this week.
• In a column attempting to claim that the fans will return after the work stoppage (a point with which I agree) Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald does what a good journalist should do and tells the fans what they’re thinking. Wait, what?
• There’s still a long way to go on the Vikings stadium front.
• Ben Roethlisberger‘s legal troubles aren’t over.
• Danny O’Neill of the Seattle Times throws a little more water on that Matt Leinart-to-Seattle fire.
• Mike Florio has a new idea for how to solve the labor mess.
• Al Harris was released from the Packers in November and finished 2010 as a member of the Miami Dolphins, but that won’t prevent him from getting a Super Bowl ring.
• There was an interesting story yesterday stating that Donovan McNabb refused to wear a wristband with plays last season because he feared it would be embarrassing. Well, turns out that story wasn’t true. Hogs Haven weighs in.
• The Eagles have been a reported suitor for Nnamdi Asomugha for several weeks now, and this won’t cool things down: DeSean Jackson thinks the team “needs” the soon-to-be free-agent cornerback.
• If Philly were to miss out on Asomugha, they shouldn’t count on landing the next-best corner on the open market. It looks as though Ike Taylor will stick around in Pittsburgh.
• Battle Red Blog on why the Texans should chase Asomugha. Duh.
• The story of Texans tight end James Casey finally earning his degree from Rice.
• My pal Nate Dunlevy from 18 To 88 has had quite the week. He started it off by taking a phone call from commissioner Roger Goodell and has now followed that up with an interview with the NFLPA’s George Atallah. Here’s what he learned.

Picture from Bear Goggles On.