They call Week 3 of the Preseason in the NFL the dress rehearsal and with good reason. This is the week where the starters and big name players spend more time on the field in preparation for Kickoff Weekend and it also means that we get plenty more juicy stories from the field as well. So, without further ado here are the top stories from the NFL and what we learned this week.

1. The drama continues for the Washington Redskins but there may be light at the end of the tunnel for the fans at last. Once again Robert Griffin III was at the center of the stories this week as ESPN reported that the coaching staff and front office wanted to move on from the oft injured, oft terrible player but that ownership was resisting any moves. Of course that was vehemently denied by the franchise, but it doesn't matter in the end as is. Kirk Cousins was named the 2015 starter today and RG3's future with the franchise is in doubt and that's a good thing. Maybe now Washington can move on, rebuild and forget this mess ever happened. 

2. I can't tell yet if it is time to push the panic button for the Denver Broncos offense. I mean man, that defense is scary good and scary mean but once again, Denver looked anemic when it came to the first team offense. It's a shame to see passes continue to get dropped by the wide receivers and it's tough to see Manning look a little confused out there with the play he's executing. For a dress rehearsal, it looked bad. Yet the run game continues to provide hope when it comes to C.J. Anderson, so there's that at least. But, it's also preseason. None of this matters in the end and Manning and his team are totally different when it comes to live action. Guess we find out against Baltimore. 

3. Speaking of anemic offenses, let's take a moment and talk about the Seattle Seahawks. Three preseason games in, and not one touchdown by the first team offense, that's just ugly. So lots of questions come up now, and of course I know, yes John it's preseason and yes it doesn't matter but still, I'm concerned for my own team not looking good in preseason and you know Seahawks fans are as well. It's just so odd to see from such a dynamic offense and my first thought is...is Wilson suddenly taking a step back now that he's got that massive new contract? Or is it simply a matter of the team not quite jelling just yet on the field? I'm hoping it's the latter. It would be a shame if Wilson turned out to be THAT kind of player and I do hope things get better for the Hawks come week one.

4. It's cut day in the NFL today and 15 players from every team are looking for a new home and well...this is a tough day for everyone in football. It sucks to tell a man his dream of playing professional football may come to an end and of all the cuts I've seen hit the wire, one stood out to me, Brandon Bostick. The name may not be familiar but his story is one of note. If you watched this year's NFC Championship game, this poor young man missed a crucial catch on an onside kick that some see as the cause of Green Bay losing the game and missing out on the Super Bowl. Hell this guy received death threats over this, and what's sad is...it was never his fault. Piss poor coaching lost that game, but you have to wonder if Brandon being cut again is that cautionary tale about how the game can disappear in an instant and I'm curious how much his performance on the field this go round is a long term result of the mental anguish of being a scapegoat in a big time game. Hopefully he and everyone else that is cut today and later this week can catch on elsewhere and wow the football world. 

5. I rarely speak well of the Oakland Raiders and with good reason, they suck and I'm a Broncos fan. It's just how that goes. But the journalist in me realizes that sometimes you have to be objective and after watching last night's game...there are a couple of players on that squad that will do some amazing things for this team in the future and no doubt give my boys a little bit of trouble. Khalil Mack was a force on defense, carving up the Cardinals offensive line like a roast and Amari Cooper flat out embarrassed Patrick Peterson. It looks like the Raiders have finally put some quality young prospects on their team, but I still expect the Broncos to sweep them. 

Some folks may not enjoy the NFL preseason, but I personally love it, especially weeks two and three when all the starters get a little more playing time. It's important simply because it gives the starters a chance to work out any kinks in the playbook and shake off the rust of the offseason and for the rest of us...it means football and intriguing storylines and here is some of what we learned from this week in the NFL.

1. So perhaps the craziest story of the week, just happens to involve the always newsworthy Robert Griffin III when he declared himself to be the best quarterback in the league last week in an interview which is...perhaps the most hilarious thing I've heard in quite a long time. I mean come on, what the heck is this guy thinking? I mean if not studying your playbook, telling your coaches what plays you will not run and running to the owner any time someone calls you to the carpet for being a lazy, selfish player without heart makes you the best then yes...he is correct. But seriously, how long is Washington going to continue this charade? He doesn't care, his performance in game two was a joke. It's just not working. If there was ever a time to cut him loose, the preseason would be it. Let him learn a harsh lesson about work ethic and let him catch on with a team that won't put up with his diva crap. 

2. The Denver Broncos looked a little different against Houston. Gone was the high charged offense we saw in Seattle, instead it was a ho hum performance from Peyton Manning and the entire first team offense. While some of his throws were a touch off, Demaryius Thomas dropped a couple of balls and so did James Casey resulting in a pretty boring first half until Brock Osweiler made things interesting with a 57 yard bomb to Andre Caldwell. But even after that heroic moment it was still a pretty pedestrian performance from Brock considering how great he looked last week. But there were still some highlights. Turns out Denver may have found a solid third string quarterback in Trevor Siemian, who looked sharp and tossed the game winning touchdown and the defense continued to look pretty stout. Hopefully Manning got all the rust out or as Scotty said to me "it's gonna be a long season."

3. Speaking of AFC West teams, we need to talk for a minute about how magical the Kansas City game was, preseason or not. After all this was the game that heralded the return of Safety Eric Berry and that's a big deal due to the fact that Eric had to step away from football after being diagnosed last December with Hodgkins lymphoma. He underwent treatment, got the news he was cancer free in June and here we are, with Eric back on the field. Definitely one of the most incredible stories so far this season and with good reason, Chemotherapy is one tough treatment for cancer and Eric's return to the game he so loves after all of that is absolutely inspiring. 

4. The top rookies in this year's draft finally showed some of their potential, which is a good thing considering how rough they looked in week one. This is further proof of why the four game preseason matters, to get those live reps, to make mistakes and learn from them. Mariota and Winston looked simply awful in week one and this go round, there was finally some polish in their game. Granted it wasn't exactly an Elway or Manning type performance, both QB's didn't complete a throw into the end zone, but the key is accuracy and we got more of that from both of them and Winston did manage to run the ball in for a touchdown. Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing their progress in week three.

5. The quarterback battle has ended for the Houston Texans since the team announced that Brian Hoyer will lead the squad for the 2015 season and I think that's a wonderful thing. Hoyer has been quite the player to watch over the last couple of years, considering his up and down performance in Cleveland last year and how we are getting to know him up close and personal on this year's Hard Knocks. If you ask me, I think Hoyer is a quality quarterback, not elite, but a game manager to say the least and I honestly feel he got a raw deal in Cleveland especially when you consider the fact that plays get relayed down to the field from people who aren't coaches for the Browns. This is a good place for him, and Houston may have a decent season in store with him at the helm. 

Ladies and gentlemen...football is back. Well...kinda, it is preseason but let's be honest, who cares!? It's a chance to see our favorite teams take the field once again and get a good solid look some of the younger players and potentially future stars in this league so to me, this is four weeks of football worth watching. Not to mention, there are some surprisingly intriguing storylines that come out of the league this time of year, so without further ado let's kick off another season of what we learned, starting with Preseason Week 1. 

1. Jameis Winston took the field at last for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and well...meh is probably the nice word to use to describe his NFL debut, but shaky is perhaps the more accurate one. Granted he is a rookie and hasn't seen live action until now and yes, his offensive line could have done a better job, but still. For being the most pro ready QB available in the draft, he looked rough at times with some ugly overthrows and an interception as well. Hopefully he improves quickly since his ability to run a pro offense was part of the grand discussion as to whether or not he should be the number one overall pick. Yet...he's not the only guy who struggled.

2. Marcus Mariota had a tough debut as well. Actually, I would venture to say his first couple of series were far uglier than Winston's.  After all the second overall pick managed to get sacked early on, throw a pick and fumble the ball where it was returned for a touchdown by Atlanta. The biggest thing I noticed about Marcus' play is the sheer fact that he had no idea what the Atlanta defense was doing and if that doesn't shape up quick, Titans fans will be in for a long season. It should be noted that both young men looked better later on in their respective starts, but either way, these two are no Andrew Luck...they looked like rookies through and through and got their rough welcome to the NFL.

3. The Denver Broncos look like a completely different team under Head Coach Gary Kubiak. Many of the players from the John Fox era still remain but the difference in coaching style is evident. These Broncos were completely prepared on Offense and Defense and the new zone blocking run scheme worked like a charm.  Plus that defense was scary good the way they tore through the O line and sacked whatever unfortunate soul was at quarterback for Seattle. Oh, and Brock Osweiler was solid in his preseason debut, looking calm after his first series under center and made some damn impressive throws. In fact, one might say he was...Brock...solid.  Sorry, I couldn't resist. The only glaring issue from this game for Denver is special teams, which had a pretty lackluster performance, but Coach Kubiak will no doubt address that before they face the Texans.  

4. Speaking of a completely different performance, we need to talk about Tim Tebow and his debut in Philadelphia. He was...actually not bad when it came to his play. His throwing motion has clearly improved and on many occasions he was sharp with his throws...connecting with receivers in impressive fashion. Those are words that I never thought I would type with the name Tim Tebow appearing in the same paragraph, but here we are.  Granted, he had his usual head scratching moments, mostly when he made plays with his legs. There were a couple of ugly runs there that fell to pieces, but all of that will be overshadowed by the fact Tebow managed to connect on his passes and he did scramble for a touchdown. 

5. I would think it is safe to say that if you're a New York Jets fan...you're worried and well, that's fair. The little "incident" between quarterback Geno Smith and former Jets Linebacker, now Bills linebacker IK Enemkpali is cause for major concern and here's why. It speaks to the fact that the new regime in New York is already out of touch with their team. This is something that is so off the wall, I mean how on earth did someone not know about IK's football camp and that there was tension between the two players regarding money? The Jets responded appropriately by cutting IK from the team, but man...if tempers keep boiling over in that locker room and Head Coach Todd Bowles can't get his team under control...it's going to be an uglier season than usual for this team.