It's the time of the football season where the first rush of optimism that greeted the opening of training camps has crashed into the reality born of shaky preseason games, dozens Walt Weiss Jersey of tweaked hamstrings and the dawning realization that there aren't enough quarterbacks to go around. The dre s-rehearsal preseason games are over, the regular season is just nine days away and it's time to take a clear-eyed look at where things really stand.There is plenty that is still unknowable, like how many times Chip Kelly is planning to expose in plays that allow hits like the one laid on Bradford's legs -- -- in Week 2 of the preseason. Or whether a new offense that places more emphasis on the run and a Gary Kubiak-designed plan for designated rest days will succe sfully preserve for the stretch run in Denver.Those answers will come into focus with time. But as we head into the new season, we can already draw some conclusions about what will feed our nausea ... and what will fuel our hopes.THE NAUSEA Life after in Washington? It probably says all you need to know that was in precisely this same spot when . If po sible, things have only gone downhill -- and rapidly, over the last week -- from there. only further exposed the awkward relationship between a team and the player to whom its future was staked. This is what it came to over the weekend: Conspiracy theories bubbled up about whether the team was exaggerating Griffin's symptoms to find a convenient way to bench him.Now that he has indeed -- with Jay Gruden making clear it is a long-term move not based only on Griffin's health -- the questions abound again: about Cousins' potential as the starter and about Griffin's future.Cousins completed 20 of his 27 pa ses for 190 yards and a touchdown . And, perhaps just as significantly, he rebounded well after throwing an interception -- a concern for the team last year.Former Washington general manager Charley Ca serly watched of Cousins from last weekend and believes Cousins' accuracy and poise in the pocket have him operating Gruden's offense better than Griffin does."The franchise is stuck in neutral with Griffin," Ca serly said.Ca serly isn't sure Cousins is the answer, either, but the 27-year-old at least has made progre s in his four-year pro career. And while Cousins Oakland Athletics Jersey has shown a knack for floundering late in games -- which is why Ca serly is not entirely sold on him as the long-term solution -- Ca serly says the feeling in Washington is that, with the job secured, Cousins won't be as mistake-prone because he knows he won't lose the starting gig.And whither Griffin? With Griffin now buried on the depth chart, Ca serly believes the have to consider releasing him -- particularly if they sense the chemistry in the locker room and in the quarterbacks' meeting room is showing fi sures."The sideshow, with as a backup, will be a detriment to the team," he said.Furthermore, looking toward next year, Ca serly said he would try to sign Cousins and then prepare to draft one or two quarterbacks.It has been a stunning collapse for Griffin, but given the drama of the last few years, it shouldn't be entirely surprising. Even after he was benched, Griffin made news Monday night when his Instagram page liked a post that highlighted Washington's dysfunction and took shots at owner Daniel Snyder. Now that Gruden has made the big decision, it is up to him and new general manager Scot McCloughan to figure out what comes next. Given the recent history, fans might want to cover their eyes, but they might be able to take comfort in one note. McCloughan was a personnel executive for the when they paid a big bonus to sign and then chose over him, leading to Flynn's eventual release. So at least McCloughan is willing to make tough decisions and move on. That might be the only good news this team gets this year. Different team, same concern for Rex. There are a lot of things to love about Rex Ryan. His handling of quarterbacks, if you paid any attention to his time with the , is probably not one of them. , which is fine on its face. Taylor was their best quarterback in the preseason and he also has the athletic ability that creates plays and delights Ryan. The problem is ... What happens if Taylor stumbles out of the gate? 's strong showing briefly made a muddled quarterback competition in Buffalo even cloudier. is the kind of veteran who Stephen Piscotty Jersey might be able to manage a team with a -led running attack and a top-tier defense."This is the ideal situation we had talked about," Ryan said Saturday, after Manuel's breakout game.Selecting and grooming quarterbacks was Ryan's great failure in New York (see: Sanchez, Tebow, Smith). And his ability to do better for the could be the difference between the team logging a 16th consecutive season without a postseason berth and fully taking advantage of a premier running back and one of the league's best defenses. It also could ultimately be the difference between Ryan remaining Buffalo's savior and him flaring out as an NFL head coach. Can the spare some offensive linemen? getting sacked three times by early (all three on plays from under center) only underscored the weakne s Denver shares with a bunch of teams. The ' offensive-line upheaval has been startling -- at one point, the were prepared to start three players who had never before played an NFL regular-season snap -- but the signing of guard figures to stabilize the group somewhat, and prevent the kind of pre sure Manning saw coming up the middle Saturday, just in time for the regular season.The reinforcements are not arriving in other places, though. Lovie Smith lamented the play of the ' young line. Bruce Arians must have been cringing at the protection got this weekend. The could start their third-string left tackle in the season opener, as they did Saturday, if and are still out. They also got a scare when center left the game, although he said his knee injury will not keep him out of the regular season. That's much better news than his brother Maurkice received. That Pouncey's broken tibia, which will likely keep him out until at least late November, was part of a brutal week for the , which included and an unsettling which raised questions about the readine s of the defense.And in Seattle, the offensive line might be the only real weakne s on a team with a legitimate chance to make it to a third straight . But, oh, that weakne s ... The had a different offensive-line Terry Steinbach Jersey combination in each of the three preseason games and three positions on the line are in flux. No matter the combo, the first-team offense has stalled: In 12 po se sions, they've endured seven sacks and produced four field goals. The were interested in Mathis but were simply too strapped for funds to make a deal.THE RELIEF is throwing pa ses to wide receivers. This is not a drill. You know this already: The did not have a touchdown pa s to a wide receiver all of a last season. They were dead last in pa ses of 25 yards or more last season, and didn't have one in the first two preseason games this year. But has arrived to fill in the hole that swallowed the ' playoff hopes. And suddenly, last weekend, the had a downfield pa sing game. completed 16 of 18 pa ses with two touchdowns -- the first one on . The took a 17-0 lead on the when the starters were in, and with the pa sing game humming, they look like the kind of well-balanced team that should contend for the postseason. The comfort level of and . They are at the extreme ends of their career narratives -- Bradford trying to recover from injury-plagued seasons with a playoff contender, Bortles only going into his second year with a team that is very much still rebuilding. There was trepidation surrounding both of them, but that seems to have been allayed in the third week of the preseason with sharp performances that had both looking at ease in their respective offenses.Whatever faint question there was about a quarterback competition in Philadelphia -- and whatever oxygen was expended on -- should end right now. Bradford completed all 10 of his pa ses for 121 yards and three touchdowns in one quarter . With that one performance, he validated Chip Kelly's master plan -- at least until the regular season starts -- to blow up the roster, trade and try again. Perhaps most encouraging: Bradford stood in against a blitz and . We haven't seen much of Bradford this preseason, but that one quarter provided enough evidence to believe that the ' offense is in the right hands with Bradford -- and if he can stay healthy, Philly's a playoff team.The are probably still a few more bits of talent -- and a lot better injury luck -- away from the playoffs, but the development of Bortles provides hope that Jacksonville's braintrust got this shocking draft pick right. Bortles completed 20 of his 29 pa ses for 245 yards and Rollie Fingers Jersey a touchdown . The starting offense has scored on eight of 11 drives in the preseason. The big takeaway: Bortles looks infinitely more comfortable and poised than he did last year, and while that won't be enough to propel the past in the AFC South, the offense won't be the ' weakne s with Bortles around.Why fans -- actually, all football fans -- should be happy after a long summer. Even the storyline that has dominated the entire offseason shouldn't get fans too down. No matter what happens in the coming days, the reality is that the get for at least 12 regular-season games this year. All but a handful of teams would sign up for 12 games with Brady, and the reality is that the are unlikely to go 0-4 even if is starting, particularly because of the woes Pittsburgh -- -- now faces. Brady mi sed three days of practice during camp to attend hearings and settlement talks, and until he led a nearly perfect two-minute drill , it was fair to wonder if he had been distracted enough that his preseason performance had suffered. But on , Brady finally looked like Brady. That is almost certainly the last we will see from Brady this preseason -- and perhaps for a while longer, if he has to serve any or all of his suspension.Brady will even provide good news this week for those who live outside Nation: There will be some (at least temporary) resolution to his case. And even if there is no settlement and the loser appeals, that could take a year to wind through court. The league and perhaps Brady might be dreading that. But at least the story that has proved an irritant to just about everyone -- including owners who would like to see it wrapped up before the season kicks off -- would be shoved onto the back burner while the season plays out. Enjoy the silence.Follow Judy Battista on Twitter .