New NFL Quarterback-Receiving Combos

With T.O. joining Carson Palmer's stable of receivers in Cincinnati, here's a gallery of some other new quarterback-receiving combos heading into the 2010 season.

With the retirement of Kurt Warner, Matt Leinart has his second and likely final shot at being the guy in Arizona. The former Heisman Trophy winner from USC is 27 and until now has been battling Brady Quinn for the title of most visible back-up QB. The perennial all-pro Fitzgerald must develop a rapport with Leinart, after three straight 1,000 yard receiving seasons with Warner, for the Cardinals to thrive in 2010. Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.

The quarterback merry-go-round continues in Cleveland after Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson were both run out of town, and Carolina Panthers cast-off Jake Delhomme was given the reins. 2009 second round draft pick Mohamed Massaquoi looks to build on a very nice rookie year and provide Delhomme with a go-to target in the red zone.

After trading the enigmatic but extremely talented Brandon Marshall to Miami for two second-round draft picks, the Broncos selected Georgia Tech wideout Demaryius Thomas to take his place. Thomas has a similar body and skill set to Marshall, and if he can get on the same page as Orton, the Broncos hope he can provide them with similar production as well.

After becoming the first player in NFL history to record back-to-back 300 yard passing games in his first two NFL starts, Kolb, the 2007 36th overall pick, is now the starting quarterback in Philadelphia, replacing Donovan McNabb. His deep threat is DeSean Jackson, the man who was on the receiving end of Kolb's first NFL touchdown -- a 71-yard pass down the sideline in a 48-22 loss to New Orleans.

An abysmal 1-15 record in head coach Steve Spagnuolo's first year at the helm was put to bed when the Rams selected Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford with the first overall pick in the 2010 draft. If Bradford can stay on his feet long enough behind an offensive line that has allowed 40 sacks each of the last 10 years, he has an intriguing playmaker to get the ball to in Mardy Gilyard, a rookie from Cincinnati.

Joe Flacco avoided the sophomore slump in 2009 by improving in every major statistical category except wins and losses. The Ravens front office hopes that providing Flacco with a go-to receiver in Anquan Boldin will improve the latter category as well.

Henne took over for the injured Chad Pennington on Oct. 4 and started 13 games for the Dolphins. He completed 60% of his passes in an offense tailored to feature Miami's superb running attack and minimize Henne's potential to make mistakes. The Dolphins offseason trade for Brandon Marshall provides Henne with a deep threat to compliment the ground game.

Chris Cooley has become one of the best tight ends in the NFL, despite the erratic passing of Jason Campbell, who has since departed to the island of misfit quarterbacks known as the Oakland Raiders. Now Cooley will be catching passes from Donovan McNabb, who was traded to the Redskins from divisional rival Philadelphia. McNabb always utilized his tight ends in Andy Reid's west coast offense, turning the likes of L.J. Smith and Brent Celek into pass-catching threats. He'll be working with a bonafide star in Cooley.

Bryant dropped in the 2010 draft because of some character concerns, and the Cowboys happily traded up three spots and snatched him up with the 24th overall pick to add to an embarrassment of riches at the receiver position. With most of the game planning attention shifting to Miles Austin heading into the season, the electric Bryant can make a huge impact down the field, providing Tony Romo with a true deep threat.

The Jets added to their offseason domination by picking up the troubled Holmes for just a sixth-round draft pick. Holmes will miss the first four games after being suspended for a violation of the NFL substance abuse policy, but should see a lot of single coverage when he returns, lining up opposite Braylon Edwards.

By most accounts, Darrius Heyward-Bey is putting his terrible rookie year behind him with strong performances in mini-camps and during the Raiders' offseason program, finding a nice rhythm with new quarterback Jason Campbell. Campbell will need Heyward-Bay to perform if he hopes to re-start his NFL career that stalled badly in Washington. Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.