AP The Lions recently released running back Tatum Bell.

Tatum Bell said that he did take Rudi Johnson's bag from the Lions complex, but he didn't mean to. He meant to pick up his old friend Victor DeGrate's bag. He says it was a complete misunderstanding. He respects the Lions and Rudi Johnson.

Bell says he's not the kind of guy to do something like this. He's never been in trouble. He knew there were cameras and wasn't acting funny when he grabbed the bags.

Bell said he was shocked when Detroit cut him. And he is concerned that this scandal ruins his reputation around the NFL and may affect his ability to get another job. Bell said he's tried to reach out to Rudi to clear this up, but Johnson has no interest in talking to him.

Dan pointed out the problem. Money, ID and Johnson's underwear are missing. Bell has to answer for that. He says he's looking into it.

Dan is back on TV on Sunday night on NBC's Football Night in America. He needs help picking a tie. Go to the locker room or answer the poll to give your input.

Icon SMI Don Mattingly has great respect for Manny Ramirez.

Dodgers hitting coach and former Yankees great Don Mattingly had some very interesting things to say about hitting. Mattingly says he wants a balance between guys who can clear their mind and just hit, and guys who are thinking about what the pitcher will do.

Mattingly said Manny Ramirez doesn't mess around in the box. Mattingly has great respect for Manny. He's simple, focused and right there among the top right-handed hitters of all time. Mattingly acknowledges Manny gets lots of flack, but you can't argue with his hitting skills.

Key disclosure by Mattingly: he is not related to Larry Bird. Apparently that's just an urban legend. They're both from Indiana, but that's the only connection. Don's sister is not married to Bird. But Dan convinced Don that was a better story and he should run with it.

AP Kurt Warner will start for the Cardinals in Week 1.

Kurt Warner said the Cardinals were 8-8 last year, their best record since 1998, and they want to keep building on that. That's why he won the job over Matt Leinart. Warner said Leinart will eventually be a good NFL quarterback, but right now Arizona has to focus on this year.

This was a complicated decision for the Cardinals. They may not have had much of a choice after Leinart went 4-for-12 for 24 yards and three picks in a preseason game.

But Leinart was a first-round pick and has displayed some physical talent. Meanwhile, Warner is 37 and in the last year of his contract.

Warner was funny when Dan asked him about trying out for the Packers several years ago. He said in QBs meetings, Steve Mariucci would ask Favre what formation a defense was in, and Favre would say "coach, I have no idea." But then Ty Detmer would nail it in a second.

AP Eli Manning was 19-for-35 for 216 yards and one pick Thursday.

Dan and Brian Billick were discussing the mystery that is Eli Manning. Will he be the same quarterback who led the Giants through the Super Bowl, or the one who threw 20 picks last season.

Last night, Manning made some good throws and bad ones. He got a little lucky when Washington's LaRon Landry couldn't hold on to an interception late. Billick liked the way John Madden described it -- last year, Eli was "shy." Now he's "comfortable." Either way, keep a close eye on Manning this year because he has more to prove.

Billick also had a warning for Brett Favre. He said Brett has to realize he's not in Kansas anymore. The Jets quarterback will face a new kind of pressure this week in New York. One big thing for Billick is that quarterbacks need a rushing attack to keep the pressure off. That's why Billick thinks Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson has a chance to be successful this season.

David E. Klutho/SI Marshall Faulk was named to the Pro Bowl seven times.

Marshall Faulk had several interesting thing to say. The NFL Network analyst said that Peyton Manning is the most irreplaceable player in the NFL. More than Tom Brady, because of the way Manning runs the Colts offense.

He also said college football has changed a lot. When he chose San Diego St., he had a whole different set of issues. Now the top players have to go to a team that will be in the BCS discussion so the NFL notices them. He said that if he was going pro now, he would have stayed at home and gone to LSU.

And he had a funny quote on Kim Kardashian, but you'll have to listen to the interview to hear that.

SI LaDainian Tomlinson sports the powder blue.

Here's a recap of Paulie's NFL questions. Feel free to e-mail or call in to 877-3-DP-SHOW with your thoughs.

1. True or false, the Giants will make the NFC Championship Game again.

2. Who will be Rookie of the Year?

3. Which of the following quarterbacks is most likely to make the Pro Bowl -- Brett Favre, Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers?

4. Who will start more games this year -- Matt Leinart or Kurt Warner?

5. Who will have the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft?

6. Which one team would you tune in to watch?

7. Which team has the best and worst uniform in the NFL?

AP Jim Abbott threw a no-hitter on Sept. 4, 1993

Fifteen years ago Jim Abbott threw a no-hitter against the Indians at Yankee Stadium. Check out the box score. The Indians lineup he got through was sick -- Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle and a young Manny Ramirez. I remember that day. Incredible.

Abbott said they dug out the pitching rubber from that game and he has it in his house. He said it weighs about 30 pounds. What a great memento. How'd you like to have that?

Jim has a good sense of humor about being born without a right hand. He said that he was hyper-competitive as a kid. Some teams tried bunting on him to see if he could field ("and I threw all those girls out").

Dan first saw Abbott when he was a high school football star. What a great story.

AP Darrell Arthur shows off his skills at the 2008 NBA Draft.

Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers were kicked out of the NBA Rookie Symposium for violating unspecified league rules (women, marijuana, etc.). Here are DP Show headline writer Todd Fritz's thoughts ...

Super Mario?...Stupid Mario

Arthur's Theme...One Mistake Or Foreshadowing Of Things To Come

Rock, Chalk, Jay-Schmucks

CAN'T-sas

SELF-less Jayhawks Can't Get Out Of Own Way

Arthur Preachers.....Someone Needs To Talk To Darrell, Mario

POT Were You Guys Thinking?

Girls Just Wanna Have ---Rich Athletes Right Out Of College

Where There's Smoke, There's Jayhawks

National Chumps

There's No Place Like...A Hotel Room With Women and Drugs

Rookie Transition Not Going Great For Ex-Jayhawks

Double Dribble....Two Jayhawks Busted By The Commish

Jayhawks in RUSH To Live NBA "HIGH" Life

Drug-Store Jayhawks

Double-Teamed? ...What Exactly Was Going On In Kansas Hotel

Getting Their BUZZ-er Beaters On

Reuters Bob Costas leads the NBC crew on Sunday nights.

Lots of NFL guests today to help kick off the season. NBC's Football Night in America host Bob Costas will tell Dan what he's in for Sunday night. The NFL Network's Marshall Faulk offers his predictions for the season. And Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio will get us up to date with the latest breaking stories, including more on Tatum Bell's bizarre actions from the other day.

Also, former Major League pitcher Jim Abbott joins the show. Believe it or not, his no-hitter with the Yankees was exactly 15 years ago today.

The whole crew will offer their NFL picks. Dan is still the reigning king after predicting the Giants would win the Super Bowl on David Letterman last year. Full disclosure, I thought Dan was crazy at the time. Still do. No way the Giants should have beat the Patriots! (I'm still living in total denial on that one).