As previously noted, Friday marks the start of a five-day whirlwind of player movement through the NFC North and the entire league. Teams have already started trimming their rosters in anticipation of Saturday's 6 p.m. ET deadline, and they will continue making adjustments via trades, waiver-wire claims and free-agent signings up until they resume practicing in earnest next week. (For most teams, that day is Wednesday.)

I'll do my best to collect the names that trickle out before Saturday's official announcement and update them in this post. From an NFC North perspective, it appears the Bears are the only team that has gotten a head start.

The Bears will release safety Al Afalava, cornerback Cornelius Brown and linebacker Kelvin Smith, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com. Afalava started 13 games as a rookie last season, but was buried after a renovation of the position.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune reports the Bears will also release linebackers Tim Shaw and Kevin Malast. Receiver Freddie Barnes, cornerback Woodney Turenne, safety Quentin Scott and center Tim Walter will be released as well, according to the Tribune.

Bradley Handwerger writes that WWL Television has reported that Bobby McCray has said he’s been released by the New Orleans Saints.

Although McCray was a starter for much of last season and in the Super Bowl, this move isn’t a huge surprise. He already was released once earlier in the offseason, but came back at a much lower rate of pay this summer.

Although his reputation was as a pass-rusher, McCray had only 1.5 sacks last season. New Orleans has Will Smith set as one starter and Alex Brown appears ticketed for the other spot. Brown and Jimmy Wilkerson were signed as free agents and both are able to play the run as well as rush the passer.

The Saints haven’t announced any other roster moves yet. But McCray’s release could be a sign that Jeff Charleston and undrafted rookie Junior Gaulette may stay on the roster.

Also, there are reports that the Saints have released veteran running back Ladell Betts. He was battling Chris Ivory to be the third back behind Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. The release of Betts could be a sign that the knee injury Ivory suffered Thursday night might not be serious.

Reggie Wells was the odd man out on the Arizona Cardinals' offensive line after the team signed Alan Faneca to start and Rex Hadnot for depth.

Deuce Lutui's return as a restricted free agent created a stockpile.

Wells' trade to the Philadelphia Eagles for a sixth-round draft choice hurts the Cardinals' depth at guard, but they've still got plenty in reserve. Lutui is rounding into shape and looks like the best option to start at right guard, the position he manned in 2009, when Wells was at left guard.

Wells was to earn $2.4 million, a relatively high figure for a backup, and his play seemed to slip recently (a thumb injury might have been responsible for some of his struggles).

The Cardinals can now go into the season with Levi Brown at left tackle, Faneca at left guard, Lyle Sendlein at center, Lutui at right guard and Brandon Keith at right tackle. Wells projected as an emergency backup tackle as well, but Jeremy Bridges showed last season he can start there if needed.

Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made statements through the team following Roethlisberger's reduced suspension to four games.

Here is what both had to say:

Ben Roethlisberger

"I have learned a lot over the past several months about myself as a person. I am committed to continuing on this path of being the type of person my family raised me to be, and exceeding what is expected of me as the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers."

Art Rooney II

"Commissioner Goodell informed us today that Ben Roethlisberger's suspension has been reduced to four games. Ben has done a good job this summer of growing as the person that he needs to be, both on and off the field. I am confident that Ben is committed to continuing in this positive direction. As a team, our focus is now on preparing for the regular season and getting off to a good start on opening weekend."

Time for another edition of "Speed Dial," where I call a few people from my cell phone address book to get their insight on a particular subject.

Today's question: With the deadline to finalize the 53-man roster coming at 6 p.m. Saturday, what comes to mind when you think of The Turk, the mythological being who lets a player know he has been cut?

Rod Rust, former New England Patriots head coach:

"The name carries connotations that sound like somebody with a scimitar, going around and cutting people's heads off. It's not as heartless as it sounds. The coaches talk about how to minimize the moment. There's always a lot of thought put into it because there's a bond between the coach and player with all the hard work they put in. And then 'Oh, by the way, you're not going to be around.' It's not easy for anybody.

"Some places it's a messenger that says 'The head coach wants to see you.' More often than not, The Turk is not a person far up the organizational chart. He's someone near the bottom. It's pretty impersonal, but the person's not at any emotional risk because he clearly is not the one who made the decision. There's a psychology there, obviously.

"I can remember being very, very depressed on that day. That's the hardest day of the year. A lot of coaches will tell you that. It's absolutely no fun."

Al Groh, former New York Jets head coach and Patriots defensive coordinator:

"The Turk has been many people and a much-storied individual, that's for sure. He's somebody that you don't want to know. I was never The Turk. I just had to deal with the aftermath of The Turk's visit. It was always very touching to see, really, how they were affected by it and, in many cases, realized how the course of their life was about to change.

"I did have a circumstance when I was coaching the linebackers for the Jets with Bill Parcells. His name was Chad Cascadden, a walk-on player and very bright. I had been his position coach, and now I was head coach of the team. I'd been in that meeting room with him every day for three years, spent a lot of time with Chad and admired him. My wife and I went to his wedding. And it was my chore to tell him he wasn't going to be with us anymore. That was particularly difficult."

Herm Edwards, former New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs head coach:

"When I went to training camp there were 125 guys. It was two months and six preseason games. The Turk was alive and well. They were cutting 10, 15 guys at a time. You'd get five or six on a Monday, then get another four or five on Tuesday.

"My rookie year in Philadelphia they used to slide a white piece of paper under the door. It would have the name and say 'Bring your playbook.' I was roommates with a guy by the name of Skip Sharp. We both were defensive backs. He was a draft pick. I was a free agent. The second week of camp, they slid the paper underneath the door, but you couldn't see the name. I was an early riser, and when the paper came under the door around 4:30 in the morning or so, I go 'You gotta be kidding, man. They're getting ready to cut me?' I thought I was doing pretty good. So I picked up the paper, and it had Skip's name on it. I didn't wake him up at all. I got out of there. I put the paper down, went to facility at about 6 in the morning and checked my locker to make sure my gear was still in there."

Ted Cottrell, former Buffalo Bills, Jets and San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator:

"Sometimes a player gets cut not because they can't play, but because you don't have a spot for them at the moment. A lot of times, you cut a player and you bring him right back as soon as there's an injury.

"I can tell you a story. When I was with Kansas City in 1981, we had a player I had gotten a tryout. I had coached him at Rutgers University. He signed as a punter and got an opportunity to play in the exhibition season. Because of some injuries, I got him an opportunity to play safety the last couple games. He did a great job, but he did not make the team. He was one of the last cuts. I said 'As soon as someone gets hurt, you're probably coming back here because of what you have done.' Three weeks later, he was brought back. He goes on to make six Pro Bowls. He's on their Ring of Honor. His name is Deron Cherry."

John McClain and Mark Berman report that the last original member of the Houston Texans, Kris Brown, has lost the kicking battle to Neil Rackers.

The two were roughly even through camp and in the preseason. But the Texans decided on new blood as opposed to extended loyalty.

Brown had some deadly misses last season, and they are way more familiar to Texans’ folks than the difficulties Rackers had in Arizona.

I’ve said frequently that I think change of scenery can be good for both and is the right choice psychologically.

If Brown missed a crucial kick Sept. 12 in the opener against the Colts, we’d think “They should have made a change.” If the same happens for Rackers, I think it will be more, “Well, at least they made a change.”

As we did last season, we're planning to track the four high-profile quarterbacks in our Air and Space division. The twist for 2010 is that we're also looking for ways to break down the division's response to their unprecedented passing success.

I can't think of a substantive way to evaluate pass defense in the preseason, considering the schematic limitations and lineup permutations. There were some compelling clues, however.

Julius Peppers had two sacks for the Chicago Bears. The Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions all experienced alarming personnel shortages in the secondary.

Here is one preseason statistic to consider calmly but thoughtfully: The Packers allowed 13 passes of 20 or more yards. The Bears and Lions were right behind them with 12 apiece. For what it's worth, those numbers ranked all three times among the bottom half in the NFL this summer.

We can offer some quantitative summaries of the four quarterback's performances, however.

As you see in the chart accompanying this post, the Packers' Aaron Rodgers sparkled. The Lions' Matthew Stafford was accurate and, for the most part, careful with the ball. The learning curve in Mike Martz's offense proved steep for Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, while Brett Favre saw substantive action in only one of the Vikings' four games.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially begun life without two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. NFL comissioner Roger Goodell met with Roethlisberger on Friday and reduced his suspension from six games to four. Roethlisberger will not be allowed to train with the team until his suspension ends next month.

This was the expected outcome after the commissioner established firm guidelines in April that stated Roethlisberger could have his suspension cut two games for good behavior. Roethlisberger has done and said all the right things and seems to be heading in the right direction in his personal life.

But with Roethlisberger out of the picture until October, let's look ahead to Pittsburgh's four opponents to start the season.

Game No. 1 vs. Atlanta Falcons

Analysis: The Falcons are a darkhorse Super Bowl contender. They have a good, young quarterback in Matt Ryan, a strong running game led by Michael Turner and an improved defense that was bolstered in the draft and free agency. Pittsburgh has a chance to win this game by feeding off the emotion of its home opener. But with an inexperienced Dennis Dixon likely getting his second career start against a quality opponent, quarterback play should be the difference.

AFC North blog prediction: Loss

Game No. 2 at Tennessee Titans

Analysis: As Pittsburgh found out during its 2008 Super Bowl season, Tennessee is not an easy place to play. This would be Dixon's first road start of the season and second road game of his career. The quarterbacks in this game are similar, but Tennessee's Vince Young has much more starting experience. Slight edge to the home team.

AFC North blog prediction: Loss

Game No. 3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Analysis: We're not sure at this point if Byron Leftwich will be available. But based on the reported diagnosis of an MCL sprain, this could be a target date for his return. Depending on the team's record (I predict 0-2) and how Dixon is playing, the Steelers could turn to the veteran Leftwich, the favorite to win the starting job before Thursday's knee injury. The Buccaneers are rebuilding after last year's 3-13 record, so this is Pittsburgh's safest bet in the first four games.

AFC North blog prediction: Win

Game No. 4 vs. Baltimore Ravens

Analysis: Baltimore is 1-3 against Pittsburgh in its past four meetings, the only win coming last season when Roethlisberger sat out with a concussion. Expect a close game.

AFC North blog prediction: Loss

The Broncos’ injury woes are continuing.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that backup running back LenDale White tore his Achilles Thursday night in the preseason finale at Minnesota. White was going to play a key backup role and be a short-yardage back in Denver. He was slated to serve a four-game suspension by the NFL to start the season.

White was signed because of injuries in the backfield earlier in camp.

Denver starting tailback Knowshon Moreno just returned to practice after hurting his hamstring on the first day of camp. The team hopes he is ready to carry a big load on opening day, Sept. 12 against Jacksonville. Top backup Correll Buckhalter was out for much of the preseason with a back injury. He played against the Vikings.

Denver will surely look for a tailback in the next few days. Denver needs a big back with experience to provide depth for its fragile running back crew. One possibility could be Derrick Ward, who was cut by Tampa Bay this week.

Teams must trim their rosters to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. The following is a look at one prominent player on each AFC West team who is on the bubble:

Denver: Brandon Stokley, receiver

Why: Matt Willis came through with five catches for 122 yards in the preseason finale at Minnesota on Thursday night, extending his productive preseason. The Broncos might want to go with youth for a backup spot. Stokley, 34, has been a good Bronco for the past three seasons, but his time there may be up.

Kansas City: Alex Magee, defensive lineman

Why: Magee’s case is interesting because he was a third-round pick last year. He has not played well and he has made several mistakes. The only things that may save Magee are his youth and the fact that the Chiefs don’t have a great line. He could get more time to develop.

Oakland: John Henderson, defensive tackle

Why: The speculation in Oakland is that Henderson is on the bubble. I think he will be kept because he can help stop the run for 20-25 plays a game. But it seems clear Henderson, if he makes the team, will not be anything more than a role player.

San Diego: Josh Reed, receiver

Why: Reed was signed this summer to provide veteran depth. He hasn’t been special in training camp and the preseason. San Diego could opt for youth over Reed. Also, don’t be surprised if the Chargers scour the waiver wire for veteran depth at the position in the next few days.