What to watch for: Thursday

Lost in the shock and awe emanating from the Brett Favre trade are the five preseason openers on tonight's docket. Here's a brief synopsis of each:

New Orleans at Arizona: I mentioned this game first only because it's the lone nationally-televised one of tonight's crop. In reality, this is one of the least significant matchups of the preseason's first week. Neither team has much in the way of position battles, and both will be sitting any key player who's even remotely less than 100 percent. Those tuning in to see Jeremy Shockey's debut as a Saint will be disappointed -- the brash tight end is sitting out as he recovers from last December's broken leg.

Don't expect to see Shockey double-fisting in a University of Phoenix Stadium luxury box this time around, either.

Baltimore at New England, Kansas City at Chicago: Both of these tilts will provide the initial backdrop for two key training-camp quarterback competitions. New Ravens head coach John Harbaugh announced on Tuesday that Kyle Boller will start against the Patriots, although most insiders view that decision as one based solely on seniority. Former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith is considered Baltimore's front-runner to start Week 1 and can cement that status with a good showing tonight. First-round pick Joe Flacco should also see extensive action, but he's running behind in the race at this stage.

In Chicago, Kyle Orton will get the first crack with the starting unit in his bid to wrest the starting job away from the much-maligned Rex Grossman, although both combatants are expected to receive an equal number of snaps against the Chiefs. If neither impresses on Thursday, it would be no surprise if the Bears set their sights on the newly-released Chad Pennington.

The Chiefs, a team that could conceivably be even worse than last year's four-win disaster, will not have either of their two first-round draft choices, offensive tackle Branden Albert (foot) and defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey (knee), available.

New York Jets at Cleveland: This one clearly lost some of its luster with the Jets' acquisition of Favre, which put an end to the looming battle between Pennington and third-year pro Kellen Clemens before it really even began. There's no QB controversy in Cleveland either, no matter what the Brady Quinn fanatics would like us all to believe. The Golden Dome-backers should get plenty of chances to see their hero under center tonight.

New York Giants at Detroit: There's little preseason intrigue regarding the defending Super Bowl champs now that Shockey has been jettisoned out of town and Michael Strahan's taken his act to the television studios. Fantasy enthusiasts may want to pay close attention to the Lions' offensive backfield over the coming weeks, though. Former Broncos retread Tatum Bell currently tops the team's depth chart at running back but figures to be pushed hard by rookie Kevin Smith, Detroit's third-round pick back in April who enjoyed a prolific career at Central Florida.