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Jan. 12, 2008
- Look for Patriots RB Kevin Faulk to see extensive playing time through the remainder of the playoffs. The reason? Blocking. Although lacking the size of No. 1 RB Laurence Maroney, Faulk has developed into one of the league’s better backs in pass protection. In particular, he’s outstanding in his recognition of and picking up the blitz.
- Dolphins insiders tell us it’s almost certain that Cowboys assistant head coach/offensive line Tony Sparano will be announced as the Dolphins’ new head coach as soon as the Cowboys’ season is over. While Sparano has received interest from other teams, he has a close relationship with Miami’s V.P. of football operations, Bill Parcells, and GM Jeff Ireland, and owner Wayne Huizenga has deep enough pockets to sign him at any cost. Look for Sparano to bring some of his Dallas cohorts along with him, too. We hear that Cowboys DB coach Todd Bowles could emerge as the Fins’ next defensive coordinator and that Dallas LB coach Paul Pasqualoni could become an assistant head coach under Sparano.
- It was assumed that David Lee — who had agreed to follow head coach Houston Nutt from Arkansas to Ole Miss as offensive coordinator — abandoned ship to sign on as the Dolphins’ QB coach because of a pay raise. Initially, the Dolphins did, in fact, offer him $100,000 more. However, Nutt raised some eyebrows when he said that Ole Miss countered by matching the $100,000. In the end, the lure of working in the NFL and his long-standing ties to Bill Parcells won out. Lee played quarterback for Vanderbilt in the early 1970s at a time when Parcells served as the team’s defensive coordinator.
- Despite J.P. Losman’s agent saying that Losman will accept his role on the Bills in ’08 if the team is unable work out a trade for him, we hear that there’s no realistic chance of his returning to Orchard Park after relinquishing the starting job to Trent Edwards. Even before word leaked out that Losman wanted out, the Bills anticipated working the phones to deal him. The Bills are confident that he has enough raw potential that they can get something in return for him, but if not, they’ll cut him. However, as a credit to Losman, team insiders say he graciously accepted his demotion and was a model teammate throughout his time as the No. 2 quarterback. He will depart on good terms with his coaches and teammates.
- Look for the Colts to address their offensive and defensive lines in the offseason. Injuries along both fronts exposed depth problems, and while they aren’t pressing areas of concern, they stand out on an otherwise well-stocked team. However, the Colts won’t be targeting those positions in free agency. After recently signing S Bob Sanders to a lucrative long-term deal, they don’t have the cap space to go after the big names and are merely looking for competitive players to be solid backups. The draft will be where these guys are found.
- Jaguars sources say that some team will soon be overpaying for free-agent DE Bobby McCray. It won’t be Jacksonville. McCray recorded 10 sacks in a breakout 2006 campaign, but a lot of the credit goes to DTs John Henderson and Marcus Stroud for continuously absorbing the bulk of offensive lines’ attention. With the two operating at less than full strength this season, McCray proved incapable of doing much, notching only three sacks. At 262 pounds, he’s a liability against the run, and his shoddy play overall rendered him a fill-in player throughout the season.
- Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said WR David Givens, who missed the ’07 season with a knee injury, could be limited in the offseason. “He’s still got some work to do,” Fisher said. “He’s still struggling with the rehab. At this point, I think he’d have a 50-50 chance of being ready for OTAs (organized team activities).”
- It would be a surprise if Titans reserve OG Eugene Amano didn’t step into the lineup at guard, a position where the team could have a pair of new starters next season. The way we hear it, Amano, who has started eight career games (five in ’07), is first in line to become a starter should ORG Benji Olson retire.
- With former Broncos MLB Al Wilson getting medical clearance to play again in 2008, NFL sources believe he will definitely have suitors as a free agent, but it’s far from certain Denver will be among them.
- Although help is needed defensively — primarily at defensive tackle, middle linebacker and safety — the offensive line has suddenly moved up the list of needs after the retirement of OLT Matt Lepsis, who had manned one of the two OT spots in Denver since 1999. Ryan Harris, the team’s third-round pick in 2007, will get first crack at Lepsis’ job but could get competition from Chris Kuper, who played guard for much of this season.
- Expect the Raiders and owner Al Davis to be more flexible with CB Nnamdi Asomugha’s pending free agency than they were with Charles Woodson a few years back. Woodson was franchised for two consecutive years, costing the Raiders approximately $21 million, but Davis is not too keen on spending a similar amount of guaranteed money without getting Asomugha in the fold with a long-term deal.
- At first glance, the Raiders don’t look to be in very good cap shape for 2008, especially considering they’ll have a top-four pick to whom they’ve have to shell out big guaranteed dollars in April’s draft. But insiders suggest they should easily be able to trim down to a manageable level from the money they’ll save from Warren Sapp’s retirement (over $5 million) and the expected release of RB LaMont Jordan ($4.7 million), as well as the likely restructuring of the contracts belonging to RB Dominic Rhodes and OT Barry Sims.
- By not letting him see a carry in the season finale, we hear the Broncos have sent a message to RB Travis Henry that he will undoubtedly have to take a major pay cut to remain in Denver and challenge Selvin Young. If Henry does not return, the Broncos will add another back in free agency or the middle rounds of the draft to share the workload with Young.
- Pro Bowl DE Jared Allen, who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in March, said recently that he had no news on whether the Chiefs were making any headway in regard to a long-term deal. The Chiefs will franchise him if they are unable to come to terms with Allen before he hits the open market.
- Word is the Bengals would consider welcoming back suspended MLB Odell Thurman if he is reinstated by the NFL. Thurman’s last reinstatement attempt failed, and as a result, he sat out the ’07 season.
- There’s a feeling if the Ravens were to shake up their QB roster, Kyle Boller would be vulnerable. Boller is signed for only one more season, and his biggest supporter — head coach Brian Billick — is no longer with the club.
- Browns general manager Phil Savage has no regrets about trading the team’s 2008 No. 1 draft choice for a player — QB Brady Quinn — who appeared in one game as a rookie. Said Savage: “I know there’s been talk about us not having a No. 1 (draft pick). … I’m 100 percent convinced that we would do the same thing again to get Brady Quinn in the draft, after having taken (OT) Joe Thomas first. I thought that the buzz and the excitement that was created off the draft gave the whole organization and the whole city a lift in regards to the Browns. I remember last year before the draft, going down over to the end door and watching our quarterbacks throw it around some and go through some drills, and I just felt like that we did need an upgrade at the position from a talent standpoint. I feel pretty good about when we walk through and watch the quarterbacks throw it around this spring that we’re going to feel good about our position. I think we turned that position, we turned it from a weakness to a strength, and that’s exciting.”
- Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell told PFW he likes QB Tarvaris Jackson, and though head coach Brad Childress hasn’t guaranteed Jackson a starting spot next season, Bevell thinks he can become “a solid starter” in short order. “The one thing we always stress with him is to not take his aggressiveness away but be able to protect the football,” Bevell said. “That’s a big thing with him.”
- Though the Lions plan to use some of the basic terminology from former offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s system, expect the playbook to be a leaner tome than before. Also expect new offensive coordinator Jim Colletto, who will call plays, to use far fewer shifts, motions and formations than Martz did. Some Lions players felt that the team lacked a bread-and-butter play or series of plays that they executed exceptionally well.
- In his season-ending address to the local media, Bears GM Jerry Angelo increased the likelihood that S Mike Brown won’t be back with the team next season when he openly questioned the health risk Brown has become the past three seasons. If Brown does return to the Bears — and team sources aren’t sure that he even wants to come back, considering all the injuries he’s been forced to deal with — it would almost certainly be at a dramatically reduced, incentive-laden rate.
- Good news on Commanders WLB Rocky McIntosh: The team now expects him to be ready for the start of next season. The original word was that he might miss the start of the 2008 season, but following the James Andrews-performed surgery on McIntosh’s left knee on Jan. 4, the word is that McIntosh should rejoin the club sometime during training camp.
- Even with Giants CB Sam Madison gamely getting back into playing condition a few times at the end of the season, it’s very possible that he is not a Giant next season. Team sources indicate that the staff may be ready to move on, which could open a job opportunity again for inconsistent CB Corey Webster but perhaps also for a rookie or free agent in 2008.
- The Cowboys remain high on rookie WR Isaiah Stanback, who has had limited exposure this season on offense and special teams but could be used more in his second season. The coaches think his transition from college quarterback could take a year or two but will be worth it because of his continuing improvement plus his athletic ability.
- The Bucs lost a popular figure among players when assistant head coach/RB coach Art Valero left to join Scott Linehan’s staff in St. Louis. We hear Valero deserves part of the credit for RB Earnest Graham’s breakout season.
- Our source in New Orleans said the Saints will wait to make a decision on RB Deuce McAllister’s future with the team until training camp. McAllister, 29, missed 13 games in ’07 after he tore the ACL in his left knee — he was knocked out for 11 contests in 2005 with the same injury in his right knee. The team is positioned well under the salary cap and won’t make many cost-cutting moves before the free-agency period begins.
- The Panthers are keeping the escape doors shut in Carolina. The Bengals recently asked for permission to speak with secondary coach Tim Lewis about their opening at defensive coordinator, but the Panthers denied their request. It’s good news for Panthers CBs Richard Marshall, Chris Gamble, and Ken Lucas, who are coming off a surprisingly good year.
- It doesn’t look as though Falcons president Rich McKay succeeded in one of his final pushes as general manager to build the team’s defense. McKay spent three of Atlanta’s last four picks in the first- and second-round on defenders. Of the group — FS Jimmy Williams, DE Jamaal Anderson, and CB Chris Houston — Houston is the only one who has shown definite promise.
- Word is Cardinals unrestricted free-agent OLB Karlos Dansby remains a very strong bet to receive the team’s franchise tag if the team is unable to re-sign him to a long-term contract. We hear contract discussions are starting to heat up again and that Dansby’s agent, Kirk Wood, is believed to be seeking a deal that will pay his client in excess of $15 million in guaranteed money.
- Although it’s unlikely the interest is mutual because of the high price the Cardinals would have to pay, we hear Ravens unrestricted free-agent DE-OLB Terrell Suggs — a graduate of Arizona State who is arguably considered the best pass rusher available in free agency — would love to return to the Valley in a Cardinals uniform. The Cardinals passed on the popular Suggs with the sixth overall pick in the 2003 draft (Suggs was taken at No. 10) and opted to trade that pick to move down in the first round, where they selected WR Bryant Johnson and DE Calvin Pace. They also picked up a second-round pick in that deal, using it to select WR Anquan Boldin.
- The latest out of St. Louis on unrestricted free-agent SLB Brandon Chillar is that the team is leaning toward letting Chillar test the market and risk losing him, in which case Chris Draft, a free-agent addition last offseason, would probably take over as the starter on the strong side.
- After earlier indicating that veteran Rams WR Isaac Bruce, who is currently on the books for $5 million in 2008, was a good bet to be sent packing, we now hear that the team is seriously attempting to bring him back — at a much lower salary, if possible. Team sources contend that if the Rams did indeed let Bruce go, the odds are strong that he would join up with new Niners offensive coordinator and former Rams head coach Mike Martz in San Francisco in a heartbeat — a move that would be politically embarrassing to an extreme.
- The rumor emanating out of Chicago that the Niners were very interested in signing Bears unrestricted free-agent OLB Lance Briggs raised the eyebrows of our San Francisco sources, who just don’t see Briggs as a good fit in the team’s defense at present. It’s true that the LB corps is getting a little long in the tooth, with veterans Derek Smith and Jeff Ulbrich possibly on their last legs — we hear the team will have to think long and hard about bringing Smith back at his projected ’08 salary of $3.5 million — but Briggs is an outside ’backer, and the team has already invested heavily at that position in former first-round pick Manny Lawson and ’07 free-agent addition Tully Banta-Cain.
- Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren said receivers coach Nolan Cromwell, who worked under Holmgren for seven seasons in Green Bay and for the last nine in Seattle, received an opportunity that was too good to pass up when Cromwell was offered and recently accepted the offensive coordinator job at Texas A&M under new Aggies coach Mike Sherman. But team sources can’t help wondering if Holmgren sealed the deal after tipping off his longtime assistant about possibly retiring after this season.
