You have to tip your hat to the Tennessee Titans. They are being very creative with their delaying tactics before allowing quarterback Steve McNair to leave town and play for the rival Baltimore Ravens. Having lost the arbitration hearing over McNair's demand to be on the Tennessee practice field, the club now wants him to pass a physical - he failed the '05 season ender with a torn pectoral muscle - before allowing him to work out with the team.

McNair may or may not take the physical. I mean, how much does he want to play for the Titans? Bus Cook, his agent, already has a better contract offer on the table from the Ravens. The Titans can't afford him, plus owner Bud Adams would like to see his first-round pick, Texas quarterback Vince Young, starting a few games this season.

Now, the coaches may not want to play Young - remember, Jeff Fisher took a long wait-and-see approach with McNair - but these are different times in Tennessee.

Get motivated

Hey, either Patriots coach Bill Belichick will light a fire under disappointing defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan, who seemingly doesn't understand that he must be in super physical condition to play in the NFL, or he will be unemployed come September. Sullivan, the Saints' first-round pick in 2003, was swapped for New England receiver Bethel Johnson, who couldn't stay on the field enough.

If Sullivan can end up being half the player Richard Seymour is, the Patriots might really have something. But Sullivan has to work much harder than he did in New Orleans, where he was always on former head coach Jim Haslett's ---- list. Sullivan has the athletic ability, but he's never displayed a willingness to sacrifice, mentally or physically, to be the best he can possibly be.

Speaking of the Pats, they still have a good chance of landing former star Ty Law. However, the Arizona Cardinals could end up offering the former Pro Bowl cornerback a better one-year salary like he received from the Jets last season.

Billy not silly

Maybe we weren't clear with our recent column on the Minnesota Vikings. There is no way that someone like Billy Kuharich, who really wants to be a general manager again, would leave a top-notch organization like the Kansas City Chiefs for a similar pro personnel role in Minnesota. Kuharich has more influence and more stability in KC than he ever would have had in Minnesota. Remember, Rick Spielman wasn't all that excited about missing out on the Vikings' job when he was interviewed the first time around. But when you don't have a NFL job, it was easier for Rick to say yes the second time around.

Backup plan

The best thing about Mark Brunell being on the shelf with a broken finger, is that second-year quarterback Jason Campbell has gotten more work in with the veterans. Campbell has been a regular this entire off-season with the Redskins, and several veterans said he has looked awesome in workouts throwing the football. The only knock on Campbell is that he may not know the offense as well as Brunell, who will be 36 this season. You can count on Campbell, who failed to take a snap as a rookie, to get some playing time this season.