Wide receiver Isaac Bruce is moving close to a reunion with his former head coach.

FOXSports.com has learned that Bruce is heading to San Francisco for a free-agent meeting with the 49ers, which recently hired Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator.

Bruce spent the past 14 seasons with St. Louis, including six (2000 to 2005) when Martz was head coach. The Rams released Bruce on Thursday to avoid paying him a $2 million roster bonus.

One of the most prolific wide receivers in NFL history, the 35-year-old Bruce has 942 career catches for 14,109 yards and 84 touchdowns.

Another free-agent wide receiver garnering interest is New Orleans’ Devery Henderson. FOXSports.com has learned that Tampa Bay will be hosting Henderson on a visit. A four-year NFL veteran, Henderson caught 20 passes for 409 yards and three touchdowns last season while making nine starts.

Henderson has the kind of big-play ability currently lacking in Tampa Bay’s wide receiver corps outside of Joey Galloway.

X: The Dallas Morning News reported that the Cowboys have traded defensive tackle Jason Ferguson to Miami. Dallas and the Dolphins will swap sixth-round picks in the 2007 draft, which moves the Cowboys to the top of the round. Dallas also will receive a 2009 sixth-round pick.

After missing almost all of last season with a torn biceps, Ferguson became expendable when Jay Ratliff and Tank Johnson played well in his place. The Dolphins were in need of a 3-4 nose tackle after releasing Keith Traylor. Ferguson also played under Dolphins executive vice president Bill Parcells in 2005 and 2006 when the latter was Cowboys coach.

X: Dolphins guard Rex Hadnot is visiting today with the Houston Texans. Hadnot, a 55-game Dolphins starter who played at the University of Houston, is believed to have become expendable in Miami after the club reportedly signed San Francisco guard Justin Smiley to a free-agent contract.

Of the top quarterbacks available in free agency, one is already off the market while another is meeting with the Miami Dolphins.

The Washington Redskins have announced the re-signing of Todd Collins. Contract terms were not released.

FOXSports.com also has confirmed that Oakland quarterback Josh McCown is taking a free-agent visit with the Dolphins. McCown started nine games for the Raiders last season, but is expected to cede the starting position in 2008 to JaMarcus Russell.

The Dolphins are in need of a starting quarterback, as Trent Green was released and Cleo Lemon is expected to sign with Jacksonville.

As for Collins, he helped guide Washington to four consecutive late-season victories in place of the injured Jason Campbell. Collins, 36, seems likely to return to a backup role behind Campbell.

Don’t be surprised if Arizona linebacker Calvin Pace leaves South Florida as a member of the Miami Dolphins following a free-agent visit.

A league source told FOXSports.com that Miami is preparing to offer Pace the same kind of mega-deal that linebackers Adalius Thomas and Joey Porter received in free agency last off-season. New England and Miami signed Thomas and Porter respectively to five-year, $32 million contracts that included $20 million in guaranteed money.

Incidentally, Thomas and Porter never made the kind of impact in 2007 that was expected for the money paid.

While the 2003 first-round pick struggled as a 4-3 defensive end in his first four NFL seasons, Pace blossomed last year when moved to outside linebacker in Arizona’s new 3-4 scheme. Pace finished with career highs in tackles (98), sacks (6.5) and passes defensed (6).

By franchising fellow outside linebacker Karlos Dansby, Arizona was willing to let Pace test the market. Unless wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald can be signed to a new contract that lowers his salary cap number of roughly $16 million, Arizona appears likely to lose Pace and wideout Bryant Johnson in free agency.

X: San Francisco running back Maurice Hicks is planning to take a future free-agent visit to Minnesota, FOXSports.com has learned.

Hicks started five games for the 49ers in 2004 and 2005 and has primarily handled kick returns for the past two seasons.

Philadelphia and Houston also have expressed interest in Hicks, a source said.

X: Adam Caplan of scout.com reports that New Orleans will re-sign defensive tackle Brian Young and linebacker Mark Simoneau. Young is slated to receive a three-year, $12 million deal.

FOXSports.com senior NFL writer Alex Marvez weighs in with NFL news and notes every Monday. Here are his thoughts on the weekend’s games.

GREENBELT, Md. -- Will New England's hopes for a perfect season soon be blowing in the wind?

We’ll find out after tonight’s game between the visiting Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.

The weather forecast calls for steady winds of 26 miles per hour throughout the game with gusts potentially reaching 50 mph. That could make what would be a mismatch under better conditions a much more competitive contest.

The throw-first Patriots may have to become more conservative with their offensive game plan, which would be fine with Baltimore. The Ravens have the NFL’s third-ranked run defense (77.9-yard average) and New England’s ground game isn’t nearly as dynamic as their passing attack.

Baltimore ranks No. 21 in both rushing and passing offense, but quarterback play is clearly the team's biggest problem. Such a weakness would be diminished if the Ravens can get New England mired in a game where both teams have to play close to the vest.

At this point, weather or sloppy field conditions might be the only thing that can stop the Patriots from going undefeated. Even the NFL’s worst team – Miami – had a chance to upset Pittsburgh last Monday night when Heinz Field turned into a soggy mosh pit.

The Patriots greatly improved their own playing surface by installing FieldTurf in November 2006 when it became clear grass wouldn’t cut it. But if a blizzard hits Gillette Stadium at the wrong time this January, the Patriots may be wishing they didn’t have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

FOXSports.com senior NFL writer Alex Marvez weighs in with NFL news and notes every Monday. Here are some final tidbits stemming from the league’s first international regular-season game Sunday in London.

They’re successful businessmen in pigskin and pizza respectively, but Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Papa John’s President/CEO Nigel Travis share the same belief of how football’s popularity can grow in the United Kingdom.  

And it isn’t necessarily through the NFL.  

"Arena football could be the way," said the British-born Travis, who now lives in Louisville, Ky. "You need the right product and it takes a long time to do anything, but I think it would build over time."  

 Like Travis, Jones touted the merits of that gridiron hybrid while attending a global sports economics conference in London preceding Sunday’s New York Giants-Miami Dolphins game. Jones owns the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League.  

Said Jones: "There are fewer players. There are much less economics involved. You can play in indoor arenas. But you can still get some of the skills of football [like] blocking, tackling and throwing."  

Now entering its 20th season, the AFL is still trying to grow beyond being a niche entity in the U.S. The same can be said of the NFL in the United Kingdom. An AFL expansion into Great Britain – which, along with markets in Mexico and Canada, is being discussed internally – could find a receptive audience, especially in the NFL’s offseason. It also would further football’s grass-roots movement in England. 

“It’s conceivable that the AFL could be the world's only trans-Atlantic league within the next five years,” an AFL spokesman said.

Jones has an even larger view of arena football’s potential future.  

"I’m involved with an arena team for one reason and one reason only," he said. "I thought that it had a chance to be an Olympic event."  

Sure that sounds far-fetched. But 10 years ago, who could have imagined the NFL playing a regular-season game overseas?  

After Sunday’s 37-20 loss to Dallas, linebacker Joey Porter should know it was easier to back his words when playing for Pittsburgh rather than the downtrodden Miami Dolphins.

Porter talked some trash about Marion Barber to FOXSports.com before the game, calling him “cocky” and saying the Cowboys running back “thinks he’s a tough guy sometimes.” Porter also said he was “going to be looking for” Barber.

It didn’t take long for Porter to find him, as the two exchanged words on the field before the game. Porter also was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct on Barber’s first carry when ripping off his helmet on a tackle.

Barber was unfazed and proceeded to rush for 89 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries. Porter finished with a measly two tackles, which isn’t what the Dolphins expected when signing him to a five-year, $32 million contract this off-season.

Barber said afterward that he was unaware of Porter’s pre-game comments and had nothing further to add. But such a plea of ignorance sounds su####ious, especially when wide receiver Terrell Owens said he knew about Porter’s barbs.

“I think Marion handled that situation very nicely getting into the end zone twice,” Owens said. “Marion, by no means, is going to shy from anyone. His name should be ‘Marion the Barbarian’ because he has a nose and a knack for the goal line. If there is contact to be made, he's going to make it."

As for Porter, he was short with Dolphins media after a second consecutive loss.

“We are a better defense than we showed the last two weeks,” Porter said. “To have it happen like it did (against Dallas) … it’s kind of embarrassing.”

Questionable decisions

The list of suspect personnel moves made by Cam Cameron since he became Dolphins head coach in January continues to grow.

With a rebuilding team, Cameron should be trying to groom youngsters in backup roles. While rookies like starting center Samson Satele and returner/backup wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. are playing, Cameron declared three promising draft picks and first-year players -- defensive tackle Paul Soliai, defensive end Rodrique Wright and running back Lorenzo Booker -- inactive against Dallas. Cameron instead used journeymen lacking the same potential to make a significant future impact.

Case in point: Receiving snaps ahead of Soliai was Steve Fifita, whose high-energy play is tempered by his diminutive size (he’s generously listed at 6-feet tall and 312 pounds on the Dolphins roster). Fifita doesn’t have the dimensions to man the nose tackle position in case 38-year-old Keith Traylor gets injured  --- which has happened each of the past two seasons -- and was enveloped by massive Cowboys right guard Leonard Davis during one unsuccessful Dolphins goal-line stand. At 6-foot-4 and 344 pounds, Soliai could physically handle the spot with more experience, but the opportunity to gain some was wasted Sunday.

Cameron may soon face a more crucial decision at quarterback if Trent Green doesn’t rebound from a sluggish start. Green matched his career high for interceptions Sunday with four and was high with too many throws, which is a bad sign from a 37-year-old quarterback already struggling to complete deep passes.

Cameron’s two other quarterback options are four-year veteran Cleo Lemon, a career reserve set to become an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, and rookie John Beck. Miami made Beck its “quarterback of the future” when selecting him in the second round after passing on Brady Quinn.

There would be additional bumps for Miami’s already struggling offense if Beck were given snaps now. But when the Dolphins are out of playoff contention – which could be as early as midseason judging by the team’s early performance and New England’s hot start – Cameron needs to get Beck on the field with an eye toward 2008.

There’s just no guarantee Cameron will do it.

Turning of the tide

Don’t underestimate the impact a 23-20 victory against Seattle could make on the Arizona Cardinals. Talent isn’t lacking in the desert so much as confidence, which Cardinals cornerback Eric Green confirmed after Arizona squandered yet another late-game lead in last Monday’s 20-17 loss to San Francisco.

“We just never finish,” Green lamented.

The Cardinals finally did thanks to Neil Rackers’ 42-yard field goal with one second remaining.

Lack of maturity

Having closely followed Cincinnati since my days as a Bengals beat writer in the mid-1990s, I’ve come to this conclusion: The franchise will generally play up or down to the level of competition being faced. The reasoning stems from an overall lack of maturity on a roster that annually fails to grasp consistency is key to ongoing success.

A 51-45 loss to Cleveland after forcing six turnovers in a season-opening victory over Baltimore further confirms my su####ion.

Feeling the heat

After Joey Harrington was sacked 13 times in Atlanta’s first two games, I can understand Michael Vick wanting to avoid this type of punishment.

With 19.5 sacks in his first two NFL seasons, Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware can walk the walk. But his teammates jokingly say he can’t talk the talk.

Apparently, Ware speaks so quickly when he gets excited that his teammates can’t comprehend what he’s trying to say.

“He’s from the South so he’s country,” said laughing Cowboys linebacker Bradie James, referring to Ware’s Alabama roots. “That’s what it is. He has his own dialect. All the time, we never understand him.

“If he gets excited, we have to slow him down. We have to say, ‘Alright, rewind D-Ware. Slow down and say it again.’”

Defensive end Marcus Spears considers Ware one of his best friends but admitted he also needed time to learn how to connect.

“We’ve known each other since the (2005) Senior Bowl. I heard this cat talking and didn’t understand anything he said,” Spears said. “It sounded like gibberish … The biggest thing was learning his language.”

A laughing Ware said such comments from fellow Cowboys players don’t surprise him.

“Because I’m from the South, they always say a lot of my words go together,” said Ware, who is one of the most well-liked players in the Cowboys locker room. “They’re like, ‘DeMarcus, what did you say?’ They know when I get excited, they get pumped, too.’”

No wonder the Cowboys held their camp in different spots besides Dallas for as long as anyone can remember. The heat index for Wednesday morning’s practice was in the triple digits and not much better for the afternoon session. Mercifully for the players, the Broncos and Cowboys decided to cut their joint morning work about 30 minutes short.

The Cowboys returned to their Valley Ranch headquarters after opening camp in San Antonio at the air-conditioned Alamodome.

One benefit of being back in Dallas is that it gives legendary NFL figures who live in the area the chance to attend. Roger Staubach, Lee Roy Jordan and Pat Summerall were among those who passed by Valley Ranch during Wednesday’s sessions.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has a passion for football, but he made an observation about the Dallas-Denver practices that shows he also thinks about the sport as a business.

Jones noted that there were more than $300 million in player salaries between the teams on his practice fields. The Broncos spent a ton this off-season acquiring new talent like running back Travis Henry, cornerback Dre Bly and tight end Daniel Graham, while the Cowboys signed right guard Leonard Davis to a seven-year, $49.6 million deal.

Speaking of dollars and cents, declining a $20,000 bonus offer from the Broncos to instead sign with Dallas for $10,000 less as an undrafted college free agent in 2003 might have been the best financial decision Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will ever make.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said he made a strong push to sign Romo, a fellow Eastern Illinois University alumnus, but was turned down. Romo felt he had a better chance of making the Cowboys’ roster, which he did en route to winning a starting spot in 2006.

Scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2008, Romo will cash in with a massive bonus, which could exceed $20 million if he excels this season.

Another player unsuccessfully courted by the Broncos was wide receiver Terrell Owens, who snubbed a Denver contract offer in 2006 for a more lucrative deal with Dallas. Owens reflected upon the dinner he had with Shanahan as he was being dangled as trade bait by a Philadelphia Eagles franchise that had grown tired of his disruptive antics.

“There was an opportunity there,” Owens said. “I never got a chance to thank them just for the consideration. It just didn’t work out. It was just talks and the beginning stages of me becoming a free agent.”

Owens remembered the last touchdown he scored while with the Eagles came while he was being covered by Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey in 2005. Told by a reporter that it was a 90-yard reception, Owens corrected him and cracked up the media crew surrounding his locker by saying, “It was 91, to be exact.”

With a problematic finger from 2006 now healed, Owens might be on his way to making those same kind of impact plays this season. But with T.O., you just never know.