As the no contact between No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell’s agents and the Raiders continue, you have to ask how do these parties resolve the stalemate?

Well, the Raiders could cave and simply pay Russell what he wants, something that owner Al Davis seems reluctant to do.

Two, Russell could decide to simply sit out the season. Of course, he would be losing whatever present-day dollars he could collect from Oakland. There is also a full season of lost earning power. I mean, could he make up the dollars lost by staying home for an entire season? And how does he make those Oakland mortgage payments?

Finally, the two sides could work out a trade.

Whoops, that can’t happen now. The deadline passed on Aug. 10 when the agents and the Raiders weren’t even talking to one another.

Russell may not be traded until after the end of the 2007 league year (roughly March 1, 2008).  

Here are the league guidelines on what can happen next:

 

Russell may be traded between the first day of the 2008 league year and the 2008 college draft on April 26. In this case, the trading club must sign the player to a contract prior to trading him to the acquiring club (i.e. Drew Henson from Houston to Dallas).

 

If Russell is not signed by prior to the 2008 draft then he is eligible to be drafted in 2008 by any club other than the club that drafted him in 2007. However, the club acquiring another club’s draft pick after the player has initially been selected will not receive any additional rookie pool room to sign the player. Translation: there could be less money available to Russell and if not that, for the other the rookies this team would select. Regardless, it won’t be a pretty picture for someone.

 

Simms messed up

 

There is something wrong with Chris Simms, but the Bucs don’t necessarily believe it is all physical. Simms is not performing very well and many close to him have speculated that it relates to last season’s horrendous ruptured spleen when the then-starting quarterback almost died. Simms’ supporters don’t want to believe coach Jon Gruden and GM Bruce Allen on this situation, considering they are the ones who gave Jeff Garcia the same contract deal Simms received.

 

Yes, Gruden has moved on. Garcia is his starter while Luke McCown and Bruce Gradkowski battle for the backup position. Simms is a forgotten man in the rotation and he knows that Gruden has basically thrown up his arms.

 

Simms faces being released if he doesn’t start improving. If that happens, he’s talked about sitting out the season. Said one insider: “He’s probably thinking that because he fears that another team might cut him, too.”

 

Strahan returning?

 

After speaking with a couple of his defensive teammates at the Giants’ Albany training camp on Thursday, the general consensus is that they expect Michael Strahan to return to the team and play this season. Everyone understands how difficult the retirement decision is for Strahan, but they simply believe he’s too good right now to retire and that deep down he still wants to play. Timeline? Maybe next weekend. The Giants break camp prior to their third preseason game.

 

Don’t Forget Ravens

 

The buzz around the league is that don’t discount the Baltimore Ravens when discussing possible Super Bowl teams. The Ravens thoroughly out-played Philadelphia last Monday and the Eagles are again considered a favorite to win the NFC East.

 

“It’s difficult at time to judge these preseason games,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin told me. “Some teams plan basic stuff in these games in order to evaluate their own young players. Well, Baltimore’s basic defense is to blitz and they blitzed Philadelphia 37 times in that game. They’re good, though. But that’s how you get a lopsided game in preseason.”

 

Quinn should start

 

OK, I will accept the idiotic premise that Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson know whatever offense the Cleveland Browns are running at the moment, but shouldn’t this franchise have first-round pick Brady Quinn on the fast-track to a starting position? I mean, Quinn ranked in the top five of GM Phil Savage’s draft board and that’s why he made the trade with the Cowboys. Isn’t Quinn the future of this franchise? I know Coach Romeo Crennel wants to win and possibly keep his job, but the Browns need to get their future QB involved quickly.

The beauty of the Green Bay Packers is that the franchise has survived with community ownership and that those in the football operations can concentrate on building a solid product without a lot of top-heaving interference.

Bob Harlan, the Packers’ chairman, was going to retire and turn over his position to John Jones, but that isn’t going to happen now and Jones has been placed on paid leave.

Now, Harlan’s job may not be as powerful as say Ted Phillips’ position with the Chicago Bears or John Shaw’s with the St. Louis Rams, but he does have tremendous influence over the hiring of Green Bay’s general manager and head coach. The best thing Harlan ever did was hire Ron Wolf as general manager, who then hired Mike Holmgren. The Packers have been living off that legacy for years now, primarily because Brett Favre hasn’t retired.

Yes, part of Harlan’s job is ceremonial and public-relations conscious. But that doesn’t have to be true of his successor. The executive board would be wise to give Harlan’s replacement a bit more power and influence. If the league opts out of the collective bargaining agreement in 2008, a franchise like Green Bay could suffer competitively against the big-city markets. That’s why Harlan’s renovation of Lambeau Field was so financially critical to the franchise.

Everyone is talking about Tennessee GM Mike Reinfeldt returning to Green Bay, but that is highly unlikely. Vice President Andrew Brandt is probably the best in-house choice. But you can bet that Harlan would have pushed Brandt by now if that was a real possibility.

Harlan and the Packers should consider these experienced club executives: Bryan Wiedmeier, president of the Miami Dolphins; Rob Brzezinski, vice president of football operations for the Minnesota Vikings; and Jay Zygmunt, president of football operations for  the Rams. This would be a great job for former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi if he wanted to come out of retirement.

Some believe this position is one of the best in the NFL. But the downside is that you have to live and work in Green Bay.

Restoring some sanity

The long-term result of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s strong stance against the NFL’s most embarrassing players (Chicago’s Tank Johnson received an eight-game suspension on Monday, following the punishment of Chris Henry and Pacman Jones, et al) will be the opportunity to restore some sanity to the locker room while making other league employees realize that Goodell means business and that even lesser violations might warrant a one- or two-game suspension.

There is nothing wrong with putting a little fear into every player. Hopefully, it will make them all think twice before doing something stupid. There is too much at stake to simply toss away a million dollar career and the overall good name of the league.

There is no question that the majority of players support Goodell’s no-nonsense stance because the rap sheet element on teams erodes the good name of the vast majority of players and club employees.

Meanwhile, the league waits to see whether Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is charged in a dog fighting scandal in Virginia. Those close to Vick believe he has nothing to worry about and that any potential courtroom drama will be postponed until 2008.

The Falcons have shown no interest in signing another veteran quarterback (they have Joey Harrington as a backup), believing Vick will be their starter this season. For example, when Trent Green was available the Falcons decided against bidding with the Chiefs for his services.

Carr fitting in

There is no question that Jake Delhomme is Carolina’s starting quarterback, but David Carr, the first overall pick in the 2002 draft, has looked good in workouts for the Panthers. Carr chose the Panthers over Seattle. The Raiders kept calling, too, but they couldn’t promise Carr that they wouldn’t select a quarterback (JaMarcus Russell) with the first overall pick.

“Everybody likes their team in June,” Carolina GM Marty Hurney said. “Carr has looked good. But let’s wait until we’re into training camp for a couple of weeks before we say how good we can be.”

Remember, the Panthers had one of the NFL’s best drafts in April, plus there’s the positive news of linebacker Dan Morgan’s return. Morgan (concussions) is one of the league’s very best when healthy.

When you think about Carr, you have to wonder why Miami didn’t make a run at him, considering his arm strength. The Dolphins have finally acquired Trent Green, but there are many in Kansas City who believe Green’s career is at the end of the line.

What most football writers don’t like about Randy Moss is that he has no time for them. His indifference toward them definitely influences their writing. Moss could care less about idle ####-chat in the locker room.

One of the problems in our society is that we generally don’t accept people for who they are. Moss is definitely different and he has his own football standards. It doesn’t mean we have to accept Moss’ actions, like his penchant to be lazy off the line when he knows he’s a decoy on a particular play. He’s been pretty much a front-runner as a receiver; great when the team is winning; lackadaisical at times when it is losing.

To me, it’s almost perfect that he will play in Boston, where the Red Sox employ talented Manny Ramirez, who smiles a lot more than Randy and also has a familiar quirk about taking a few days off. Last season, Manny pretty much ditched September, but the Fenway faithful still cheer him on.

While there is some dog in Moss, he usually worked hard and ran hard in the practices I have attended throughout his career. He wasn’t like Michael Irvin, but he definitely gave a quality effort. He was even busting his butt last summer in Napa, where the Raiders hold training camp, despite the most disconcerting offensive practices I have ever witnessed in almost 30 years. There were literally five minutes at times between plays; it looked like junior high football.

You could see frustration on the players’ faces. It was only August, but you could sense that the Raiders would be lucky to win a few games despite a pretty talented defense. The offense was a Tom Walsh mess and then head coach Art Shell was allowing it to happen. Plus, Moss knew that quarterback Aaron Brooks was the worst kind of leader.

Moss, who was generally hurt much of last season, basically threw up his arms, knowing he had better offensive training at Marshall in the late 1990s.

Does that condone his lack of effort? No, but it explains him a little.

To understand his thinking, consider this: If you had a choice between playing for a rookie head coach (Lane Kiffin) who wasn’t even the owner’s first choice or Bill Belichick, whom would you pick? If we polled every NFL player, the results would be above 90 percent for Belichick.

Hey, Kiffin might turn out to be pretty good. But Moss wants to win now. And I believe all he wants is some structure to his football existence.

Moss-Packers

Without question, Randy Moss preferred Tom Brady to Brett Favre and Belichick to Mike McCarthy. But if you were Packers GM Ted Thompson, and you really wanted Moss, plus you’ve known Oakland’s asking price, why would you play hardball with the receiver? I mean, don’t give him the same one-year salary deal he received in New England?

Better yet, Thompson should have given Moss a better deal than the one the Patriots were offering. That possibly would have tipped the scales in Green Bay’s favor. The bottom line is that Thompson and the Packers really didn’t want Moss, a receiver who has torched them for 14 of his 101 career receiving touchdowns.

Cleveland flashback

The Browns did very well in the draft when you consider they had Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn rated fourth overall on their draft board. They were able to pick him with the Cowboys’ 22nd overall pick. Granted, they surrendered next year’s first-round pick for Brady, but GM Phil Savage is hoping that it won’t be as high as the Browns' pick was this year.

Cleveland doesn’t get a free pass on Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas. Last year, Savage gave Atlanta tackle Kevin Shaffer a 6-year, $36 million contract to play left tackle. Thomas will eventually receive a contract more expensive than Shaffer’s and now the Browns are trying to unload Shaffer. The Giants, who are desperate for a left tackle with the release of Luke Petitgout, wouldn’t surrender a fourth-round pick for Shaffer.

So while Savage deserves credit for this year’s draft, he deserves low marks for signing Shaffer to such a huge contract.

Turner off the market

I don’t blame San Diego GM A.J. Smith for announcing he’s keeping Michael Turner as LaDainian Tomlinson’s backup. The Chargers need every quality player they have in order to compete with the Patriots and Colts this season.

But I do find a lot of fault with Tennessee and Green Bay. Neither team was willing to trade a second-round pick for Turner, who is better than any running back currently on either team’s roster. Instead, the Titans may have wasted their second-round pick on Arizona running back Chris Henry, who started 10 games in college. Henry’s stock soared in the draft because he was a workout warrior.

Call him a steal

Who is the only NFL tight end to catch two touchdowns in the playoffs last season? If you guessed Indy’s Dallas Clark, you would be wrong.

Tampa Bay’s new tight end, Jerramy Stevens, did. He scored twice in Seattle’s wild-card victory over Dallas. Tony Gonzalez and Daniel Graham of the Patriots had one each.

Even though Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren highly recommended Stevens, the Panthers and Jets turned their noses up on him. Stevens is considered a bad guy even though he currently isn’t in the NFL drug program. His problem is alcohol, not illegal drugs. Of course, he recently was arrested for a DUI, so his standing could change. The Bucs signed him for $600,000 and that could prove to be a bargain.

Sean Farnham on FOX Sports Radio asked me an interesting question on Monday. Was the NFL pulling out of its preseason game in China because the league realizes that it can’t make the strides in Asia and Europe like the NBA has? That football is strictly an American game?

Well, the NFL isn’t thinking like that. The NFL simply wants to concentrate on its regular-season game in London this season where the Miami Dolphins will host the New York Giants. They will play in Beijing in 2009, the year after the Olympics. I do believe that if the London game is a financial success that there’s a better chance of London getting a franchise over Los Angeles.

The reason is pretty simple: high-brow fans with plenty of money, plus a modern stadium. The football fans in Boston and Philadelphia and Houston can tell you, even when being gouged, that the football experience is pretty special in a modern stadium. London has better soccer stadiums than Los Angeles does, plus any NFL fan who lives in California knows that politicians in the Golden State are never going to ante up for a $800 million stadium in Los Angeles or anywhere else for that matter.

When offensive linemen are collecting $10 million signing bonuses, you know the league needs to expand to locations where the fans will pay any price to sit and watch. The NFL Europe experience has whetted the Europeans’ appetite for the real thing, a real NFL game, and that’s the logic behind my beliefs.

The next best place to put a NFL franchise is Las Vegas, but the gambling mecca won’t get one because the league doesn’t want to admit that their fans actually bet on a game’s outcome. How silly. Off-the-record, most owners know that Las Vegas would be a financial gold mine.

If the game in London is a financial success, and fans also watch the game on satellite television throughout Great Britain and other European countries, you know the league will seriously consider another such event and the possibility of a European based London franchise.

London may be five years down the road. Conversely, Los Angeles has gone 12 seasons now without a single franchise and the NFL continues to be a financial giant and a television ratings’ success.

To this day, potential Los Angeles owner Casey Wasserman realizes that he should have bought the Dodgers instead of Frank McCourt. Had Wasserman bought the Dodgers, he could have developed a NFL stadium there or even relocated the baseball team in a new stadium near the Staples Center. With that opportunity lost, Los Angeles is down to the Coliseum option, one that the NFL can easily turn its back on.

Browns and Quinn

No NFL coach is on a bigger hot seat than Romeo Crennel in Cleveland. If the Browns get off to a horrendous start this upcoming season, Crennel could be gone by November. I don’t believe GM Phil Savage cares, either, because he didn’t really hire Crennel -- owner Randy Lerner did -- and because he wants to rebuild this franchise.

And there is growing speculation that Savage, especially if LSU’s JaMarcus Russell has already been selected, could decide to draft Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn with the third overall choice. The Browns, like the Raiders, need a franchise quarterback.

 

Cleveland fans have been hoping that Savage would draft Heisman winner Troy Smith of Ohio State in the second or third round. Smith, a strong-armed quarterback, could go anywhere from the second to the fourth round.

 

The Browns don’t really want to settle on Smith in the latter rounds because they know he will take attention away from their first pick. And they definitely wouldn’t draft both Quinn and Smith.

 

Turner’s value

 

Chargers running back Michael Turner visited Tennessee this week and his agent, Bus Cook, is trying to drum up interest in his client. The Chargers placed a first and third-round tag on the restricted running back, believing he’s worth the price and the high salary because he’s a perfect insurance should an injury befall LaDainian Tomlinson this season.

 

Turner, a former fifth-round draft pick, is viewed by some as a much better starter at his position than quarterback Matt Schaub, who moved from Atlanta to Houston for two second-round draft picks, besides the Texans and Falcons swapping spots in the first round. Chargers GM A.J. Smith believes Turner is worth a first-round pick and so do I.

 

Smith’s dilemma is does he trade him for less this year before he loses him for good in 2008 when Turner will be an unrestricted free-agent? There is no way that San Diego can pay both Tomlinson and Turner. New England has two late first-round picks, and there isn’t a running back available there that is as good as Turner. Plus, the Pats have some concerns over Laurence Maroney’s shoulder.

 

But Smith may not want to trade with the Patriots and then watch Turner run through the Chargers in a potential playoff game next season. The end result is that Smith may have to take less than first-round compensation for Turner in order to move him to a NFC team.

 

High stakes in Washington

 

By acquiring veteran linebacker London Fletcher in free agency, the Washington Redskins don’t seem to be a club that desperate for Bears linebacker Lance Briggs. And they may balk at paying a higher price than swapping first-round picks with Chicago, giving up their sixth pick while sliding down to 31st in the round.

 

Heck, there’s a chance that Butkus Award winner Paul Posluszny of Penn State might still be on the board, considering many teams have him rated at the top of the second round.

Detroit GM Matt Millen really doesn’t want Joe Gibbs to trade that sixth-round pick to Chicago. If the Raiders draft Russell, Millen wouldn’t mind swapping his choice for Washington’s sixth and another draft pick for the rights to Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson.

 

Owner Daniel Snyder attended Johnson’s workout and the word is that Gibbs wouldn’t mind acquiring him, believing he would give young quarterback Jason Campbell a truly great target.

You have to wonder what Chris Simms is thinking. You can bet that his father, Phil Simms, isn’t too happy with head coach Jon Gruden after the Bucs gave Jeff Garcia the same contract ($7 million for two seasons) that Simms is playing for while also securing the rights to former Denver starter Jake Plummer.

Tampa Bay should have a healthy quarterback competition this summer.

Yes, Plummer has announced he plans to retire rather than play in Tampa Bay. But the Bucs and Broncos wrote a pretty interesting contract before the NFLPA got wind of what was happening. If Plummer reports this month to the Bucs, Denver receives a fourth-round pick. But if Plummer doesn’t report in March, the compensation is a seventh-rounder.

This is a very interesting trade language, and one designed to prevent Plummer from simply asking to be released from Denver and then signing with the Houston Texans, where his former offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak, is the head coach. That is what Plummer wanted to do and exactly what the Broncos wanted to prevent.

Basically, the Bucs will own Plummer’s rights and if he doesn’t report, they will place him on the reserve list. If Plummer ever wants to play in the NFL again, he will have to deal with the Bucs, who could either activate him or trade him.

Believe it or not, the Bucs have enough salary-cap room to keep all three quarterbacks. They currently plan to do exactly that and see what happens before considering a trade later in the year.

For Simms, he now knows for sure that the Bucs like Garcia based on what he was paid and that maybe he shouldn’t have signed that extension late last season. I mean, Simms is hardly guaranteed anything now except for a lot of competition for the starting quarterback spot.

 

Quality of life influences Dielman

 

The Chargers kept guard Kris Dielman, who settled for a $6.5 million average after rejected a $7 million average from the Seattle Seahawks. Basically, Dielman decided he’d rather live and play in San Diego than in Seattle, and who can argue with that reasoning when the money was so close.

Still, what’s fascinating is that Seattle was going to pay Dielman more money than it was willing to pay All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson last season. Seattle completely misjudged how much room they would have this season and where the salary numbers for offensive linemen would be in 2007. It was horrible planning and cap management by the Seahawks and magnified by the club’s pursuit of Dielman.

Small market?

 

There are a few NFL teams wondering how can Bills owner Ralph Wilson continue to complain about his small-market stature and his desperate need for revenue sharing after his team pays two offensive linemen, Langston Walker and Derrick Dockery, a total of $70 million. Walker, who would have been paid the minimum by many NFL teams, received a $10 million signing bonus from the Bills.

Dockery is a very good run blocker, but Walker, a right tackle, was a full-time starter on an offensive line that allowed 72 quarterback sacks last season.

The Cleveland Browns gave former Bengals guard Eric Steinbach a better contract than what Hutchinson received last season, including $17 million guaranteed. It’s difficult to believe all these guards are as good or better than Hutch.

 

Serious upgrade

The Patriots have definitely improved their defense with the multi-talented ex-Baltimore linebacker Adalius Thomas. Thomas chose New England over San Francisco, believing the Pats have a better chance of reaching the Super Bowl than the 49ers. That makes sense.

 

The Patriots also signed Jacksonville tight end Kyle Brady, who they believe remains a top five blocker at his position. If they can pry Wes Welker away from the Dolphins, it will be a great acquisition. Welker is an excellent special teams player, but also has a chance to be a full-time receiver. There aren’t many tougher all-around players in the NFL than Welker.

Now, we wait to hear Steelers head coach Bill Cowher’s decision.

We know Raiders owner Al Davis will take his time deciding Art Shell’s fate.

Until he asks for a salary increase, we’ll take Nick Saban at his word that he’s staying with the Dolphins.

The obvious happened this morning, with both Arizona and Atlanta firing their respective head coaches.

The Cardinals were an under-achieving football team, one that never recovered from a second-half meltdown against the Chicago Bears in Week 6. Jim Mora is a good coach, but Michael Vick -- his quarterback -- turned his back on him and owner Arthur Blank simply didn’t understand his flippant radio remarks about wanting to the coach the U. of Washington. Mora would be a great choice at the U. of Alabama.

Both franchises will check out the same candidates, although Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops supposedly is high on Atlanta’s wish list. Former head coaches Steve Mariucci and Mike Martz, who transformed Jon Kitna into a 4,200-yard passer, should be considered simply for their past successes and Martz for his offensive brilliance. Of course, Martz can’t afford to ask for total control and definitely needs a talented defensive coordinator in order to be successful.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and USC’s Pete Carroll are on every owner’s wish lists. Ferentz seems reluctant to leave Iowa for any job other than Penn State’s. Carroll has denied that he has spoken with Arizona officials. Carroll would want too much money and power for either franchise at the moment. Plus, his USC team next year is believed to be a solid candidate to win the national championship.

The hot minority candidates will be Minnesota defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin, San Francisco linebackers coach Mike Singletary and Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. You can bet that Rivera is definitely on Arizona’s radar screen if Rod Graves remains employed there. San Diego offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, who played for the Falcons and Georgia Tech, should be a candidate in Atlanta if he doesn’t replace Cowher.

Two things are known about the AFC playoff picture. The Indianapolis Colts are back and will receive a first-round bye. And, two, the Baltimore Ravens will be scoreboard watching this Sunday, praying that the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Diego Chargers. I’m also pretty sure that Mike Holmgren is hoping for that same result.

Otherwise, there are still a lot of unknowns in the AFC playoff picture.

Based on Monday night’s performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Colts appear to be a lock to win their final two games against Houston and Miami, thus securing one of the conference’s top two seeds and the first-round bye.

The Chargers currently hold the No. 1 seed but they must beat Seattle and Arizona to keep ahead of the pack.

The Ravens, who travel to Pittsburgh this Sunday before hosting pesky Buffalo, believe they can win those two games. If they do, and San Diego falters just once, Baltimore would earn a first-round bye. How’s that?

Well, should Baltimore and San Diego finish with the same record when the regular-season ends, the Ravens hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their 16-13 win over the Chargers in Week 4. The Colts hold the advantage over the Ravens, even though both are 11-3, based on a better record against common opponents. That’s why the Ravens were rooting for the Bengals on Monday. Baltimore has lost to two teams -- Cincinnati and Denver -- that Indianapolis beat.

Right now, New England (10-4) owns the fourth seed in the AFC, but the Patriots have two difficult road games during the holidays. They travel to Jacksonville, who remains alive for a wild-card spot, and then Nashville to face rookie Vince Young and a 7-7 Tennessee team.

If the Patriots beat Jacksonville, it should guarantee the winner of Sunday’s Cincinnati-Denver winner of a wild-card spot. If Denver wins, they would be 8-4 against conference foes, by far the best record among teams that have not secured a division title.

The other spot could go to the surprising New York Jets. The Jets travel to Miami and then host the Oakland Raiders. If they win out, I say they will get a wild-card spot. As physical and tough as Jacksonville is, the Jaguars simply can’t be counted on when it matters most. The Jaguars can beat the Patriots, but I wouldn’t bet on it. But it is something of a mini-playoff game, similar to the Bengals-Broncos’ matchup.

Pro Bowl thoughts

The first thing I noticed was that Giants quarterback Eli Manning wasn’t selected, but the three players (or draft selections) which were traded for him did. How remarkable is that? The Chargers ought to give GM A.J. Smith a raise.

Quarterback Philip Rivers, who wasn’t good enough for Giants GM Ernie Accorsi, made it in his first year as a starter (this is Eli’s third such starting season), as well as outside linebacker Shawne Merriman (despite missing four games for a steroid suspension) and kicker Nate Kaeding.

For the most part, I thought the majority of the selections were no-brainers. It’s difficult to judge interior linemen and interior defensive linemen. I do believe Giants middle linebacker Antonio Pierce deserved it over Seattle’s Lofa Tatupu. Even Minnesota’s E.J. Henderson is a much more physically-imposing linebacker than Tatupu.

You can’t argue with the NFC’s running backs, but I will anyway. Frank Gore definitely deserved it; he’s carried the 49ers this season. Nothing against Tiki Barber or Steven Jackson of the Rams, but Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook would have been on my team over those two. Westbrook has 1,756 yards from scrimmage; he’s a bigger playmaker to me.

Two players got the shaft in the AFC. Jets receiver Laveranues Coles has 87 receptions and a 12.2-yard average and he should have been one of the four receivers selected; in three or four games, Coles helped secure wins for the Jets. He was the NFL’s leading wide receiver (28 receptions) on third down plays.

Also, Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha has eight interceptions and his play is one reason why Oakland has been much improved on defense this season, ranking first against the pass and fourth overall. He’s definitely more deserving than Baltimore’s Chris McAlister.

The other receiver I liked was Seattle’s Darrell Jackson, who has more third-down catches than any of the four NFC starters. Doesn’t being clutch, plus carrying a 15.2-yard average and 10 touchdowns, count for anything?

The only other stunner is that overweight defensive tackle Kris Jenkins of the Panthers was selected as the third interior defensive linemen.

Suspension warranted

The Bears suspended defensive tackle Tank Johnson for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. Johnson was arrested for the third time last Thursday and then a day after he apologized to the team and its fans, Johnson was out clubbing past 1:30 a.m. with his good friend Willie B. Posey, who ended up getting shot and killed. How many hangouts do you go dancing in where your night ends up with a buddy getting murdered?

You can call it bad luck or whatever, but Johnson hasn’t been hanging with the right people once he leaves Halas Hall. His teammates have been supporting him and the Bears seem willing to accept him long-range as long as he undergoes counseling.

Johnson can blame the automatic weapons found in his house on his dead friend, who lived with him, but there are too many instances in his life were he’s crossed the line going back to his college days at the U. of Washington.

The Cowboys have no choice but to stick with Tony Romo. They proved Monday night that they can’t protect Drew Bledsoe, plus the 14-year veteran proved that he’s still capable of making rookie-like mistakes like his silly interception to Sam Madison when Terry Glenn was never open at the end of the first half.

The other shocking revelation about the Cowboys is that they sure look like frauds on defense. In training camp, the defense looked awesome. Coach Bill Parcells believed his defense would be dominant. In fact, good enough to overcome Bledsoe’s miscues from game to game.

But Parcells was also aware that Romo was more athletic and definitely had an NFL arm. The worry since March was that Dallas didn’t have the offensive line to protect Bledsoe. Well, that theory has definitely come to fruition. The O-line proved that in the opening-season loss in Jacksonville. Remember, Bledsoe’s middle name is Statue.

Perhaps, that’s when Parcells should have made the switch to Romo. Yes, after the loss to the Jaguars. Conversely, it sure looked like a panicky move at halftime, down only five points to the Giants, on Monday night. Parcells was looking for a spark and instead Romo threw three interceptions, two of them mistakes that some playing-time experience could cure. Like Parcells said, Romo played careless with the football at times.

The Cowboys are up against it now in the NFC East. The Giants are now in control, plus Dallas has also lost to Philadelphia.

Does anyone think Bledsoe can survive Carolina’s pass rush on Sunday night? Romo can buy some time with his feet. But he needs all the practice repetitions this week and Bledsoe needs to stick around – don’t take his football and go home – and quit talking about retiring because he was benched.

Pretty weak argument

When the NFL realized a couple seasons ago that players were purchasing store-bought supplements that resulted in positive tests for performance-enhancing substances, the league did a generous thing and gave players a free pass on ephedrine and other dietary supplements for a year. They worked in conjunction with the Players Association on safe and legal supplements that anyone can buy in their local GNC stores. Those products have the league’s stamp of approval on them.

Players being players still buy bottles of supplements that aren’t approved. In those cases, all the player has to do is bring the product to their team trainers. The trainers can either check the list of ingredients or have the supplement tested for illegal substances. It’s pretty simple. I mean, who wouldn’t have something checked before ingesting a bunch of pills or mixing an unknown powdery substance if it meant losing your job or paychecks in the hundreds of thousands of dollars?

 The Chargers’ Shawne Merriman was caught with nandrolone, a banned steroid substance, in his system. He and David Cornwell, his attorney, claim it came from a tainted over-the-counter supplement. Merriman’s argument is “why would I do anything wrong? I’m already in the spotlight?”

Give me a break.

What I would like to hear Merriman say is this: “Yes, I made a mistake. I took something I shouldn’t have. I should have had it tested. Heck, I’m a millionaire. I could have hired my own pharmacist to make sure I wasn’t taking nandrolone or anything else that is banned.”

Big Ben should play

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has said that he suffered a concussion when knocked out in the Atlanta game on Sunday. The Steelers and Coach Bill Cowher have listed their star quarterback, who returned to the sidelines after the hit and seemed fine to a lot of players, as questionable for Sunday’s game in Oakland.

Granted, the Steelers may be able to beat the Raiders without Roethlisberger, but there are people close to the team who believe Ben can play if he wants to. A lot of his teammates will be keeping a close watch on what Ben decides to do.

Another interesting tidbit is that the NFL office didn’t believe that the Falcons’ Chauncey Davis’ tackle of Roethlisberger wasn’t a helmet-to-helmet hit based on a New York Times report. Falcons Coach Jim Mora believes Davis will not be fined for lowering his head and decking Roethlisberger.

There were several bad penalties called against the Steelers in that game, including a dubious false start penalty on the final play that cost Pittsburgh a chance to attempt a game-winning field goal.

“These officials should be ashamed of themselves," Steelers chairman Dan Rooney said. “That last call, you don't call that kind of call.”

What do Cardinals do?

OK, Denny Green is probably safe for the rest of the season. But Green does admit that he has talented personnel and that the Arizona Cardinals shouldn’t be 1-6. This is what the boss’s son, Michael Bidwill, believes, too.

The Bidwills have this habit of preferring not to pay an expensive head coach for not working. But at the end of the season, Green’s fate will be sealed by how the Cardinals perform in the final nine games. If the losing continues, you can bet Bidwill will make a run at USC head coach Pete Carroll. There are no guarantees that Carroll will ever leave USC. He’s well paid and his program, based on his recruiting skills, will probably always rank in the top five nationally.

But the Cardinals can easily offer Carroll total control of the football operations. And wouldn’t it be interesting having him coach his former Heisman quarterback Matt Leinart once again?

Despite what Charles Barkley said on ESPN last night, Denny Green's career in Arizona moved to earthquake status in the shaky-ground department after the Cardinals' collapse to the unbeaten Chicago Bears. Barkley is right that Green had put a positive face on the franchise for the first time in awhile, but he obviously hasn't fixed whatever curse is lurking over his offensive line.

The Cardinals have this brand new stadium in Glendale, Arizona and actually had a full house and a crowd giving them home-field advantage for the first time ever and they still couldn't protect a 20-0 lead? This is weird stuff, quoting Edgerrin James, befalling the Cardinals.

Not only did the O-line not give rookie quarterback Matt Leinart enough protection at times, but rarely did James have room to run. Then kicker Neil Rackers, who was virtually automatic last season, still hasn't made a game-winning kick in two seasons. He missed poorly on a 41-yarder that would have won last night's game and he also missed a 51-yarder the week before that would have sent the Chiefs game in overtime.

Green was right about one thing. The Bears were never going to score an offensive touchdown. Rex Grossman played poorly, accounting for six turnovers. Chicago won, though, because linebacker Brian Urlacher and the defense scored two touchdowns and then Devin Hester returned a punt for a touchdown. Hester was another great draft pick by GM Jerry Angelo.

Green was definitely right about switching to Leinart at quarterback. The Hollywood Kid has a bright future and whenever Larry Fitzgerald returns, the Cardinals will be very scary on offense.

End of a friendship

This usually happens in sports when you hire an unemployed friend.

Ravens coach Brian Billick, who is fighting for his own job in Baltimore, tossed his former good friend, Jim Fassel, under the bus today, firing his offensive coordinator with two years left on his contract. In Billick's case, it is always easier to point fingers at someone else when the offense isn't working.

Such a firing could prove to be the end of Fassel's NFL career. I mean, how many teams or coaches will be willing to hire a guy who was dumped by a close friend?

The interesting thing is that Fassel saved the job of quarterbacks coach Rich Neuheisal in the off-season.

Reid admits to problems

 

 

Eagles coach Andy Reid admitted that he has had problems communicating play calls into quarterback Donovan McNabb in the past and also last Sunday in the Superdome that basically cost his team two timeouts, preventing it from saving some time at the end of the game prior to John Carney's game-winning field goal. The Eagles had to stand around helplessly in the final two minutes and simply watch the Saints run off the time before Carney's kick won it.

 

Reid had this same problem during the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. He took way too much time in the fourth quarter when the Eagles should have been in a hurry-up mode. The Saints might be for real, but the Reid and the Eagles blew a game they should have won. Or, at least, should have had a chance to win had Reid simply saved his timeouts.

 

Bengals upset

 

 

How would you like to watch NFL games with all the best quarterbacks sitting on the sidelines? I wouldn't and that's why I am in referee Mike Carey's corner on the Justin Smith sack of rookie Bruce Gradkowski last Sunday.

 

Gradkowski fumbled when sacked by Smith and the Bengals recovered. Had the play stood, the Bengals probably wouldn't have been upset by the Buccaneers. But when Smith hit Gradkowski, the quarterback's head did get smashed into the ground. Carey called roughing the quarterback, negating the fumble.

 

Hey, quarterbacks need protection back there. To some, Carey erred on the call. But I don't think so because Carey thought the tackle was unnecessary.

 

Granted, fans like to see quarterbacks get blown up, but pro football would really be awful to watch if the best quarterbacks were always hurt. I know the battle cry that this is football – Hall of Famer Jack Lambert said it best when he famously suggested quarterbacks wear skirts – but the NFL has crossed the line and the game is also entertainment. That's why fans are paying over $100 or more every Sunday to watch in person.

 

Compare it to attending a Broadway play. Nobody likes to pay good money and then end up watching the understudy instead of the marquee star.

One of the worst teams I saw this summer was the New Orleans Saints. Personnel people around the league concurred with me.

Now, that the Saints are 3-0 and heading toward a showdown game with the Carolina Panthers this Sunday, there are two theories: 1.) preseason games definitely don't reveal a team's true identity or 2.) new head coach Sean Payton and his defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs have this team playing well above their heads.

Granted, the Saints played with enormous emotion Monday night in the franchise's return to the Superdome, but they also stuffed the potent Atlanta rushing game and Drew Brees directed a wide-open offense.

Payton has done a masterful job with Reggie Bush, who may not have huge numbers but truly scares defensive coordinators. The Falcons made an effort to account for Bush and in the process it opened up other areas on the field for Deuce McAlister and rookie receiver Marques Colston. In August, the Saints' offensive line looked like it had major holes, but that hasn't been the case with Payton's aggressive play-calling.

Give Payton another huge pat on the back for realizing early in training camp that Colston, a mere seventh-rounder from Hofstra, might be a big-time receiver. Payton's confidence in Colston (15 catches for 204 yards) allowed the Saints to trade away Donte Stallworth to the Eagles.

Anybody notice that Stallworth is injured again?

Some truth to Shockey

 

It had been written for a week or more that Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren was seriously considering a lot of four-wide receiver formations prior to the New York game because he had to get newcomer Deion Branch on the field. Holmgren even admitted to possibly using the formation at least 10 times a game.

 

Well, the New York Giants apparently can't read.

They looked totally unprepared to deal with the four-wide look on Sunday as Holmgren used it extensively, helping Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to a career day. Hasselbeck threw four of his five touchdown passes in the first half as Seattle built a 35-3 lead. In most cases, receivers were wide open. There wasn't a Giant within 10 yards of tight end Will Heller when he caught his fourth career touchdown.

 

The formation prevented the Giants' pass rushers from getting to Hasselbeck because with a receiver always open, Hasselbeck was getting rid of the ball before anyone got near him. It was a frustrating day for players like Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora.

 

Ponder these numbers

- Everything you hear out of Detroit is that the Lions finally have the right head coach in Rod Marinelli. And still the Lions are off to a 0-3 start and GM Matt Millen is now 21-62.

- Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger doesn't have a quarterback rating over 31.0 in his last three starts, which includes the Super Bowl. The "great" Hines Ward has nine catches for 99 yards. Where are the big plays?

- The Raiders are in their must-win mode this week. But just remember they lost to the Browns last season at home on three Phil Dawson field goals, 9-7.

- Minnesota's offense has gone 10 quarters now without a touchdown.

Good move

 

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy opted for a lot more shotgun formations last Sunday in order to give Brett Favre time to see downfield. With young offensive linemen learning a new zone-blocking system, it made a lot of sense and Favre delivered with three touchdown (402 in his career) passes. McCarthy figures to do more of the same because Green Bay will be in a lot of high-scoring games this season.

 

Wait a week on Leinart

 

Arizona coach Denny Green is leaning towards starting rookie Matt Leinart over Kurt Warner this Sunday in Atlanta. But wouldn't it be better, considering the Georgia Dome might be pretty hostile this weekend, to wait a week and allow Leinart to get his first start at home against the Kansas City Chiefs?

Of the rookie quarterbacks, Leinart was always considered the one most ready to play this season. Mentally, he knows the playbook. He possesses big-game poise, too. But there's nothing wrong in waiting because Green really doesn't want him to fail and there's really no sense in turning back to Warner once the coach makes the switch.

Jack Del Rio and FOX Sports' Jimmy Johnson have a special bond. It's a solid relationship even though Johnson was the coach who cut Del Rio, basically ending his playing career.

"It was one of the toughest cuts I ever made," Johnson said recently, "but it was the right thing to do and Jack eventually understood."

Del Rio immediately went into coaching and after four years as an NFL assistant became the Jaguars head coach. Owner Wayne Weaver, who had grown weary of Tom Coughlin's autocratic approach, wanted a fresh face. He also wanted a bargain-basement coach. Del Rio simply wanted an opportunity and based on last season and the first two games of this season, he has paid dividends to the franchise and the Jaguars.

The first positive you notice about the Jaguars is that they play as hard as Jack did as a player. Instinctive and tough.

It might have been the lowest-scoring game in Monday Night history, but the Jags 9-0 dumping of the Steelers wasn't ugly. It was physical, relentless football. And the Jags were the last men standing.

"I don't think I've seen a defensive game like that since the '85 Bears," Terry Bradshaw told me today. "Or that Baltimore team that won the Super Bowl. There was some hitting in that game."

The Steelers managed only 26 rushing yards, the lowest total in Bill Cowher's 15-year tenure.

Del Rio is not a media-friendly coach in Jacksonville. Three seasons ago, he was ripped for having an axe and a chopping block in the locker room. His punter sliced up his leg. Del Rio could be accused of being a little over-zealous in the motivation department.

But one of his greatest qualities is that he's secure in what he believes. He signed ex-Minnesota coach Mike Tice to coach his offensive linemen when a lot of coaches wouldn't. He has another head coach in Dave Campo working with his defense, especially the secondary. Circumstances undid Tice in Minnesota and Campo in Dallas, but these two coaches know a lot of football. In two games, Tice has figured out protection schemes against two very solid and active defensive fronts (Cowboys and Steelers) to free up Bryon Leftwich, who has the slow delivery and rock-solid feet.

Well, Leftwich had enough time in both games to stand tall and make the necessary plays to win. Del Rio loves his quarterback because he doesn't turn it over and has tremendous character.

There is no doubt that Del Rio has a bright future. He can also opt out of his contract, which could put him in serious play if the right, big-money job opens up.

Raiders miss out on Volek

Although the Raiders were linked to Tennessee quarterback Billy Volek, they were never serious about parting with a high draft pick. Volek forced the Titans' hand to deal him to San Diego, where they received less compensation, but who can blame him? The Chargers have a brighter future than the Raiders right now, considering offensive coordinator Tom Walsh still thinks old-man Jeff George can play. George has lost his fastball, although he may be able to throw for 15 minutes in a game. The Raiders were bad last season, but at least they could throw the ball and Randy Moss had a couple touchdowns by now. Lamont Jordan hasn't been a factor, either.

Bad analogy

Denver coach Mike Shanahan, who gets paid for his football decisions, put an interesting spin on his reluctance to dump starting quarterback Jake Plummer for rookie Jay Cutler. Shanahan compared it to the time after John Elway when he elevated rookie Brian Griese, who wasn't liked by his teammates, over Bubby Brister, who was basically a backup. The Broncos and Griese went down in flames, finishing 4-12.

The only difference is that Denver's veterans do like Cutler (they also respect Plummer). It's almost like Shanahan won't make a quarterback change until he takes a serious poll of the locker room. This from a coach who keeps his running backs guessing on who will start opening day. Go figure.

Talk is cheap . . . Winslow isn't

The way tight end Kellen Winslow keeps popping off about not being on the field on obvious passing downs, you can bet two things: he will be in most third-down packages this week and if he isn't, Mo Carthon may not be the offensive coordinator in Cleveland next season.