There hasn’t been a bigger stickler for two-a-day practices and plenty of hitting in training camp than Carolina head coach John Fox.

Well, Fox has backed off this year, actually having only one practice a day for several days this hot summer in Spartanburg, S.C. It is a sign of the times in the NFL because of all the work most players do year-round to remain in top shape.

In Tampa Bay’s camp, whenever Jon Gruden has an afternoon practice for special team players only most of his veterans have the afternoon off.

More on Walsh

There will be a private service for legendary San Francisco coach Bill Walsh next Thursday at Stanford, where he was once a head coach and also athletic director during his career. The 49ers are considering a service for the general public next Friday at Candlestick Park. Every 49er helmet will carry his BW initials during this season.

One very important item I failed to mention when reacting to Walsh’s death on Monday was how integral he was to the emergence of African-American coaches in the NFL. Before the NFL initiated its own program, Walsh invited many black coaches to San Francisco to learn from him and his staff during training camps. Walsh was such a great teacher, and he helped so many of them to matriculate into the NFL or secure college positions, like Denny Green (Northwestern) and Ty Willingham (Stanford).

It is simply another example of what a great man Walsh was in the history of pro football and coaching. Among head coaches he must rank alongside Vince Lombardi when it comes to listing the greatest of all time.

Like his mentor Mike Martz, Bills offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild is preparing J.P. Losman and his youthful receivers to go to the next level. This means that Buffalo has been working on five receiver sets this off-season, believing that the free-agent offensive line acquisitions will allow Losman the time to go deep and throw, throw, throw.

Such a strategy worked in the Jim Kelly era in wild-weather Orchard Park, but no one is convinced these Bills are up to the task. There is no doubt that Fairchild knows some offense and is a strong enough voice to play it safe, too.

The Bills are in one of the AFC’s toughest divisions, considering the Patriots, the newly-improved Jets and the always-reliable Dolphins. To compete for a playoff spot, Buffalo must improve on a red-zone offense that managed only 15 touchdowns on 35 visits last season. Losman showed improvement at the end of last season and must continue those strides this summer. It’s just hard to imagine #### Jauron coaching a pass-first offense.

Bears fixing Rex

Chicago’s coaching staff has been diligent in the off-season of constantly reminding quarterback Rex Grossman to quit throwing off his back foot and to remember to step into every one of his throws. It is Quarterback School 101. The Bears believe that most of Grossman’s 20 interceptions last season were the result of faulty mechanics and bad habits like throwing off his back foot.

Young quarterbacks like Grossman, who does have a strong arm, often believe that their arms can salvage any precarious situation. Well, that rarely happens unless you are a young John Elway.

What is odd about the Bears, though, is that they showed absolutely zilch confidence in highly-paid backup Brian Griese last season. They have a young team coming off a Super Bowl and shouldn’t management be focused on making sure the offense can score if Grossman doesn’t produce?

I mean, shouldn’t the Bears consider signing Daunte Culpepper? He knows the NFC North and he can throw. Wouldn’t Culpepper be a better option should Grossman misfire once again?

Zone blocking

The use of zone blocking along the offensive line has raised its head in Carolina under new coordinator Jeff Davidson. It seems like the futility of Carolina’s running game last season had as much to do with Dan Henning’s firing as offensive coordinator as Jake Delhomme’s subpar passing season. There were rumblings that owner Jerry Richardson had a hand in Henning’s dismissal, but it appears that coach John Fox believed he needed to make a dramatic change even though he had a lot of respect for Henning’s work. It’s just too bad that Fox didn’t take into consideration all the injuries on offense last season, too, before bailing on Henning.

There has been a lot of speculation about Fox’s future in Carolina and most of it hinges on the fact that ex-Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher is retired and living nearby. But Fox doesn’t appear to be entering a win-or-else season and if Cowher does return to the NFL sidelines his likely landing spot would be Cleveland where owner Randy Lerner has the money ($7-to-$10 million) to pay him. Plus, it would be a coup for Lerner and the Browns to hire Cowher and give him the keys to the franchise.

Moss beneficiary

A lot has been written lately about Randy Moss and his strong workouts with the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. There is no question that Moss should be a splendid weapon in the Patriots offense if he remains healthy. But what Moss and speedy receiver Donte Stallworth mean to Brady and Co. is pretty obvious.

If those two receivers can be effective deep, it will allow ex-Dolphin Wes Welker to operate in single coverage underneath and be in position to catch 100 passes this season.

Welker -- not Moss -- was the pivotal New England acquisition this off-season. Not only does Welker’s departure lessen Miami’s offense, but he gives Brady a sure-handed, feisty target to keep the chains moving. When the Patriots play teams like the Colts, time of possession will be as important as scoring. With Welker, the Patriots will move the chains.

And, finally, if Brady has a successful passing offense, you can bet that running back Laurence Maroney could have 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns. If defenses are forced to play the pass, Maroney should have plenty of opportunities to run.

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.

Vikings coach Brad Childress passed on Brady Quinn or any other rookie quarterback for that matter and he sees no sense in pursuing receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
 
"I don't know if he's got anything left," Childress said of Keyshawn.

There is a chance that Childress could find out first hand when Minnesota plays the Packers this season. Green Bay has been trying to convince Keyshawn that Lambeau isn't such a bad place to play. The Raiders and the Tennessee Titans, who need a quality possession receiver for their young quarterbacks, are more attractive to Keyshawn.

However, based on his ESPN work during the draft, Keyshawn definitely has a future in television. He may opt for TV if doesn't receive a contract worth a lot more than the minimum salary.

Peppers next?

The theory in Charlotte a few months ago was that defensive end Julius Peppers would receive a new contract before Steve Smith did. But the Panthers just extended Smith, meaning that Peppers may have to wait or be prepared to get the franchise tag placed on him next season.

There is no question that the Panthers and Peppers have been waiting to see what Indianapolis pays Dwight Freeney. Depending on your point of view, they are the game's two best defensive ends and both set the tempo for their team's defensive line play.

The problem for Indianapolis is that quarterback Peyton Manning eats up so much of their salary-cap space. The Panthers could strike a deal with Peppers, but he really wants to see what Freeney gets. It's called keeping up with the Joneses.

Why would Lance show?

The Bears haven't been showing linebacker Lance Briggs the money, so why would the player show for the team's mandatory mini-camp in two weeks? Chicago didn't make any serious attempts to trade their second-best linebacker prior to the draft and Briggs has gone on record that he's prepared to withhold his services for as long as it takes. Although he could earn $7.2 million this season, Briggs wants a long-term contract with a guaranteed signing bonus.

To cover themselves in case Briggs pulls a no-show, GM Jerry Angelo drafted Stanford linebacker Michael Okwo in the third round, the same round he tabbed Briggs in 2003. "I like Okwo," Angelo said. "He is a very, very good player and, in fact, he reminded me a little bit of Lance."

Go ask Bill

With all the receiver upgrades, plus the signing of Adalius Thomas to an aging linebacking corps, the New England Patriots are considered the preseason favorites to win the AFC despite the fact that Indianapolis won the Super Bowl. To deal with Tom Brady's receivers, the Jets moved up in the first round to draft Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Jets coach Eric Mangini was asked if the road to the Super Bowl goes through New England.

"I think that the road anywhere starts with our next minicamp and then training camp." Mangini said. "Last year was last year and I don't think they were the ones that won it."

What about Randy Moss being a Patriot?

"I think that he is a good player," Mangini said. "They are a good team and why they do the things they do, the question is better for Bill (Belichick)."

Call him the Mortician

If he really worked at it, Bucs coach Jon Gruden probably could be a standup comedian instead of a football coach. Gruden was asked last week about offensive tackle Chris Denman, a seventh-round pick from Fresno State, and his nickname of "The Mortician."
 
"It's not because he buries people or kills anyone." Gruden said. "He's a very serious guy. I guess that's how most morticians are. A mortician I know is kind of a loose, happy guy, but this mortician is very serious and quiet – kind of a subdued guy. But I'm going to keep this nickname alive. I kind of like it."

With Joe Gibbs announcing he will return and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believing that Bill Parcells may stick around for 2007, this could turn out to be a below-average season for head coaching changes.

Yes, Arizona looks like it will fire Denny Green and Pittsburgh believes Bill Cowher may retire. But Tennessee will pick up the $5.4 million option on Jeff Fisher, and probably is leaning toward giving him total control of personnel, too.

Another guy who appears to be safe is Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. And, if the Giants make the playoffs as a wild card, Coughlin may even get a one- or two-year extension. Coughlin is currently signed through next season.

Coughlin is only in jeopardy if the Giants don’t make the playoffs. But it isn’t a certainty that he will be fired if that happens, either. Remember, the Giants aren’t a knee-jerk reaction outfit. Coughlin won the division last season and his team has been wracked by injuries, too.

Of course, Coughlin may be asked to make some offensive coaching changes because of Eli Manning’s roller-coaster development.

Do Coaches Fib?

Recently, I was discussing this very subject with Jimmy Johnson. In my business, where I want to be able to trust people, Johnson made the point that since I’m in the gossip business that coaches -- or anyone for that matter -- may take advantage of not telling me the truth, especially if the little fib suits their interests.

This thought brings us to Miami coach Nick Saban and his response to Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga, who asked him point blank about all these Alabama rumors after last Sunday’s 24-10 loss to Jacksonville.

Saban told Huizenga that he wasn’t going anywhere, let alone Alabama, and that he hadn’t finished his job in Miami. Right now, Saban is 14-14 with the Dolphins. He made a huge mistake on his starting quarterback, choosing Daunte Culpepper over potential 2006 MVP Drew Brees. Now, he’s stuck with Joey Harrington, who is no Brees, either.

Huizenga may be one of the best owners in the NFL and he worked extremely hard to lure Saban from LSU almost two years ago. I mean, he waited and waited in Baton Rouge for more than a day while Saban made up his mind about his offer. Not too many NFL owners would have had that kind of patience to stick around and wait on some football coach.

But until Alabama announces that it has hired a head coach to replace Mike Shula, we still believe the top choice in Tuscaloosa is Saban.

Throwing the fade pass

Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme should know better. But Delhomme heaved an ill-advised fade pass to Keyshawn Johnson at the end of the game in Philadelphia even though Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard had deep inside position on the receiver.

There were two other prime examples this weekend when this pass should be and not be thrown. Tampa Bay rookie Bruce Gradkowksi was intercepted on the same play in his loss to the Steelers. But Eli Manning wasn’t when he was prepared to throw a fade to Plaxico Burress and didn’t. Say what?

Well, when a quarterback has a receiver like Burress, and the cornerback is over-playing to the inside anticipating the fade, the best thing to do is throw a rocket to the receiver’s inside. The receiver can then use his size and position to shield the defender from the ball. Basically, it’s like stealing. If you witnessed the Manning touchdown pass to Burress, you know what I’m writing about.

Delhomme had the same advantage with Keyshawn, who like Burress has size and strength over most cornerbacks. If Delhomme would have thrown a hard, inside fastball to Johnson, he would have had a touchdown and won the game. With experienced players like those two, it should have been an automatic throw. Football is a simple game, but both Delhomme and Gradkowski failed to read the defenders and looked miserable being intercepted.

Favre will decide early

Packers coach Mike McCarthy is confident that by the end of this brutal season in Green Bay that quarterback Brett Favre will tell him and the franchise well before the Super Bowl about his intentions to play or not play next season.

When examining Chicago’s schedule it makes total sense that 12 victories is a slam dunk unless their mauling of proud Seattle was a fluke. And I doubt that. Granted, they can’t afford for Brian Urlacher to get injured, but they may even be able to win another eight games without Rex Grossman. Then again, they won’t advance far in the playoffs without Rex.

            John Madden said it best when he compared Grossman’s gambling style to that of Brett Favre’s. Grossman would rather go deep, risk the rewards of a big play rather than play it safe and dump it off for a measly five-yard gain. Grossman is all about going downtown.

            The defense can’t be compared to the ’85 Bears merely because this is a different era and the styles are totally different. This team overall does appear to be a little quicker, but the ’85 Bears also had better outside pass rushers and also a smart, tackling machine in Mike Singletary. The safeties loved to hit and both were playmakers. Buddy Ryan was a defensive genius and he had all the right pieces to wreck havoc with the finest offenses of that era.

            There is no question that Seattle, the reigning NFC champion, missed MVP Shaun Alexander and all-world guard Steve Hutchinson last Sunday. Seattle’s coaches will tell you that once they got into a passing game with the Bears, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck reverted to past mistakes and simply became unglued. It’s understandable, though, considering the tremendous inside pressure applied by Bears tackle Tommie Harris.

            “What we weren’t expecting is how good Grossman played and that No. 80 (receiver Bernard Berrian),” said a Seahawks coach.

            The Hutchinson story won’t die in the Northwest because the Seahawks really would rather pound the ball with Alexander (he may be back in two weeks) than evolve into a passing team. They really don’t want to live by the four-receiver formation. After this week’s bye, look for Deion Branch will be starting ahead of Nate Burleson.

            Back to the Bears, though, their schedule is simply too easy, considering the weakness of the NFC North and three more games against the NFC West. They simply need to survive one weird three-game road stretch in November when they visit the Meadowlands for consecutive games against the Giants and Jets followed by a visit to New England on Nov. 26.

            What the Bears have right now is potentially the tiebreaker for home-field advantage with the Seahawks because the good teams in the East and South figure to beat each other up.

Irate Dungy

Colts coach Tony Dungy was extremely upset with how the officiating crew in the Meadowlands last Sunday allowed the Jets to substitute in their no-huddle offense while preventing the Colts to do the same as Chad Pennington was permitted to rush his team to the line of scrimmage. The Colts were forced to use two timeouts in order to make their substitutions.

            Dungy was planning to unleash Peyton Manning and Co. with similar tactics this Sunday against the Titans merely to prove a point. Dungy has never broken “the spirit” of the no-huddle rule even though his offense is the NFL’s best equipped to operate such a style. The league sent out a directive on Thursday that offenses will be warned – like the Jets should have been – for preventing the defense to substitute if they substitute. An offensive team will be penalized 15 yards if they do it a second time.

Only in the NFL does a player like receiver Koren Robinson appear in a Washington state court room for a probation violation and be allowed to serve his 90-day sentence in the off-season at the prison site of his choice (he must pay for his own incarceration if he does that) and then return to practice a day after sentencing with the Green Bay Packers. Robinson has also filed a grievance against the Vikings for releasing him after his August DUI arrest. And the Vikings could lose because they probably did waive him for his conduct rather than his playing performance.

            In San Diego, safety Terrence Kiel, who supposedly has financial problems, is back practicing and playing while free on a $160,000 bond after being arrested by federal drug agents for shipping codeine-laced cough syrup across state lines.

Philly circus

Yes, it should be a circus in Philadelphia on Sunday with fans paying ten to 20 times the face value of tickets in order to witness the return of Terrell Owens to the City of Brotherly Love. It could get funny or ugly depending on your sense of humor. There are reports that four Eagle fans plan to dress in white nurse outfits and pelt Owens with generic pills when he steps onto the field.

The T.O. show

On Wednesday in the Dallas locker room, the media horde encircled Owens while four lockers away receiver Terry Glenn, their leading receiver, was basically ignored. That’s life with the Cowboys or any team that employs Owens.

Panther pride

Several Carolina players, including some of the coaches, felt that Saints linebacker Scott Fujita deliberately went after receiver Steve Smith’s legs last Sunday. Smith appeared to be sandwiched by two defenders with Fujita going low. Fujita, however, apologized to Smith immediately, saying he lost his balance and wasn’t trying to injure the star receiver. Smith apparently accepted the apology.

Scene of the crime

Jets quarterback Chad Pennington returns to Jacksonville this Sunday where he re-injured his surgically repaired right shoulder last season. Pennington hasn’t forgotten the hit by Jaguars defensive end Paul ####er. A photograph of ####er’s quarterback sack sits on Pennington’s desk at home.

Not a surprise

Panthers center Justin Hartwig was shocked by the foot stomping act of the Titans’ Albert Haynesworth on Andre Gurode of the Cowboys, but he wasn’t a least bit surprised. Before signing this year with Carolina, Hartwig was a teammate of Haynesworth for four seasons and had his own run-in with the defensive tackle.

            “He's a guy that isn't in very good control of his emotions,” Hartwig said. “When he's getting beat he tends to lose control of his emotions and he gets irrational and he doesn't think straight.”

            In training camp one year, Hartwig was blocking Haynesworth in a pass-rush drill. Haynesworth bull-rushed Hartwig over and then with the center on his knees, Haynesworth reared back and kicked Hartwig in the chest.

“I tried to grab his foot when he kicked me,” Hartwig said. “I was going to dump him on his back, but when I tried to pick up his foot one of the other offensive linemen came in and cleared him out. So it was basically a brawl after that.”

        Panthers receiver Keyshawn Johnson said he never in his 11 seasons in the NFL had ever seen such an assault on another player. Keyshawn added that Haynesworth should have been suspended for the whole season. “I wouldn’t want him on my team,” Keyshawn said. “I’m not playing with a dude doing that on my team.”

            Hartwig said he steered clear of Haynesworth off the field. He said there were incidents in practices with Haynesworth every year, accusing him of punching teammates when they weren’t looking.

            “He’s just the kind of guy I stayed away from,” Hartwig said. “He just kind of loses his mind sometimes. That’s just him. I don’t put anything past the guy. He was reprimanded for things by the club in the past. A lot of it didn’t get out to the media.”

Although the Bucs keep insisting that quarterback Chris Simms probably ruptured his spleen in the second half, most NFL observers believe Simms was injured in the first quarter when sandwiched by the Panthers’ defensive tackle Kris Jenkins and linebacker Thomas Davis.

Simms, who had his spleen removed Sunday night, hasn’t said when he thought he was injured. The Bucs have been making a case against the Panthers’ Al Wallace, who has been upset over the accusation that his fourth-quarter tackle caused the injury. The NFL has fined Wallace $7,500 after revealing that he should have been penalized for roughing the passer on the play in question.

Panthers GM Marty Hurney said that his team left Tampa without knowing the severity of the injury.

“The only thing I know,” Hurney said, “is that no one will ever again accuse Simms of not being tough. That was a courageous performance against us. You could tell how much he was hurting.”

Wallace thought he sacked Simms on the bootleg pass. “He had fooled me earlier on that play, but this time I read it right,” Wallace said. “I thought I sacked him until I heard the crowd noise.” Simms completed a pass to Mike Alstott on the play.

Jenkins said that Simms started holding his side after his first quarter tackle.

“I don’t know if that was the play or not,” Jenkins said. “I just know he started holding his side a lot in the first quarter. To score a touchdown like he did and play almost the entire game, well, that shows a lot of guts on his part especially if he got hurt early in the game."

The Bucs sound like they are going to become the 11th NFL team to have only two healthy quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. Rookie Bruce Gradkowski will get his first start next week in New Orleans and the team expects Luke McNown (torn ACL last spring) to be activated from the physically unable to perform list on Oct. 17. Tim Rattay is the backup. The Bucs have a bye this week and haven’t placed Simms on injured-reserve. They have only two games (Saints and Bengals) before McCown returns.

The bigger question in Tampa is whether or not the team will offer Simms a long-term contract or if he’s possibly played his last game for the Bucs. If Tampa Bay continues to lose and slip out of playoff contention, why would Simms even consider playing in December when he’s possibly cleared to play again?

Home, sweet home

When he was a teenager, Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich used to sneak into old RFK Stadium to watch the Redskins. This Sunday’s game in Washington will be Leftwich’s first in his hometown.

“I knew the man who took tickets at one of the gates,” Leftwich said this week. “He told me that if I ran past him, there was no way he could catch me. And so I ran.”

Leftwich is mindful that he’s going against Mark Brunell, who is still a favorite with some fans in Jacksonville. It was Leftwich’s arrival and club’s unwillingness to assume a huge Brunell contract that led to him landing in Washington.

“I know if I lose this game,” Leftwich said, “those Brunell fans will let me hear it.”

Getting ugly

The situation in Tennessee is getting somewhat ugly for respected head coach Jeff Fisher. There is now a FireCoachFisher.com site where you can visit and purchase a T-shirt asking owner Bud Adams to do exactly that.

The Titans are off to an 0-3 start and rookie Vince Young is probably a few games away from starting. Adams, to his credit, installed chief operating officer Steve Underwood in Nashville, to serve as a middle man between Fisher and GM Floyd Reese. Many believe that Underwood has Fisher’s back on most issues.

Reese is in the final year of his contract and the speculation persists that despite a potentially horrible final record on the field this season that Fisher will return and Reese will not.

'GM didn't want me'

Saints quarterback Drew Brees finally said this week that the only reason he’s not playing in San Diego this season is because Chargers GM A.J. Smith didn’t want him.

“He’s the guy who drafted Phillip (Rivers) and my shoulder injury gave him the excuse to play Phillip this season,” Brees said. “I think Marty Schottenheimer and a lot of players wanted me to stay there, but the general manager didn’t want that.”

Brees said he’s happy to be in New Orleans, but had once figured that he would finish his career in San Diego.

Warner's future in doubt

The good news in Arizona is that Brenda Warner hasn’t made any phone calls to the local radio talk shows. But there’s no question that her husband, Kurt, is dangling in the wind.

Only in the NFL can a quarterback go from being Player of the Week (Warner was after a victory over San Francisco) to being booed by the home crowd after a costly fourth-quarter fumble cost the Cardinals an opportunity to beat his old team, the Rams, last Sunday.

Warner will start Sunday in Atlanta against the Falcons. He’s 6-0 vs. Atlanta.

But it seems certain that head coach Denny Green will start rookie Matt Leinart next week against Kansas City if Warner continues his turnover streak (six in the last two games) against the Falcons.

Happy Hasselbeck

There is no doubt that Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck loves his new four-receiver formation. After using it 10 times in the first two games, coach Mike Holmgren used it 24 times last Sunday against the Giants.

“Most of the places I look with that formation, we have mismatches,” Hasselbeck said. “Sometimes it’s in two or more spots and that makes my job that much easier.

The key Sunday night in Chicago will be whether or not the Bears can rattle Hasselbeck before he finds an open receiver.

Points about penalties

Well, there were 78 false start penalties called last weekend and for the season the total count is 171, by far and away the league’s No. 1 penalty. Offensive holding is a distant second at 116. Mike Carey’s crew has called the most penalties after three weeks, 20.7 penalties per game. The fewest? Walt Coleman’s crew has called only nine penalties per game followed closely by Ron Winter’s crew at 9.7. They are the only crews under double digits.

Before leaving the Falcons’ $11 million condo facility at the team’s top-flight Flowery Branch facility Wednesday night, I bumped into former NBA star Magic Johnson. He was checking into the guest suite next door to owner Arthur Blank’s room.

Johnson loves football despite the fact that his pro hometown, Los Angeles, is without the NFL. The former Laker has become a big USC fan.

“Every year I’ve been bringing in motivational guys to speak and meet with the players,” Falcons GM Rich McKay said. “I think it’s great for someone like Mike Vick to spend some time with Magic, who has experienced so much as a celebrity, as a star, and try to relate it to his own life.”

At the end of the evening practice, Falcons coach Jim Mora invited Michael Wallin, 35, to run into the team huddle. Wallin has been a regular at most practices at training camp.

“He screams out every players’ stats and seems to know something about everybody. He’s been a hoot,” said Falcons defensive end Patrick Kerney. “I’m sure there a 100 guys like him at the Cowboys’ practices. He’s been yelling for two weeks now.”

Why I like the NFC South

There is a debate in the NFC right now on which division is the strongest overall and my vote goes to the NFC South despite the defensive shortcomings of the New Orleans Saints. Reggie Bush, Drew Brees and the return of Deuce McAllister should at least make the Saints very exciting on offense.

“I know our division is tough, but I understand the hype over the (NFC East),” said Carolina head coach John Fox, whose previous job was as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants. “It’s hard to compare. They have the big markets and Dallas has T.O. But we’re going to find out this season who is the best because we all play the East during the regular season.”

The Panthers have critical home games against the Cowboys and the Giants, a team they whipped in the playoffs last season. The Giants, remember, are the defending East champions.

“I think it’s difficult for anybody to say right now who is really the best,” Falcons head coach Jim Mora.

Just consider this: the top three teams in the South all have elite pass-rushers with the addition of ex-New York Jet John Abraham with the Falcons. The Panthers have the game’s resident athletic freak, Julius Peppers, and the Bucs have Simeon Rice.

The way the schedule breaks this season, the South also plays the AFC North, meaning the Steelers and Bengals, plus the improving Ravens, are on every team’s schedule.

“Whoever wins our division will be battle-tested and ready for the playoffs,” Fox said. “Our division and the East, because we all play each other, might have a tough time having two 11-win teams like we did last season.”

And if the East and South beat each other up, Fox realizes that if the Seahawks and Bears are as good as they were last season, they both will have a better shot at gaining home-field advantage for the NFC championship game.

Bears have interest in Lelie

No team seems interested in the Raiders’ Jerry Porter while the Bears still seem to be fishing around Denver receiver Ashley Lelie.

The Broncos want a high pick, first or second-rounder for Lelie, while the Bears have offered a fourth-round pick. The inclusion of defensive end Michael Haynes, the Bears’ No. 1 pick in 2003, shouldn’t be that tempting to the Broncos because of his bad back and his lack of production in Chicago.

The Falcons aren’t interested in either player despite the loss of receiver Brian Finneran for the season.

Mora said on Wednesday that he’s considering using cornerback DeAngelo Hall as a receiver.

“Depending on the flow o####ame, say there are a bunch of three-and-outs for our defense, we might be able to get him eight to nine offensive plays a game,” Mora said. “It’s not that DeAngelo is asking for this. I simply believe he can do so many special things when he has the football. And using him as a receiver, you can control more of what he’s going to do as opposed as to using him as a punt returner. A lot of bad things can happen on punts.”

However, if Hall is needed a lot on defense, he many never see the field on offense.

Making Mora laugh

One of the first things I told Jim Mora today was that I know one general manager who would select Michael Vick over Peyton Manning if he had to choose between those two quarterbacks.

Mora laughed when told the GM’s name.

 “No question Michael is very special, and he’s having a very good camp so far, but he will only be a footnote as a quarterback if he doesn’t win a Super Bowl,” Mora said.

In my book, the same could be said of Manning if he never wins a title. Then again, many clubs believe the Colts have the league’s best overall talent and are geared to win this year’s Super Bowl.

Apologies to Thompson

My apologies to Green Bay GM Ted Thompson who insists that the Rams never called inquiring about trading backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and that the Packers would never be interested in the Harvard passer.

Another thought on Green Bay ... the tension that pervaded the building when Mike Sherman was the head coach is gone. The little people, the secretaries, those in the Pro Shop, enjoy the new working atmosphere under Thompson and new head coach Mike McCarthy. This is a bigger deal in Green Bay because it is such a small city.

“It was never a good working relationship between Ted and Coach Sherman because no matter how much Ted tried to open a dialogue with him, it never happened,” said a Packers’ source. “There simply wasn’t enough give-and-take between the two. And all Ted wanted to do was to help him and improve the team.”

Before he officially retires, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue would like to put the Los Angeles Coliseum and a possible new stadium in Anaheim on a fast-track to be the future home of a NFL franchise. Tagliabue announced today that prior to the owners’ next meeting, schedule for Denver in May, that both sites be prepared to present viable proposals to the 32-member franchise.

Although adding a 33rd franchise — an expansion team — probably would be more appealing to Los Angeles-area fans, it seems more likely that a relocated franchise will end up in Anaheim or Los Angeles. There continues to be speculation that the San Diego Chargers could move to Anaheim and that possibly the Jacksonville Jaguars to Los Angeles. Even though Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver voted for the new collective bargaining agreement, many in the league believe he definitely will lose money this season based on the $102 million salary cap. The Saints will remain in New Orleans for two more seasons, but who knows whether or not that hurricane-devastated city will be able to support an NFL team like it used to?

Hunt's happy

One of the happiest owners here today was Lamar Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs. Hunt, since his days in the AFL, has been asking for a Thanksgiving Day home game and the league announced that the Chiefs will host the Denver Broncos on the cable NFL Network at 8 p.m. ET, following the traditional games in Detroit and Dallas. Before the Chiefs merged with the NFL, they played on Thanksgiving in the American Football League. Since the merger, Hunt has argued that the Thanksgiving Day games should have been rotated among member clubs, a proposal that Detroit and Dallas has fought at every turn.

USC Pro Day will be a hit

After these meetings, most of the GMs and personnel directors will leave here for Los Angeles to attend USC’s Pro Day on Sunday. It will be the first time that first-round talent like Reggie Bush, LenDale White and Matt Leinart will run and throw for scouts during the draft process. None of them ran at the National Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last month. Houston is still considering Bush as the draft’s first overall choice. Scouts are also curious to see whether or not USC TE Dominique Byrd competes in certain drills. White was also about 15 pounds overweight at Indy.

Keyshawn will fit in with Panthers

Keyshawn Johnson gives Carolina a bonafide threat opposite Steve Smith.

The Carolina Panthers actually believed that WR Keyshawn Johnson was going to end up on the FOX pregame show as a replacement for James Brown if they didn’t give him a $5 million signing bonus. Still, Keyshawn is the perfect No. 2 receiver to Steve Smith with maybe speedy Drew Carter as a No. 3. Keary Colbert wasn’t productive this past season for the Panthers and veteran Ricky Proehl seems to be the odd-man out.

More picks for champs

The Steelers won the Super Bowl and they were also big winners with three compensatory draft selections in next month’s draft. The Steelers picked up three extra draft choices for past free-agency losses. They received two extra picks at the both of the fourth round, Nos. 131 and 133 and also a fifth-round pick, No. 167. The New York Jets were the only team to be compensated with a third-round pick, No. 97 overall.

Cowboys reward Glenn

The Dallas Cowboys must have felt some bad vibes from veteran WR Terry Glenn after they signed Terrell Owens to a one-year, $10 million deal. (Three years, $25 million is the total T.O. package). The Cowboys gave Glenn a new extension on Monday, giving him $10 million over the next two seasons. Glenn was scheduled to earn $2 million this season and then be eligible for free-agency in 2007.