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."

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.

Phil Simms knows better. And, by now, so should Chris Simms.

Does Phil really want his son playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next season? And why would the Bucs want Chris? He’s proven to be a very average West Coast quarterback and he needs to find a team with an offense like the one Norv Turner is operating in San Francisco. Chris needs a solid running game to allow him to throw deep off of play action.

Simms won’t under throw Joey Galloway like rookie Bruce Gradkowski did last Thursday in Texas Stadium. But he also can’t escape from pressure like Bucs coach Jon Gruden has pointed out repeatedly like Gradkowski.

I thought everyone named Simms was upset with the Bucs regarding how Chris ruptured against the Carolina Panthers and then needed four blood transfusions while doctors removed his spleen afterward. The critical situation was touch and go for Chris.

In his last six starts, Simms averaged 195 yards passing a game and was a 58 percent passer while throwing five touchdowns with nine interceptions.

“The bottom line in what happened in that game,” said a NFC general manager, “is that Chris got hurt in the first quarter and kept playing on. Out of it, I know two things. That no one should ever dare call Chris not tough and that Jon Gruden will want to be involved in trying to get (Notre Dame’s) Brady Quinn.”

Cowher & Wolfpack?

The next rumor we are going to hear is that Steelers coach Bill Cowher will be the head coach at North Carolina State next season. Heck, it makes sense because Cowher’s family is already living near campus in Raleigh, N.C.

Now, Cowher knows that coaching in college is a LOT easier than dealing with professional players. But I can’t see him doing that. I can seem him retiring and relaxing for a season or two, waiting for Joe Gibbs to retire in Washington or for the some other rich owner to offer him what Mike Holmgren collects in Seattle.

Proehl Makes Sense

Ricky Proehl makes a lot of sense for the Indianapolis Colts because he is a realiable receiver who probably runs closer to a tight end than a speedy wide receiver these days.

The Colts could be minus Dallas Clark for more than a few games and Proehl could fill that void. If the Colts ever get Brandon Stokley back (high ankle sprain), Peyton Manning will have more than enough weapons to keep on winning.

One head case for another

Cowboys coach Bill Parcells is stepping out onto a pretty thin branch with the acquisition of Martin Gramatica.

We all know what a head case Mike Vanderjagt had become, but Gramatica lost his job in Tampa Bay because he was no more reliable than Vanderjagt was for the Cowboys. Gramatica missed six attempts between 30 and 39 yards in 12 attempts and even one attempt inside 30 yards. He was a 60 percent kicker in his last two seasons with Tampa Bay after winning a Super Bowl.

And here’s hoping Gramatica doesn’t pull a hamstring celebrating a game-winning kick for Parcells like he did for Jon Gruden.

Mooch to Arizona?

Phoenix isn’t California, but it’s only a short Southwest flight away.

I’m positive that’s what former head coach Steve Mariucci is thinking should the Arizona Cardinals come a calling. Mooch, who is a pregame analyst with the NFL Network, still is being paid by the Detroit Lions, but the Arizona job might lure him out of retirement.

Granted, the Cardinals have their hearts set on USC’s Pete Carroll, but I simply don’t see Carroll leaving the Trojans where he’s close to $4 million a season. Carroll has been through the NFL and he knows he probably has the best job in college football.

Nothing against Columbus, Ohio, but there is better weather and more to do in Los Angeles than Ohio.

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.”

By Sunday we will be tired of hearing about T.O.’s return to Philadelphia, but what really matters is what kind of team is Philadelphia going to put on the field to face the vastly-improved Dallas Cowboys?

Believe me, the Eagles will be hard-pressed to beat the Cowboys if cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Rod Hood are sidelined once again. It's one thing stopping the Green Bay Packers with NFL Europe star Joselio Hanson and Dexter Wynn playing in the secondary and quite another asking those guys to shutdown Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn.

Yes, the Eagles have scored 24 or more points in four consecutive games, but do you think they can hit that magic number once again without Brian Westbrook, Donte Stallworth and Reggie Brown? I mean, there is nobody in the Green Bay secondary that could start for the Cowboys. Well, maybe safety Nick Collins.

Westbrook’s inflamed right knee kept him on the sidelines Monday night and Stallworth left the game with a sore hamstring. Brown has a bruised shoulder.

The good news is that Greg Lewis, a former buddy of T.O.’s in Philadelphia, snapped out a slump with touchdown catches of 45 and 30 yards to break open a tight game with Green Bay in the third quarter. Eagles coach Andy Reid has had high hopes for Lewis and he finally delivered. Who knows if Lewis will play under control on Sunday?

Considering this game is as much about Donovan McNabb as it is Owens, fans should recognize that McNabb has played pretty well (138 attempts without an interception and second-lowest --2.17 -- interception ratio in league history) this season. Can McNabb, who definitely was questioned by some teammates over the feud with Owens, win this grudge game without a full complement of receivers, primarily Westbrook?

The word in Philly is that Westbrook rested Monday in order to give himself a chance to play the Cowboys.

Colts' special teams woes

Colts coach Tony Dungy needs to fix his special teams, but regardless of those concerns his team has showed a remarkable grittiness considering how many starters are ####ed up on defense.

Internally, though, the club is scratching its head on why defensive tackle Corey Simon, who was paid a ton of money to leave the Eagles, hasn’t dressed since arthroscopic left knee surgery almost two months ago. Simon continues to have more tests while Colts GM Bill Polian continues to say, “We just don’t know when he’ll be back.”

The Colts aren’t even sure he’ll play in three or four weeks in conference showdown games with Denver and New England. Believe me, there is some impatience in the front office with Simon.

Speaking of the Colts, New England running back Laurence Maroney was the player Polian wanted to draft in the first round and then the Colts tried to make a deal with Chicago (the Bears eventually traded with Buffalo) for its first-round pick, eyeing Carolina’s DeAngelo Williams. Maroney is off to a tremendous start in New England; just think how good he’d be in Indianapolis.

Kudos to the new commish

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell deserves high marks for suspending Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth for five games without pay. His loss will further hurt the winless Titans while leaving the player short $190,000, an unprecedented amount and time for an on-field incident.

I said Sunday night that the financial punishment should start at $150,000, so Goodell went beyond that. The union and Haynesworth may appeal the punishment, but the league will vigorously defend its case against the player. Goodell and the league won’t back down.
 
There are enough physical traumas on the football field with injuries and concussions – just look at Chris Simms and Trent Green and Dan Morgan -- without condoning one player assaulting a defenseless player, which was exactly the case in Tennessee on Sunday.

Moss just doesn't care

Who knows what’s really going in Oakland, but Randy Moss sounded like he couldn't care less about the Raiders’ sad state of affairs on his weekly Fox Sports radio show. Moss was criticized by reporters for failing to make an effort on a deep pass and again for not contesting two other throws during Sunday’s loss to Cleveland. Moss basically said that he isn’t the only unhappy soul in the Raiders’ locker room, which makes you start wondering if the team shouldn’t make some trades and clean house a little.

Everyone’s heard that the Raiders might be interested in Chris Simms if the Bucs don’t sign him to a free-agent contract, but who says Simms would want to be in Oakland?

Mario gets his sack

It was great seeing No. 1 pick Mario Williams finally get a sack in the NFL and get excited. In fact, Williams finished with 1 ½ sacks of Daunte Culpepper last Sunday. But both plays were simply hustle plays by Williams. It wasn’t like he whacked an offensive tackle off his stride or put a Julius Peppers-like move on a Miami blocker. After neither play did I hear anyone say, "Wow, look at that!"

Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome is being ripped in some NFL circles for surrendering a fourth-round draft choice for Steve McNair, a quarterback the Tennessee Titans would have released later this month. But Newsome is trying to win and head coach Brian Billick insisted on having McNair as quickly as possible in order for him to learn the offense.

Yes, a fourth-round pick can be a lot. But the Ravens are in a difficult division and they are hoping McNair can make them a playoff team once again. It’s asking a lot, especially for such a fragile quarterback, but McNair may enjoy the change, especially if Baltimore can run the football like it has in the past.

For the Titans, they gain $9 million in salary-cap savings, enough to sign their draft class and possibly another free agent. McNair will also cost $14.43 million in dead money this season, the last one he’s on the books for.

In Tennessee, Billy Volek may be the announced starter, but it will be only a matter of time before rookie Vince Young plays. It probably will happen when owner Bud Adams calls down from his owner’s box and suggests it.

The real Mularkey?

Through the years, there is no doubt that defensive players have loved playing for #### Jauron, now Buffalo’s head coach. You can count safety Troy Vincent in that group. Vincent, as we know, is one of those savvy veterans, someone who has a shot at replacing Gene Upshaw as executive director of the NFL Players Association.

Vincent respects Jauron for who he is. While saying that, he took a little swipe at former coach Mike Mularkey, a nice-guy offensive coordinator while with the Steelers, who simply failed in Buffalo.

“(Mularkey) was trying to build a personality that I’m not sure was what we were,” Vincent said this week. “You can’t teach a show dog how to fight. I have great respect for Coach Mularkey, but he tried to project a tough image … That was (Bill) Cowher.”

Believe me, it is a common mistake among rookie head coaches to project a personality that is not their own. Mularkey saw the kind of success Cowher had and tried at times to emulate him. But in the process, it chipped away at his own personality and the players saw through that.

Keep an eye on Addai

For anyone looking for a rookie running back to pick up in fantasy football, keep tabs on the health of the Colts’ Joseph Addai during training camp. Addai will be given every opportunity to win the job in Indianapolis. Plus, in that offense, there will be a chance for Addai to rack up a lot of yards and touchdowns.

Law's list

The teams really interested in cornerback Ty Law are, in order of seriousness, New England, Kansas City and Arizona. He also could be of some help in Tennessee.

Holmes to return?

Although neck specialist Dr. Robert Watkins of Los Angeles hasn’t cleared him to play, Chiefs running back Priest Holmes sounds like he may be willing to play this season. Holmes turns 33 in October. The Chiefs believe it is too risky for Holmes and that he’ll probably retire. But Holmes is making noises, unless you believe he simply likes to hear himself talk about a possible return.

Payton cleans house

Congratulations to new Saints head coach Sean Payton for doing some necessary house cleaning in the locker room. He traded away defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan, maybe the biggest bust in team history, to New England and also linebacker Courtney Watson. His first moves were dumping underachieving quarterback Aaron Brooks and guard Kendyl Jacox and also trading soft offensive tackle Wayne Gandy.

Drew Brees was seen throwing 10 to 15-yard passes in a recent mini-camp and insists he will have better velocity once training camp starts.

ORLANDO -- Granted, spending a few days at a beautiful resort like the Grand Cypress Hyatt Regency is not a bad job for any sportswriter from Green Bay or Minnesota at this time of the year. But what the job demands is standing around a hotel lobby, waiting for meetings to break in order to pounce on an NFL owner or coach or executive for a few comments. The bad news, though, is that there rarely is any significant breaking news at your typical annual March owners' meetings and this one figures to be no exception.

This is stunning news, considering the 32 owners must find a replacement for NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. But there remains residual bickering from the recent collective bargaining talks, which ultimately led to continued labor peace, and it sounds like it may be impossible for Tagliabue to even select a search committee among the 32 teams this week. I mean, everyone figured it would be easy for Tags to name Dan Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers as the chairman and pick five or six others and start the process.

The trouble is, one insider told me, is that virtually every team wants a voice on the replacement search, which is an impossibility.

"Owners want to make sure that their specific interests are taken care of," the executive said. "It's going to be hard to pick a consensus group."

Many believed a committee would be named today and that definitely isn't going to happen. There's a solid chance that these meetings could end on Wednesday without a committee in place.

 

Where's Bill?

It looks like Dallas coach Bill Parcells will remain in south Florida, watching exhibition baseball games rather than spending a day or two at these meetings.

The Cowboys will open the season at Jacksonville in the FOX national game on opening weekend. NBC's first Sunday night game will feature the Manning Brothers, as older brother Peyton visits the Meadowlands with the Indianapolis Colts against Eli and the Giants.

 

Commissioner Dungy?

Speaking of the Colts, one interesting name floating around the hotel lobby to replace Tagliabue is Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy, one of the best men in the league. Dungy is a consensus builder, besides being a former player. As long as all the attorneys, like Jeff Pash and Eric Grubman, remain in the NFL front office, why does the commissioner have to be an attorney, too?

 

Harrington to 'Hawks?

Detroit's ex-quarterback Joey Harrington could be a possibility in Seattle. Harrington, who starred at Oregon, would like to play there and he may be receptive to a minimum-salary contract. Harrington, no matter where he ends up, won't be a threat to any teams' starting quarterback.