There is no doubt that Larry Johnson was the second-best running back behind LaDainian Tomlinson over the last two seasons. Johnson isn’t in training camp with Kansas City because he wants to be paid like Tomlinson and wants his $1.7 million base contract torn up. The Chiefs will give him a raise, maybe, but they will never give him the $28 million in guarantees that Tomlinson received.

I don’t see how Johnson’s holdout – apparently he listens a lot to his mother – comes to a satisfactory conclusion because Chiefs President Carl Peterson is pretty stubborn and firmly believes that no other team would give Johnson that kind of bonus money, either.

The Chiefs might go halfway with L.J., but there are reports that Coach Herm Edwards wouldn’t mind trading him, believing the holdout distraction is not worth the aggravation. And if Johnson waits until the 10th game in order to get credit for this season, you can bet that next year the Chiefs will slap the franchise tag on him if they negotiate a fair contract.

Translation: he may never receive what he thinks he deserves out of the Chiefs.

No one knows whether Priest Holmes can really replace Johnson until he plays in a preseason game and displays his old magic. The Chiefs are taking a very hard-line stance on Johnson, and without him it won’t matter who the starting quarterback is. KC won’t win.

Packer prediction

The Packers were the 11th team I’ve seen this summer and I must say that their starting cornerbacks, Al Harris and Charles Woodson, may be the two most engaging players on the same team that I’ve met in a long time. Both veterans are great talkers and know the game. Both also played at a very high level last season, even though Woodson was hurt in 10 of his 16 starts. Another thing, they like small town Green Bay and their fans.

White or black, “we’re all in the same boat,” Harris said. “There aren’t a lot of things to do. But our fans love their Packers and they love football. They are better fans than those in Philadelphia. I mean some of their fans rented a bus simply to go boo Donovan McNabb on one of his biggest days of his life when he was drafted in the first round.”

But Harris made a bold statement to me. Harris said second-year safety Atari Bigby reminds him of Brian Dawkins, the Eagles’ All-Pro. Harris thinks Bigby, who is working on the second team right now, can be that good.

“I really like him, too,” Woodson said of Bigby. “Keep an eye on him. You’ll see what we like when the (game) lights come on.”

Bears won’t deal Orton

Kyle Orton, who won 10 games as a rookie quarterback, is now third on the depth chart behind Rex Grossman and Brian Griese. And he’s a quarterback that the Falcons are keeping an eye on just in case Joey Harrington busts out. But the word in Chicago is that Orton isn’t available at any price. “If we wanted to do something like that, we never would have allowed J.T. O’Sullivan to end up in Detroit,” said one Chicago insider.

We all know that Chicago has never had the greatest quarterback situation, but the front office likes these three players and won’t make a deal with the team on a Super Bowl mission. Another thing to consider is that Rex Grossman is in the final year of his contract.

Bucs to collect?

Tampa Bay has filed its grievance against quarterback Jake Plummer to recoup $7 million in signing bonus money that the Broncos paid him. It is an odd situation, but the Bucs technically view Plummer as a holdout because they did trade a seventh-round pick to Denver for his rights. And when team acquires a player’s rights, they technically are obligated to the terms of that player’s contract. This is why it’s the Bucs, not the Broncos, seeking the money.

The Bucs believe they will eventually get the money from Plummer, who claims he’s retired. Remember, if Plummer would actually change his mind and play for the Bucs, they owe Denver a fourth-round pick.

Bulletin board stuff

Todd Monken developed a few NFL receivers while coaching at LSU and now he’s a first-year assistant for Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville. He really likes Mike Walker, a third-round pick out of Central Florida. The Jags play the Saints this season and Monken started to make some comparisons.

“When Joe Horn went down, the Saints had (Devery) Henderson. What was that other guy’s name? Colston, Goldston (rookie Marques Colston). You can’t tell me Mike Walker is not as good as that guy Goldston or Colston. And they had a good quarterback and had explosive guys and just put them in the right spots to make it work. Why can’t we do that?’’

Colston, a seventh-round pick last year, is billed as the Saints’ No. 1 receiver. Meanwhile, the Jaguars former first-round picks at the position – Matt Jones and Reggie Williams – continue to struggle. Jones has another sore hamstring while Williams is listed as third team on the depth chart.

“It is what it is. Guys take reps based on where they’re at. If they (Williams and Jones) can’t figure (it) out, you can’t paint more of a vivid picture,’’ Monken said. “It’s time for Reggie and Matt to do it. If not now, when?’’

Every kid’s favorite

Hats off to Tennessee quarterback Vince Young, who takes plenty of time to sign autographs after practices. But what was really impressive was when it was Young’s official team day to sign, hundreds of kids showed.

Young signed for everyone, spending more than an hour.

Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris told his teammates on Monday that he was simply kidding around when he said friend Donovan McNabb would win a Super Bowl if he was playing in Chicago. Harris is probably right; McNabb would make a big difference in the Chicago offense.

When players get caught speaking their mind, like Harris did, they always have to face the music. Harris reportedly explained himself to Rex Grossman, Chicago’s starting quarterback. The bottom line, whether he was kidding around or not, Harris most likely was speaking the truth.

Defensive players are very much like the fans. Harris knows that Brian Urlacher and friends put the Bears in the Super Bowl. McNabb would be an upgrade over Grossman. That’s simply the facts, based on NFL experience and production to this point in their careers.

Pacman can't steer clear of trouble

Strip clubs and friends with guns. Adam “Pacman” Jones can’t seem to steer clear of either.

Pacman’s latest incident, in which DeKalb County police (outside Atlanta) want him to identify who in his group was packing a gun,  once again shows his utter recklessness and his total disregard of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s ultimatum to stay clean and off any police blotter while serving his one-year suspension.

I don’t think there’s any doubt that the Tennessee Titans and coach Jeff Fisher have moved on without their talented cornerback. I’d be shocked if we ever see Pacman in Titans’ uniform ever again. And what a waste of talent that is!

I also say one more strike and the NFL should ban Pacman for life. The league doesn’t need young men like him. He’s had plenty of second chances, plus there are plenty of cornerbacks in America who would love his roster spot and don’t have an arrest record attached to their resume.

Can someone please tell me why does Pacman need to hang with guys that need to shoot it out after there is some argument (fight?) over some stripper? It happened in Las Vegas and now in Atlanta. There must be a better way to have a little fun in the midnight hours.

Speaking of Titans

The signing of running back Chris Brown by Tennessee -- the Bears were once again slow to react -- reveals that young backs LenDale White and Chris Henry (second round pick) haven’t secured anything.

In fact, White still has weighty issues and few are convinced Henry can be a 200-carry runner. Brown has ability. He simply hasn’t been able to stay healthy, either, or prove he can be the every-down back. The Titans need one of these backs to emerge if they are going to make any playoff run.

Badge of honor

I have never been a huge fan of organized team activities (OTAs) because I think football players need a pronounced rest from their season-long pounding. But a lot of coaches and NFL teams believe these sessions are the only way to keep their players out of trouble and in good physical shape. With the money they earn these days, it’s pretty rare to see a NFL player drastically out-of-shape.

There is no doubt that many coaches have abused the OTAs and mini-camps with too much physical contact. Heck, it is football! But there have always been enough whistle-blowers to get coaches and teams reprimanded, causing them to lose some of these unnecessary practice days.

But in the case of the Raiders and rookie head coach Lane Kiffin, it was good news to any Oakland fan that his OTAs were tough and that his practices were very up-tempo. But this style of practicing cost the Raiders one entire week of OTA drills because they broke the rules.

Still, I find this good news compared to last season when the Raiders were in hibernation; their practices were dreadfully slow and excruciating long under Art Shell. Kiffin may have been a little rough on these Raiders, but Oakland fans probably believe it was necessary and definitely deserving. All you have to say is one win in their last 24 AFC West games.

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.

New Cowboys coach Wade Phillips has returned former first-round pick Bobby Carpenter to inside linebacker, his position at Ohio State. There is no question that the rookie Carpenter struggled as an outside pass rusher last season.

“It's tough because Bill (Parcells) doesn't always communicate everything really well,” Carpenter said. “It was tough for me trying to get a feel for what was going on and what they expected out of me and what their goals were for me to be out on the field. They have done a good job this year of communicating what they want and what I need to do to get better.”

Phillips said he moved Carpenter to inside linebacker in his 3-4 scheme because he’s athletic and because he can run. Some believe the new defense is more flexible for a young player like Carpenter.

“Last year was a little difficult," Carpenter said. “But with this defense, it allows you to run and make more plays. It's not near the structure of how you have to play within the scheme. You get to let your athletic ability take over.”

Super Bowl redux

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones only beat Indianapolis by a vote of 17-15 in last week’s 2011 Super Bowl vote, and the tightness is a strong indicator of the divide between the big-market and small-market owners. Jones won because his new stadium will be able to have 30,000 more fans attend the championship game, whereas Indianapolis wowed many owners with a $25 million pot to alleviate any NFL expenses for the game.

There was a time, long, long ago when the Super Bowl went to the best city and venue. But when the late Pete Rozelle was commissioner, many cities began to include financial perks to the league to land the all-important game. I can remember writing in the mid-1980s the “selling of the Super Bowl” when Miami out-spent San Diego for the rights to XXIII, and Rozelle pulled me aside to explain the financial situation. The cities started by bidding a couple million dollars 20 years ago to now where Indy was prepared to spend $25 million simply to buy the NFL’s most-prestigious event.

It shows how valuable the game is to any city. And, also, how valuable the Super Bowl is to the NFL.

Hester looks great

The experiment never worked at the U. of Miami, but Chicago’s super return man, Devin Hester, looked like a natural at receiver in recent mini-camp work. The first two days of camp, he didn’t drop a pass. He ran solid, crisp routes and, basically, had his teammates and coaches raving about him.

Give head coach Lovie Smith high marks for convincing Hester to junk cornerback for being a wide receiver.

“It was more exciting than I really thought it would be,” Hester said. “Whenever a player gets his hands on the ball and knows what he can do with it, it's a lot of fun.”

After the catch, Hester routinely made players miss. The new dimension should be great for Rex Grossman and also alleviate the frustration that Hester, who returned six kicks for touchdowns last season, will face when punters and kickers kick away from during the season. The Bears needed to find a way for Hester to get more touches.

On kickoffs, Hester will be paired with safety Danieal Manning, former college kickoff specialist, in hopes they can form a 1-2 punch. He will still wear No. 23 and be listed as a running back/receiver.

Reggie helps again

Saints running back Reggie Bush matched his original $50,000 to Holy Rosary High School last year, which helped keep the school for learning-challenged youth open. Bush presented the New Orleans’ school with his second $50,000 gift last Friday. 

“After last year, they did such a great job, and what they do is so important,” Bush said. “This is a school that needs to stay open.” 

Holy Rosary serves the needs of students who face learning challenges in a typical classroom environment. The school offers hands-on learning and cross-curricula that is designed to provide students with alternative ways to learn mainstream subjects in a smaller classroom setting.

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."

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.

Several teams have told me that they would be willing to part with a conditional fourth-round pick for Raiders receiver Randy Moss this weekend, but to make such a trade, Moss would definitely have to re-work his contract, which calls for almost $22 million in salaries over the next two seasons.

Oakland would ask for a second-round pick for Moss, but a fourth that could move up to a third-rounder in 2008 is out of the question at the moment. Raiders owner Al Davis doesn’t have much leverage with Moss, considering his lack of production last season and his apparent unwillingness to remain with the non-playoff contender.

It is the Moss situation, or lack of clarity on his predicament, that has draftniks thinking Davis will draft receiver Calvin Johnson over JaMarcus Russell with the first pick. Many believe Johnson is worth the big money that the first overall pick will collect while Moss isn’t.

Some also believe that Oakland could acquire a decent quarterback in the second round if they decided to pass on Russell.

“Drew Stanton has great feet, as good as Rich Gannon had when he was winning the MVP for the Raiders,” one personnel director said. “Now, Stanton (of Michigan State) needs to be coached on his delivery and such, but he’s a tough player and someone who will be drafted in the second round.”

Gone fishin’

Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas planned back in February to be fishing for Coho salmon with his father on draft day. Now, the NFL Network plans to have a crew near his boat on Lake Michigan, checking his reaction whenever he’s drafted.

Thomas has long been considered to be the draft’s best offensive tackle, but you have to wonder how good he is, considering he didn’t face that many great pass rushers in the Big Ten. Purdue’s Anthony Spencer and Michigan’s Lamaar Woodley are the conference's best defensive ends in this draft, and neither of them is expected to be selected higher than the third round.

Everyone said Robert Gallery of Iowa was a “can’t-miss” pro and we’ve all seen him struggle with the Raiders. Thomas is a safe pick because of his awesome strength, but there are no guarantees he’s the next Jonathan Ogden.

By the way, Thomas is not related to the professional bass fisherman of the same name.

The real odds

Jimmy Shapiro of Bodog.com sent me four pages of betting odds on the draft, which is becoming almost as popular as Super Bowl Sunday. There is no doubt that JaMarcus Russell is the favorite to be the first player selected. You have to bet $165 to win $100, which is pretty much a sure thing.

There’s been a lot of talk about the Lions trading out of the second overall position, but the oddsmakers say Detroit will keep the pick. Its even money that Randy Moss will be traded before the first week of the regular season, plus the bookies believe that Chicago will trade ($150 to win $100) linebacker Lance Briggs this weekend.

The odds say that Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith will be selected in the third or fourth round. If you think Smith will be taken in the first round, you can win $1,200 on a $100 bet. Bodog also listed Antonio Pittman of Ohio State as the running back favorite to be taken by the Buffalo Bills, and that the Dolphins probably will draft a quarterback in the second round.

Redskins changes

The rumor has been circulating for more than a month now that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder plans to hire a new personnel director to work with head coach Joe Gibbs after the draft. Bobby DePaul, Jerry Angelo’s right-hand man in Chicago, has been mentioned the most because he and Gibbs are friendly and could work together.

49ers’ defense

It appears that San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan will choose between Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker, who is a better fit for a 3-4 defense, or Mississippi inside linebacker Patrick Willis. Both players figure to be still available when the 49ers are on the clock with the 11th overall pick.

Teams interested in Calvin

The teams most interested in selecting Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson appear to be Tampa Bay, Denver and Atlanta. It appears unlikely the Bucs will trade up from the fourth spot to acquire Johnson, but the Broncos and Falcons are considering making a move if Johnson isn’t taken by the Raiders. Johnson would be an unbelievable weapon with Denver quarterback Jay Cutler’s strong arm.

Ginn perfect for Packers

When Green Bay won its last Super Bowl, the MVP of the game was kick returner Desmond Howard. There is no question that Ohio State’s Ted Ginn, Jr. is the best returner in this draft, plus he could give Brett Favre a great deep threat. Ginn has a bad ankle right now, but he is expected to be 100 percent for training camp. Ginn is expected to be on the board when Green Bay picks 16th in the first round.

Lions and QBs

For past couple of months, Lions GM Matt Millen has sounded determined to trade out of the second overall spot, believing that his team needs multiple picks in this draft and next year to raise the level of talent in Detroit, and make the Lions competitive in the shaky NFC North.

However, the Lions seem to be one of the teams in need of a quality quarterback.

“I hope they do pass on Russell or Brady Quinn in this draft,” said one NFC general manager. “They are a lot easier to beat with Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky as their quarterbacks. It’s like Mike Martz has convinced Matt that they can win without a big-time quarterback.”

At Tuesday morning’s AFC coaches’ breakfast at the lush Arizona Biltmore, it was standing room only around 31-year-old Lane Kiffin’s table. The Raiders’ fifth different head coach since 2001 handled the nationwide reporters pretty well. He never got flustered, and even admitted that he snuck into the Raiders’ Alameda facility for his final interview with owner Al Davis “through a back door, so no one would see me. Kind of like the CIA.”

Kiffin said some interesting things. He believes that disgruntled Randy Moss will be a Raider this season and that he is building a good relationship with Jerry Porter, who spent last season in Art Shell’s doghouse. Kiffin said he was even coaching Porter on the practice field last week.

On Moss, Kiffin said that after watching film of how Moss played, or lack of it, last season, he saw “a very talented player who was not playing at the standard I would expect of a player of that stature. He looked to me like he was just a very frustrated player,” Kiffin said.

Sometimes, the youngest NFL head coach said, those are symptoms of a player who is simply highly competitive and totally frustrated by having two passes thrown his way in the course o####ame. Moss was frustrated because he knew he couldn’t help the Raiders win under those circumstances.

It was impossible to get an accurate read on whether Kiffin prefers LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell over Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson in the upcoming draft. He compared Russell to a quarterback in a video game. “He can make every throw, just like in the game,” Kiffin said. “But some of those throws, the ones 70 yards across the field, you may make two of them in the course of a season.”

Kiffin admitted that Russell is a quiet leader, very similar to Titans quarterback Vince Young. You can tell, he said, that Russell’s teammates simply gravitate to him and want to be around him. “I saw the same things prior to when we played Texas in the Rose Bowl,” said Kiffin, who used to be USC’s offensive coordinator. “You could sense how much the Texas players wanted to perform and play for Young.”

The intriguing aspect to Oakland owning the first choice in April’s college draft is that Johnson may be the best player in the draft.

“He seems perfect for the most part,” Kiffin said. “When a player is considered for the top spot in the draft, you want to find negatives about the guy. You know all the scouts like him and are saying great things about him. But with Johnson, you can’t find a bad thing about him. His character, his make-up, his commitment to working out, all his off-season work, and well, there are no holes in his game.”

Kiffin compared Johnson a little to former Heisman winner Reggie Bush. They are the kind of players, that if a teammate runs a better 40-yard time, they are ready to race that guy, challenge him.

Who knows if Kiffin can win in Oakland? Nobody has since Bill Callahan took the Raiders to the Super Bowl, where they were torched by former Raiders coach Jon Gruden and Tampa Bay in the big game. He said his father, veteran Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, told him what guarantees to seek from Davis, and that he was satisfied. He also admitted that some coaches advised him against taking the Raiders’ job.

“But my process happened so quickly, there wasn’t much time to really talk to a lot of people about what they thought I should do,” he said.

Who’s No. 1?

Kiffin said it was too early in the draft process to be saying who should be the first pick, but many league observers believe it will hard for Al Davis to pass on Calvin Johnson. “He’s the kind of can’t-miss player that Al has always coveted,” said a rival club president who knows Davis and also is drafting in the top five. “It’s going to be difficult for Al to take a quarterback when there are no flaws in Johnson. At 6-foot-5, Johnson is not only going to be bigger than all the cornerbacks he goes against, but faster than almost every one of them. He could be impossible to cover.”

“His vertical jump was 43 inches,” said Kiffin, who knows that Johnson will attack the football and use his 235 pounds to muscle the ball away from defenders.

Green and Miami

It may take some time, but the Chiefs believe that Miami will eventually make a trade to acquire veteran Kansas City quarterback Trent Green. Granted, Green may have only a year or two left on his body, but he’s a quarterback who knows Cam Cameron’s offensive inside out and the word out of Florida is that the new head coach doesn’t believe Daunte Culpepper will ever be of any use to the Dolphins.

“We keep hearing that Cam doesn’t like Culpepper,” said a rival GM. “You have to think that Cam will make a move because he has a solid defense and he has a chance to win now with Green.”

Such a trade could put Culpepper on the street. You can bet that the Raiders would have an interest in Culpepper. Oakland definitely has an interest in former Houston quarterback David Carr. “I think he can still play,” Kiffin said. “I was at Fresno State when (Carr) put me into early retirement as a quarterback there. I can remember Coach Tedford telling me I should start thinking about becoming an assistant coach.”

Drew goes on the offense

Drew Rosenhaus took a beating on his handling of Terrell Owens in Philadelphia. We all remember the press conference outside of T.O.’s house. “Next question” was the common reply from Rosenhaus that day.

Well, Rosenhaus was back in bravado action Monday at the NFL League Meeting, ushering Bears linebacker Lance Briggs among the media and the coaches and GMs in the hotel hallways here. He and Briggs are doing their best to free themselves from Chicago and are being very aggressive about it. You can surmise that Rosenhaus caught the Bears’ front office off-guard with a potential trade to the Washington Redskins for the sixth overall draft choice for his client.

Earlier in the day, Bears GM Jerry Angelo was prepared to offer Briggs a guarantee that the club wouldn’t place the franchise tag on him next year if he would simply agree to play for $7.2 million this season, the franchise number, and start attending the off-season workouts and mini-camps. But Rosenhaus didn’t want anything to do with such an offer.

In the past, teams like Seattle placed the franchise tag on offensive tackler Walter Jones for three straight years before working out a long-term contract. Last season, Buffalo guaranteed cornerback Nate Clements that they wouldn’t place the franchise tag on him this year and he received $20 million in guaranteed money earlier this month from the San Francisco 49ers.

The Redskins are obviously gearing up to win this season. The trade would be a good one for Chicago, considering Briggs was a third-round pick and he definitely doesn’t sound a bit interested in sticking around. The only downside to grabbing the sixth overall choice in the draft is that Chicago doesn’t like being that high in the round because they would have to pay out a $10 million signing bonus to a rookie. If the Bears do make the trade with Washington, they most likely would trade down from the sixth spot.

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.

The Chicago Bears’ fan convention is a month away, and head coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo will arrive with new contracts.

Smith was given a four-year deal on Wednesday and Angelo received an extension through the 2013 season.

The Bears are an interesting team, in that both Smith and Angelo have publicly supported quarterback Rex Grossman while most fans are wishing they had a better choice at the position.

Behind the scenes, the Bears apparently are prepared to trade some of their best players, ones that were instrumental in winning the NFC championship. They are willing to unload linebacker Lance Briggs, who they believe they will be unable to sign to a long-term contract, running back Thomas Jones and defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, who had only 6 ½ sacks last season, ranking third on the team.

Raiders update

The rumors persist that Michael Lombardi, the Raiders’ top personnel executive, won’t be back this season with the team. Sean Jones, the former player and scout, tried to supplant Lombardi with the Raiders during last season, suggesting several reforms with owner Al Davis, and his moves ended with him no longer being employed with the Raiders.

Outside of Davis, Lombardi is the only experienced personnel man in Oakland and the only one with extensive knowledge of the league and agent contacts. Although the rumors persist, what would Davis do if he did not renew Lombardi’s contract. I mean, if he wouldn’t promote Jones, who wanted the job, whom could he hire?

In reading responses to my blog on Sunday, the Raiders do know that Randy Moss can still play at a high level. They don’t want to trade him, but the feeling is that Moss would sleep-walk through another season in Oakland because he knows they won’t be able to win if they draft JaMarcus Russell and start a rebuilding process. What do you do with a player you’re paying $9 million to and he doesn’t want to run his routes?

Word is that the Packers might be willing to part with a fourth-round pick as long as Moss is also willing to restructure his contract. He is owed $11 million in 2008.

Miami worried

Did the Dolphins make a mistake in choosing Cam Cameron over Chan Gailey?

There is word that some in the organization are worried that they may have made the wrong decision. But owner Wayne Huizenga didn’t want to wait for Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, who had a solid interview in Miami, or for the Chargers to fire Marty Schottenheimer.

Believe me, Schottenheimer would have been the perfect coach for the Dolphins right now. Instead, they have San Diego’s offensive coordinator.

Lions unloading

Detroit will trade cornerback Dre’ Bly and pass rusher James Hall, who had five sacks last season before ending up on injured-reserve. The Lions owe Hall a $500,000 bonus next month and they aren’t going to pay him. Bly wants out because he’s not a classic cover-two cornerback; he’s not interested in run-support tackling.

This is why the Titans will have difficulty trading troubled cornerback Pacman Jones. Pacman is a great kick returner, but he also hates to tackle. And with so many teams playing the Tampa Two scheme, you can scratch those teams off any potential trading list. Jones, though, if the league stiffens its off-field policy, could be facing a major suspension if the Las Vegas allegations are proven to be accurate.

I believe that there is a chance that Bill Parcells will return as coach of the Dallas Cowboys next season regardless of Terrell Owens’ employment status with owner Jerry Jones.

T.O. coming back to Big D may not drive Parcells to retirement in Saratoga, N.Y., but a team that can’t win the big game just might. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Dallas playoff-bound team be embarrassed in consecutive home games by the likes of Drew Brees and Jeff Garcia. The score count in those two losses: 65-24.

The New Orleans Saints, once the laughingstock of the NFL for their general incompetence, humiliated the Cowboys in Texas Stadium. Now, the “no-shot Eagles,” like Jimmy Johnson likes to say, were beaten by a quarterback Owens once outted as an unmanly man.

Several things doomed the Cowboys from having a merry Christmas:

One, Marion Barber finished with negative yards in three goal-line carries late in the first quarter. Hey, Parcells loves going for it on fourth down and Barber is one determined running back. But when the kid can’t gain a foot in two attempts against a supposedly porous Philadelphia run defense maybe a light should go on and say, ‘Hey, these Eagles may know our run calls better than we’re blocking right now.’ If Dallas kicks the field goal, the Eagles don’t gain street cred for being Christmas bullies.

Two, Tony Romo didn’t look like a Pro Bowl quarterback. Granted, the NFC doesn’t have many good quarterbacks this season, but Romo struggled with Philadelphia’s blitz pressure and misfired, completing less than 50 percent of his attempts for 142 yards and had two interceptions against a rejuvenated Eagles’ secondary.

Three, Owens dropped another huge third-down ball down the left sidelines, with the score 16-7 and the Cowboys in desperate need of a big play. Owens said the defender interfered with him and then complained about not seeing enough passes his way early in the game. The thing about Dallas is that Romo is going to the open man and not every Dallas play, based on his 16 dropped passes this season, can be earmarked for Owens.

Packers need computer error

Supposedly, the Packers have a chance at the final NFC wild-card berth even if the New York Giants beat Washington this Saturday and the Packers upset division rival Chicago. I don’t see how. I mean, there would have to be a computer glitch or something.

Right now, the Giants have beaten seven teams who have won 46 games. The Packers have beaten six teams (Minnesota twice) who have won 33 games. And this is when the so-called strength of victory category that will come into play. Even by collecting 13 wins by beating the Bears, the Giants will collect 5 more wins by beating the Redskins. They’ll collect another win when Philadelphia and Atlanta play (they’ve beaten both of those teams) and there’s no way that Dallas will lose to Detroit. The Eagles swept the Cowboys.

To me, the Giants are in — even though I'm not sure they deserve to be going anywhere but home at the end of the season — by simply beating the Redskins.

One more year

It is looking more and more like Lions GM Matt Millen will return for one final season. Owner William Clay Ford hasn’t tipped his hand or said anything publicly on the subject, but Millen’s fate is probably hinged to head coach Rod Marinelli. Ford likes Marinelli and his no-nonsense approach to the players. Millen hired Marinelli and Ford probably thinks that it’s too early to dump Marinelli, who does have confidence in Millen.

One more year for Millen may make the rest of the NFL jealous of his status and salary, but that’s the way it goes in Motown.

Christmas Day afterthoughts

Please give safety Brian Dawkins as much credit as Jeff Garcia for this Philadelphia surge down the stretch.

Eric Mangini, the shocking hire of the season, proved not to be a youthful experiment by the Jets and transformed a winless road team into a 6-2 team this season. Simply amazing. Mangini should be the No. 1 challenge to Sean Payton for Coach of the Year.

No wonder Bill Parcells didn’t totally endorse Tony Romo’s Pro Bowl selection. The first-year starter is suddenly looking like an undrafted quarterback from Eastern Illinois.

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 counseli