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."

            The Cowboys are too good to be 2-2. That’s what I believe, anyway.

            But you have to tip your hat to the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff and to quarterback Donovan McNabb. The Eagles out-schemed the Cowboys and McNabb performed marvelously under pressure and made touchdown throws to virtual unknowns that many thought were not possible.

 

            McNabb correctly predicted the cornerback blitz on Sunday, a Dallas defensive play that isolated rookie receiver Hank Baskett on a safety. McNabb bought himself enough time in the pocket to complete a 50-yard throw. It was the play of the game, second only to McNabb’s earlier touchdown throw to Reggie Brown, who was covered by both Dallas safeties. Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams lost the flight of the ball because he basically did a 180-degree turn, the unnecessary movement just enough to get him out of position and prevent him from either intercepting or tipping the ball away.

 

            Jim Johnson’s defense shot both center-guard gaps to get into Drew Bledsoe’s face all game long. Bledsoe was under siege most of the time. Still, Bledsoe made the big throw that had the Cowboys in position to tie the game at the end. Eagles safety Michael Lewis admitted he had no choice but to drag the intended receiver down for a 57-yard pass interference penalty.

 

            This is partly why Bill Parcells is sticking with Bledsoe. Yes, maybe Tony Romo could have escaped some of Philadelphia’s pressure. But would he have made all the throws and won the game?

 

            The bottom line in Dallas is that Parcells knows that if he rushes now to bench Bledsoe, the old quarterback may retire on the spot. I mean pack his bags and retire and with his wife and kids. He doesn’t need the money.

 

Bledsoe is a good man and he deserves every opportunity. If he can’t get the job done, he’ll realize it when Parcells does. The fans in Dallas, starting with Terrell Owens, believe Bledsoe has had bad games in the two Dallas defeats.

 

          We are assuming Bledsoe will beat the Texans on Sunday. His deciding game will be Monday night at home against the Giants. He and the Cowboys must beat the Giants.

 

Protecting Rex

 

            Yes, the Bears sure do look unbeatable. And there are some interesting statistics to support their 5-0 start.

 

First, quarterback Rex Grossman has been sacked the fewest times, or 2.6 percent of the time he drops back to throw. With the protection, Grossman has delivered. The Bears are converting 48 percent of their third-and-long plays or second-best in the NFL thus far. They trail only Peyton Manning and the Colts. Last season, despite winning 11 games, they were next-to-last in the league on third-and-long. Only the 49ers were worse.

 

Speaking of third-down conversions, the Carolina Panthers are 11 of 48 on the season after going 0-for-11 against mighty Cleveland on Sunday. Only – guess who? – the Raiders are worse.

 

Moss on the move?

 

            Ok, the Raiders have had internal discussions about trading unhappy receiver Randy Moss, who is simply frustrated with offensive coordinator Tom Walsh’s offense. But it doesn’t look like Moss will be traded because the Raiders need to get more than simply a first-round draft pick as compensation.

 

            But you have to wonder if the Seahawks and Falcons wouldn’t rather have Moss than Deion Branch and Ashley Lelie, respectively. The one team that Moss would help immediately is the Pittsburgh Steelers. He would open up that offense and definitely help Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben is currently on his worse streak as a pro, losing three straight while producing zero touchdown passes with seven interceptions.

 

            Former Vikings coach Mike Tice has pointed out those same possibilities to the people in Jacksonville. Moss does force teams to account for him everywhere, whether he’s giving effort or not. But teams like the Steelers don’t make trades like that. Neither do the Chicago Bears.

 

Bargain shoppers

 

Without a salary-cap hit, the Broncos simply went with the cheaper punter in Paul Ernster, whose salary is $302,590. Todd Sauerbrun’s salary for this season is $1.39 million or $82,059 every week over the course of a 17-week season. Even if Sauerbrun needed steroids or some other illegal supplement to help heal some injuries, how many teams want to risk a punter with two strikes against him?

 

Jets groaning

 

When you lose 41-0, like the Jets did on Sunday, there’s going to be a lot of moaning and groaning. Well, Laveranues Coles popped off Sunday about his lack of playing time and the face he only had three receptions for 19 yards. He entered the game against Jacksonville tied for the NFL receptions lead with 30. But how can you have any sympathy for Coles, who has had 50 passes thrown his way in five games? That’s the third-highest amount in the NFL behind only Torry Holt and Marvin Harrison.

 

Birthday boy

 Happy Birthday to Brett Favre, who turns 37 today. But probably feels like 47, what with the pinched neck nerve and those four losses. Plus, Coach Mike McCarthy isn’t giving his players the week off like Mike Holmgren did last week in Seattle.

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.”

The NFL has been listening to the complaints, but no way is it going to fully support New England’s tampering charges against the New York Jets on the Deion Branch case. Even when the Pats had Branch virtually traded to Seattle, they were complaining last Friday that the Jets had tampered with Branch.

“When you allow a player to seek a trade and allow his agent to do the same, while working on a contract, how can you prove any blame on any team interested in that player,” a top NFL official told me on Saturday, when the tampering charges were revealed. “I just don’t know why they won’t let that go. It makes no sense and seems groundless to me.”

           

“It just sounds like sour grapes to me,” one GM told me Tuesday afternoon. “For some reason, they really thought no one would go after him for a lot of money.”

 

Rudderless Raiders

Raise your hand if you think Jerry Porter would have helped the Raiders’ offense Monday night? Raise your hand if you think nobody, even Joe Montana or Troy Aikman, could have salvaged that offense?

It’s too bad the Raiders didn’t trade Porter to New England and kept Doug Gabriel, who was liked by his Oakland teammates, particularly Randy Moss.

Punk'd?

It did seem like a punk thing to do, when Moss flipped the ball to Chargers placekicker Nate Kaeding, who was standing out-of-bounds. But it didn’t seem like a big-time taunting penalty until reading the rule books. A player isn’t allowed, at any time, to use a football as a prop when dealing with opponents or officials. Moss undoubtedly didn’t know that rule.

Out of character

The thing about Porter laughing at Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks being sacked on Monday night is that he has had a reputation as being not a team player for quite a long time. He had this reputation prior to his run-in with new head coach Art Shell.

Chief concerns

The Chicago Bears were interested in signing veteran receiver Rod Gardner. But guess what happened? Gardner got a better deal from the Kansas City Chiefs. The good news in Kansas City is that quarterback Trent Green is expected to be released from the hospital Tuesday after that ugly hit by Cincinnati’s Robert Gaethers on Sunday.

Sweet revenge

There is one big reason why Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson was extra excited about beating the Redskins in Washington – owner Daniel Snyder. He knew that Snyder thought he had a pop-gun throwing arm and wanted Jeff George as his quarterback. Johnson also knew what a rough time Snyder gave then head coach Norv Turner, who loved Johnson and supported him to the bitter end.

The right stuff

 

The Seattle Seahawks made the right move in trading next year’s first-round pick for New England receiver Deion Branch. Seattle’s window of opportunity is now to return to the Super Bowl, plus he gives quarterback Matt Hasselbeck a solid option underneath. The Seahawks would be really scary if they also had guard Steve Hutchinson, who opened some big holes for Chester Taylor on Monday night.

Seattle GM Tim Ruskell didn’t want to surrender his first-rounder, but when his team escaped Detroit with only a 9-6 win, he had no choice. I’m still not sure if it was the right move for New England, losing a talented player. But it really was the only thing the Patriots could do once they knew that Branch was serious about not reporting until the 10th week of the season. The negotiations got ugly and he never would have signed with them.

The thing about this trade is how many players get a chance to repeat as a Super Bowl MVP with another team? Branch took the honor in Jacksonville two years ago and he could end up leading the Seahawks into Miami this season.

Here are the highlights of Sunday’s claim day:

Eagles safety Matt Ware had the most claims: by Atlanta, Cincinnati and his assigned team, Arizona.

The Jets put a claim in for failed first-round pick Michael Haynes, a defensive end cut by the Bears, who was assigned to the Saints.

The Saints were assigned five players off claims, including two Cowboys, offensive tackle Rob Petitti and special teams/receiver Terrance Copper. They also got Giants cornerback Curtis Deloatch and Rams defensive back Dejuan Groce.

The Miami Dolphins were the only team to claim Browns running back Lee Suggs and no team put a claim for ex-Packer running Najeh Davenport.

The Steelers claimed Detroit running back Artose Pinner, but lost out on him to Minnesota, the priority team based on last season’s record.

The Packers put safety Michael Hawkins on their injured reserve list after waiving him.

The Saints placed quarterback Adrian McPherson on their injured reserve list after waiving him. McPherson, remember, was injured by the Titans mascot T-Rac, who ran into him on the sidelines with his golf cart.

The rumor of this being Bill Cowher’s last season in Pittsburgh won’t go away and apparently it has nothing to do with Mike Holmgren, the coach he beat in Super Bowl 40, making over $7 million a season.

According to a close coaching friend of Cowher’s, the Steelers head coach was planning prior to last season to leave and retire to Raleigh, N.C.

“When we first talked about it, he wasn’t even thinking about winning the Super Bowl,” the source said. “Things weren’t looking that good for his team when we spoke about it. I think he just wants to watch his girls play basketball and take some family time and unwind.”

Cowher, who has another year on his Pittsburgh contract, could sit out a year or two, depending how he feels. Plus, he’s young enough to come back.

Question of protection

The biggest question mark for the Dallas Cowboys apparently remains the biggest unknown. Can the offensive line function, with all the juggling, and protect immobile quarterback Drew Bledsoe? If they can’t protect, Terrell Owens can forget whatever gaudy numbers he has in his head.

Flozell Adams, who is coming off a knee injury, is the team’s best lineman but he currently is favoring the leg and mentally worried about it. This caused Bill Parcells to shift Rob Petitti to left tackle and put Marc Colombo, a former No. 1 bust of the Chicago Bears, into Petitti’s vacated right tackle spot. The other bad news in this musical chairs scenario is that Jason Fabini, a good player when Parcells coached the New York Jets, has lost whatever magic he had and has been beaten repeatedly in training camp in one-on-one drills.

The other move has been to shift Andre Gurode into the center position, an expected move with the inconsistent play of Al Johnson, a Parcells’ favorite when he was drafted three years ago.

The Dallas offense had a good day Saturday against the defense overall, but Bledsoe’s first unit, minus T.O. of the sore hamstring, didn’t fare as well as Drew Henson’s unit. And we all know that the Cowboys aren’t counting on Henson to deliver them to the playoffs this season.

Childress on T.O.

Minnesota coach Brad Childress, the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, doesn’t have fond memories of Terrell Owens. Childress had a few thoughts on T.O.’s recent three-day absence with a strained hamstring.

Childress pointed out that Owens remains bothered by a serious groin pull, first suffered with the 49ers, and that the way he pushes himself on the practice field that there will always be the chance on nagging injuries with someone like Owens.

Coaching carousel

A few updates: I ran into Jim Bates, the unemployed defensive coordinator, at Troy Aikman’s Hall of Fame party Saturday and he said he’s definitely going to return to coaching next season. Bates, who did a marvelous job with Green Bay’s young talent last season, was disappointed he couldn’t find a head-coach job. Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman said that new coordinator Bob Sanders has kept Bates’ system intact. “They have a lot of good young players and with A.J. Hawk the Packers should be better this season,” Bates said.

Ron Hill, who missed out on jobs with the St. Louis Rams and Houston Texans to be those teams’ top personnel man, has been hired by the Kansas City Chiefs as an area scout. Hill, who worked in Jacksonville and is responsible for drafting many of the current stars of the Atlanta Falcons, lost his job in Atlanta a year after Rich McKay became that team’s general manager. Hill said he will be an area scout, covering Texas and Oklahoma, and keep his home in Atlanta.

And hats off to Miami coach Nick Saban for allowing offensive assistant Jason Garrett to skip Saturday’s practice so he could attend Aikman’s induction.

What would the Green Bay Packers do if USC quarterback Matt Leinart were available with the fifth overall choice? Well, we’ve put Maryland tight end Vernon Davis there, but Leinart would be difficult to ignore even with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers on the roster.

Why? Well, there was a strong rumor last year at this time that 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy preferred Alex Smith to Rodgers. Well, McCarthy is now the new Green Bay head coach and his backup quarterback is Rodgers. This is why Leinart would be compelling.

Why is Leinart falling?

Well, it seems that Tennessee GM Floyd Reese has the call with the third overall pick and he prefers Texas QB Vince Young to the USC quarterback, who is preferred by the coaching staff. Remember, owner Bud Adams lives in Houston, Young’s hometown. It will be pretty easy for Reese for convince Adams.

Of course, such a pick could force head coach Jeff Fisher to re-think his future in Tennessee. Adams owns options on his contract for 2007 at around $6 million a season. If Fisher doesn’t get Leinart, will he ask Adams for his freedom in 2007?

Leinart as next Namath?

The Jets are actually worried about Hollywood Matt Leinart turning into the off-the-field version of Joe Willie Namath. Old-time New Yorkers would think that’s ridiculous, considering Joe Willie was a lot of fun to watch, on and off the field.

Donald Trump likes Leinart. Then, again, that could be interpreted in Jets’ headquarters as the kiss of death.

Raiders looking at Young

If the Titans pass on Vince Young, everybody in the NFL believes that Raiders owner Al Davis will pick him with the seventh overall choice. The Raiders may need Texas safety Michael Huff, but Davis and head coach Art Shell are thinking long-term.

Lions like Sims

New Lions head coach Rod Marenelli wants a defensive demon and it appears that Florida State linebacker Ernie Sims could be the team's first-round pick. Sims is known for playing at 100 miles per hour and some teams believe he must gauge his speed or he could actually end up hurting himself in the pros.

Bunkley the Bill

The Buffalo Bills are seriously thinking of taking Florida State defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley with the eighth overall pick, meaning that monster nose tackle Haloti Ngata could be available to the Rams at No. 11. And some teams believe the Dolphins will take Tennessee safety Jason Allen with the 16th overall pick. Safety is a big need for Miami.

Walker on the wild side

If they can get a second-round pick, the Packers will trade unhappy receiver Javon Walker. It’s up to the Saints and Broncos to make the call. Green Bay has decided not to re-work Walker’s contract and the club believes its better to get him out of town.

What about Rodgers and Walker to New Orleans for receiver Donte Stallworth, a second-round pick and a third-round pick?

Bush's eye black

Reggie Bush has all these problems with that free house outside San Diego, but one thing is certain: he won’t be wearing his familiar 619 eye black in the NFL. He will be allowed to wear it during training camp and at practice, but the league doesn’t allow “personal messages” on the field on game days.