In talking to Keyshawn Johnson an hour after his retirement press conference, he revealed that he turned down a lucrative offer from the Titans.  He called the situation in Tennessee "very intriguing".  But at the end of the day he stressed spending more time with his kids and starting a new career in television.

And Johnson wants to do more than football.

He told us that he wants to eventually commentate on different sports like baseball and basketball.  Johnson grew up as a die-hard Dodgers fan, idolizing Vin Scully.  Johnson also wants to be heavily involved in entertainment and perhaps news.

According to my radio co-host Solomon Wilcots, the Vikings have a secret weapon in the passing attack.

His name is Visanthe Shiancoe.

Yep, the same Shiancoe who totaled 35 catches in 4 years with the Giants.

This same Shiancoe who the Vikings paid a boat load of cash to in the offseason.

Solomon told me to write down a minimum of 50 catches for Shiancoe.  And he predicted a plethora of touchdowns.  He called Shaincoe a fantasy sleeper.

Ok -- so we will write it down here.

I told Solomon I thought he was nuts.

But he said it in the same voice he used when he guaranteed Ted Ginn Jr would be a top 10 pick and Brady Quinn would not be.

And Sharper and Richardson say Shiancoe has been the talk of minicamp.

We'll see …

We expect a big season this year from Steelers tight end Heath Miller.

Miller's numbers will start at 50 catches and 8 touchdowns this year.  The third year player has been working hard and is ready to explode with a healthy Ben Roethlisberger.

And Miller is excited about playing for Mike Tomlin, who was a brilliant hire by the Steelers.

Miller told us,  "Coach Cowher decided to hang it up and you have to respect his decision.  I have nothing but respect for Coach Cowher.  He did it for a long time and obviously coached at the highest level.  But looking forward, Coach Tomlin has brought a lot of energy to the position and I am very excited to work for him. I like his energy.  I love talking to him and listening to him because you can tell how much he loves football.  You can tell how much he knows football.  He is going to put every ounce of effort he has into preparing us for Sundays and making us the best possible team we can be."

This past weekend Brandon Jackson missed Packers minicamp. Anthony Gonzalez was unable to attend Colts minicamp.

Why?

The NFL forced the rookies to attend a photo shoot called the 2007 Reebok NFL Rookie Premier, presented by EA Sports.

Yep – that's 2 sponsors in the title. 

Apparently the business end of football is much more important than the players getting acclimated into a new system.

And that's a crying shame.

Consider that one of the reasons Gonzalez was perfect for the Colts was his commitment to practice.  It's tough to get on the same page as Peyton Manning when you have to take pictures for bubble gum cards.

And Jackson drew rave reviews from Mike McCarthy when we chatted about the rookie running back.  It's tough to get a leg up for the starting job when coaches can't have you in meetings and in drills.

Having rookies miss mini-camp for this event is a joke.  There had to be another way to schedule it.  It was an embarrassment to the league.

Lions guard Damien Woody has lost over 40 pounds this offseason.

In talking to the veteran on Thursday, Woody tells us he did it so he can get back to his Pro Bowl form.  He adds that to play effectively in Mike Martz's system, you need to be athletic and agile. 

It hasn't worked out well for Woody in Motown since leaving the Patriots via free agency a few years ago.  But Woody is now sold on Rod Marinelli.

Woody thinks the Lions offense will be explosive this year with Calvin Johnson on the other side of Roy Williams. 

And he loves the potential of the defensive line.  Woody is thrilled to have Dewayne White on board and reports that Shaun Rogers and Marinelli are on the same page and Rogers is ready to get back to his form as a top defensive tackle.

Tank Johnson met with Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday.

There is this thought out there that Johnson will have a reduced suspension from the Commissioner as he has already paid his debt with a jail term.

That's nonsense.

Goodell has made it crystal clear that violating the NFL's code of conduct has absolutely nothing to do with the court of law.

We expect an 8 game suspension for the Chicago defensive tackle.

Everyone is thrilled that Wade Phillips is more hands off than Bill Parcells.

But let's be sure to give Parcells his proper due.

He is a Hall of Fame coach.

And just like in New York with the Giants and Jets and in New England with the Patriots, Parcells should receive total credit for rebuilding the franchise.

It's amazing how Dallas fans refuse to give Parcells his due.

Sure, he didn't win a title.

But do you remember what the Cowboys were before he took over?

Do I need to evoke the name Dave Campo?

And let's remember the bind that Quincy Carter put him in.

Phillips is the right coach to take over for Parcells.

And I think Dallas is going to the playoffs this year.

But let's put Parcells run in Dallas, and his credentials as a great coach, in proper perspective.

I had my list armed and ready for my radio show.  Space prevented it from making yesterday's column.

Remember, these are quarterbacks that I would rather have in 2007!  This is based upon age, recent history and projection into this campaign.

Here are the quarterbacks I would rank ahead of Brett Favre.

1). Tom Brady

2). Peyton Manning

3). Carson Palmer

4). Drew Brees

5). Donovan McNabb

6). Philip Rivers

7). Marc Bulger

8). Matt Hasselbeck

9). Steve McNair

10). Tony Romo

11). Vince Young

12). Ben Roethlisberger

Yes, Young outplayed Favre in 2006.  It wasn't even close.

And Roethlisberger's 2005 season and relative youth makes me believe that he will bounce back in 2007.

I won't even include Jay Cutler and Matt Leinart, though I think both will explode and have better seasons than Favre in 2007.

Obviously Mike Vick would be there, but I have questions about his leadership and a possible suspension.

Please understand that I think Brett Favre is an all-time great.  He is a legend who changed the Green Bay Packers.  This list reflects worth and projected effectiveness in 2007.

I never want to hear the name Ricky Williams again.

I mean, never.

It's amazing how a selfish, irresponsible ball player gets so much air time and ink.  It's also amazing how many Dolphins fans call our radio show clamoring for his return.  Do you forget how he walked out on your team in July of 2004?  Do you forget that the only reason he wanted to return to professional football was when the Dolphins went after his money?

And am I missing something about Ricky's days in the CFL?  Did he strike fear in any linebacker up north last season?

Reports over the weekend state Williams flunked another drug test.

It doesn't matter if he did or didn't, you cannot rely on him. 

Roger Goodell is in no hurry to re-instate him.

Dolphins fans should move on.

By drafting Lorenzo Booker, and building a large part of the offense smartly around Ronnie Brown, Cam Cameron and the Dolphins have already said good-bye to Ricky.

In light of the Sports Illustrated report on Mike Vick involvement in dog fighting in Virginia, we wouldn't at all be surprised to see the Falcons quarterback get suspended for 1-4 games.

That type of activity is inhumane and disgusting.

And Roger Goodell is going to rightly feel pressure from animal rights groups.

It's always something with Vick.

He's ripping his teammates (as he did on the air with me the week of the 2005 Pro Bowl).

He's flipping off the fans.

He's involved in the water bottle flap at the Miami airport.  (You can say there were no charges filed but remember how strong and how swiftly Rich McKay reacted in his press conference).

Vick missed a flight to Washington DC.

Arthur Blank has helped create this mess by coddling Vick.

Would Norm Chow like to have Keyshawn Johnson in the Titans passing attack?

"We have tossed that question around as well.  Is Keyshawn the guy?  I don't know that.  I am sure upstairs Jeff (Fisher) and the guys have really talked about it.  I know Keyshawn well from his time hanging around USC when I was there.  He would be a great addition.  Can we get him?  I don't know.  And you are accurate that some veteran leadership and a guy with his skill sets would be help.  We are awfully young out there.  He brings a lot of skills to the table.  He brings class and professionalism."

From what we understand, it's Tennessee, Oakland, and Green Bay in the running for Keyshawn.

Excellent job by Justin Smith signing his franchise tender with the Bengals.  Smith is an underrated ball player who is a true 3 down defensive lineman.  Don't look at his sack total.  Look at what Smith does for the Cincy defense on every play.  Remember, the Bengals had the option of franchising either Smith or Eric Steinbach, and rightly determined that Smith was the player they couldn't lose.  And now that the tag is signed, Smith can work out with the club and go through the offseason program while his agents try to hammer out a long term deal. 

This is a ball player who gets it.

And excellent job by the Panthers organization giving Steve Smith a new contract extension.  It rightly will make him a top 5 receiver in terms on compensation.  Smith is now locked up through the 2012 season.  Julius Peppers is now on deck for a new deal in Carolina.

Cleo Lemon knew Marty Schottenheimer loved his work ethic and upside.

But he didn't know how much until he was traded away from San Diego.

And he really didn't know that he was part of the feud between Schottenheimer and AJ Smith until after the fact.

"I didn't realize that until after it was all said and done.  I actually found out about the trade by watching television.  The organization didn't tell me.  Then Marty called me into his office.  Marty told me how upset he was.  You never know because it is a business.  But what I got from the meeting was that his feelings towards me were really genuine and I was a quarterback that he really wanted to keep around.  He was visibly upset with the trade.  I didn't know the extent at the time.  Then I made the transition to Miami and then the issues, the communication issues between Marty and A.J. came out."

Speaking of the Dolphins, there is no way the Jets trade guard Pete Kendall within the division.  Kendall is a great player and locker room presence.  He tutored Nick Mangold brilliantly last year.

The question had to be asked.

What did Polian think of the rival and hated Patriots getting Randy Moss.

"Well, clearly they have had great success with guys like that.  Look at Junior Seau.  Everybody wrote him off for different reasons.  Everyone wrote him off for physical issues, not the off the field stuff.  And look how well he played for them.  They had great success with Seau, they had great success with Corey Dillon.  So it makes complete sense for them to do it.  For their sake, and for Randy Moss' sake, I hope it works out."

I'm guessing just not too well.

Ed Hartwell is the newest Bengal linebacker.

And put this on the record – I think it's a great fit.

Hartwell was hurt during his frustrating 2 years in Atlanta.  But jog the mental rolodex.  He was an up and coming star when he left Baltimore via free agency two offseasons ago.

And Hartwell cannot wait to be playing for Marvin Lewis again, who coached him up in Baltimore.

"Just being reunited with him, I took a visit down there and met all the coaches.  The intensity is there.  From playing for him you know what he expects.  You know he expects the defense to [be] really intense, to go out there, to hit people hard, to come downhill.  That's my style of play.  Being able to go back and play for a guy like Marvin Lewis and the staff that he has up there is great.  The type of player I am, they coach the same way I play so it's going to be a wonderful fit."

And Hartwell had feelers from New England and Denver during this process.

He was attracted to Cincy for two main reasons; primarily Marvin Lewis and the ability to go to the Super Bowl.

Hartwell told us, "I think they have a great chance.  They have a wonderful offense.  We're going to do some great things on defense and make some plays.  Any time you have that going on you have a shot.  They have one of the most dynamic offenses on that team and now I'm going to come in and with the help of all the other players we're going to make that defense one of the best defenses in the league.  I'm pretty sure everybody on that side of the ball feels the same way.  Together we're going to have a shot at that Super Bowl title."

The big question – is he healthy?

"I'm ready, baby.  I had two years of downtime.  Now I'm here, I'm running around, cutting.  Everything is the way it's supposed to be and I'm ready to go out there and go to this first training camp and have some fun."