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In an interview with the Philadelphia Daily News, the father of Donovan McNabb reacted to the decision of the team to select quarterback Kevin Kolb in the second round of the 2007 draft.

"I'm not concerned about [the decision to spend the first pick on Kolb]," Sam McNabb said. "My son works for the Philadelphia Eagles right now and when he doesn't any longer, there are 31 other NFL teams he can play for."

Frankly, we don't understand all of the hubbub. Where was all of this hand-wringing and tooth-gnashing when the Falcons picked Matt Schaub in the third round of the 2004 draft? Did anyone believe that Schaub was going to supplant Michael Vick? Or was the move merely viewed for what it was -- an effort to have on hand a capable backup for a quarterback coming off of a serious injury?

In 2003, Vick broke a leg in the preseason and missed much of the year. In 2006, McNabb missed the last six games of the regular season and the playoffs with a torn ACL, only a year after a sports hernia knocked him out of the last seven.

Part of the problem, in our view, is that the team spent so much time over the past few months shouting down rumors that there was a rift with McNabb and/or that his rehab was behind schedule and/or that the team was contemplating life without him.

The selection of Kolb gave immediate credence to the debunked rumors. The use of the team's first selection on a rookie quarterback likewise raises questions as to why the Eagles didn't find a way to keep the unexpectedly popular Jeff Garcia.

Within the building, word is that McNabb is pissed. An industry source tells us that the fans are more upset about the decision to engage in a draft-day trade with the hated Cowboys. Dallas took defensive end Anthony Spencer with the selection that the Eagles traded to them.

"Can you imagine the stupidity?" said the source. "You draft a quarterback of the future after giving your must hated rival a player who can help kill him."

Though we have a hard time getting past the trade to the Cowboys, we aren't ready to kill the Eagles for drafting Kolb. The franchise has decided to confront a hard reality; the franchise quarterback can't stay healthy, and it's time to groom someone who can be his backup on a multi-year basis.

And if after Kolb's contract expires the team decides that it's time for the Eagles to hand the ball to the youngster, that's part of the business that is the new NFL.

McNabb might get an exemption from this when he gets to the Super Bowl and wins it. Until then, he's not untouchable. And it's time for plenty of folks in Philly to accept this fact without getting pissed off.

In a release posted on his official web site, former Raiders receiver Randy Moss makes clear that his first choice for a new home was the place where he eventually landed -- the New England Patriots.

“Several weeks ago, when the Raiders first gave Randy permission to talk to other teams about a possible trade, the first team contacted was New England," said agent Tim DiPiero in the release. "Randy wanted to find a team with an established quarterback and coach, a team with a need at wide receiver and most importantly a team with a good chance of going to the Super Bowl. When you consider the genius of Coach Belichick, the brilliance of Tom Brady, a first class organization with the record of the Patriots which arguably had a need at wide receiver, New England was the natural spot."

As we reported on Sunday, it was an unexpected move by Moss to slash his 2007 salary by more than $6 million that finally got New England's attention on Saturday night.

The Wisconsin State Journal suggests that Moss would have been willing to cut his pay to the same amount that he'll receive in 2007 from the Patriots, and that the deal fell apart only because Green Bay G.M. Ted Thompson would not give up more than a fifth-rounder, even though it's now confirmed that the Packers initially offered (as we had heard) a fourth-rounder for Moss.

The key difference, in our view, is the concession by the WSJ that the Packers wanted a two-year deal. All other things equal, a one-year contract is far better for Moss, since it gives him a chance to rehab his image and hit the cap-crazy free-agent market in March 2008.

So we're not buying -- for a nanosecond -- the notion that the Packers left Moss at the alter. In reality, the guy who once gave a fake moon to the Lambeau Field faithful finally showed his bare butt to the front office.

Several readers have chimed in on whether we should assign grades for the 2007 NFL draft. While taping a Monday night spot with our pals Big O & Dukes of 101.5 Free FM in Phoenix, we finally figured out what to do.

The reality of the draft is that no one knows which of the players selected will be able to perform at the professional level. At every position, the draft has almost as many misses as it has hits, and in every case the jury is out until the draft pick is on the field competing with other NFL-caliber players.

Sometimes, a guy who was dominant at the college level no longer is facing Alcorn State-quality defenders. On other occasions, the player doesn't react well when he's finally cracked upside the head by a grown man with stinky breath and even stinkier stinks emanating from elsewhere.

And, sometimes, a guy whom the scouts regarded as a slappy ends up doing the slapping, and finds a way to take his game to a level of which no one thought he was capable.

At this point we just don't know, so it's asinine to assign grades. Unless we have a way of knowing who'll be good and who won't.

So based on what we know about the guys who landed with new teams on Saturday and Sunday, we'll give an A to the Pats because they picked up for a fourth-round selection a guy who already has shown that he can perform at a high level at this, um, level.

The Niners get a B for adding the good-when-healthy Darrell Jackson, as proven by his body of work in Seattle.

Beyond that, who in the hell knows? And anyone who pretends that he does know is lying or stupid. Or both.

We've posted part one of our post-draft Ten-Pack. Among other things, we look at the marketing miracle that is the draft, the failure of the Fins to manage fan expectations, the need for a merging of the television coverage, our idea for remaking round one, and the need to get rid of those huge contracts at the top of the draft.

After our weekend of draft coverage, we received the following e-mail from agent David Canter: "Congratulations on an amazing weekend of coverage. BEST WEBSITE IN THE WORLD."

Not bad, considering that two years ago we were in Canter's doghouse for repeatedly calling him "Troy Williamson's Biatch."

The refreshing part of all of this is that Canter realizes that we poke fun for the sake of fun, and not out of malice. In most cases. . . . Okay in all cases but one. . . . Um, maybe we should move on.

WVEC-TV reports that Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is not expected to be charged in connection with a dog-fighting operation uncovered last week on property that he owns.

Per the report, authorities planned to meet on Monday to discuss whether to file charges.

But how in the hell can any decision be made as to Vick at this point? Has he been interviewed? Has anyone checked his phone records or credit card records or other paper trail to see if his all-or-nothing "I never go there" denial from Friday holds water (and has a secret compartment)?

If it can be shown that Vick frequents the property, then a jury could infer that he knows a lot more about the situation than he claims.

We know that Vick is a popular figure in his home state of Virginia. But we sure hope that justice will be blind on this one, and that decisions will be made without regard to the celebrity of the person whose name is on the deed of the property on which the troubling proof of animal abuse was found.

We're working on a Ten-Pack of takes regarding this past weekend's draft. We hope to get part one up tonight, and part two at some point tomorrow.

We've also been asked by several readers to issue draft grades. We think the process is sort of useless, since it's impossible to gauge the success of any draft more than four months before the players take their first NFL snap.

A league source tells us that the biggest problem with the NFL draft isn't anything that happens during the draft, but what commences after the draft. And the source says that everyone concerned wants to see real change.

Specifically, a land rush begins for all of the guys who would have been drafted in rounds eight through twelve in the days before the landmark CBA that ushered in real free agency. Since 1993, the draft has been limited to seven rounds.

The problem, as the source explained, is that everyone involved in the post-draft feeding frenzy is making decisions too quickly, without full information. Though teams can remedy any mistakes made during the process by cutting the players in question, the players (who picked teams while reeling from the reality that their dream of getting drafted wasn't fulfilled) have no way out of a situation that in the light of day might not have been their best destinations.

The draft was cut from twelve to seven rounds in order to give incoming players more freedom. But, as a practical matter, there's no chance for many players to make prudent choices because they're faced with having to make quick decisions in response to offers from teams that are prepared to move on (or move out) if the players hesitate.

So why not impose a moratorium after the end of the draft? Following the first day, teams have a chance to assess their picks and their plans before resuming the process with rounds four through seven. Why not require everyone to take a break as undrafted players field offers and make sound decisions at to their first NFL destinations?

Everyone would benefit. Sure, some bidding wars might break out for the hottest free-agent commodities, but isn't that what free agency is all about?

So we think a 48-hour window should be put in place, and that no team should be permitted to sign any players until after the two-day period expires.

If anyone can think of any good reason to continue with the current free-for-all approach, we'd love to hear it.

He last played in the NFL in 2004. Mitchell, who played college football at Syracuse, was the 53rd overall pick in the 1994 draft.

"Kevin and his family are in my thoughts and prayers today, and in the prayers of the entire Redskins organization," said Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder said. "He was one of the first players I bonded with and was a great family man. Anyone who knew him was touched by his smile, joy for life and love of his family. Anyone who ever played with him or against him never forgot it. He earned our deepest respect."

Mitchell suffered the heart attack early Monday in his newly-built home in Leesburg, Virginia.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network, who nearly got into a slap-fight with Mike Mayock on Sunday regarding the newsworthiness of the Randy Moss trade (by the way, we think Mayock was merely miffed that "real" NFL news was getting in the way of his use of mind-numbingly inane jargon regarding no-name players) , reports that the Eagles have cut veteran linebacker Dhani Jones.

Jones was signed for two more seasons, at salaries of $2.35 million this year and $2.6 million in 2008.

A sixth-round pick in the 2000 draft, Jones is a seven-year NFL veteran. He spent four seasons with the Giants and the past three with the Eagles.

He could end up back in New York, given that they are so thin at the position they are moving other players there. (Who's next, Jared Lorenzen?)

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers paid a signing bonus of (drum roll, please) zero dollars and zero cents to tight end Jerramy Stevens in connection with his contract to join the team.

The deal is for one year, and pays a salary of $600,000. Thus, the team can walk away before the start of the regular season and owe him nothing. If he's cut after the games that count commence, he'll have the option to take the balance of his salary under the rule giving each player with four years of service in the league the one-time ability to collect the rest of his current year's pay.

Still, the guy is a complete turd off of the field, and we were initially surprised that the Bucs added him to the team. After further review, it only confirms that coach Jon Gruden and G.M. Bruce Allen are on the hot seat this season. They need to put a winner together, and if it means signing guys who might get in trouble and potentially cause the team to incur fines or lose draft picks under the beefed-up Personal Conduct Policy, it's a risk that Gruden and Allen are more than willing to take, since there's a chance that they won't be around when the margarita hits the fan.

Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio seems like a nice guy. Sure, he uses a little too much water. And, yeah, he once allowed his players to incorporate a deadly weapon into their locker room shenanigans. But he seems like he's an okay guy.

Not dumb in the Mike "Meathead" Tice way. Dumb in the way that he lets his ego overpower what's good for him, and for his team.

Case in point -- in an effort to throw water on the widespread belief that he has to win now or he'll be fired, Del Rio is hinting that he wanted to select quarterback Brady Quinn in the first round of the 2007 draft.

"Contrary to how it's been portrayed in the media, I don't believe in coaching scared," Del Rio said, according to Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union. "I believe in acquiring talent and coaching the heck out of it and competing."

Del Rio explained that there was no consensus within the organization on taking Quinn, but there was a consensus on drafting Florida safety Reggie Nelson, whom the team picked instead.

So on which side of the internal Quinn debate was Del Rio? "I actually have a little more aggressive approach toward the quarterback position in particular, but we make Jaguars picks," Del Rio said. "I'm not trying to open up and make it a big story, because it's really not."

We wonder whether Jags quarterback Byron Leftwich thinks it's a small story. Leftwich was tossed to the curb during the 2006 season, and inexplicably re-embraced by Del Rio in February as the starter for 2007, the final year of his contract. What does Del Rio's apparent desire to take Quinn say about whether Leftwich will have a job in Jacksonville in 2008?

Frankly, we're still not sold on the proposition that Leftwich will be the starter in 2007. Though neither of the team's other in-house options have shown that they can steal the job, we believe that the aforementioned Meathead already is putting a bug in Del Rio's ear about how a guy like Daunte Culpepper could turn the offense around, if/when he is cut by the Dolphins.

It was Tice, after all, who was calling the shots in Minnesota when Culpepper had one of the greatest single-season quarterbacking performances in league history. With Del Rio, Tice, and everyone else on the staff staring the unemployment line in the face, an upgrade at the position is sorely needed.

Del Rio's musings about Quinn suggest that the head coach realizes it. And Del Rio also knows that the rest of us know that he knows the upgrade must come now. If it happens in 2008, it could very well be on someone else's watch.

Falcons LB Demorrio Williams tore a pectoral muscle lifting weights last week, prompting the team to draft Stephen Nicholas in round four; Nicholas could start the regular-season opener.

The understatement of the century from Eagles rookie QB Kevin Kolb, on how he compares to starter Donovan McNabb: "He's better than me right now."

The table could be set in Baltimore for QB Troy Smith, and he soon could end up in time becoming the nemesis of his hometown team, the Browns.

Patriots owner Bob Kraft, on the team's biggest acquisition of draft weekend: "The fact that a player would restructure his contract to come here really makes me proud of the brand that we've created here with the Patriots."

Despite a recent suggestion from former Steelers coach Bill Cowher that he might never coach in the NFL again, we're hearing that the sure-fire Hall-of-Famer is privately acknowledging interest in three jobs: the Browns, the Chiefs, and the Panthers.

The Cleveland and Carolina jobs could become available as soon as 2008. The Chiefs hired their current head coach, Herm Edwards, in 2006, and barring a total collapse this season (which, actually, is a possibility), the K.C. gig won't open up until 2009 at the earliest.

Cowher played for the Browns and worked in Cleveland as an assistant coach. He served as defensive coordinator in Kansas City before becoming the head coach of the Steelers. And he currently lives in North Carolina, the same state in which he attended college.

We've long believed that Cowher would land in Washington after the retirement of Joe Gibbs, primarily because owner Dan Snyder will likely offer Cowher a salary in the range of $10 million per year. But it could be that Cowher has been cautioned by his friend and mentor Marty Schottenheimer regarding the realities of coaching the Redskins, given that Marty was schott-canned after only one season as coach there.

We addressed on Sunday our position regarding the decision of the NFL, at the behest of linebacker Shawne Merriman, to disclose that Merriman has had 20 steroids tests . . . and has passed 19 of them. Well, we've thought about it a little more, and we think that a couple more points need to be made.

First, no information was given by the NFL as to the timing of the tests. For all anyone knows, Merriman passed only two urine tests before providing dirty urine in the 2006 preseason. If so, those 17 clean samples given after he got caught would be even more meaningless to the question of whether he is or isn't an intentional cheater.

And that was the goal of the disclosure -- to suggest that his one-out-of-20 positive result was a fluke or, as Merriman has claimed, the product of a spiked supplement he took at about the same time his web site said he wasn't taking any supplements.

Under the league's Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances, initial testing of a rookie occurs in conjunction with the scouting combine. For Merriman, that occurred in February 2005. As we've recently explained, anyone who tests positive in late February of their draft year is either stoopid or has a drug problem, since they all know that they'll be tested, and they all have the ability to get clean in advance. So passing that test, as Merriman did, means nothing.

Next, Merriman was tested as part of the annual/preseason testing of each player. Though the specific date on which the annual/preseason testing will occur is not specified in the policy, it generally happens at training camp. The message, then, is clear to the players -- show up clean in late July. Again, passing that test, as Merriman did in his rookie year of 2005, means nothing to us.

It's possible that Merriman was later tested during the 2005 season as part of the league's random testing protocol. The disclosure from the league does not specify whether any of the tests that Merriman passed before testing positive were random in nature.

It's also possible, then, that the bulk of negative test results came in the weeks and months after Merriman tested positive. And, realistically, does anyone expect Merriman to test positive when he knows that he is subject to unannounced testing at any time in the wake of his positive result?

So, in theory, it could be that Merriman passed only two steroids tests that he knew were going to be imposed before, say, getting nailed on a random basis late in the 2006 offseason.

Without full and complete disclosure from the league as to the timing of and reasons for the testing, there's no way to know. And that makes the "but I was clean 19 times" excuse even less useful or relevant.

Second, has the league not considered the precedent it is now setting by allowing this confidential information to be disclosed? Future players who test positive will now feel compelled to make further disclosures in order to avoid any inferences that the absence of such statistics must mean that the player hasn't passed many (or any) steroids tests. See, the core of the problem here is that the intended audience for the Merriman disclosure -- the casual NFL fan -- doesn't know the in's and the out's of the testing procedures, and clings to superficial concepts like "Well, if Merriman passed 19 out of 20 tests he must not be Barry Bonds." So now the league has backed all future players who test positive into a corner, and the casual fan will be more likely to assume that, if the NFL doesn't issue a press release as to how many tests the guy passed, the player who tested positive must be a "real" steroids user.

Third, Merriman is now represented by Tom Condon of CAA. Could it be that Merriman's disclosure was more about indirectly propping up Condon after a horrendous weekend in which his prized 2007 draft class client could have been the No. 1 overall pick if Condon would have been willing to take a "bad" deal at No. 1 and instead fell all the way to No. 22, where even a great deal at that slot will be worth multiple millions less than what Quinn could have gotten?

Anyway, the whole thing stinks to us. The logic is flimsy, and it sets a bad precedent. Though we generally like what Roger Goodell has done during his time on the job and we're convinced he'll be a great Commissioner, allowing Merriman and/or Condon to create a bad precedent for future players in the hopes of floating a truly meaningless piece of information is the first clear error of the Goodell era.

Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga said earlier this year that any draft pick who isn't in training camp on time would be "sitting out, baby."

We wonder whether it applies to guys who aren't at camp because they're injured.

If he's not, it'll only increase the criticism that the team will face for passing on quarterback Brady Quinn and taking a chance on Ginn with the No. 9 overall pick.

Ginn suffered a foot injury after returning the opening kickoff of the national championship game for a touchdown. He was hit low by a teammate during the celebration.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Falcons quarterback Michael Vick had a 20-minute conversation on Saturday, in connection with Vick's appearance at the 2007 NFL Draft to support the league's salute to Virginia Tech.

Goodell reportedly was direct with Vick regarding his expectations of one of players near the top of the league's short list of superstars.

Vick acknowledged the meeting to the AJC, and in an interview with ESPN. Said Vick:

"After what happened Friday, and then what happened on Monday, I just wanted to crawl in a hole. I can't take it no more. I walk around with a smile on my face and act like I'm happy, but on the inside it's hurting. And it's killing me. I ain't got no more energy left for it. The more I continue to do things and my name is in the media, I'm not going to get anywhere. I'm taking it upon myself and giving everybody my word that things are going to get changed around. Things are going to get turned around. I have a game plan for it. The company I keep, a lot of things gotta change, and I mean that from the heart."

Vick has still offered no specific explanation for either of last week's embarrassments. On Monday night, he missed a connecting flight to D.C. for a Tuesday morning commitment to lobby on behalf of after-school programs, and then failed to show up for a later plane onto which he had been booked. On Friday, Vick was forced to address the results of a search of property he owns in Virginia, at which extensive evidence of dog fighting allegedly was found.

He has not offered up any explanation for the travel snafu. As to the dog-fighting issue, he has blamed his family and has claimed that he never goes to the property. This claim is contradicted by a quote from a neighbor, who said that Vick was seen at the property walking dogs. "I've seen Michael walking dogs, but it didn't look like a fighting dog," Earnest Hardy told WAVY-TV.

And Vick was charged with trespass in February at a Virginia lake not far from the property that he owns. Was he staying at a hotel, or at the house he bought and paid for?

Moreover, and as we set forth on Friday night, it's obvious that Vick is (or at least at one time was) heavily involved in breeding dogs that could be used for fighting.

The Falcons claim that they will explore Vick's knowledge of the apparent dog-fighting operation after the draft. But under the new Personal Conduct Policy we think that the team should keep its nose out of any investigation and defer the matter to the league office. Though we have no reason to suspect that the Falcons would use their own preliminary investigation as a tool for helping Vick to prove his innocence, why risk an appearance of impropriety if, after the Falcons look into the matter, Vick suddenly is saying all of the right things that would point to his complete exoneration?

Based on our discussions with league sources and other insiders, it appears that the Moss-to-Pats deal went down when the former Raiders receiver presented to the team the possibility of slashing his 2007 pay by more than $6 million.

It's our understanding that this gesture, coupled with the so-so names on the draft board after the first three rounds were finished, was just enough to get the Patriots to bite.

Though we previously reported that his 2007 salary will now be $3.5 million, the salary will (as others have reported) be $3.0 million. But, as best we currently can discern, realistic incentives can still push the total value to $5.0 million.

Even if Moss reaches all of the incentives, a payment of $5.0 million is a steal for a guy who is only 30.

Moreover, with a one-year deal, Moss will have every incentive to bring the heat, each and every week. He's auditioning for his last big contract. None of his prior Pro Bowl performances came in a season in which he was playing for a new deal. That added incentive coupled with his physical gifts could result in a performance that conjures memories of 1998.

It's a win-win, as we see it. Moss has a chance to set himself up for one more huge payday, and the Pats have the guy who could put them over the top in their quest for a fourth Super Bowl in seven seasons.

And, as we previously explained, there's no financial risk for the team. No signing bonus. No roster bonus. His salary becomes guaranteed if he's on the roster when the season begins. But the powers-that-be in New England will know full well whether or not Moss "gets it" before they make decisions as to the 53 men who will make the team.

The presence of Moss also puts the Pats in position to have a strong, battle-hardened receiver corps, since there are too many butts and not enough seats on the depth chart to accommodate Donte' Stallworth, Kelley Washington, Wes Welker, Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell, Chad Jackson, Troy Brown (maybe), and Moss. Someone is gonna get cut. Probably two. In our view, Washington and Caldwell shouldn't get too comfortable. Gaffney might go, too, since they'll need some young guys at the position who'll play special teams beyond the first three or four spots.

Our projected depth chart? Moss at No. 1, Stallworth at No. 2, Welker at No. 3, Brown at No. 4, and one or two first-year or second-year guys to help out on the punt and kicking teams. Jackson, a second-round pick in 2006, could end up being stashed on IR, or traded.

So we think it's a great move, with a very low risk and a high potential reward. For both the team and the player. After all, Moss was never going to see that $9.75 million this year from the Raiders or anyone else; the fact that he understood this fact and cut a fair deal based on the current state of his career suggests that he's ready to do whatever he has to do to get his name back on the short list of elite NFL receivers.

A lot of the folks we saw and heard on television today don't think he can do it. And that makes it even more likely that he can, and that he will.

It was no secret that Packers quarterback Brett Favre was pushing for the team to add Randy Moss. We had been hearing it for months. As of last week, Favre was certain that Moss was heading to Lambeau Field. ESPN's Chris Mortensen, who likely has Favre's agent Bus Cook on speed dial, has been saying all offseason that Favre has been lobbying for the move.

A source tells us that Favre is not happy with the manner in which the Moss deal went down. But he's not upset with the team; he's miffed, we're told, that Moss turned his back on the Pack by refusing to re-do his deal for anyone other than the Pats.

For weeks, it appeared that Green Bay was the only team interested in Moss. Sure, there had been rumors of New England's interest prior to the 2006 trading deadline, but the team's run on receivers in free agency seemingly closed the door on a deal.

As of last week, it appeared to be the Packers or no one. At a time when Randy believed that the Pack were his only option for getting his career back on track, Favre was working to make it happen.

Then came the Pats, like the new girl in school who started batting her eyelashes at the quarterback who already had a date for the homecoming dance. So Moss did an about-face, and the Packers were left holding the bag.

And Favre is the one who went to bat for him. And Moss stuck the bat up Favre's cheese chute.

Stevens, known best for dropping passes and for stirring up Joey Porter prior to Super Bowl XL, was a first-round draft choice of the Seahawks in 2002. His contract expired after the 2006 season.

He was arrested last month on DUI and marijuana possession charges. Since those charges are still pending, the two misdemeanors result in six Turd Watch points for the Bucs.

And that pushes Tampa Bay into a tie with the Tennessee Titans, at 30 points each.

By selecting cornerback Tarell Brown in the 2007 draft, we believed the San Francisco 49ers picked up three points in the PFT Turd Watch, by virtue of marijuana possession charges that are still pending against the former Texas defender.

However, as a reader has pointed out, the charges were dropped on April 26, two days before the draft.

San Fran previously had zero points in Turd Watch. They're now in a four-way tie for the NFC West lead.

The New England Patriots got two steals on Sunday. First, they picked up one of the best receivers in the game for only a fourth-round draft pick.

Per a league source, the $21 million in salary over two years under Randy's prior deal was replaced by a one-year contract with a $3.5 million base salary and $1.5 million in incentives. [Editor;'s note: Other reports peg the salary at $3 million. The accurate numbers will be known once the contract is reported to the NFLPA.]

The only downside for the Patriots is that, if Moss re-establishes himself as a superstar in 2007, they'll have to pay him in 2008, either with a new contract or the franchise tag.

And the deal allows the Pats to evaluate Moss carefully in the offseason, training camp, and preseason. If Moss doesn't still have it, or if he is in any way a pain in the butt, the Pats lose not a penny.

In his introduction to the New England media, Randy Moss punctuated a conference call by proclaiming: "The Moss of old is back, and let's just leave it at that."

The statement came in response to a question as to whether he recently had run the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds. Reports were mentioned throughout the day as part of the (yawwwwwnnnn) day-two draft coverage that Moss ran multiple 40s in the 4.3 range very recently.

Moss also said that what he has done during his nine-year career is just a "glimpse" of what he can do in the future. If that's true, then it's time for rest of the AFC to worry about who'll be the losing team in the conference title game for the next few years.

And the Moss of old was back in other ways. He showed flashes of irritability and condescension, claiming that anyone who would criticize his professionalism has never played the game, and inviting anyone who has concerns -- male or female -- about his off-field behavior to "line up against me."

He refused to talk about his past issues (including his "blue moon" marijuana habit), and he deftly avoided questions regarding his new deal, and regarding whether he was willing to restructure his two-year, $21 million salary only for the Patriots. All he would say was that money wasn't a factor for his arrival in New England.

"I'm just very happy to find some happiness and getting back to what I love to do and that's play football and go out there and compete," Moss said.

Moss said that other teams that were pursuing him included Green Bay, and "maybe Tampa Bay and Jacksonville."

He also said that coach Bill Belichick called him last night, and that he has spoken to quarterback Tom Brady.

Moss showed some respect for legendary Pats wideout Troy Brown, who like Moss played college football in Huntington, West Virginia, when Moss referred to himself as the second-best receiver to come out of Marshall.

The real question moving forward is whether and to what extent Moss is on a short leash in New England. He claims that the subject did not come up during his discussion with Belichick; Adam Schefter of NFLN reported that one false move will get Randy cut.

For the sake of both sides, we hope that he's not on a short leash. Because based on his words and demeanor during the conference call the Moss of old really is back.

The NFL has disclosed the results of all of linebacker Shawne Merriman's steroids tests.

And O.J. Simpson has made it through more than 18,000 days on earth without killing two people.

Sure, it's an extreme comparison. But the point is that, when it comes to following the rules, the days on which a guy complies are irrelevant.

So Merriman generated one dirty urine sample. And he missed four games for it. If he'd provided another dirty sample, he would have missed more.

So what? He failed a drug test, and he was suspended. Who cares about what we already knew? He took other drug tests, and he passed them. Whoop-de-do.

But Merriman is apparently still feeling the sting of being called out by players like Champ Bailey and Jason Taylor, both of whom questioned whether a guy who tests positive for steroids should be eligible for postseason honors. And Merriman likely is still hearing the whispers regarding his accelerated weight gain in the preparations for the 2005 draft.

Still, Merriman's overall interests aren't advanced by continuing to talk about his one failed test. Cheating isn't a batting average. You either cheat, or you don't. Merriman cheated. Perhaps inadvertently, but he cheated nonetheless. The fact that he didn't cheat (or, perhaps more accurately, wasn't caught cheating) 19 other times doesn't change the fact that he cheated once.

A league source tells us that Randy Moss has passed his physical and the trade of Randy Moss to the Patriots is done.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that Raiders receiver Randy Moss is in the process of being traded to the New England Patriots. In return, the Raiders will get a fourth-round draft pick.

The deal hinges on Moss passing a physical. If reports of Moss recently running a sub-4.30 in the 40 are true, it should be a breeze. (Unless, of course, being an asshole shows up on an MRI.)

Just yesterday, a league source with knowledge of the situation told us that it was doubtful that the Patriots would acquire Moss. Apparently, the Raiders opted to slash their asking price after the first day of the draft ended.

Moss reportedly has agreed to dramatically restructure his contract, which was scheduled to pay him a salary of $9.75 million in 2007 and $11.25 million in 2008. It's unknown whether more years will be added.

Schefter also says that the Pats are putting Moss on notice that he will be cut if he repeats any of his past problems, which have included incidents like squirting an official with a water bottle, knocking down a traffic cop with his car, and berating a busload of team boosters.

For this reason, we expect his contract to include devices like per-game roster bonuses, which will allow the team to walk away at any moment without taking a financial bath.

With all that said, the CBA doesn't allow teams to cut a player for off-field misbehavior. So there could still be a fight over money if the Pats were to pull the plug on him.

Just the other day, our newest addition Michael David Smith mentioned the Lawrence Taylor Lesson, about which the late David Halberstam wrote in his book The Educaton of a Coach, an in-depth look at Pats field boss Bill Belichick. When working as the defensive coordinator of the Giants, Belichick saw first-hand that coach Bill Parcells applied a different set of rules to Taylor, because his supreme talents made his warts worth tolerating.

For Belichick and his "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts" approach to pro football, he has for the first time in New England a guy who is a supreme talent, but who can be an even more supreme turd.

And we're willing to give Moss the benefit of the doubt here. We have been hard on him over the past few years because we have watched him squander his talents by not giving his all, all of the time. If any team can get the most out of him on every snap, it's the Patriots.

Day one of the NFL draft came and went with no trade that sent receiver Randy Moss to the Packers, the Patriots, or anywhere else.

If the Raiders want to get a 2007 draft pick for Moss, the highest they'll see is a fourth-round pick.

But the alternative isn't to merely cut Moss. They can still trade him for a 2008 draft pick, and such a selection wouldn't hurt, since a 2008 third-rounder was given up to the Pats along with a 2007 seventh-rounder for a New England pick at the bottom of round three.

That transaction resulted in this snarky entry on the Pats' official web site, which a reader pointed out to us: "The Patriots traded their third round pick to the Raiders. Oakland then selected Florida State OT Mario Henderson for some reason."

The only sure thing at this point is that Moss won't be a Raider in 2007. A salary of $9.75 million is too much to pay to a guy who surely doesn't want to be there, and the efforts to trade him surely don't make him any more eager to mend fences.

A league source told us on Saturday that it is doubtful that Moss will end up in New England. The best bet, then, is Green Bay. But we also wouldn't rule out the Jags or the Bucs, since either team would put Moss in his adopted home state of Florida.

Due to an bigger-than-we-could-have-imagined response to our 12-hour Live Blog of day one of the 2007 NFL Draft coverage, ProFootballTalk.com has seen for the first time in nearly five-and-one-half years of existence more than one million total page views in a single day.

Seriously, thanks to each of you who helped us get to this goal. Our prior high-water mark, established on the first day of free agency, was 750,000 page views.

We've heard that several teams are calling clubs that hold picks in the bottom of round one in an effort to trade up.

The primary reason for a move is to get a quarterback. The Dolphins, for example, are one of the teams who are trying to get in position to get the first pick of the second tier of signal-callers, if they don't get Brady Quinn at No. 9. In fact, one of the reasons that the Fins aren't inclined to trade up for Quinn is that they're content to get a quarterback in round two (or, if they move up, late in round one).

There's another reason for getting from round two into the bottom of round one. Under the CBA, a five-year contract can be forced on a guy taken in the bottom of round one. But four years is the limit in round two.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells us that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions are close to a deal that would send the No. 2 overall pick in the draft -- presumably, receiver Calvin Johnson -- to the Bucs.

The two sides have been haggling for a while, and ESPN's Sal Paolantonio has been all over it from his perch in Tampa.

On Friday, the Lions decided to take Johnson absent a deal that they like. We've heard that they want the No. 4 pick, both of the Bucs' second-round selections, and cornerback Brian Kelly.

ESPN's Ed Werder reports that Raiders coach Lane Kiffin has denied a report from ESPN.com's Michael Smith that the Raiders have told quarterback JaMarcus Russell that he will be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Werder and Adam Schefter of NFL Network also report that the Raiders are talking to the Browns about a flip-flop of the No. 1 and No. 3 selections, which presumably would allow the Browns to get Russell.

Meanwhile, Schefter says that the Browns would otherwise take left tackle Joe Thomas at No. 3. But we're hearing talk that within the past couple of days owner Randy Lerner has told G.M. Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel that their options are Russell, Brady Quinn, and Calvin Johnson.

It was Schefter who initially reported several weeks ago that Lerner had given the directive to Savage and Crennel to take a quarterback.

A league source tells us that the Arizona Cardinals plan to choose between offensive tackle Levi Brown, running back Adrian Peterson, and cornerback Leon Hall with the No. 5 overall pick in the draft.

Hall is a candidate for the Cards because the team is thinking about moving Antrel Rolle to safety, due in part to the fact that he showed up for offseason workouts overweight.

Other teams in the top ten are eyeing Hall, who apparently will be the first cornerback off the board.

Brown is the most logical choice, especially since the Cardinals have been putting out the word that they don't want him. It's part of the pre-draft chicanery.

As to Peterson, the selection is curious, given the presence of Edgerrin James. But both Super Bowl teams had two tailbacks who split touches, and Peterson might need someone to share the load while he proves that he can stay healthy. In addition to the collarbone injury that he aggravated in the Fiesta Bowl, a league source tells us that there also are questions as to whether he has had arthroscopic surgery in the past on his knee.

We've decided to stay with the rumor mill updates until the official draft coverage begins at noon Eastern.

A league source tells us that the Washington Redskins will draft either safety LaRon Landry or defensive end Jamaal Anderson with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft.

Per the source, the 'Skins actually have defensive tackle Amobi Okoye listed higher on their board, but they believe that they greater needs at safety and defensive end.

The Redskins are not expected to do a deal with the Bears for linebacker Lance Briggs, which would have moved the 'Skins to No. 31. However, even if a trade could be done for Briggs, it's our understanding that the Bears don't want the No. 6 overall pick because they believe they wouldn't be able to trade down out of it.

Michael Smith of ESPN.com reports that the Oakland Raiders will take quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Smith, citing unnamed sources, says that offensive coordinator Greg Knapp flew to New York to meet with Russell and reassure him that he will be the guy at No. 1.

After a relatively quiet night (even scouts and G.M.'s have to sleep), it is looking like LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell will be the No. 1 selection in the draft, and will head to the Raiders.

But would we be shocked if owner Al Davis has a trick or two up his sleeve? Not at all.

The talk as of late Friday night was that Russell will not have a contract in place before he is drafted.

In the rest of the top ten, the Lions are poised to select receiver Calvin Johnson (and possibly keep him). The Browns will choose between left tackle Joe Thomas and quarterback Brady Quinn. But with coach Romeo Crennel and G.M. Phil Savage close to if not already on the hot seat, we see them opting for the guy who can come in and help right now, and that guy is Thomas.

If Thomas is the pick at No. 3, a collective cry of "Newman!" will emanate from the Tampa Bay draft room; they want Johnson or Thomas, and could get neither. The Bucs won't take Quinn, and would likely jump on defensive end Gaines Adams in the hopes that a subsequent trade could be made with the Lions, so that Tampa can get Calvin Johnson. We also don't rule out running back Adrian Peterson, but the fact that they took Cadillac Williams with the No. 5 pick two years ago suggests that the Bucs won't tie up another huge contract in an early pick at that position.

At No. 5, the Cardinals could trade down with the Dolphins, so that Miami can lock up Quinn. If Arizona uses the pick, defensive tackle Amobi Okoye or Peterson could be the guy. We're leaning to Okoye.

The Redskins would take (we think) Adams or Okoye if they are on the board at No. 6. If not, don't he surprised to hear the name "Jamaal Anderson", a defensive end from Arkansas, who has been forgotten of late despite the kind of measurables that premier defensive ends like Dwight Freeney and Jason Taylor didn't possess when they were drafted.

The Vikings will jump on safety LaRon Landry with the No. 7 pick. If he's gone, the pick could be Peterson. But what about tackle Levi Brown? The Vikes have a solid left side of the line; the right side is suspect. Brown could help to provide an anchor over there.

At No. 8, the Falcons would likely love to get Okoye or Landry. If both are gone, we wouldn't be surprised to see the team trade down to someone who wants linebacker Patrick Willis or Quinn. If they use the pick, they might go after defensive end-defensive tackle Adam Carriker. The safest pick, though, is Brown.

If Brady Quinn is on the board at No. 9, the Dolphins would be stoopid not to take him. They have pissed away a pack of picks over the past seven years in an effort to nail down the heir to Dan Marino. But the only way (with a few exceptions) to get a franchise quarterback is to draft him in round one (and hope that he becomes one -- it's a 50-50 proposition). Instead of continuing to pluck passers off of someone else's garbage pile, the Fins need to pounce on Quinn, and coach him up aggressively.

At No. 10, we continue to believe that the Texans will go cornerback, and we have a weird feeling that they'll take Darrelle Revis from Pitt. There continue to be erroneous reports that the Texans and Broncos have worked out a flip-flop of the No. 10 and No. 21 picks. It could happen during the draft, but reports that the deal is already done are off the mark.

In case you haven't noticed, the "days without an arrest" counter is back to nine. At midnight, it will hit "10" for the first time.

Of course, there's a chance that someone got arrested on Friday night. Or that someone will get arrested on Saturday night.

Pacman, Pukeman -- help us out. Bite a cop. Urinate in public. Kick a dog. (We do not advocate violence against animals, primarily because we don't want the PETA peeps on our ass.)

Over the past day or so, readers have detected on team web sites a couple of clues regarding potential draft picks.

On Friday, Gregg Rosenthal of Rotoworld.com pointed out to us a blank story on the Bears site with a headline indicating that they have drafted Miami linebacker Jon Beason. The story was promptly yanked.

This morning, we've received an e-mail from a reader with a screen shot of a page on the Jaguars site indicating that the team has picked safety Reggie Nelson of Florida. The page in question -- jaguars.com/draft -- can now be accessed only with a user name and password.

If anyone else finds anything like this on their favorite teams' sites today, let us know.

We've tweaked our final first-round mock draft based on our analysis of the top ten and other considerations.

In the past, the Jaguars have been linked to Moss. We also think that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, who has yet to make a splash in the offseason, might be interested in adding Moss to his team.

Wilde also confirms that the Packers have offered a fourth-round pick for Moss, and that the Raiders want a first-day pick. An industry source tells us that the Pats have offered a conditional fourth-rounder.

In 2005, the Raiders gave up a first-round pick (No. 7 overall), linebacker Napoleon Harris, and a seventh-round pick to acquire Moss from the Vikings.

And before any Minnesota fans get too excited about a possible return by Randy to the Metrodome, a league source tells us that the Vikings are not the mystery team. They haven't been contacted, we're told, and they don't want him back.

It's a somewhat unusual intra-division swap, and the 'Hawks will now have to face the guy they dumped twice per year. In San Fran, Jackson joins Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle. Jackson and Lelie likely will compete for the role of No. 1 wideout.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells us that if receiver Calvin Johnson is on the board at No. 2, the Lions will take him. Period.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network initially reported on this plan earlier tonight. We're told that owner William Clay Ford, Sr. recently signed off on it.

We're also told that the Lions would trade the pick, or the player, to the Bucs in exchange for the No. 4 overall pick, both of Tampa Bay's second-round selections, and cornerback Brian Kelly. Under the trade chart, that would tip the deal decidedly in favor of the Lions.

A similar blockbuster would be required from another team to get the Lions not to take, and keep, Johnson.

There's talk in league circles that the 2007 draft could be the swan song on ESPN for Mel Kiper, Jr.

If true, it's ironic. Kiper helped make the draft into the event that it is. Now that the draft is bigger than Kiper ever could be, ESPN has plenty of other human assets who can do the job.

They've been gradually working Todd McShay of Scouts, Inc. into the mix, and we've sensed some non-contrived tension between the old guard and the young turk when Bristol puts the pair in a split screen.

A couple of years ago, Kiper and ESPN almost parted ways after Kiper's contract expired. We suspect that whatever occurred behind the scenes got both sides to the mindset that this contract would be the last one in a long relationship.

Despite an offseason in which the team acquired three receivers via trade and free agency, the Patriots have spoken with the Raiders regarding a trade for receiver Randy Moss, according to David White of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Though we heard earlier in the day that a deal for Moss is done, White reports (citing a team source) that "[n]othing's been finalized."

White's report corroborates rumors that the Raiders have been shopping Moss for a second-round pick.

Moss is owed a base salary of $9.75 million in 2007 and $11.25 million in 2008. None of the money is guaranteed, but the salary for a given year becomes guaranteed if Moss is on the opening-day roster.

Michael Vick claims that the apparent dog-fighting activities at his property in Virginia occurred without his knowledge. But evidence available on the Intergoogle suggests that Vick was actively involved in the breeding of dogs that could be used for fighting.

The site shows an address of Moonlight Road in Suffolk, Virginia. Coincidentally, Wednesday's raid occurred at an address on Moonlight Road in Smithfield, Virginia.

Also, the site identifies the company as "Vick's K-9 Kennels c/o MV7, Inc." The owner of the property that was searched is Mike Vick and MV7, LLC.

And consider these two pictures, put together for us by Taco Bill. The image on top is from the property that was searched. The image on the bottom is from Vick's web site. The concrete pad, the cages, and the "landscaping" look very similar.

Of course, Vick's web site doesn't say anything about dog fighting. On one page, the site declares: "We do not promote, support, or raise dogs for fighting and will not knowingly sell, give, or trade any dog that may be used for fighting." But the dogs that Vick's operation is selling are naturally aggressive breeds like pit bull terriers, Rottweilers, and the Presa Canario. (We have a cousin by that name.)

At a minimum, Mike Vick has been involved in breeding and selling dogs that could be used for fighting. He admitted six years ago that it is one of his interests. And at the property owned by him in Virginia many scarred dogs were found, along with evidence of dog-fighting paraphernalia.

So if Vick is telling the truth, his family members have -- without his knowledge -- converted Vick's pride-and-joy breeding operation into an exercise in cruelty. And despite the fact that Vick had enough of an interest in breeding pit bulls to set up these facilities, he has paid no attention whatsoever to the abomination that his cousin and/or other family members have created from Mike's avocation.

The "I don't know nothing" defense won't fly here, in our view. Even if there is no direct evidence of Vick's knowledge or involvement in dog fighting, plenty of men and women have been convicted of crimes via the introduction of circumstantial evidence and the application of basic common sense.

As Jackie Chiles might say, "You get me one dog lover on that jury, and Mike is going away for a long, long time."

Meanwhile, the Humane Society will be all over this one. John Goodwin, who handles dog-fighting issues for the organization, told the AP that the Humane Society "has heard for several years that Vick was personally involved in the brutal, clandestine activity, which is banned nationwide and a felony in 48 states, including Virginia and Georgia."

Regarding Vick's claim that he knows nothing about the evidence of fighting, Goodwin said that it would cost $100 per day to feed the 66 animals found on the property.

"Who's paying to feed all those dogs?" Goodwin said. "Who has the money to feed 66 pit bulls that's in some way, shape or form related to that property?"

Those are good questions. And Goodwin isn't the only person who'll be asking them.

Much has been written and said about the possible destination of receiver Calvin Johnson if he's on the board when the Lions draft at No. 2. Will Detroit trade the pick to Tampa Bay? To Atlanta? To the Redskins?

One scenario that isn't getting discussed is the Lions' plan if Johnson is the No. 1 overall pick, by the Raiders or by someone who trades for the pick.

Per multiple sources, the Lions in that case are expected to choose between offensive tackle Joe Thomas and defensive end Gaines Adams -- if they can't induce someone to come up to No. 2 in order to snag quarterback JaMarcus Russell before he lands with the Browns at No. 3.

Lions coach Rod Marinelli, we're told, wants Adams. Team CEO Matt Millen wants Thomas.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Lions have decided that, barring a blockbuster offer, they will use the No. 2 overall pick in the draft -- and they will select receiver Calvin Johnson if, as expected, he is available.

Schefter says that offensive coordinator Mike Martz was one of the key cogs in the decision, based on his explanation to the the powers-that-be as to how he would use Johnson.

We'd previously heard that the Lions will draft Johnson and then maybe trade him. But maybe, just maybe, the Lions will use their fourth first-round pick in the past decade on a receiver, and keep him.

There's talk in league circles that the Raiders have a deal in place to trade Randy Moss.

However, we don't know yet where he's headed. Or what the Raiders will get in return.

The most likely destination is Green Bay, since Moss has been linked to the Packers for much of the offseason. We've heard on multiple occasions that quarterback Brett Favre is certain that Moss will join the team, and ESPN's Chris Mortensen has mentioned repeatedly that Favre is pushing for the trade.

We heard earlier today that the Raiders were shopping Moss for a second-round pick, and we heard on Thursday that the Packers had offered a fourth-round pick.

Sal Paolantonio of ESPN reports that the Lions and Buccaneers are discussing two possible scenarios that would move the Bucs up to No. 2 in the draft to get receiver Calvin Johnson.

One possibility is for Tampa to toss in their two second-round picks. Under the draft trade chart, the 820 points resulting from the No. 35 and No. 64 overall picks would make up the 800-point gap between the No. 4 pick and the No. 2 pick in the draft.

The other possibility for the Bucs is to send a second-round pick and cornerback Brian Kelly to the Lions.

Even if a deal isn't done before the picks start to fly, there's a chance that the Lions will take Johnson with the No. 2 pick, the Bucs will take defensive end Gaines Adams (or offensive tackle Joe Thomas) at No. 4, and then the trade will happen.

Per Paolantonio, Bucs G.M. Bruce Allen is balking at either package. But why? Johnson gives the team the kind of impact that the Bucs desperately need in order for Allen and coach Jon Gruden to keep their jobs beyond 2007.

Tampa needs to do this deal. Whoever has a chance to get Johnson and passes on it will soon regret it, we believe.

ESPN reports, by way of the Tennessean, that the Chargers are prepared to trade running back Michael Turner.

Turner signed his restricted free agent tender as a precursor, we surmised, to a trade. By league rule, Turner must be under contract before he can be traded. And he can't be under contract until he signs his tender.

Turner's agent, Bus Cook, told the Tennessean that he wasn't aware of any impending trade. Possible destinations are Green Bay, Tennessee, and Buffalo.

We heard several weeks ago that Turner could be had for a second-round pick in 2007 and a second-rounder or third-rounder in 2008.

We just heard John Clayton of ESPN report on the air that the Chiefs have dropped their demand for a first-day pick from the Fins for quarterback Trent Green.

This means that the Chiefs, who don't have a fourth-round pick, would take a fourth-round pick to get the deal done.

The debate has been that the Chiefs think the Fins should give up something equivalent to what Green, who would likely be their starting quarterback, is worth to them. The Fins think that the Chiefs should take something equivalent to what Green, who will otherwise be cut, is worth to them.

Last year, the Titans and Ravens were in the same position with quarterback Steve McNair. They settled on a fourth-round pick.

There's a report on a web site that posts football news snippets in small blurbs with even smaller fonts that used to get a lot more traffic than us (but no longer does) stating that the Broncos have consummated a trade with the Texans for a flip-flop of the No. 10 and No. 21 picks in the draft.

But Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the report is false, and that the Broncos and Texans have not had a single serious discussion about swapping picks.

Schefter also says that the Broncos would never do a deal like this before the draft. That makes sense to us, since the purpose of moving up would be to get a specific guy who might or might not be there when the higher pick is used.

Falcons quarterback Mike Vick addressed on Friday evidence of an extensive dog-fighting operation seized this week at a home owned by him in Virginia.

And, playing the time-honored "I don't know nothing" card, Vick is blaming the whole thing on his family.

"I'm never there. I'm never at the house," Vick said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing. The issue will get resolved."

Yeah, Mike. It'll get resolved by someone going to jail. A reader has sent us the relevant Virginia statute, and the law sets forth a broad range of illegal behaviors, which could apply to Vick if it can be shown that he knew what was going on.

"It's unfortunate that I have to take the heat behind it," Vick said. "If I'm not there, I don't know what's going on."

We don't think being absent from the property automatically equates to ignorance. Surely, he has visited the house from time to time. Surely, he has seen the row of cages on a concrete slab and the other evidence that either someone really liked dogs, or someone was breeding and training dogs for reasons other than human companionship.

Also, someone had to be financing the operation, and the only other Vick family member we know of who is making pro-athlete money is his brother Marcus.

"It's a call for me to really tighten down on who I'm trying to take care of," Vick said. "When it all boils down, people will try to take advantage of you and leave you out to dry. Lesson learned for me."

But the lesson might not yet be over. We doubt that the Sgt. Schulz defense will get Vick off the hook; the evidence will have to support a reasonable and logical conclusion that he didn't know what was happening before authorities will consider letting him walk.

As reported by the AJC, Vick's level of involvement or knowledge is subject to the currently ongoing investigation.

With all that said, we suspect that someone from the family will stand up and take the heat so that the Vick money train won't be derailed. But we're hoping that investigators will poke through whatever smoke gets blown and search for the truth, whatever it might be.

There are rumors right now in media circles that the Raiders are closing in on a deal with (drum roll, please) Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, who would then be named the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network tipped us off to the rumor -- however, Schefter thinks that the rumor is not true. Mark Maske of the Washington Post acknowledges the rumor in a Friday afternoon chat, but he says he's not reporting that the deal is done.

We heard earlier in the week that the Raiders had made an initial offer to Quinn. We have since heard that, while hard numbers were not presented to Quinn's agent, Tom Condon, there was enough discussion about parameters and terms to give him a sufficient idea as to the ballpark amount of the deal.

Jared Allen, a restricted free agent tendered by the team at the highest level, has been suspended for four games due to violations of the substance-abuse policy, according to Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star.

Allen is scheduled to earn $2.35 million in 2007, and then will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in March 2008. Earlier this year, he asked to be traded due to the team's reluctance to sign him to a long-term deal.

As it turns out, the team's decision to take a wait-and-see approach with Allen was justified.

Actually, we wouldn't be surprised to see the Chiefs yank the tender offer. It would make Allen an unrestricted free agent, but who's gonna touch a guy who'll miss four games to start the first season of the post-Pacman era.

We'd heard a rumor to this effect a couple of weeks back from a reader, but could never corroborate it. Per Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, the Browns have floated the names "Braylon" and "Edwards" to gauge possible trade interest.

As we'd initially heard the rumor, the thinking was Edwards and a third-round pick to the Vikings for the No. 7 overall pick in the draft.

Grossi also reports that the Browns would take receiver Calvin Johnson, if he's on the board when they pick at No. 3.

And that makes us wonder whether the Browns would package the No. 3 pick with whatever they could get for Edwards (or, possibly, Edwards himself) in order to move up in round one to get Johnson.

It might not be a bad deal for the Raiders, since they would come out of the transaction with Edwards and either JaMarcus Russell or Brady Quinn at No. 3.

Six members of the Penn State football team face felony charges after an April 1 incident at an off-campus apartment.

The six players in question are: safety Anthony Scirrotto; defensive tackle Chris Baker; linebacker Jerome Hayes; cornerback Justin King; linebacker Tyrell Sales; and cornerback Lydell Sargeant.

If we had managed to get Turdlist.com launched this week, the charges would have racked up more than 80 points under the formula we use for the pro football version of our standings.

Earlier this week, the Eagles unveiled (with all due respect) some ugly-ass throwback uniforms for the team's 75th season.

The Steelers will wear the uniforms twice at Heinz Field this season -- during the September 16 home opener against the Bills and during a November 5 Monday nighter against the Ravens.

A league source tells us that the Oakland Raiders are shopping receiver Randy Moss for a second-round pick in the 2007 draft.

The problem is that any team that trades for Moss will have to pay him a base salary of $9.75 million in 2007, or otherwise work out a new deal.

Moss has been linked to the Packers for much of the offseason. We've consistently heard that Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre is certain that Moss will join the team. Last night, we heard that Green Bay recently has offered a fourth-round pick.

So if the Raiders want a two and the Packers have offered a four, this thing likely could get done for a third-rounder.

Earlier this week, Falcons quarterback Mike Vick drew criticism (mainly in this space) for failing to show up for a flight that would have taken him from Atlanta to D.C. for a lobbying commitment for after-school programs.

Vick is still scheduled to appear at the NFL Draft as part of a salute to Virginia Tech. If he shows up, he'll be barraged with questions regarding the neglected and scarred dogs found on property he owns in Virginia. We also wouldn't be surprised if the Humane Society and/or PETA picket the event, given the discovery of multiple (allegedly) neglected dogs on property that Vick owns.

And if Vick says "I didn't know about it," a good follow-up question would be whether he also didn't know that these cages had been installed on the concrete pad that someone had added to his property, without his knowledge:

We believe that "no comment" isn't good enough in this case. It's Vick's property. The dogs were found on his property. Three of them, per the Virginian-Pilot, "were heavily scarred to the face, head, ears, chest and front legs." The cages are on his property. Treadmills and a scale and other dog-fighting paraphernalia were found on his property.

In a court of law, an accused has the right to remain silent. In the court of public opinion, silence in the face of evidence like this should be regarded as an admission of guilt.

Industry sources in the Minnesota area tell us that the Vikings are strongly believed to be planning to pick safety LaRon Landry with the No. 7 overall selection in the draft.

The Vikes, we're told, have a history of prepping the fan base for the actual pick, especially in years in which the locals are clamoring for someone other than the guy the Vikes have targeted.

As we hear it, the fans want Adrian Peterson or Brady Quinn. If Landry is on the board with either or both of them, Landry will be the pick.

The only guys who could get the Vikes away from Landry would be quarterback JaMarcus Russell and receiver Calvin Johnson. Both are expected to be long gone by the time the Vikes pick.

As to the team's apparent infatuation with Russell, a reader has offered up this gem: "JaMarcus would never get to use that cannon arm in Minnesota. We don't have receivers that can catch, much less go deep for an 84-yard bomb. The longest pass in this offense is three yards shy of the first-down marker."

A reader advises us that criminal trespass charges filed in February against Falcons quarterback Michael Vick have been dismissed.

We've confirmed it via the relevant public web site. We'd post a link here, but there's no direct way to get to the info.

The charges arose from a fishing expedition. It was expected that Vick would at least be fined.

Contrary to a Thursday AP report stating that the Chiefs are not shopping running back Larry Johnson, a league source tells us that Johnson is on the market.

But the problem still is the money. If the Chiefs thought he deserved it, they'd pay it to him. The fact that they haven't isn't, in our view, an endorsement that someone else should.

And, as we noted on Thursday, there's not enough time for a deal to get done between two teams and an agreement to be reached on a long-term contract for L.J.

The three most likely destinations would be London, Mexico City, and Toronto, given their time zones in relation to the traditional 6:18 p.m. EDT kickoff.

Our first reaction was shock. But if the league is serious (as it should be) about getting the billions of folks who don't live in the United States to follow the sport, the best way to do it is to export from time to time the biggest product that the league has to offer.

Of course, we also have our own interests in mind. Currently, PFT's traffic ranks among the top 3,000 sites in the United States. The numbers are far lower elsewhere, but could go up quickly as the NFL virus spreads.

We've hit the pause button on the updates because we're slapping together our final mock draft.

And we were on the horn with ESPN Radio in Richmond to play blindfolded darts for five picks of their mock draft.

We reported several weeks ago that big changes could be coming to the Redskins front office after the draft, but there were no specifics as to who might stay and who might go.

The current scuttlebutt in league circles is that V.P. of football operations Vinny Cerrato could be out as soon as right after the draft, and as late as the end of the season -- if the team doesn't win at least 10 games in 2007.

Cerrato was fired by the Redskins during the Marty Schottenheimer era, but was brought back by owner Daniel Snyder after Schottenheimer was cut loose after only one season.

Some league insiders thought that current coach Joe Gibbs would have run Cerrato off by now, but Vinny has made it through three seasons under the Hall-of-Famer.

Frankly, we're not sure why Cerrato should be held accountable for anything, since the widespread belief is that Snyder and Gibbs are the ones calling the shots.

Though Roger Goodell has been the Commissioner of the NFL for a full football season, he makes his highest-profile appearance to date on Saturday, when he performs the duty of walking to and from the podium to read off the names of the first-round draft picks.

So far, we like this guy. He's tough but not stiff, deliberate but not impractical. Decisive but fair. His passion for the sport is obvious, and we think he will continue to push the league to higher levels of prominence and revenue.

With all that said, we'd love to see him inject some light-hearted humor into his duties on Saturday.

For example: "With the 18th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans select . . . Pacman Jones."

Okay, that would probably be a little over the top. But we're hoping that Goodell lets a little more of his personality creep into the reading of the names -- in contrast to the squeaky robot who did the job for the past decade-and-a-half.

While we're on the topic, we sure hope that the NFL has closed the loophole that allowed ESPN's Chris Berman to steal the Commish's thunder last year by letting the cat out of the bag before the pick could be called out. Part of the fun of the day is the anticipation, and Berman ruined it multiple times a year ago.

In the wake of Michael Vick's most recent (and potentially most serious) legal imbroglio, many readers are suggesting that the Falcons should offer Vick to the Raiders as part of a package that would result in the No. 1 overall pick landing in Atlanta, which then would be used on receiver Calvin Johnson.

The only problem is that the Falcons would take a net cap hit of $15.75 million if they were to trade him before June 1. (After June 1, the Falcons would actually gain $6 million in 2007 cap space, and would take a net hit of $7.18 million in 2008.)

Besides, why would the Raiders touch this guy at a time when the early evidence suggests that he could be in real trouble with the law and/or the league?

So even though the Falcons might make a play for Johnson, Vick won't be part of the bait.

Authorities plan to reveal on Friday that Penn State football players will be charged in connection with an off-campus confrontation.

Shortly after midnight on April 1, several men allegedly pushed their way into an apartment and assaulted men attending a party.

Though it's not known whether any draft-eligible players will be charged, the timing of the disclosure is curious. In the first NFL draft of the post-Pacman era, the news could cause one or more players to plunge.

Then again, for the teams who might nab a Nittany Lion on Saturday, it's good to know before the draft whether the guy eventually will be wearing stripes.

One of the rumors making the rounds with the draft a day away is that Penn State offensive tackle Levi Brown could plunge.

There's a school of thought that, if he gets past the Texans at No. 10 (and there is a strong belief in some circles that the Texans don't want him), Brown could slide deep into the round.

One possible landing spot is No. 20, to the Giants. But as to a recent report in one of the New York papers suggesting that the Giants might be eyeballing Brown because they have called to confirm his draft-day contact information, every team does this with every player in the pool. So that fact in and of itself means nothing.

We've heard from several readers this week who were thrilled to realize that, even though their cable provider has not yet satisfied their full television viewing needs by adding NFL Network to the menu, they can watch NFL Network's coverage of the draft on their Sprint phones.

Sprint is all over the NFL draft, thanks to Sprint's commitment to the true American pastime. In addition to a live stream of NFL Network, Sprint's NFL Mobile application provides a quick look at all selections that have been made, and on-demand content from NFL Network's coverage.

And did we mention that Sprint is sponsoring the PFT Draft Live Blog? Thanks to Sprint's commitment to the leading independent site that covers the true American pastime, we'll be bringing you second-by-second information, updates, analysis, and smart-aleck commentary as we monitor the draft coverage on NFL Network and that other channel hosted by the guy who loves to give the picks away as the Commish is walking to the podium.

So it's not too late to get NFL Network, even if your cable company refuses to give it to you. Get that Sprint phone today, and park it next to the computer monitor tomorrow as we provide continuous, no-break coverage of the draft.

We'll get started in the early morning, pausing only for a couple of radio spots and the occasional use of the porcelain facilities. It's the Super Bowl of the offseason, and we can't wait to get it started.

Mark Maske and Cindy Boren of the Washington Post report that the NFL is considering the possibility of adding a seventeenth regular season game in order to accommodate the league's desire to play overseas games.

We think we agree with this. One of the problems of operating a web site that is updated every day of the year (including Leif Erikson Day) is that we sometimes forget what we've already said. But we vaguely recall arguing that an extra regular season game would avoid the inequity of taking away one of eight regular-season games from an NFL city and shipping the game to another country.

For the teams who play the extra game within the contiguous (thanks, Tiki) 48 states, the NFL could schedule contests at neutral sites like the Big House in Michigan, South Bend, Columbus, Happy Valley, etc.

In fact, the extra game could also help to lessen the need for putting a team in L.A. on a full-time basis. As an alternative, the league could schedule eight games there every year, with one each hosted by teams like the Raiders, Rams, 49ers, Chargers, Cardinals, Cowboys, Seahawks, and Broncos.

Adding another game also gets rid of the dreaded (for us) 8-8 record, which is in our estimation the equivalent of a tie.

"One negative [to playing overseas games] is you're taking a game away from fans here," Commissioner Roger Goodell said at an annual meeting of sports editors at league headquarters in New York. "We've discussed whether to cut one preseason game and add a 17th week. It would create more inventory, and that has some appeal. We're chewing on that. The issue is: How do you create more inventory?"

It's easy, we think. There's a simple way to tweak the scheduling formula to include an interconference game based on where teams finished in their divisions the prior season.

Or the NFL could do something really intriguing and assign each team a rival in the opposing conference, and have those two teams play each other every year, and twice in the year when they would have been playing each other anyway.

This way, maybe there would actually be a little genuine vitriol from time to time in the Super Bowl if two of these rivals were to get together on sports' biggest stage.

Anyway, we think the NFL is on the right track with this one, and we like the possibilities to which it gives rise.

The Washington Post reports that the Bears and the Redskins have re-started talks that could result in a trade of linebacker Lance Briggs to D.C.

One source told the Post that there's a 50-50 chance that a deal will be done before the Redskins use their pick in round one of the draft.

(And if we flip a quarter right now, there's a 50-50 chance it'll land with the profile of George Washington facing up.)

The Redskins previously offered a flip-flip of first-round picks -- No. 6 for No. 31 -- in exchange for the rights to Briggs, a free agent who has been restricted by the franchise tag. Briggs wants a long-term deal, but the Bears won't do anything more than the one-year, $7.2 million franchise tender. So Briggs wants out.

Though there were recent rumors of other teams interested in acquiring Briggs, Bears G.M. Jerry Angelo said that no one else has contacted the team. We believe that the talk was merely puffing from the Briggs camp in an effort to get the Redskins to give up something more.

And it likely won't take much more. Chicago coach Lovie Smith said so when the Bears were evaluating the Redskins' initial offer.

But even though both sides are talking again, the Post suggests that no one is budging.

If something can get done, Briggs had better be in a position to quickly sign his franchise tender. Without a signed contract, Briggs can't be traded to the 'Skins or to anyone.

Our guess is that once the draft gets going the egos will get set aside and practicality will take over and something will get done.

Despite rampant speculation and conjecture that the Cleveland Browns will choose between quarterback Brady Quinn and running back Adrian Peterson with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, we're hearing strong rumors that the selection will come down to Quinn and left tackle Joe Thomas.

And it's truly a toss-up. Many believe that Quinn is the guy, but the talk is that Thomas could be the pick.

This would mean that Peterson will slide. He could be taken by the Cardinals at No. 5 or the Vikings at No. 7. Despite the presence of Cadillac Williams on the Bucs' roster, there's also an outside chance he gets picked by Tampa.

As we hear it, the Browns simply can't afford to take Peterson because of the collarbone injury. They've had more than enough issues with busted body parts since re-joining the league in 1999; it would be inexcusable for the Browns to take Peterson and have him turn into yet another Cavity Sam.

If quarterback Brady Quinn gets past the Browns at No. 3, he could end up sliding all the way to No. 9, to the Dolphins. Though many believe that he'd be taken by the Vikings at No. 7, word is that the Vikings don't want him.

Last year, Minnesota traded up in round two in order to get Tarvaris Jackson, and it's too early to give up on him.

With that said, we're hearing that the Vikes would consider bumping Jackson to the curb if JaMarcus Russell could be reeled in.

Though Falcons quarterback Mike Vick hasn't had much good luck lately, the timing of the discovery of neglected dogs apparently used for fighting on his Virginia property couldn't have been any better for him. With everyone focused on the draft, the story has yet to gather legs -- and there's a chance it will all die down by next week.

Then again, Don Imus made his infamous comments on a Wednesday, and the story didn't mushroom until the following Monday.

So we think that this latest Vick thing won't go away quickly, and that it will continue to draw attention, especially if animal rights groups continue to bang the drum.

The real question, as we see it, is whether NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will ultimately apply the same standard to one of the league's short-list superstars that was applied to guys like Pacman Jones and Chris Henry. With great power comes great responsibility (or something), and this newfound ability of Goodell to mete out discipline requires him to do so with a strong sense of fairness, justice, and equity.

By tossing Jones out of the league for a year despite the presence of multiple charges (but no convictions or guilty pleas), Goodell has established a precedent that should be applied consistently, regardless of a player's status, salary, or stardom.

The goal of the Personal Conduct Policy is the avoidance of "conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League." The mere fact that dozens of dogs were being neglected as part of an apparent dog-fighting operation on property owned by Vick arguably meets this definition, even if he's never charged with a single crime as a result of this incident.

As the new Personal Conduct Policy tells all players and league employees, "[Y]ou are held to a higher standard and expected to conduct yourself in a way that is responsible, promotes the values on which the League is based, and is lawful." As a result, players can be disciplined for non-criminal conduct that "undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players."

Again, owning the property on which these dogs were found arguably is enough to meet this definition.

The dilemma for the Commish is that plenty of folks will be watching as he strikes the balance between keeping a money-making player on the field and placating groups like the Human Society and PETA, which could hurt the bottom line via active lobbying of NFL sponsors if there's a perception that the same pass Vick consistently gets for his inability to pass consistently on the field is applied to off-field antics that fairly can be described as barbaric.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Regardless of what the authorities do with this one, the Commissioner has the authority to investigate the case, and to come to his own conclusions as to whether and to what extent Vick knew or should have known that the house owned by him and occupied by his cousin was being used (allegedly) for the breeding, raising, and training of fighting dogs. And we trust that the Commissioner will commission a full and fair investigation. After the information is compiled, we hope that the Commissioner will engage in a fair, objective assessment of the evidence, and will impose a real sanction that is blind to the potential consequences to Vick, to the Falcons, or to the league.

There's talk in league circles that the Green Bay Packers have made an offer of a fourth-round draft pick to the Raiders for receiver Randy Moss.

The information doesn't come from the Packers or the Raiders, so there's a chance that it's not entirely accurate. With that said, it originates with a team that has a keen interest in the question of whether receiver Calvin Johnson will be on the board after the Raiders use their first pick.

And the obvious conclusion is that a trade of Moss will increase the likelihood that the No. 1 overall pick will be receiver Calvin Johnson.

This, in turn, could cause teams who are talking to the Lions about Johnson to shift their attention to the Raiders, since it might take a trade up to No. 1 to get Calvin.

Russell found out about the efforts after an anonymous NFL official called Russell's uncle, Ray, and tipped him off to the activities.

As more evidence is collected regarding the presence of multiple fighting dogs on property owned by Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, two leading advocates for animal rights have spoken out on the matter: The Humane Society and PETA.

"The Humane Society of the United States has heard troubling reports for some time that Michael Vick has been involved in organized dog fighting, and we fear that this investigation may validate that very disturbing allegation," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "We urge law enforcement to aggressively investigate this matter, and we further believe that anyone who harbors dogs for the purpose of fighting, deserves to be fully prosecuted [for] their crimes. Dog fighting is a barbaric activity that causes immense animal suffering and fosters violence in our communities. Our nation should have a zero tolerance policy for any form of staged animal fighting."

PETA has penned a letter to Falcons owner Arthur Blank asking that Vick be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, and that he be released if it is determined that animals on his property were neglected or used for fighting. (Right idea, PETA, but wrong audience -- Blank can only suspend Vick for four games for conduct detrimental to the team; the only guy who has the juice to cut Vick loose is the Commissioner.)

Vick isn't talking about the issue, and when he finally breaks his silence three months from now we suspect he'll offer up another implausible excuse. (Maybe the dogs were intended to guard the jewelry that he doesn't carry in his water bottle.)

The Falcons also aren't talking, and Vick's agent (Joel Segal) and his Virginia lawyer (Larry Woodward) haven't returned calls from the AP, which has included in its article on the topic a summary of Vick's embarrassments over the past few years.

WAVY-TV, which has been all over this story along with FOX 43, reports that 30 animals were tethered to heavy logging chains that were attached to car axles buried in the ground. Also, equipment was found for training fighting dogs, such as treadmills, chains, whips, and injectable drugs.

An industry source believes that the Vick camp is concerned about this situation. And for good reason. This stuff was all found on his property, and the "it was a misunderstanding" defense will only take him so far this time around.

Finally, we've gotten the last one in the bag. Or is it in the can? Or in the hopper?

After reviewing the rules a bit more carefully, we've come to the conclusion that Chargers running back Michael Turner signed his restricted free agent tender for one reason and one reason only -- as a precursor to a possible trade.

It doesn't mean that Turner will be traded, but the reality is that he can't be traded unless he is under contract. And if the Chargers and some other team are trying to get a deal done on draft day, the Chargers must be able to show that they have a signed contract with Turner before the trade can go through.

The flip side of this coin is that the absence of a signed contract for a guy like Bears linebacker Lance Briggs makes a trade less likely. But since signing his tender would prevent Briggs from withholding services, Briggs won't sign until a deal is nearly done.

The absence of a signed contract isn't an insurmountable hurdle. But a guy like Briggs will have to be in a position to ink his tender ASAFP if a deal comes together on Saturday.

As to Turner, withholding services is irrelevant because the Chargers aren't going to try to sign him to a multi-year deal.

A league source with knowledge of the dynamics in the Raiders organization tells us that, as of Thursday night, there is an 80 percent chance that the Raiders will select quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

This belief meshes with other things we've heard from league insiders who believe that Russell is the guy.

With all that said, we believe that anything can happen on this one -- and that Raiders owner Al Davis will relish every last second of his moment in the spotlight.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells us that the Lions and Falcons currently are discussing the possibility of a trade that would give Atlanta the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, and that would move Detroit down to No. 8.

If a deal gets done, however, be prepared for the Lions to get a better package than the trade chart would suggest. Given reports that Falcons owner Arthur Blank has ordered G.M. Rich McKay to "git 'r done", and in light of quarterback Mike Vick's currently unfolding legal entanglement, the Falcons are desperate (we believe) to get a player who has the appeal of Mike Vick, without the warts (or other bodily defects).

Adam Caplan of Scout.com reports that San Diego Chargers running back Michael Turner has re-signed with the team. He has signed his one-year, $2.35 million tender offer.

For 2007, Turner didn't gain anything by signing the tender. The money isn't guaranteed; if he gets run over by a bus, the Chargers can put him on the NF/I list and not pay him. His only reward for signing the tender is that he now has to show up and participate in all mandatory offseason activities, training camp, etc.

It could be that Turner has decided that he wants to be part of the offseason program, so that he won't fall any farther than No. 2 on the depth chart. With his departure after the coming season a certainty, the team could stick it to Turner by giving someone like Darren Sproles more reps behind L.T. This would drive down Turner's numbers and cause him to be perceived as being less of a hot commodity come March 2008.

Also, it could be that G.M. A.J. Smith (a confirmed hardass and proud of it) told Turner's agent, Bus Cook, that if Turner didn't sign the tender before the draft, Smith would use a second-day pick on a running back, and give that guy every opportunity to be the primary backup in 2007, rendering Turner irrelevant in 2007 -- and potentially less valuable in free agency.

As we see it, Turner's not going to get any more than $2.35 million in 2007; all he can do at this point is try to maximize what he'll make in 2008. The only way to do that is to fully commit to the Chargers for the coming season.

Of course, it also could be that the Chargers are close to working out a trade for Turner, since Turner has to sign the tender offer as a precursor to any trade.

A league source tells us that no firm offer has been made by the Packers for Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, or any other team. But the source specifically used the words "no firm offer," which suggests that there have been discussions.

The source also says that the Chiefs have not given Johnson's agent, Alvin Keels, permission to shop for a deal with another team.

But it's now obvious to us that the Chiefs are willing to move Johnson. As we understand it, the overriding issue is the money -- specifically, the precise amount that it will take to get Johnson under contract beyond 2008. Johnson apparently wants far more than the Chiefs will pay, so the Chiefs are looking to ship him off to another city.

With that said, we're confused as to why the Chiefs have waited so long to put Johnson on the block. There's not enough time to get a trade worked out with another team and a long-term deal worked out with Johnson, if the Chiefs hope to trade him for 2007 draft picks.

And now that the cat is out of the bag (and peeing all over the room) regarding a possible trade, the Chiefs could be in a very delicate situation this season, if a trade can't get done. Johnson has been known to be a little temperamental, and the coaching staff and the front office might be tiptoeing on eggshells in 2007 in order to keep L.J. from pulling a T.O.

Multiple media outlets are reporting that the Saints and defensive end Charles Grant have reached agreement on a long-term deal. The Saints had applied the franchise tag to Grant in February.

As far as we can tell, the news was broken by ESPN Radio or by Sirius NFL Radio.

Under the old CBA, the Saints would have lost the ability to use the franchise tag for the life of the deal by negotiating a contract between March 15 and July 15. Under the new CBA, teams may sign franchise players to long-term deals until July 15. After July 15, the maximum duration of any contract is one year.

The value of the deal raises obvious questions as to the numbers that eventually will be required to sign defensive ends like Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers. It also could cause problems, in our view, between the Dolphins and the 2006 NFL defensive player of the year, Jason Taylor.

There is more and more evidence that a "palatial" Virginia house owned by Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was the storage site for dogs used in illegal fighting activities.

Per WAVY-TV, authorities "found 70 dogs on the property," most of which were pit bulls. Per the report: "Some had injuries and scars. Many were malnourished."

Also found on the property was a "rape stand," which is used to tether a female dog so that male dogs may have easy access to the female for breeding.

According to the Virginian-Pilot, the search warrant that resulted in the discovery of the dogs arose from an April 19 arrest of Vick's cousin, Davon Boddie, for marijuana possession. Boddie lives at the property, but Vick owns it.

Meanwhile, the NFL announced on Thursday that Virginia Tech will be saluted in conjunction with this weekend's draft. Vick is listed as one of the expected attendees, along with Tech coach Frank Beamer and former Hokies DeAngelo Hall and Bruce Smith.

Given the still-unfolding events, the NFL might want to hope that Vick applies the same diligence to make it to New York as he used on Monday night to honor a commitment to appear in D.C. on Tuesday.

Though we've never seen a rumor that we didn't want to monger, we've learned based on discussions with league insiders and via the application of common sense that the Packers have not offered a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick to the Chiefs for running back Larry Johnson.

As we suggested in our short blurb regarding the Scout.com report that an offer is on the table, the deal makes no sense unless the Packers have in place a long-term deal with Johnson. But a league source tells us that no permission has been given by Johnson to talk to other teams; thus, if any discussions have occurred, it would be an obvious violation of the tampering rules.

Though it's not becoming more common for a trade to be worked out contingent on the new team and the player working out a contract, there's no way that the Packers and Johnson would get together on a long-term contract before Saturday, even if a trade deal were done right now between the teams. The Chiefs are quietly shopping Johnson due in part to the reality that he wants a deal worth more than the contract signed by 2006 MVP LaDainian Tomlinson before the salary cap spike of the past two seasons. There's no way that Packers G.M. Ted Thompson will ever agree to that.

Nor should he. Running backs are largely interchangeable. Unless a team has a chance to land the next Barry Sanders or Jim Brown, there's no reason to pay huge money to a player who is at any given moment an awkward hit away from becoming just a guy.

Larry Johnson is currently one of the best running backs in the NFL, but he's not one of the best ever. If he was, the Chiefs wouldn't be shopping him.

Dollar for dollar, the Packers would be far smarter to take their chances at No. 16 on Marshawn Lynch, or in a later round on someone else.

We assume that it's the result of some type of a glitch, possibly tracing to his unexpected July 2004 retirement. But, still, that's one helluva glitch.

Ricky currently is serving a suspension for his umpteenth (we counted them) violation of the substance-abuse policy. He has petitioned for reinstatement, and a ruling is expected soon.

Scout.com is reporting that the Packers have offered a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick to the Chiefs for running back Larry Johnson.

If true, the report is a stunner. Packers G.M. Ted Thompson doesn't like to pay big money to strangers to the team, and it's going to take really big money to keep Johnson beyond 2007, the last year of his rookie deal.

And if an offer that big has been made to the Chiefs for Johnson's rights, the Packers surely have reached a tentative agreement with Johnson's agent on a long-term deal. Otherwise, the Packers would be picking up Johnson for only one season before having to either use the franchise tag or let him walk away.

Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who is expected by many league observers to be cut if/when the team acquires quarterback Trent Green, has sent an e-mail to all Dolphins' beat writers regarding the quarterback's health condition and overall situation.

The tone of the statement is kind of defiant, but not really. And kind of angry, but not really.

Says Culpepper: "I have been frustrated since last year about the way that my injury and rehab have been portrayed. I want to take this opportunity to clear things up. When my initial injury happened with the Vikings I was told to expect a 12-18 month process of healing from the time of surgery which was in November 2005. The Dolphins were told the same thing. When I was cleared to practice and play ahead of schedule that meant that my ligaments were stable. However, I was not 100% by anyone's evaluation in terms of mobility.

He then explains that he suffered a new injury in 2006, to his kneecap. Eventually, he had surgery to correct the problem, with a 4-6 month recovery time.

"I have been told to begin to ease into things after May 1st. . . . I must say based on how I feel, I am right on schedule. It may not meet the timeframe of some peoples [sic] expectations, and if not I understand. I just won't let those expectations cause me to make the same mistake again. I plan on playing at a high level for a lot longer in this league, so I want to do what is necessary to get healthy and stay healthy."

Our take is that Culpepper knows he's getting pushed out by new coach Cam Cameron, and that Culpepper doesn't want the excuse to be, "Well, he still has a bad knee." We also think that Culpepper wants to create a market for himself elsewhere, if/when he's available.

And since he is still acting as his own agent, Culpepper was the one to get the word out. In our view, he was wise to do so on the eve of the draft, since his potential availability could be a factor in some of the decisions that are -- and aren't -- made over the next four days.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that running back Adrian Peterson says that he won't miss any time due to a collarbone that he re-injured during the Fiesta Bowl.

Per Schefter, Peterson says that he'll be able to fully participate in all offseason activities.

With that said, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Peterson's agent, Ben Dogra, concedes that Peterson might need surgery, which would knock him out of all offseason workouts.

Dogra says that the team that drafts Peterson will have to decide whether a plate should be surgically inserted into the site of the injury.

"It's not a foregone that he'll need the surgery," said Dogra. "It's only if their doctor thinks he requires it. That's why it hasn't happened yet. If they do plate it, doctors have assured us that he'll have only 4-6 weeks of down time, meaning that if he has it in May, he'll be back in time for camp.

"I have not heard from the Browns as to what they would do," Dogra said. "But one way or the other, he'll be ready for the season."

At least one team with whom we spoke (but who won't be drafting Peterson) thinks that surgery is not necessary. The key question is whether the Browns think the plate is needed and, if so, whether that's enough to get them to look elsewhere with the No. 3 overall pick.

If the Browns pass, the question then becomes whether another interested team -- such as the Cardinals at No. 5 or the Vikings at No. 7 -- answer both of those same questions in the affirmative. At some point, a team will decide either that he doesn't need surgery, or that they don't care about the effect of the surgery on his preparations for the 2007 season.

Despite reports that Falcons owner Arthur Blank has instructed G.M. Rick McKay to move up from the No. 8 overall spot in the draft to get receiver Calvin Johnson, we're told that the team that holds the No. 2 overall selection has yet to hear from the Falcons.

Though the Lions fully expect to be contacted by the Falcons, could it be that the Falcons have opted to go straight to the top of the draft, and will attempt to strike a deal with the Raiders?

There's zero indication that the Falcons are talking to the Raiders, who have been remarkably tight-lipped about their plans. But if McKay's orders are to get Johnson, and if there's an open question as to whether the Raiders will draft him, the best way to keep the boss happy (other than bringing him a daily calzone from Paisano's) would be to get all the way to No. 1.

Under the trade value chart developed by Jimmy Johnson in the 1990s, the Falcons would have to come up with 1,600 points in addition to the 1,400 points that apply to the No. 8 pick. The rest of the team's selections in the 2007 draft barely equate to 1,400 points; thus, the Falcons would also need to include 200 points from the 2008 draft.

The 2008 second-rounder that they received from the Texans might be the gap-bridger in this regard.

Then again, Raiders owner Al Davis might decide to put his thumb on the scale, and justifiably so. If running back Ricky Williams was worth the Saints' entire 1999 draft and a first-rounder the following year, then Johnson is worth the same, if not more.

Stay tuned on this one. Because the owner reportedly wants to make it happen, McKay and coach Bobby Petrino are in a no-lose situation. If the deal backfires and the Falcons stink for the next five years (or more) because they gave up so many draft picks, both McKay and Petrino will be able to cover their butts by pointing to Mr. Blank's decision to mortgage the future by going after a guy who could become the post-Vick face of the franchise.

In the process of tracking down rumors regarding whether the Raiders will trade receiver Randy Moss to the Packers (or anyone else) before or during the draft, we've re-confirmed that Packers quarterback Brett Favre is "certain" that Moss will be a member of the team in 2007.

This doesn't mean that Moss will be traded to Green Bay on Thursday or Friday, or that the trade will come during the first day of the draft.

It also doesn't mean that Moss ever will be a Packer. It only means that Favre was -- and still is -- "certain" that Moss will join the team.

It could be that Favre, through his agent Bus Cook, is privy to Randy's plan to refuse any and all overtures aimed at reducing his $9.75 million salary for 2007. The Raiders surely can't keep him around at that number, which means that at worst he'd be cut in August -- and then would be free to sign with the Packers.

If, of course, Moss is cut, the next question becomes whether he'd choose the Packers over any other team. But the fact that Favre is certain of the eventual arrival suggests to us that Brett has been talking to Randy, and that Randy is every bit as excited about playing for the Packers in 2007 as he was about playing for the Raiders in 2005.

First, there was the water bottle incident. Then, the lame-ass excuse for the water bottle incident. Next, the pathetic, publicity-seeking, pocket-change (for him) contribution to the families of the Virginia Tech shootings. Afterwards, his failure to show up for a plane flight that would have taken him to D.C. so that he could honor a commitment to lobby for increased funding of after-school programs. Subsequently, the search of his home in Virginia, where neglected animals are found on the premises.

Now, it has been disclosed for the first time that Vick earned three points in Turd Watch for his team in February.

Per the Hampton Roads Daily Press, Vick is scheduled to appear in Court on Thursday in connection with trespassing charges. Vick allegedly was fishing illegally in the Western Branch lake, and was charged with a class three misdemeanor.

If he pays the fine, the hearing won't occur. As of Wednesday afternoon, the fine wasn't paid.

Would anyone be shocked if Vick doesn't pay the fine and doesn't show up in Court?

Meanwhile, a misdemeanor is a misdemeanor. Vick gets three points for the Falcons, and his name will be added to the PFT Police Blotter.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Indianapolis Colts have opted not to match the offer sheet signed by starting cornerback Jason David with the Saints.

As a result, David becomes the property of the Saints -- and the Colts pick up a fourth-round draft pick from New Orleans as compensation.

David was the last restricted free agent to sign an offer sheet this year. As of April 20, the window for signing restricted free agents from other teams closed, and the players became the exclusive property of their current teams.

As ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli correctly observed last week, cornerbacks are less valuable in the Tampa Two defense than they are in other schemes, since they primarily are asked to cover short zones and help defend against the run. Safeties, who are expected to have the speed to cover deep zones and the strength and toughness to make tackles, are much more valuable commodities in the attack that the Colts employ.

As reported last night by FOX 43 and WAVY-TV, property in Virginia owned by Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has been searched by police. Per the reports, several animal control trucks were on the scene, and the sound of barking dogs could be heard.

Most of the "real" media is chasing this latest story with the same zeal that was displayed after Vick was sued for giving a former girlfriend herpes and after a water bottle with a hidden compartment that smelled not of water was found in his possession in a Miami airport. But there are indications that this one could be (key words: "could be") a doozy.

Though Franklin doesn't specify the illegal activity, our own Taco Bill has found a report regarding the story on Pet-Abuse.com containing the following paragraph that is nothing short of a bombshell:

"Early reports indicate that Vick was allegedly running a dog-fighting and cockfighting operation from the back of the home. The Virginia Animal Fighting Taskforce was on the scene. Authorities report that Vick had been under investigation for several years for illegal animal fighting."

(It's not presently known whether any roosters named "Little Jerry Seinfeld" were found on the property.)

Though it is being emphasized in media reports that Vick is rarely at the property, he owns the place -- and he surely has an inkling of what is going on there. Especially since the FOX 43 report shows images of three buildings on the property that apparently housed the dogs. Those buildings didn't just build themselves; there's a chance that they were designed to be kennels, and that Vick approved the plans and wrote the check to get them built.

Last week, we posted an item criticizing the aforementioned Mr. Vick for donating what likely amounts to less than one week's worth of interest that he earns on the money that he has in the bank to the families of the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. Our opinions drew strong reactions in support of -- and in opposition to -- our opinion that it was a cheesy, superficial P.R. stunt by a guy whose image needs a colon cleansing.

One of the voices who opposed our views asked us to identify whether other former Hokies were doing anything to help the cause.

Former Tech football player Justin Hamilton is organizing a drive to raise money for scholarships in memory of each of the persons killed on April 16.

"I was feeling guilty last week," Hamilton said. "I knew I was in a position to do something, but I didn't know what to do. I wanted to do something so that people will remember the victims' names forever."

So Hamilton has teamed up with former Tech linebacker Brenden Hill (a late-round pick at best in this weekend's draft) to challenge players from every pro sports league, NASCAR, tennis, and track and field to donate to the cause.

Hamilton has led the charge by pledging $50,000 of his own money. As a rookie with the Browns in 2006, he made only $275,000 in salary.

Applying that same ratio to Mr. Vick, his contribution would be at least seven figures.

We applaud Hamilton and Hill for their efforts, and we hope that -- at a minimum -- every current and former pro athlete who attended Virginia Tech will make a significant contribution.

A league source told us on Wednesday -- before the issues regarding the search of Michael Vick's property came to light -- that Falcons coach Bobby Petrino is not overly enamored with Vick and that the team could be targeting a quarterback on the first day of the draft.

Before former backup Matt Schaub was traded to the Texans, we believed that Vick had one year to convince Petrino that he could be the guy over the long haul. Once Schaub was dealt, we assumed that Vick had two more years, and that if he didn't get it done in 2007 Petrino would target former Louisville pupil Brian Brohm in the 2008 draft.

If the Falcons take a quarterback in rounds one through three, it could be that Vick's time in Atlanta is winding to a close.

The bigger factor regarding Vick's future, in our view, is whether the Falcons trade up to No. 2 for receiver Calvin Johnson. Don Banks of SI.com reported on Wednesday that owner Arthur Blank has instructed G.M. Rick McKay to land the former Georgia Tech standout. With the locally beloved Johnson on the team, it would become much easier from a business standpoint for the Falcons to tell Vick to move on. (Or move out.)

On the same day that it was first disclosed that quarterback/CAA client Brady Quinn has received a contract offer from the Raiders to become the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Don Banks of SI.com reports that running back/CAA client Adrian Peterson re-injured his collarbone in the Fiesta Bowl, and that he'll miss all of the offseason workouts of the team that drafts him.

All 32 teams have known about the re-injury since the scouting combine in February. So why did it come out now, on the same day that it was first reported that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to clamp down on breaches of confidentiality?

Here's our theory/hypothesis/idea we yanked from our anal cleft: We think that, with the Browns widely believed to be choosing between CAA clients Quinn and Peterson at No. 3, the well-timed disclosure was made by CAA to help take steam out of talk of conflicts of interest and other unsavory matters.

In light of Banks' report, it's now obvious that Peterson won't be drafted at No. 3. And with coaches installing much of the offense and defense in the offseason program, Peterson's absence will definitely impact preparations for his rookie season.

Though Banks thinks he won't get past No. 10 to Houston, we think this could drop him to the Bills at No. 12.

We came across an interesting item on ESPN.com on Wednesday night regarding the Raiders' ongoing deliberations at the top of the draft.

Per Len Pasquarelli, the Raiders have not made an offer to agent Tom Condon for quarterback Brady Quinn. Len doesn't name his source, citing only someone "close to Quinn."

Is that person Condon? And could it be that Condon's disclosure to Pasquarelli is aimed at further reducing the potential pressure that could result from Quinn realizing that an offer had been made?

This sentence makes us particularly leery: "Oakland officials might feel that Condon would quickly accept a solid proposal, since his client is the least likely of the three prospects under consideration to be chosen with the top pick," Pasquarelli writes.

Condon would never accept a "solid proposal." He wants each and every client to stuff his face at the owner's trough of cash. In our view, a "solid proposal" that would get Condon to bite quickly would amount to the deal given to No. 1 pick Mario Williams in 2006, plus 10 percent or so. Condon knows that anything less than that would be used against him by other agents in recruiting.

The root of the problem, as we pointed out earlier in the day, is that Quinn would want to quickly accept a solid proposal, even if it is worth the same (or even less) than what Williams got a year ago, since the real question is whether Quinn is being offered more by the Raiders than what he'd get if he were picked at a spot lower than No. 1.

And it could be that the disclosure regarding the Adrian Peterson injury (scroll up) is aimed primarily at Quinn and his family, since this will tend to make them more confident in the reality that the Browns will take Quinn at No. 3.

Which in turn will make Quinn and his family less likely to push for Condon to make a deal at No. 1 that would be good for Quinn, but bad for Condon.

Vick's nephew lives in the home, which is located in Surry County, Virginia. Vick does not reside there.

The reason for the search warrant is not yet known. But FOX 43 reports that several animal control trucks were on the property, and that barking dogs could be heard.

Hopefully Vick's nephew had the foresight to squirrel away any valuables in a water bottle with a hidden compartment.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network confirms that the Raiders are negotiating with the agents for quarterback JaMarcus Russell, receiver Calvin Johnson, and quarterback Brady Quinn.

And that, of course, reminds us of folks who were insisting that Reggie Bush would be the No. 1 pick in 2006 "no matter what."

We're not saying that Russell won't be the guy, but what if coach Lane Kiffin has decided that Quinn has more potential to be successful at the NFL level? What if Kiffin thinks Quinn is the better potential leader? What if Kiffin has concluded that there's more to being a pro quarterback than throwing the ball 80 yards? What if Kiffin is troubled by the beer belly that Russell grew in six weeks after the Sugar Bowl?

Or what if the Raiders have come to the realization that the safest course is to take the sure thing in Calvin Johnson?

The Raiders are a secretive bunch and, with Mike Lombardi now frozen out of the draft process, there are no leaks.

Besides, Al Davis has never held all the cards like this in the modern Mel Kiper era of the draft. Davis, we believe, is trying to keep everyone guessing -- and loving every minute of it.

So thanks, Mr. Davis, for giving us some genuine drama in the days leading up to the draft. We hope it lasts as long as possible.

A reader has helped us connect the dots regarding the reported trade talks between the Broncos and Texans, which would allow Denver to move from No. 21 to No. 10 in the 2007 draft.

Though the belief is that the Broncos are trying to get in position to draft linebacker Patrick Willis, defensive end Adam Carriker, or defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, it could be that the Broncos are planning to offer up the No. 10 overall pick to the Lions as an alternative to the offer that the Broncos reportedly have made in order to land receiver Calvin Johnson.

As we've explained, the Lions' primary concern regarding the Broncos' prior offer of a one, a two, and a three in 2007 and a one in 2008 is that Detroit would then be picking too low at No. 21 to get one of the guys they want.

And it's believed that the Lions want linebacker Patrick Willis or defensive end Gaines Adams. So they come out of the draft with a player they covet, they pay the guy a lot less in the No. 10 slot, and they snare some extra picks.

The only problem is that, under the trade chart, the Broncos need to come up with 1,300 points through picks other than the No. 10 selection. Without a second-round pick (which would likely go to Houston as part of the move from No. 21 to No. 10), it might be hard for the Broncos to pull it off.

Adam Caplan and Tony Pauline of Scout.com report that the Texans and the Broncos are negotiating a trade that would result in the two teams trading the No. 10 and No. 21 overall picks in the draft.

In moving to No. 10, the Broncos reportedly would be targeting linebacker Patrick Willis, defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, and defensive end Adam Carriker. The primary target could be Willis -- and landing a spot in front of the 49ers will help to ensure that they get him.

It's unclear what the Broncos will be giving up to climb eleven spots. Under the trade chart, the move is worth 500 points.

Denver's second-round pick (No. 56 overall) is worth 340 points. The Broncos' third-round pick (No. 86 overall) is worth 160 points.

The Texans don't have a second-round pick, due to the Matt Schaub trade. They hold the ninth pick (No. 73 overall) in round three.

A league source tells us that several teams, including the Texans, are trying to persuade defensive end Grant Wistrom to abandon his plans to retire and return to the NFL for at least one more season.

Wistrom announced his plans to walk away from the game (while he can still walk) not long after being cut by the Seahawks. Last week, Wistrom said that he plans to return to his home state of Missouri and work as an assistant high school football coach.

Though Wistrom started every game in 2006, the thinking in the immediate wake of his release was that his body was too banged up to continue playing.

There's a potentially intriguing story developing at the top end of the draft. On Tuesday, we reported that the Raiders are negotiating with quarterback JaMarcus Russell, receiver Calvin Johnson, and quarterback Brady Quinn at the top of the draft.

As we reported roughly an hour ago on an unexpected (but much appreciated) appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, a league source tells us that the Raiders have made a "lowball" offer to Quinn.

The question, from Quinn's perspective, is whether the "lowball" is more than the "highball" he'd get at a lower draft position. In the NFL, the players are paid based on the slot in which they are drafted. At the top of round one, the drop from No. 1 to, say, No. 7 is steep.

So if Quinn isn't the No. 1 pick and if he ends up being picked by the Vikings at No. 7, the question is whether the Raiders' offer is worth more than what Quinn would get at No. 7. If it is, he should take the Raiders' offer -- especially since being the No. 1 overall pick would enhance (we believe) his off-field earning potential.

But there are some problems with this analysis. First, agent Tom Condon would never allow Quinn to take a lowball offer at No. 1, since the magnitude of the Quinn deal would then be used against Condon in future recruiting efforts by agents who would say to the potential client, "Condon got screwed by the Raiders on the Quinn deal."

The irony here, as we see it, is that Condon's allegiance to his own interests (if, in the end, his advice to Quinn is to not take the offer) really isn't that much different than Bill Henkel's allegiance to his own interests when he allegedly took a $75,000 kickback from a company that did a deal with his former client LaDainian Tomlinson.

In both cases, the agent advances his personal agenda at the direct financial expense of his client.

The second problem is that, if Quinn doesn't go No. 1, the key spot for him will be No. 3, where the Browns are believed to be debating whether to take Quinn or running back Adrian Peterson. So if Quinn turns down a "lowball" offer at No. 1, he'll be counting on landing at No. 3, where he'd possibly get paid almost as much via the slotting process as he would get under a "lowball" offer from the Raiders.

But Condon's firm, CAA, also represents Peterson. We've previously commented on the potential conflict of interest resulting from this arrangement; if Quinn isn't the guy at No. 1, the conflict at No. 3 comes into much sharper focus.

How in the hell does CAA walk that tightrope? An agent's only job at this time of year is to pimp his client. So if Quinn doesn't do a deal with the Raiders at No. 1, then Tom Condon of CAA will be calling the Browns to get them to take Quinn instead of Peterson, while Ben Dogra of CAA is calling the Browns to get them to take Peterson instead of Quinn.

The unknown factor in all of this is whether Quinn even wants to play for the Raiders, and whether any misgivings about playing for Oakland override his desire to be the No. 1 overall pick.

Still, if Quinn wants to go No. 1 for reasons other than the money, then someone needs to explain to him that the agency representing him has a very real conflict of interest that might be coloring the advice Quinn is getting.

Several years ago, Condon withdrew from the representation of Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson because (as we heard at the time) Condon didn't want to be associated with a six-year deal for a player taken at the bottom of round one. In this specific case, it could be that Condon's best call is to walk away again.

Given the rule imposing a five-day waiting period before a new agent can be signed, however, Quinn would have to finish the Oakland deal without the benefit of an NFLPA-certified agent.

We don't know how it's going to turn out. However it does, who would have thought that the presumptive No. 1 pick from a year ago at this time would fade from the top spot and then potentially re-emerge at the eleventh hour?

Updating the prior story regarding the Dante Hall trade, the Rams and Chiefs also swapped third-round picks as part of the deal.

As a result, the Rams move from No. 82 to No. 84 and the Chiefs move from No. 84 to No. 82.

Some league insiders are confused by the Rams' decision to make the move. As one media source pointed out to us, Rams kick returner Willie Ponder had a higher per-return average in 2006 than Hall.

A league source tells us that, despite John Clayton's theory that a trade of quarterback Trent Green from the Chiefs to the Dolphins could push the Raiders to take receiver Calvin Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick by making Fins quarterback Daunte Culpepper available to the Raiders and thus making JaMarcus Russell unnecessary (whew), the Raiders see the decision to pick or not pick Russell as unrelated to the question of whether Culpepper might ultimately be signed, assuming that Culpepper eventually becomes available.

Per the source, the Raiders could end up with both Russell and Culpepper, with the veteran serving as the short-term starter and Russell learning for the sidelines.

It makes sense to us. Unlike Clayton's theory, which makes no sense to us. Or anyone else from whom we've heard.

The real trade possibility to watch over the next few days involves a player who currently is on the Raiders' roster.

There is increasing chatter from our readers regarding Internet message board talk about Oakland receiver Randy Moss being sent to the Packers on draft day. As one of the Wild West, uncorroborated computer rumors goes, Moss was in Green Bay for several hours this week -- as testified to by someone's brother's cousin's friend's aunt's daughter's accountant's paper boy.

We're working right now on whether or not there might be anything to this. If a deal goes down, then it makes the Raiders more likely to take receiver Calvin Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick.

But it doesn't mean that they will. Just as the Raiders could proceed with both JaMarcus Russell and Daunte Culpepper at quarterback, they also could start the Lane Kiffin era without Moss or Johnson at wideout.

Sirius NFL Radio reports that the Chiefs have traded receiver/kick returner Dante Hall to the St. Louis Rams for a fifth-round pick in the 2007 draft.

We reported a week or so ago that the Chiefs were shopping Hall, whose production has dropped a bit since he had one of the best seasons ever for a kick returner in 2003.

The only knock on Hall is that he's never been able to fully develop as a receiver. At age 28, Hall still has several more years to make it happen.

There are a lot of things that can affect a guy's draft stock. An untimely injury. A coaching staff that didn't properly use him in college. A bad burrito the night before running the 40.

In the case of UNLV cornerback Eric Wright (whose situation our newest addition Michael David Smith addressed two days ago), he's truly in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This year, on the heels of a one-year suspension of cornerback Pacman Jones and the issuance of a new Personal Conduct Policy that could punish teams who have too many turds on the roster, Wright's draft stock is likely going to suffer.

In any other year, Wright's situation would be easily excused. Rape accusations were made, and then dropped. Ecstasy pills were found in his dorm room. After (we're told) it became clear that the pills were found in a common area of a multi-room suite as part of a search to which Wright freely consented, the charges were dropped.

Jake Curtis of the San Francisco Chronicle looks at Wright's situation, and explains the reality that, in the age of "making it rain," guys like Wright could result in teams taking a pass.

Though we realize that it's important for teams to be more careful than ever regarding off-field problems, how is it that Wright is perceived to be radioactive by some when dropped sexual assault charges aren't hurting Cal running back Marshawn Lynch?

Is it because Wright plays cornerback -- and thus is more easily compared to Pacman Jones?

If that's what's happening, it's unfortunate and stoopid. Each guy is different, regardless of the position he plays. Pacman Jones pleaded guilty in college to whacking a guy with a pool cue. Even though former Titans G.M. Floyd Reese claims that there were no other signs of trouble with Jones (a claim that we find very hard to believe given Jones' behavior over the past two years), smacking a guy with a pool cue should be enough evidence to deter a team from taking a guy with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft.

And if dropped charges are going to affect Wright, they also should affect Lynch. But maybe one instance of dropped charges should affect neither guy.

Though we tend to get skeptical when a guy has a string of incidents that resulted in an arrest but an abandoned prosecution, Wright and Lynch are no different than the Duke lacrosse players. (For clarity, Lynch was never arrested or charged; a complaint was made and no action was taken on it.) All were innocent of the only charges ever filed against them, and none of them have any other glitches with the law that would make us think that maybe there is some fire beneath all of the smoke.

"But Wright withdrew from USC under duress," some might say. What about the Duke lacrosse players? They didn't even get a chance to walk -- they were promptly told to get the hell out.

Though we're not saying teams shouldn't be cautious, there's a balancing act in which every NFL franchise must engage as to guys like this. As we've said in the past, it's too easy to get a guy arrested and too hard to get him convicted. So we don't advocate a policy that throws a guy out of the league for one arrest that resulted in the charges being dropped, and we likewise don't think that a team should pass on a guy for that same reason.

But, if it happens, someone is going to get a corner who can run a 4.36 at a bargain-basement price.

There is growing suspicion in some league circles that the current contract conundrum between the Steelers and guard Alan Faneca might be the product of some wink-nod off-the-record conversations between Faneca and/or his agent and coaches and/or front-office employees with the Arizona Cardinals, regarding the possibility of Faneca landing in Arizona either this year via trade or next year via free agency.

There's no hard proof that this is happening. And it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out the link between Faneca and current Cardinals offensive line coach/former Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm -- especially since Faneca wanted Grimm to be the head coach of the Steelers.

The fact that the Cardinals have a crappy offensive line that became even crappier due to the departure of Leonard Davis to Dallas makes the possible link even stronger, as does the fact that the Cardinals have the cap room to pay Faneca. And the Steelers don't.

Even if Faneca never lands with the Cardinals, any communications aimed at laying the foundation for a trade or a signing would constitute blatant violations of the tampering rules. Whether the Steelers would file tampering charges remains to be seen, and whether the league would do anything about it is a separate issue.

With all that said, there is suspicion (and, for now, suspicion only) that something could be happening. We're not saying anything is happening or will happen. Yet.

Steve Wyche of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has some more details regarding the events that resulted in Falcons quarterback Mike Vick missing a commitment to assist with lobbying of lawmakers in D.C. for increased funding of after-school programs.

Vick was in Tampa on Monday, where he played in Falcons running back Warrick Dunn's charity golf tournament. Vick planned to arrive in Washington on Monday night, flying from Tampa to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to D.C.

But the flight from Tampa left late, arriving in Atlanta at 8:35 p.m. EDT, three minutes after Vick's connecting flight departed for D.C. There were two flights just after 9:00 p.m. to the D.C. area, but both were booked. (Surely, he could have offered someone $10,000 to give up their seat.)

Here's the kicker -- Vick ultimately was booked on a 10:50 p.m. flight to D.C., and he didn't show for it. The plane made the trip with 33 empty seats.

We write this item knowing that we'll get a bunch of e-mails from Vick apologists who claim that we simply hate Vick and nothing he ever does will change our mind.

The truth is that the guy could do something to change our mind, but to date he hasn't. He made a commitment to be in D.C. on Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. He encountered what most members of the traveling public would describe as a normal and relatively common inconvenience. And, by all appearances, he decided to just go home.

Unless and until Vick offers up a plausible explanation for his failure to follow through on his promises, we'll assume that he simply decided that he didn't feel like honoring his word.

We reported a couple of months back that the Packers had offered quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Raiders for receiver Randy Moss. The deal hasn't gone down -- and even if Moss is shipped to Green Bay it doesn't mean that Rodgers will be the guy who goes to Oakland.

But a reader has pointed out to us an item from the web site of D1 Sports Training. One of the co-owners of the facility is Packers quarterback Ingle Martin. And the site declares that Martin is currently the second-string quarterback of the Packers.

It could be that the site was last updated after Rodgers was injured in 2006, which elevated Martin to No. 2 (but for only two days, until Todd Bauman was signed). Or it could be that Martin is under the impression that he'll be the No. 2 to Brett Favre in 2007, even if Rodgers is still on the team.

And the struggles of Rodgers in Green Bay are a lesson to any team that is drafting in the bottom half of round one. Even if a team is reasonably certain that a player slated to go in the top of the draft will be long gone by the time it picks, there's still plenty of wisdom in doing a full work-up for every guy in which the team would potentially be interested, if he were to drop.

As the legend goes, the Packers assumed Rodgers would be long gone, and as a result they hadn't fully evaluated him. With that full evaluation, it's possible that Rodgers would have continued to slide past No. 24.

Both charges, per a criminal complaint obtained by Liz Mullen of Sports Business Daily, are felonies.

Henkel, a former IMG employee, now operates 10 Sports Marketing. He represents guys like Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson and Panthers receiver Steve Smith.

The charges arise from allegations that resulted in civil litigation filed more than a year ago. In that suit, Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (a former Henkel client) submitted an affidavit alleging that Henkel took a secret $75,000 kickback from a memorabilia company as part of a deal that Tomlinson signed with it.

Some league insiders are speculating that the prosecution is the product of retaliation from agent Tom Condon of CAA, whose firm secured the representation of Peterson for his football contract but lost the marketing rights to Henkel. Despite the fact that Condon's name appears at the very top of an 18-person list of government witnesses, we doubt that Condon has enough juice in Johnson County, Kansas to gin up a prosecution where the facts don't support it.

In this case, LaDainian Tomlinson already has testified, via affidavit, that Henkel took the $75,000 kickback. When a guy is working as the agent for an athlete, the agent has a fiduciary (thanks, Tiki) duty to the athlete. If the company were willing to siphon an extra $75,000 to the agent, that's $75,000 more that could have -- and should have -- gone to the athlete.

If Tomlinson's version of the events is true, and if the prosecution can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, Henkel is screwed. And, if the allegations are indeed true, Henkel deserves it. Too many people smile at these athletes and smack them on the back, while at the same time picking their pockets. These players are young, and most of them have real money for the first time in their lives. They're looking for someone to trust, and it that trust is breached there must be a harsh consequence.

So we're not surprised by this one. We've heard plenty of rumors over the years of guys playing both sides of the fence, getting their fee from the client and getting a little taste (or a big taste) from the company with whom the player has just done business.

But it's usually difficult if not impossible to prove, and we're curious to know if Tomlinson uncovered the scheme on his own or with the help of Condon or someone else who was working with Condon and Henkel at IMG when the events transpired.

Regardless, the evidence is now on the table. In our view, Henkel needs a good lawyer and an even better explanation. Otherwise, the kickback for his next endorsement deal will be a pack of cigarettes and a shiv.

There are rumors making the rounds that the St. Louis Rams have contacted teams at the bottom of round one regarding the possibility of getting a chance to pick BYU quarterback John Beck before the Lions use their second-round draft selection.

The Rams most likely wouldn't be trading down from the No. 13 spot; they'd be trading up from their spot in round two, where they hold the 20th (No. 52 overall) pick.

Marc Bulger currently is the starting quarterback in St. Louis, but he was signed by a prior regime. And Bulger is under contract only through 2007, at a salary of $3.95 million. If the Rams believed Bulger to be the long-term answer, wouldn't they have extended him by now?

Hey, Rams -- why not offer Bulger and the No. 13 overall pick to the Lions and move up to No. 2? Then St. Louis can get either JaMarcus Russell or Brady Quinn.

If they even would want them. The Rams could be one of the teams who view guys like John Beck as better than Russell or Quinn.

Anyway, the draft is nearly upon us. For the next three days, we'll be increasing the frequency of our updates, which will culminate in a full-blown Live Blog of the entire NFL draft on Saturday and Sunday.

For now, though, the focus will be the rumors and news and anything else related to the draft (or anything else that catches our eye). And the Countdown to the Draft is presented by The Comebacks, a Fox Atomic film that will be released on August 24, 2007.

So do us a favor and click the play button in the video box at the top of the page and watch the clip. And then meet The Comebacks by clicking on the link below the video player.

Jarrett Bell of USA Today reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell intends to punish team officials who leak otherwise confidential information.

In a memo to all 32 teams, Goodell wrote that such leaks would be regarded as "conduct detrimental to the game," and violators would be subject to a penalty that has not yet been determined.

"I'm troubled by the breach of confidentiality," Goodell told Bell. "Whenever you get into these situations leading up to the draft, you have a lot of misinformation put out there. We've got to be very careful not to let information that is supposed to be confidential get distributed."

Bell also reports that Goodell has launched an investigation into a recent report that Calvin Johnson, Gaines Adams, and Amobi Okoye admitted to marijuana use during their combine interviews.

Said Chargers G.M. A.J. Smith: "It's very disturbing to a lot of us, for something to be set up like the combine that benefits all of us, then you have people who take it upon themselves to ruin it for everybody.

Please, A.J. If you can truthfully say that you have never shared confidential information of any kind with a reporter in order to curry favor with said reporter, then please continue to complain about this issue. Otherwise, don't throw stones from the porch of your plate glass penthouse. (We know that penthouses don't have porches, but we liked the sound of it.)

Absent a device to force reporters (and hacks like us) to disclose their sources, there's no way to prove the identity of the leaker -- assuming that the leaker didn't make the phone calls or send the e-mails from team-owned equipment that is subject to review by the club or by the league. (Note to all of our sources -- it might be a good idea to use the personal cell phone and the AOL e-mail account.)

Of course, the league also could pull a Hewlett-Packard and request personal phone records of employees by pretending to be the employee. But that might not be the best (i.e., most legal) way to conduct an investigation.

The reality is that people will always talk to the media about things that they shouldn't be talking about. It happens in sports, it happens in government. It happens in any industry to which the press is paying attention.

And while we respect the league's efforts to protect certain information, we suggest that the Commish be prepared to exercise a certain amount of restraint in this regard. It's now clear that he has the ability to impose any and every potential penalty against league employees and players who have, in his assessment, engaged in detrimental conduct, but if it ever appears that the power is being abused, the power likely will be eroded.

A league source tells us that, despite published reports suggesting that the 49ers are the latest team to talk to the Lions about a trade for the No. 2 overall pick, there are and have been no discussions between these two teams.

And, frankly, we're beginning to suspect that the Lions are wrapping their arms around any and all rumors regarding teams who might want to trade up to No. 2 because the Lions are desperate to move out of that spot, pick up more picks, and pay one of the guys they want a lower contract.

Hey, we're not knocking the Lions for trying to create a market for the pick. But we think the truth is that there isn't nearly as much interest in the pick as previously believed.

Once the Raiders pick someone other that Calvin Johnson, however, all of that could change.

Want to know when your favorite team(s) pick? Check out our team-by-team draft picks list, which shows each pick in each round held by each team.

We'll update the list as any trades happen. And we just might go ahead and put in the names of each player selected with each pick.

FOX 5 in Atlanta reports that Chiefs offensive lineman Chris Terry failed to show up for an April 20 hearing in connection with recent assault allegations, and a judge has issued a warrant for his arrest.

"He just knocked me here in my face," says Foronda Stodghill. She alleges that Terry hit her with a fistful of cash, and that he then came back and poured a bottle of beer over her head.

Terry's lawyer claims that his client has been out of town, and efforts had been made to postpone the hearing. But given the recent publicity generated by the suspensions of Pacman and Pukeman, and in light of the Commish's new get-tough Personal Conduct Policy, it was beyond idiotic for Terry not to get his butt to the courtroom. And for his lawyer not to explain to him the dire importance of showing up.

Brace yourself, Chris -- given your history, the decision to diss a judge could be enough to result in a one-year ban.

Meanwhile, the issuance of the arrest warrant isn't enough to re-set the clock that has yet to strike 12. (Or 10.) We'll re-set to zero when Terry is arrested.

We're doing two-a-day to get these things done before the final run-up to the draft.

A league source tells us that there are strong rumors among those who know Lions coach Rod Marinelli that the second-year head coach wants to land Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams in round one and BYU quarterback John Beck at the top of round two.

That's why the Lions want to slide back from the No. 2 overall spot; that's way too high to justify taking (and paying Adams). By moving down, they get Adams at a more reasonable spot -- and at a lower contract.

As to Beck, there's no guarantee he'll be there at the top of round two. As we suggested earlier in the day, someone could trade back into the bottom of round one to snatch Beck or one of the other second-tier quarterbacks before the Lions draft in round two.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Atlanta Falcons sent a contingent of team officials to Baton Rouge on Tuesday to take one last look-see at LSU safety LaRon Landry.

Landry might not be on the board when the Falcons pick at No. 8. If he is, the Falcons might take him.

Then again, it could all be a smokescreen. One high-profile league insider told us on Tuesday that there are more shell games this year than in any other, and that some teams are working out guys in whom they have zero interest, all in the hopes of duping other teams.

If, for example, the Vikings were inclined to trade the No. 7 pick to the Dolphins so that Miami could grab, say, tackle Levi Brown. And let's say that the Falcons secretly want him. Given Schefter's latest, the Vikings would now have to worry about Landry not being there at No. 9, in the Fins' draft spot, if Minny flips with Miami.

So now maybe the Vikes wouldn't do the deal at tall, taking Landry at No. 7 and leaving Brown on the board for the Falcons at No. 8.

Hey, the games that count don't start until September. This is the closest thing we'll see until then.

A day after reporting that Chiefs running back Larry Johnson doesn't appear to be on the trading block, Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Chiefs are indeed shopping the four-year pro.

Per Schefter, the Chiefs have spoken with the Browns, Packers, Titans, Bills and possibly others. To date, the Chiefs haven't gotten close to a deal.

A Chiefs official told Schefter that the team hasn't engaged in "specific" trade talks, but Schefter properly (we believe) discounts the claim as a product of semantics. The Chiefs can't afford to have the quietly temperamental Johnson go T.O. on the team, so any trade effort must be done discreetly.

The biggest impediment to getting a deal done, as Schefter explains, is the money it would take to sign Johnson to a long-term deal. Schefter says that Johnson wants a deal worth more than the eight-year, $60 million package received by Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson two years ago.

In our view, too much has to happen too quickly for a trade to happen before the draft. And given the prevailing thought in league circles that running backs are largely interchangeable, a team in need would be better off making a play for L.T.'s backup, Michael Turner.

Falcons quarterback Mike Vick was supposed to make a well-hyped appearance in Washington on Tuesday in connection with a lobbying effort to persuade federal lawmakers to devote more funding to after-school programs.

He flew from Tampa to Atlanta on Tuesday morning, and didn't make it to a connecting flight to D.C. (It's unclear whether the delay had anything to do with a trick water bottle.)

Though stuff like this happens (especially when the guy who made the commitment to appear doesn't, you know, show up in the town where he'll appear the night before the appearance), it strengthens the perception held by some (including us) that Vick loves to see his name get positive press -- but doesn't like to make the real sacrifices that the public kudos imply.

Hey, kids. Don't worry about it. Mike will make it up to you. By donating $10,000.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network and Howard Balzer of The Sports Xchange report that the Broncos have officially released linebacker Al Wilson.

Wilson has been designated as a post-June 1 release. Per Balzer, there was no reference to Wilson failing a physical. This means that the Broncos will continue to carry his 2007 salary until June 2, at which time he will be wiped off of the books, with the exception of any bonus allocation applicable to 2007. Any remaining bonus allocation will hit the cap in 2008.

The Broncos had tried to trade Wilson, and nearly struck a deal with the Giants. But doctors in New York killed the deal due to concerns regarding a neck injury that Wilson suffered late in the 2006 season.

Wilson is expected to get healthy (without surgery) and then try to return to the NFL. He is 29 years old.

NFL teams frequently perform background checks on college players they're thinking about drafting, and with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell making clear that he means business about keeping troublemakers out of the league, those background checks are more important than ever before.

But according to an article by Jim Trotter of the San Diego Union-Tribune, NFL teams don't always get the best information available about incoming players because they're hiring old white men to look into the backgrounds of young black men.

Trotter quotes Kevin Tucker, director of security for the Phoenix Suns, who says the NFL's league office employs 35 security reps -- and only five are African-American. Tucker also says that 24 teams have employees with the title of Director of Security, and that only two of them are black.

"Not everyone can go into the South Side of Chicago and get the type of information that's beneficial," said Tucker, 41, an African-American who grew up in that neighborhood. "I can go into the South Side of Chicago, I can go into Watts, I can go into Compton, and I also can go to Beverly Hills, wherever, and get the exact information that I need. The people that are staffed presently [on teams] can't."

Per Trotter, Tucker also thinks NFL teams hire too many retired law enforcement officers in their fifties and sixties, who can't relate to the issues that affect players in their early twenties. Tucker says if a team is considering devoting millions of dollars to a player, the team ought to send someone into the player's neighborhood and find out everything it can about him.

And Tucker believes that an old white guy -- no matter how much law enforcement experience he has -- isn't well suited to doing that.

[Editor's note: Of course, if the league starts hiring security officers on the basis of race, the league will be at risk of a lawsuit for reverse discrimination. Given Tucker's beliefs, the league might be able to argue that, as to collecting thorough and accurate intelligence regarding African-American players, skin color is a bona fide occupational qualification.]

A league source tells us that the Raiders aren't talking only to quarterback JaMarcus Russell and receiver Calvin Johnson about a contract at the No. 1 slot in the draft.

Per the source, discussions are also being conducted with the representatives of quarterback Brady Quinn.

It's still unclear whether the Raiders are presently leaning toward any one of the three guys. One league insider believes that Quinn is in the mix solely for negotiating leverage. But the source also says that he wouldn't be shocked if the Raiders take Quinn instead of Russell.

Attention, PFT Planet. Starting tomorrow, we'll have five straight days of the most thorough coverage of the NFL draft.

From Wednesday through Friday, we'll be presenting the "PFT Countdown To The Draft," sponsored by The Comebacks, a feature film that opens on August 24.

And on Saturday and Sunday our friends at Sprint and Nextel are presenting the first-ever, non-stop, two-day Live Blog of the NFL Draft.

On Monday, if we survive, we'll continue plugging along with daily updates and rumors and new and stuff we make up until training camps open.

We'd previously heard strong rumors of the departure of Raiders personnel exec Mike Lombardi from the organization. There were rumors he was getting bounced, and there were rumors that he was looking for a new landing spot in Tennessee.

We're now being told by multiple league sources that Lombardi is being frozen out of the team's draft preparations. One source says that he is not participating at all in the team's contract discussions with potential No. 1 overall picks (more on that later), and another source says that he has been excluded from some draft meetings.

It makes sense to make a move with a personnel employee after the draft. Firing him before the draft enables him to carry his knowledge of the team's draft plans (and his views on the current draft class) to a new city.

In this case, it appears that Lombardi's departure has been looming for a while. After the draft, it's pretty clear that the end will finally come. Whether he is terminated or "resigns" (a la Charley Casserly a year ago in Houston), it's clear to us that it's over for Lombardi in Oakland.

Sorry, John. We know you just got some fancy-shmancy lifetime achievement award from the PFWA, so we probably should play nice.

But you also should be glad that the voters cast their ballots before they got an earful of your theory that Trent Green is somehow the key to the 2007 draft.

We hadn't heard about this specific thought process until the Poobah's cousin Josh called this morning and said, "Is John Clayton on drugs?"

"Not that I know of," was the response. But after Josh explained Clayton's belief that the Raiders will take receiver Calvin Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick if the Chiefs trade Green to the Dolphins, I asked Josh: "Is John Clayton on drugs?"

Clayton's hypothesis is that, if the Chiefs trade Green to the Dolphins before the draft, the Dolphins will eventually cut Daunte Culpepper. With Daunte Culpepper likely to be on the market, Raiders owner Al Davis then will decide that he doesn't need to take quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

But even though many in the media are writing off the ability of Davis to make good decisions in light of his age and health, we think that his mind is as sharp as it ever was. Though we believe that the Raiders should take Johnson, the possible ability to sign a potentially washed-up quarterback with limited mobility will not be enough to get the Raiders not to take Russell.

The biggest flaw in Clayton's argument is that he assumes that if Green isn't traded to the Fins by the end of the week, Culpepper won't be cut by the Dolphins before the start of the season. But there's no way that the Chiefs will keep Green at his $7.2 million salary, and the Fins won't sign Green and keep Culpepper at $5.5 million. So even if the Fins don't get Green by Saturday, it's a safe bet that they eventually will -- and that Culpepper eventually will be available.

We also think that Clayton's argument presumes that the Chiefs are too stupid to realize that they should delay the trade of Trent Green until after the Raiders exercise the No. 1 overall pick. With the Dolphins selecting at No. 9 and the Chiefs twiddling their thumbs until No. 23, there will be plenty of time on Saturday afternoon to get the deal done, if the Chiefs hope to keep Davis from concluding that he should take Johnson because he's got a chance to get Culpepper.

The bottom line, then, is that the question of whether the Raiders take Johnson over Russell or Russell over Johnson has nothing at all to do with whether Trent Green gets traded to the Dolphins before Saturday at noon.

A league source tells us that the NFL finally has disseminated the list of players who tested positive for drugs or steroids or other banned substances at the February combine.

The source won't say who tested positive (that's okay -- someone will eventually blab), but the source says that "no one important" is on the list of guys whose liquid waste product was determined to have stuff in it that it shouldn't have had. In it.

The number of positive results, we're told, is more than one and less than five. We're also told that no one who would have been drafted on the first day (i.e., in rounds one through three) is on the list.

Anyone who tests positive at the combine either is really stupid or has a substance-abuse/steroid problem. They all know when the combine will occur, and they all know they'll be tested there.

In fact, we've heard rumors in the past of players going on marijuana binges after giving their samples, and then bragging about it to other players at the combine.

So just because a guy didn't test positive doesn't mean that he won't potentially be a problem. All it means is that he is smart enough to know not to show up in Indy with a dirty bladder.

[Editor's note: We were so pleased with the initial work of Michael David Smith, who pinch-hit for the Poobah on Monday, that we're going to invite him from time to time to submit an item on days when he isn't technically filling in for the boss when the boss is otherwise taking care of his day job.]

We noted earlier that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Halberstam died yesterday, killed in a car crash on his way to interview Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle for his next book. But with the NFL draft upon us, there's a lesson from a previous football book by Halberstam that's worth addressing.

On page 193 of The Education of a Coach, Halberstam's book about Bill Belichick, Halberstam mentions The Lawrence Taylor Lesson.

The lesson was simple: Character and talent count, and you have to consider both of them when evaluating a player. Halberstam recounted how Belichick learned both as an assistant coach with the Giants and as head coach of the Browns that you have to hold your players to high standards, and that you can't let a trusted veteran get away with behavior you wouldn't tolerate from an undrafted rookie.

But there is an exception if you have a truly gifted player like Lawrence Taylor. When Belichick was the Giants' defensive coordinator, he didn't always like what he perceived to be Bill Parcells letting Taylor get away with too much. But Belichick understood why Parcells thought Taylor was too good on Sunday to bench him for showing up late to a meeting on Wednesday.

In The Education of a Coach, Halberstam writes, "What Belichick decided after he left Cleveland was that if he ever got another head coaching job, there would be one set of rules for everyone, that he would go for players who had both talent and character, and if there was a great player like Taylor, a unique player who created a unique problem, he would deal with it sooner, rather than later."

And that's a lesson a lot of NFL teams will wrestle with in their war rooms on Saturday. If the most talented player on the board is great on Sundays but a turd the rest of the week, more often than not a General Manager will decide to pass, especially in light of the recent suspensions of Pacman and Pukeman. Unless the G.M. thinks that player is such a unique athlete that he's worth the headaches.

But any General Manager thinking about taking a guy like that ought to remember that there's only one Lawrence Taylor.

We reported on Monday that there's a feeling in some league circles that the second tier of quarterbacks in the 2007 draft, Michigan State's Drew Stanton, Stanford's Trent Edwards, BYU's John Beck, and Houston's Kevin Kolb, could all be gone by the end of round two.

We're now told that multiple teams drafting in the first 15 picks have given round-one grades to Beck and Kolb. At least one team with a top-15 pick has Beck listed as a top-ten player. (Another source says that this is a lie, but we don't know what the hell to believe this time of year.)

Does this mean that Beck or Kolb will definitely be drafted in round one? No, because the teams who have given them first-round grades might not pick a passer in round one.

But we think it increases the chances that someone will try to trade into the bottom of round one to get Beck or Kolb before the Raiders (if they don't draft JaMarcus Russell at No. 1 overall), the Lions (if they don't draft Russell or Brady Quinn at No. 2), or the Browns (ditto) get a crack at them.

If either Kolb or Beck are taken before Stanton and Edwards, it will make eyebrows raise throughout much of the "real" media, which has long believed that Stanton and Edwards will be the next two quarterbacks off of the board.

We've navigated the CBA and spoken with league and media sources in an effort to break down the rules that apply to former Notre Dame receiver Jeff Samardzija. The guy whose name we don't like to have to spell has picked baseball over football but could still be drafted this weekend.

We've determined via various discussions and CBA analysis that, if Samardzija isn't drafted this year, he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Forever.

If someone drafts him this year, that team has one year to sign him. If he is not signed, he re-enters the draft pool in 2008. If he is not drafted in 2008, he is an unrestricted free agent. If he is drafted in 2008, that team holds his rights for another year. After that, he is an unrestricted free agent.

The specific rules in this regard are set forth in Article XVI, Sections 8 and 9 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. We think that the language used is English.

We were confused about this one because the Texans threw a sixth-rounder on former Michigan quarterback Drew Henson in 2003, even though Henson finished playing football for Michigan in 2000. As a league source explained to us, Henson (who left Michigan to play baseball in 2001) was automatically eligible to be drafted by the NFL five years after he entered Michigan in 1998. So the Texans squatted on his rights, and traded him to Dallas for a third-rounder not long before Henson would have re-entered the draft pool.

Ditto for the Raiders, who secured the rights to Bo Jackson in 1987 with a seventh-rounder -- one year after he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1986 draft. If the Raiders hadn't taken a flier on Jackson, he could have signed with any NFL team when he decided to supplement full-time baseball with part-time football. Or, if Jackson had waited until 1988 to play football, he could have signed with anyone.

Regardless of these details, it's unlikely that anyone will draft Samardzija. He's committed to baseball, and has been paid a lot of money based on the presumption that he will play baseball only. The only reason to throw a pick on him this year would be to have a shot at trading him next spring, if for some reason (again, unlikely) that he decides to play football in 2008.

Falcons QB Mike Vick will visit Congress to lobby for funding for after-school programs. (You know, so that kids don't spend their free time having unprotected sex and getting herpes.)

Many in the Redskins' organization view S LaRon Landry as the best defensive player in the draft, but they don't need another top-ten safety.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are interested in trading for Bears linebacker Lance Briggs.

If Tampa could land the Tampa 2 linebacker, the Bucs would have three -- that's three -- weakside specialists under contract. In addition to Briggs, they have mainstay Derrick Brooks and newcomer Cato June, who signed a three-year deal with a total value that's roughly one half of what Briggs likely wants in guaranteed money.

Are the Bucs serious? We don't think so. But we do think that it's head coach Jon Gruden's way of letting Brooks know that Gruden would prefer that Brooks move on. (Not gonna do it tonight.)

The other alternative would be to move Briggs to the middle. He wants to be Brian Urlacher; why not let him play Urlacher's position? But that means Brooks or June wouldn't be able to move to the middle.

In our view, then, this isn't about the Bucs getting Briggs. It's about the Bucs getting rid of Brooks. And it could happen sooner than anyone realizes.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network explains that Chiefs running back Larry Johnson's performance since entering the league in 2003 has allowed him to void the final two years of his rookie deal. As a result, he'll be a free agent in 2008.

Unless, of course, the Chiefs sign him to a long-term deal. Or apply the franchise tag to him next February.

The possibility that Johnson could be gone by next year at this time could be the reason for the team's decision to bring in tailbacks who are part of this year's draft class.

Though Schefter says that it doesn't appear that Johnson is on the trading block, a media source with knowledge of the dynamics in the K.C. front office firmly believes that the team is floating the notion that they are willing to move Johnson.

Hey, why don't the Bills offer the No. 12 overall pick straight up for Johnson? Then, the Chiefs can send the No. 23 pick and the No. 12 pick to Washington, if Adrian Peterson is still on the board at No. 6. Heck, under the trade chart the Chiefs could climb as high as No. 4, where they'd be certain to nail down Adrian Peterson.

Yet again, we've identified a scenario that makes way too much sense to ever happen.

The Ravens, Chargers, Bears, and Colts all need a few new guys. That's all, folks.

Pulitzer-winning author David Halberstam, who was working on a book about the 1958 NFL title game, has been killed in a car accident.

Michael Weisman is now in charge of production for NBC's Football Night in America (Except On The Week When They Play In England).

The NFL and Nickelodeon will be teaming up to get kids to watch less football and cartoons on television. (Mike Vick is contributing $10,000 to the cause.)

Apparently, the guy in the Eagles front office who paid Brian Westbrook an extra $3 million has been demoted to selecting pictures for the team's official web site. (Check out the guy on the left; and thanks to the member of PFT Planet who pointed it out to us.)

Per published reports, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says that he plans to reach out to Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca, who skipped the first voluntary minicamp of the Tomlin regime.

Faneca is supposedly upset by his contract, which expires after the 2007 season. He also has said that he wanted former Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm to be hired to replace long-time coach Bill Cowher.

Though the camp was not mandatory, Faneca's decision not to show up for the sessions sends a strong message, given that the offseason program takes on extra importance given that the Steelers are breaking in their first new coach since 1992.

Our guess is that Faneca is trying to force a trade, probably to Arizona, where Grimm now serves in the same role he occupied in Pittsburgh.

And given that both Faneca and safety Troy Polamalu are both scheduled to become free agents in March 2008, it's unlikely (in our view) that the Steelers would offer market-value deals to both of them.

Since the market value for offensive linemen is considerably higher than it is for safeties, Faneca is likely the odd man out. And if that's the case, it makes far more sense for Faneca to finagle a trade and get paid now, in lieu of playing out his current deal and assuming the risk of an injury that might delay or prevent the payday from coming later.

A reader tells us that there's a rumor being reported on 950 AM in Denver that the Broncos are trying to make a play for the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, in an effort to land receiver Calvin Johnson.

A source with knowledge of the discussions tells us that the rumor is dead-on accurate, and that an offer has been made by the Broncos to the Lions.

Per the rumor and based on what we've heard, the Broncos have offered their first-round, second-round, and third-round pick in the 2007 draft and their first-rounder in 2008 for the No. 2 spot.

The Lions, we're told, are concerned that the No. 21 overall spot would put them too low to land one of the players whom they covet. The Lions' goal in trading down is/has been to get more picks, and to still get one of the players they want, but at a lower salary slot.

So the deal might hinge on the ability of the Lions to line up another deal that would allow them to move back up a bit.

The Broncos hold the No. 21 overall pick in round one, the No. 56 overall pick (No. 24 in round two), and the No. 70 and No. 86 overall picks (No. 6 and No. 23, respectively, in round three). We don't know which of the third-rounders has been offered.

Under the trade chart, the deal might favor the Lions. But different teams value picks from the next year's draft differently; some teams downgrade the points by a full round, making a 2008 first-rounder the equivalent of a 2007 second-rounder. The other problem here is that no one will know where the Broncos will draft in round one until the 2007 season ends.

The entire deal would be contingent on the Raiders not drafting Calvin Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick. We're currently told that the Raiders are expected to strike a deal on a contract with quarterback JaMarcus Russell before Saturday.

However, the fact that former Raiders coach/current Broncos coach Mike Shanahan apparently has a bee in his butt for Johnson could cause Raiders owner Al Davis to think twice about whether he would prefer to have Johnson on his team -- or to have to face him twice per year.

A league source tells us that one of the most fascinating aspects of this weekend's draft will be the manner in which the second tier of quarterbacks come off of the board.

It's widely believed that the first cut of signal-callers -- JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn -- will be gone within the first 10 picks. They both could be gone within the first three.

The next group of quarterbacks consists of four guys: Trent Edwards of Stanford, Drew Stanton of Michigan State, John Beck of BYU, and Kevin Kolb of Houston. But how do they rank among themselves?

"I think if you polled every team, you'd get a different list," said the source.

The source thinks that all could go in the second round, and that there could be some clamoring at the top of round two, if the Lions, Raiders, and/or Browns pass on pass-throwers at the top of round one.

"Beck's the mystery man," the source said. "Some teams love him, meaning first round love, and others have him fourth in the group."

In our view, it's best for the teams and the players if the guys after Russell and Quinn get drafted after round one. The pressure of being and having a first-rounder can force a guy into the lineup before he is ready to roll, possibly preventing him from ever having much of an impact in the city that selects him.

As a practical matter, it's much easier for a quarterback to develop without that "first-rounder" tag hanging around his neck. But with only two blue-chippers available at the top of round one, one of the three above-mentioned teams won't come out of round one with a quarterback, which might require a team in round two that is eyeing a specific guy in the quartet of second-tier players to get into the bottom of round one in order to get their man.

MONDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS by Michael David Smith (with some smart-ass commentary added by Florio)

There's talk in Detroit that if the Raiders don't draft QB JaMarcus Russell, the Lions will.

The success of RB Maurice Jones-Drew last year could help the draft stock of other small backs, like Florida State's Lorenzo Booker, this year.

Wisconsin LT Joe Thomas is skipping the draft to go fishing, but NFL Network will put a camera on his boat to capture his reaction when he's picked. (We're hoping that he'll lift his leg, fart, and then say, "How'd you like that 'tweener, Mel?")

Peter King says the Simeon Rice to Detroit trade is not going to happen.

King also reports that Colts president Bill Polian wants Roger Goodell to suspend whoever leaked the news that Calvin Johnson, Gaines Adams, and Amobi Okoye admitted to smoking pot.

Reggie Bush was Condoleezza Rice's guest at the White House Correspondent's Association dinner. ("Are you trying to seduce me, Madame Secretary?")

The Cowboys might draft wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, but they have a bad history with players from LSU.

The father of Clemson center Dustin Fry is sick of hearing draft analysts pick apart his son's faults.

NFL teams are asking Marshawn Lynch why he was in a car that was targeted in a drive-by shooting; Lynch says it was a case of mistaken identity.

Teams are also scrutinizing Lynch's back.

The Dolphins moved their games to WQAM after 790 The Ticket lowered its offer to just $2.2 million a year; last year The Ticket paid $3.5 million for Dolphins games. (Who was negotiating that deal, George Costanza?)

POSTED 12:25 p.m. EDT; UPATED 5:12 p.m. EDT, April 23, 2007 by Michael David Smith

The NFL banished Pacman Jones not because he's a danger to society, but because he's bad for the league's P.R. Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't want fans picking up the paper and reading about players getting arrested every day, and by suspending Jones he was trying to avert a storm of negative publicity.

But there's another bad P.R. storm headed the NFL's way, and so far there are few indications that Goodell, NFLPA czar Gene Upshaw, or anyone else in the league office is taking the necessary steps to do something about it. Concussions are the next major issue facing the NFL, and as retired players show signs of drain bamage, this has the potential to seriously affect the way fans perceive the league.

Agent Leigh Steinberg called concussions "a time bomb" when he spoke at a symposium on brain injuries in sports this weekend, and he said brain injuries are a bigger problem than the knee, back, and other ailments we often hear about with retired players.

"What are the stakes?" Steinberg said. "It's one thing to go out and play football and understand that when you turn 40, you can bend over to pick up your child and have aches and pains. It's another thing to bend down and not be able to identify that child."

What can the league do about it? The Australian Football League has independent medical experts examine all its players, and any player diagnosed with a concussion is forced to sit out three weeks. But, let's face it: There's zero chance of that happening in the NFL. There's too much of a culture of "toughing it out" -- and too much money at stake -- for the league or the players to agree to that.

But it's amazing that the union isn't insisting on more steps dedicated to player safety. A simple one would be to demand that the medical staffs on NFL sidelines always include at least one neurologist who can examine any player who shows the symptoms of a concussion. That neurologist could advise whether it's safe for the player to go back on the field. Under the current system, team doctors aren't always experts on brain injuries, and they often face conflicts between their concern for player safety and the fact that they're employed by the team.

The top priority of any labor union should be the safety of its membership. The NFL Players Association needs to do more to keep its players safe from brain damage.

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News notes that cornerback Eric Wright ought to be a sure-thing first-round draft pick, given that he was good enough to start at USC as a redshirt freshman, and that he ran a 4.36 40-yard dash. But there's one problem: He might have both the talent of Pacman Jones on the field and the personality of Pacman Jones off the field.

Wright withdrew from USC after he was arrested on suspicion of rape and cops found 136 ecstasy pills in his apartment. Although charges were dropped in both of those incidents, that doesn't make him innocent in the eyes of NFL teams, who have to wonder whether he'll be able to keep his nose (and all other body parts) clean enough for Roger Goodell's standards.

[Editor's note: A prior version of this story implied that Wright was kicked out of USC. As it turns out, he withdrew in lieu of facing a formal expulsion proceeding, which might or might not have been successful. We regret that we were not more clear.]

Wright transferred to UNLV and played well there as both a cornerback and a kick returner, although the general consensus is that he wasn't as good a player on the field as you'd expect based on his natural athletic ability.

Wright now chalks up his problems with the law as "an isolated incident or maybe two or three hours' worth of bad decisions" and says that "when people do background checks and people talk to me formally, it's only going to help me." But there's no doubt that a lot of NFL teams believe that drafting him isn't worth the risk that he'll make similar bad decisions again.

Vacchiano says Wright is "a player the Giants are seriously considering," but is that really how new General Manager Jerry Reese wants to break into the league? By taking the guy who could be the next Pacman, Mr. Wright could end up being Mr. Wrong for the Giants -- and for any other NFL team.

[Editor's note: These are the opinions of MDS. So if you disagree with his take, take it up with him. Drop us a line and we'll give you his home number.]

When former Notre Dame receiver Jeff Samardzija -- who looks like a young, not-quite-as-Joey-Ramonish version of Howard Stern -- opted for baseball over football, we were relieved. The dude's name is too freaking hard to spell, and we were glad that baseball scribes would be the ones who get to do it for the next decade.

But we're required to bang out at least one more item in which we hit the letters s-m-a-r-d-z-i-j-a a few times in succession.

Why? Because a reader has asked whether whether it would be wise for a team to throw a seventh rounder Samardzija's way in next weekend's draft.

For now, it probably wouldn't be -- unless there's reason to believe that Samardzija will change his mind within the next year. If the player is unsigned, the rights evaporate before the next draft, and the player re-enters the pool.

So the key will be to predict when Samardzija might be considering pulling the plug on baseball. The Texans did just that with quarterback Drew Henson, gambling a sixth-rounder in 2003. In 2004, not long before he would have been back in the draft pool, the Texans shipped his rights to the Cowboys for a 2005 third-rounder.

The Raiders used the same device to land running back Bo Jackson in the 1980s. A year after Jackson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1986 draft, the Raiders threw out a seventh-rounder -- and got lucky when Bo decided to start playing football later that year on a part-time basis. (In hindsight, he would have been wise to stick with baseball.)

In 1991, the Raiders took another flier on Rocket Ismail, who had decided to play in Canada. A year later, Ismail unexpectedly opted to head for the NFL, and he was free to sign with the Raiders because no one else had squatted on his rights in the 1992 draft.

But given the unexpected development of Saints receiver Marques Colston, a seventh-rounder in 2006, we don't think that anyone will take a chance on Samardzija just yet. Why waste a pick when there's a chance that it can be used on a guy who might turn out to be a surprise player?

If, in a year or two or three, it looks like the baseball thing isn't working out, then a well-timed late-round pick might be a smart move. For now, though, it's unlikely that Samardzija would be willing to give up (and give back) some of the millions he has gotten from the Cubs in order to take a seventh-round slotted NFL deal.

And that's very good, as we see it. No matter how many times we do it, we just can't get used to typing that name.

There was an intriguing item in Sunday's Kansas City Star that one of our friends in the "real" media (yeah, we've got a few) pointed out to us. In it, new Chiefs writer Jason King tackles the issue of why the Chiefs have had so many defensive linemen of late who can't. Tackle, that is.

Bob Karmelowicz, an assistant with the team from 1997 through 2005, claims that guys like Eric Downing, Eddie Freeman, and Junior Siavii shouldn't have been added to the team.

"Junior and Eddie were both good kids," Karmelowicz told King. "But they had social issues. They were too high-maintenance. You can't take 'projects' in the second round. It shouldn’t have happened."

Karmelowicz says that former head coach Dick Vermeil fell in love with Siavii based on a recommendation from his college position coach, a friend of Vermeil's and a member of his staff with the Rams. Siavii lasted two seasons.

As to Freeman, Karmelowicz claims that the team neither worked him out nor watched film of him working out, and that they took him because a player they were targeting had been nabbed not long before the Chiefs were on the clock.

The players disagree. Freeman told King that Karmelowicz confused him, and that the other defensive line coach, Carl Hairston, had no input.

"They treated him like a janitor," Freeman said. "We have to take some responsibility because we didn't get the job done. But when you bring in all these linemen, and none of them are improving, you’ve got to look at the coaching, too.

"I went to New England for preseason camp [in 2006]. Their linemen aren't any more talented than the ones the Chiefs drafted. But they work with those guys there. Ty Warren, Jarvis Green . . . they work with them and make them better."

Responded Karmelowicz: "That's like me saying that I could learn to slam dunk if someone would just work with me. We both know it's not going to happen. Eddie was one tough cookie, and he tried real hard. But there’s a reason he's not playing anymore."

Now, Vermeil and Karmelowicz and Freeman, Siavii, and Downing are all gone. Karmelowicz joined the Texans in 2006 and was reassigned to a non-coaching position after only one year. Freeman is playing arena ball. And Vermeil is working in the broadcast booth from time to time.

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