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Former Browns, Patriots, and Packers offensive lineman Joe Andruzzi has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to a release issued by his agent, Joe Linta.

Steelers offensive line coach Larry Zierlein has apologized for sending a pornographic video by e-mail to various league employees, including Commissioner Roger Goodell.

"It was 100 percent unintentional,'' Zierlein said, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I don't even know how to mass e-mail, I don't know these machines very good -- just a 100 percent unintentional thing. I hit the wrong button."

As anyone who sends e-mail messages knows, it takes more than hitting the wrong button to forward an e-mail to a distribution list. In this case, Zierlein hit the "forward" button, somehow called up the "All General Managers" distribution list, and then hit the "send" button with the words "All General Managers" next to the word "to."

Presumably, Zierlein was attempting to forward the message to a recipient with the letters "A" and "L" at the start of his name (maybe Alan Faneca?), and the auto-complete function took over from there.

"It's hard because I made an inexcusable mistake -- unintentional or intentional. It was inexcusable. It was hard for the fact, first for the organization [and] what they had to explain and go through, [and] my family -- what they're going to have to hear.

"So it was tough, but when you've been at this stuff as long as some of us have, tough things happen and you have to move on [Editor's note: or move out] and that's what we're doing. I made a mistake, unintentional."

With all that said, the "intentional" aspect of the mistake in this regard was his decision to attempt to forward the raunchy video to someone. The unintentional aspect of it was that the message went to a bunch of NFL movers and shakers. And their secretaries.

Zierlein initially received the message from pro personnnel director Doug Whaley, who had gotten the video from someone outside the organization and then forwarded it to Zierlein and others. We haven't previously mentioned it, but one of the recipients of the message sent by Whaley was Bills scout Alex Van Pelt, a former NFL quarterback and teammate of Whaley's at Pitt.

Earlier today, we took note of a statement contained in a Len Pasquarelli item on ESPN.com regarding the Mike Vick story. Quoting an unnamed ESPN.com source, Len wrote, "A figure in a shadow, with a Darth Vader-type voice, that's fine, but sooner or later someone has to put their hand on a Bible in front of a jury."

We never went to "J" school, but we're still having trouble understanding how reliance upon an unnamed co-worker is ever appropriate. Especially when the words attributed to the unnamed co-worker sound a lot like words that recently came out of the writer's mouth.

Said Len on Sunday's Outside the Lines broadcast regarding the Vick situation: "Having a confidential informant on Outside the Lines is one thing. Having someone put their hand on a Bible and say it to a grand jury is another."

Are we suggesting that Len himself is his unnamed ESPN.com source? It wouldn't surprise us if it were true. But it's more likely that Len was chatting with a like-minded colleague, and in lieu of undermining the superficial objectivity of his article by injecting his own views into it, Len opted to simply quote the other ESPN.com employee who agrees with Len on this point.

Well, if/when Mike Vick has to go to Virginia to be interviewed by police, he'll have to pay for his plane fare.

"Michael's contract expired May 8 and we decided to go in another direction," AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson said.

The last straw for the rocky relationship surely was the dog-fighting investigation on his Virginia property, which first hit the fan on April 25. But only a day before that Vick and AirTran pointed fingers at each other for Vick's failure to show up at a Congressional event in Washington, D.C.

And, earlier this year, Vick was found to have a water bottle with a hidden compartment while preparing to board an AirTran flight.

Other Vick sponsors include Nike and Coca-Cola. The fact that the Vick water bottle had an Aquafina label likely did little to strengthen ties to Coke, since Aquafina is made by Pepsi.

Recent reports indicated that two informants have contacted investigators handling the Mike Vick dog-fighting situation. The AP reports that, on Thursday, prosecutor Gerald Poindexter put the total number at six.

One informant, a South Carolina prisoner, wrote in a letter that he attended dog fights where Vick was present and saw him bet large amounts of money. (The prisoner in question also likely maintains that he is completely innocent of all charges that landed him behind bars. And he asked for 162 beef sticks and 35 summer sausages.)

Another informant provided "street names" (as opposed to, we suppose, stage names) of other dog fighters in Virginia.

With a mountain of evidence suggesting that he was involved in dog fighting and a new negative development almost every day, how is Falcons quarterback Mike Vick coping?

Vick has gotten a haircut, even though he vowed in 2004 that he wouldn't cut his hair until the Falcons win the Super Bowl.

"He looks good," Petrino said. "I like it. He's got a big smile on his face and a nice haircut."

Hey, Bobby -- I thought we were only going to talk about football. Oh, wait. That only applies when you're asked questions about the whole "woof, woof" thing.

After generally ignoring the story for more than a month, ESPN is now all over the Mike Vick dog-fighting fiasco.

However, Pasquarelli claims that the sources believe, given the current evidence, that it might be difficult to successfully prosecute him.

"There is probably enough there to bring a bill [of indictment]," said one source, "but how some of [the evidence] would play out at trial, or if it even reached a trial . . . I just don't know. These kinds of prosecutions are tough. There are some holes, definitely, and that's why [investigators] are digging for more information. You want more than just smoke. You're always looking for the smoking gun.

"I mean, what you think you know and what you know you know, and what you can prove to other people you know . . . well, they aren't always the same. But this is a fluid thing, so we'll see where it goes."

Look, we use anonymous sources as much as anyone, but whenever Len weighs in on this story, we're reminded of his relationship with Vick's agent, Joel Segal. In this specific case, we can't help but wonder whether these are real quotes from real law enforcement officials having real familiarity with the investigation, or whether Len has found a meter reader who has been watching SportsCenter -- and who shares some of the same "let's not get ahead of ourselves" viewpoint that Pasquarelli has been espousing on ESPN.

The thing that really caught our attention in this regard is this excerpt: "'It would help [the case], obviously, if someone stepped up with something concrete,' one ESPN.com source said. 'A figure in a shadow, with a Darth Vader-type voice, that's fine, but sooner or later someone has to put their hand on a Bible in front of a jury.'"

So who is the "ESPN.com" source? And how often is it that a media company uses a member of its own staff as the source for anything on which it is reporting?

We suspect that the ESPN.com source on this one is Lenny Boy himself, given that he offered up a similar sentiment (specifically using the word "Bible") during an appearance on Sunday's Outside the Lines broadcast that represented ESPN's first major foray into what has become the biggest story of the 2007 offseason.

As a result, a ProFootballTalk.com source has made the following observation: "It's possible that Joel Segal and Len Pasquarelli have discussed how Len could help to focus some attention on the potential weaknesses of the case, while at the same time creating the appearance of credible reporting. One strategy might have been for Len to inject his own personal views into an otherwise objective and seemingly unbiased report by attributing those views to an unnamed source at ESPN.com."

A league source tells us that the Oakland Raiders were willing to work with receiver Jerry Porter to come up with a strategy for dealing with the backlog of No. 84 jerseys that would have arisen if Porter had been permitted to change his number to 81.

Per the source, the team offered up ideas such as having Porter autograph some of the jerseys for donation to charity, and selling some of them at a reduced rate. The source said that the team never took the position that Porter had to pay anything in order to effect the change.

In fact, it would have been far easier for the team to simply tell Porter that it wasn't inclined to re-issue the number that had been last worn by Tim Brown. But we're told that the team had no problem with giving the number to Porter, and that Brown had agreed to the move.

The insurmountable hurdle, the source says, was the $130,000 that was due and payable to Reebok, which manufactured the jerseys. Apparently, the league's contract with Reebok contains specific language regarding the issue of number changes, and there were no meaningful discussions (as far as we can tell) between Reebok and Porter regarding an alternative solution.

Given those facts, then, it's not accurate to assume that the team's position is evidence that the Raiders don't want Porter to be on the team.

A league source tells us that the NFL has circulated a memo advising teams that there shall be no alcohol on team planes, in team facilities, or in team locker rooms.

It's unknown whether the memo specifically included the word "sidelines," so it still might be acceptable to spike the Gatorade.

The impact of this pronouncement will vary from team to team. Some teams already ban alcohol from the building. But plenty of guys still like to get their Busch on, and it's believed that the most recent memo was prompted by the recent DUI death of the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher whose name frankly escapes us at the moment because we pay zero attention to Major League Baseball.

In past years, there have been plenty of stories about players who paid teammates money in order to get them to give up a given jersey number. On one occasion, a transaction of this nature resulted in a lawsuit after Redskins running back Clinton Portis refused to fork over the balance due on such a deal to a guy who had since been cut from the team.

But we've never previously heard of a player being prevented from changing numbers due to inventory control issues.

Raiders receiver Jerry Porter said earlier this year that he would change from No. 84 to No. 81. He subsequently was informed that, in order to do so, he would have to reimburse the Raiders and Reebok for $210,000 in unsold jerseys bearing Porter's name and the No. 84.

Apparently, one of the issues at work here was that of notice. "The more advance notice a player can provide when requesting a number change, the less chance there is of financial ramifications," NFL Spokesman Steve Alic said.

But it's unclear how much notice is required. Porter said as early as February 21 that he planned to make the change. When exactly did Reebok begin its production run of $210,000 worth of shirts for an underachieving malcontent on a chronically crappy team?

We also think that a "you change it, you bought it" rule could lead to all sorts of strange complications. What if Porter converts to Islam in July and changes his name? Or what if he simply decides to retire? Will he be asked in either case to buy all of the jerseys that were made in reliance upon the fact that "Porter 84" would be playing for the Raiders this year?

And what if he dies as a result of an accident in which he was in some way negligent? Can the NFL, his team, and/or Reebok sue his estate for recovery of money spent making jerseys bearing his name?

We assume that the reality here is that the teams have full control over who is issued a given number. But the notion of a team handing a bill to a player who wants to make a change doesn't sit well with us, and we have a feeling that the Raiders and other teams would only raise an issue like this as to players that the franchise decides it doesn't really like.

That's the real story here. Even though Porter is trying to make nice, the relationship is obviously broken. In an era where NFL teams that truly want to be competitive would spend twice the salary cap limit or more if it meant winning a Super Bowl, the Raiders' decision not to eat the cost of a bunch of jerseys that they still could have sold for $10 bucks each tells us that they'd love to eject Porter from the "Once a Raider, Always a Raider" club.

The Philadelphia Eagles have announced that tight end L.J. Smith has undergone surgery to repair a sports hernia.

The surgery was performed on Wednesday, and was described as successful. (Has any sports team ever declared after a procedure that the player "got butchered"?)

Smith won't be able to participate in upcoming OTA sessions from June 5 through 14, but he is expected to be available when training camp opens on July 30.

Although Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter has put his troubles with the law behind him by paying a $1,000 fine (which equates to 0.005 percent of the guaranteed money he'll receive under his latest contract), the legal book on Porter's cold-cocking of Bengals left tackle Levi Jones has not been fully closed.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that Jones is mulling a civil suit against Porter. And when phrases like "emotional distress" creep into a story, it's pretty safe to assume that a lawsuit is coming.

Why shouldn't it? The civil justice system is intended to provide citizens who have been wronged in some way with a venue for pursuing fair treatment. Falling somewhere between the Old Testament's "eye for an eye" and the New Testament's "turn the other cheek," the civil justice system uses the transfer of money as the tool for compensating victims of wrongdoing. This provides a natural deterrent for those who might be inclined to disregard the rights of others, and it likewise gives the victims an alternative to waiting outside of the wrongdoer's house with a shotgun. Or a sock full of pennies.

In this case, Porter assaulted Jones. For any harm Jones suffered, Porter should pay. And since punitive damages are available to ensure that the defendant and others will be disinclined to engage in similar conduct in the future, Porter could end up having to fork over a lot more than 0.005 percent of the guaranteed money he'll receive under his latest contract.

An industry source tells us that the current talk among current and former Falcons teammates of quarterback Mike Vick is that multiple players are "amused" by the difficulties that Vick currently is facing.

It's one of the realities of sports teams that grant premature royalty status to one member of the locker room. Vick previously had been able to do pretty much whatever he wanted to do, with no real scrutiny or restraint from the front office. As a matter of basic human nature, other players who witnessed this dynamic will feel a certain sense of satisfaction when the man who used to be king no longer sits on the throne.

Though we're not hearing that teammates are taking malicious glee in Vick's present circumstances, there's definitely a feeling that many of them find funny the fact that the guy who used to rule the roost in Atlanta is now on the run.

Steelers RB Najeh "Dookie" Davenport is feeling more comfortable. (Maybe he's making deposits into a more familiar clothes hamper.)

Bengals WR Chad Johnson is going to race a horse. (The winner gets a giant can of Beef-a-reeno.)

Okay, we've had enough. In our (rarely) humble opinion, Surry County, Virginia prosecutor Gerald Poindexter (isn't that word supposed to conjure images of supreme intelligence?) should be removed from the Mike Vick dog-fighting investigation. Now.

The problem is that the guy has all the decisiveness of John Kerry in a checkout line trying to choose between paper and plastic. One day, Poindexter will say something indicating that he has evidence linking Michael Vick to dog fighting. The next day, Poindexter will say the opposite.

It inspires little confidence in the criminal justice system, and it gives us zero confidence in Poindexter's ability to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia against Jackie Chiles and whoever else Vick would hire to defend him in court.

The camel that broke the straw's back for us (before sending in a bunch of e-mails on this, one of our strategies for dealing with tired old sayings is to intentionally screw them up) was a Thursday morning item in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. In the article, Poindexter says that there are no informants who claim that they were present for dog fighting at Vick's Virginia property.

In contrast, WAVY-TV reported roughly twelve hours ago that Poindexter has said that he has evidence that puts Vick at dog fights.

Though a Clintonesque parsing of the words would indicate that it's possible that both statements are true, the superficial reaction to these quotes is that Poindexter is wishy-washy at best, dumb at worst. If he can't disseminate a cohesive message to the media, he needs to talk only via press conferences or (even better) he should shut up completely.

But even if Poindexter zips it right now, the damage is already done. Given that he can't articulate a clear and consistent message to the press when there isn't a high-priced advocate of the defendant poised to pounce on every misstep or hiccup, we believe that Poindexter will never be able to marshal the evidence necessary to persuade a jury to find that there is proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

A source with direct involvement in league management issues tells us that the NFL believes that Michael Vick had full knowledge of and involvement in the dog-fighting operation discovered last month at his property in Virginia.

Per the source, NFL Security has been investigating the situation actively, and the information that NFL Security has obtained has resulted in a belief at the upper reaches of the organization that Vick's past denial is untrue.

Another source with knowledge of the situation confirms that, at last week's ownership meetings in Nashville, discussions regarding conversations with NFL Security indicated the league's belief that the evidence points to a conclusion that Vick was actively involved in dogs fighting.

This disclosure explains a lot of things, in our view. It was after last week's ownership meetings that rumors percolated through the league that the Falcons are bracing for a suspension of Vick. It was also after these meetings that reports surfaced of NFL Security's offer of assistance to Surry County, Virginia investigators. And it was after these meetings that ESPN jumped into the fray with a fat-guy cannonball, airing claims from a witness with a shielded face and altered voice who says that Vick is a dog-fighting "heavyweight."

We still don't know whether Vick will ever be convicted. His wealth can purchase the best legal talent in the land, and it's not all that hard to weave reasonable doubt into any set of facts. But the irreparable damage to Vick's football career will be done the moment that charges are filed. We firmly believe that, once indicted, he promptly will be suspended, and the Falcons will eventually cut him.

Since the Raiders have drafted their quarterback of the future, the one team who might be interested in giving him a second chance would have no need for him.

Even if Vick somehow avoids an indictment, his marketability is now shot, and his image is forever tarnished. Plus, his decision to remain silent in the face of day after day of damaging revelations has put his reputation, we believe, beyond the point of no return.

In fact, Vick's best bet at this point might be to cop a plea, testify against others, enter rehab for whatever condition he says contributed to any antisocial behavior to which he admits, and then hope for redemption.

In yet another stunning turn of events, the prosecutor who on Tuesday renewed suspicions that he's dragging his feet by scuttling a search warrant now says that he has evidence placing Falcons quarterback Michael Vick at the scene of dog fighting.

Reports WAVY-TV: "When asked, 'At this moment in time, do we have any evidence that puts Vick at dog fighting?' [Gerald] Poindexter replied, 'Yes.'"

Of course, this comment is coming from a guy who said nine days ago that lawyers who try their cases in the press are despicable, and who thereafter suggested that there was insufficient evidence to link anyone to dog fighting on Vick's Virginia property.

Poindexter also provided further explanation for his decision not to proceed with a warrant that had been obtained by a member of the Sheriff's department, and approved by a magistrate.

WAVY-TV reports that a neighbor of Michael Vick's house in Surry County, Virginia initially agreed to buy the property. The land was later sold to someone else.

Pastor Earnest Hardy Sr. says that he spoke to a Vick associate, who told him that Vick would take $300,000. Hardy agreed to pay it. The "For Sale" sign came down.

A day later, it was back up. Per published reports, another buyer purchased the property for $350,000. The identity of the buyer is still unknown.

"The only thing I expect a man to do is honor his word," Hardy said. "I ain't got no written contract. We agreed on the phone."

The problem is that most if not all states refuse to recognize verbal contracts for the sale of land. And the fact that Hardy spoke not to Vick but to a Vick associate doesn't make the case any stronger.

But this is just another situation in which Vick's potential fortunes in a court of law are unrelated to his fate in the court of public opinion.

We've received several e-mails over the course of the day about the new pro football league that is being planned by a couple of rich guys of whom we previously hadn't heard, with a team to be owned by a rich guy whose face and name are instantly recognizable to even the most casual sports fan.

The New York Times reports that, as soon as 2008, the UFL will launch as an alternative football league with teams in cities that don't currently have NFL franchises.

The pros? The new league can televise games on Friday nights and Saturday nights from September through early December, and the NFL can't (without jeopardizing its antitrust exemption). The new league will employ a salary cap to prevent bidding wars with the NFL for players, focusing instead on guys who don't make the final cut at the NFL level. The teams eventually will be owned equally by the league, an individual owner, and the fans. Ticket prices will be lower. And since the NFL has teams in only 29 of the country's top 50 markets, the new league can build a following in some major American cities.

"There are quite a few good-sized non-N.F.L. cities that can support a pro team," said Mark Cuban, who has committed to purchasing a franchise.

With plenty of other really rich guys who'll never get a shot at owning an NFL team, it shouldn't be all that difficult to fill out the dance card. The key will be to have owners who are willing to let the league grow, and who won't expect an immediate financial return on their investment.

But that's something that could change over time. If the UFL is patient, and if it tries to be different and edgy (with franchises planned in cities like Las Vegas and Mexico City), it could work. Then again, success initially will come on a regional level, at best. And even with Friday nights devoid of NFL games, plenty of members of the target audience will otherwise be playing or attending high school football games.

Frankly, we think that there's a way for the leagues to coexist. We've advocated for years the creation of a true NFL minor league that plays in cities that currently don't have NFL teams, giving players who otherwise would be on the practice squad or working at Subway live game reps against quality opponents.

Then again, we see the potential for trouble, even if the UFL knows and understands that it's not on the same plane as the NFL. The guys who become stars in the UFL will surely attract the attention of the NFL. But will the UFL players be allowed to bolt for greener pastures? Or will they be forced to stay put against their will in a league that their ability and fame have outgrown?

The UFL also could become a safe haven for former NFL stars who, for whatever reason, have fallen out of favor in the senior circuit. Pacman Jones, Chris Henry, and even Michael Vick are players who could ultimately land in the new league, and they likely would use their platform to launch verbal missiles at the old league.

In balance, then, our guess is that the NFL would prefer that the UFL not come to fruition. And we think that the NFL could have easily avoided this development if the "real" pro football league league had opted to create a true minor league system in the United States that would have brought football on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights to major cities that don't currently have an NFL franchise.

Either way, we'll be paying attention, and we fully intend to cover both leagues. Though we don't care much for Canadian football or the Arena Football League, we like the idea of more American pro football in the fall. And we think there's room for both the NFL and the UFL.

Patrick Terpstra of WVEC-TV reports that the decision of Surry County investigators to hold off on executing a search warrant obtained on May 25 was driven by the desire of authorities to focus on an informant who has provided information to the investigation.

Per Terpstra, the informant was to be interviewed on Wednesday. It is believed that the informant has information about persons who attended dog fights at Mike Vick's property in Virginia.

On Tuesday, Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter said that the warrant was rejected because of concerns about its language.

Though we've still got concerns about Poindexter's overall handling of this matter, if Terpstra's report is accurate it could be that Poindexter was playing his cards close to the vest so that the Vick camp wouldn't have a chance to figure out who the snitch might be. We're not suggesting that the informant might have ended up in a bunk next to Luca Brasi, but in matters like this it always make sense to get the guy's story down before there's any chance that someone can get to him and change it.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery arising from his fight earlier this year with Bengals left tackle Levi Brown.

Porter's case undoubtedly will be reviewed by the Commissioner under the revised Personal Conduct Policy. Under the old policy and practice, this kind of thing likely would have resulted in the loss of a game check. In light of the Commish's new approach to cleaning up the off-field shenanigans, we've got a feeling that Porter might actually get a one-game suspension.

If so, the Dolphins would be able under the new CBA to recover up to 25 percent of the portion of Porter's signing bonus that applies to the 2007 cap year.

UPDATE: We is stoopid. It was Levi Jones, not Levi Brown, who was on the receiving end of Joey Porter's knuckle sangwich. Brown is a rookie tackle with the Cardinals. Says a reader: "Joey would at least wait for Levi Brown to get drafted before he started kicking his ass."

Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, who was the subject of pre-draft trade rumors and who reported (as we reported) for a mandatory minicamp at 384 pounds, was a no-show for team Organized Training Activities that got started on Wednesday.

But, hey, it's voluntary, right? So it's no big deal if he chooses to stay home and eat more of whatever it is that caused him to gain so much weight.

Bengals receiver Chad Johnson is under investigation in Kentucky regarding allegations that he and a local comedy club failed to deliver on promises to provide prizes to patrons.

Per WLWT-TV, Newport, Kentucky police are exploring allegations that Johnson and the Funny Bone club committed fraud by failing to follow through in connection with promotions that entailed prizes like a Lexus and trips to the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl.

The criminal investigation follows a lawsuit that has been filed against Johnson and the club.

The basic claim is that prizes were promised to promote regular appearances by Johnson at the club, and that in several instances the promises weren't honored.

We're really starting to wonder whether there even is a National Football League Players Association. Sure, there's a group that goes by that name. They collect dues, and they negotiate a labor contract once every few years. But the NFLPA has, in our view, all but disappeared when it comes to the day-in, day-out maintenance of a fair balance between the things that the teams want to do and the overall and individual rights and interests of the players.

In the offseason, contact is forbidden in Organized Training Activities and minicamps; the union has negotiated this right for the players. Yet contact is prevalent. There are photos of it. There are quotes from players. And the union only comes out of its shell when the evidence is overwhelming, as it was two years ago when the Redskins posted video of impermissible one-on-one contact drills on the team's web site.

Then there's the whole issue of whether the voluntary offseason workouts are truly voluntary. It's one of the biggest jokes in the sport, right up there next to the notion that teams don't tamper with players who are soon to become free agents.

The difference, though, is that the evidence of tampering is rarely available. As to the issue of the involuntary voluntary workouts, there's a constant stream of proof.

The latest example? LenWhale White's absence from Tennessee OTAs on Tuesday. Coach Jeff Fisher called White out for his unexcused absence from sessions that he's not required to attend. Now that Fisher has learned that White was delayed in returning from Denver, where he was spending time with an ailing family member, Fisher is offering up a surreal exercise in semantics, acknowledging in one breath that these sessions are optional but then creating the clear impression that they aren't.

"Organized team activities are voluntary, they are not mandatory. However, we have had perfect attendance with very few exceptions," Fisher said. "When there is someone who is not in attendance, they typically have been excused. In order to excuse a player there has to be some kind of communication involved, and in this particular case there was a misunderstanding in communication."

Maybe the dye from Fisher's hair and/or moustache are seeping into his brain. Or maybe he knows that he's dealing with an impotent-to-the-point-of-invisible union that won't risk making waves (or is just too lazy to take on the work) by standing up to Fisher (or any other coach) and saying that he is in clear violation of the CBA.

Per Article XXXV, Section 5(a), "No Club official shall indicate to a player that the Club's off-season workout program or classroom instruction is not voluntary."

It's not good enough, in our view, for a coach to say, "It's voluntary, but if you're not going to be here, you'd better have an excuse. And, if you don't have an excuse, I'm going to make you look bad to your teammates by calling you out in the media."

Are we crazy? Are we stoopid? Or are teams like the Titans taking unfair advantage of their players while the union is doing nothing?

We know that we'll get plenty of e-mails in response to this item reminding us that we're talking about football players and that they shouldn't be pussies and we shouldn't care about any of this anyway. We care about it because it's wrong. The union has sacrificed other player rights at the bargaining table in order to secure contact-free offseasons and truly optional practices. If the union isn't going to enforce these standards, why did they even bother to ask for these terms? They could have gotten something else for the players -- something that was real and meaningful.

Finally, we also think that there's an obligation on the part of the league to police itself in these matters. At a time when the Commissioner is cracking down (and we fully support him) when it comes to reeling in off-field misconduct, we think that the league office should be proactive if/when teams are engaged in actions that could create the impression of a real double standard.

Put simply, if players will suffer penalties for the failure to follow the rules of society, teams should be subject to discipline for failing to follow the rules of the league.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that authorities investigating evidence of dog-fighting found at property owned in Virginia by Falcons quarterback Mike Vick could have enough proof to seek an indictment.

It's not presently known, however, whether Vick is one of the persons whom authorities would attempt to indict.

The grand jury process entails a one-sided presentation of evidence by the prosecutor, and the members of the grand jury then decide based on the information that is presented whether to issue indictments.

The evidence reportedly includes information from two individuals who have contacted investigators regarding the situation -- one of the persons is located in Virginia, and the other is located in another state. On Tuesday, Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter reportedly was doing "due diligence" research on the background of the Virginia resident who has come forward. Investigators will soon be traveling to conduct similar research as to the other person.

The AJC also reports that Poindexter has not ruled out resurrecting the search warrant for dog remains that he refused to execute on Tuesday. The new warrant, issued by a magistrate and requested by an investigator from the Sheriff's office, was rejected by Poindexter and Sheriff Harold Brown because of concerns regarding its language.

"We'll go in if we have to," Poindexter said. He declined to comment on whether he believes he has enough evidence to proceed with charges absent another search of the property.

The Packers' Executive Committee will consider "a range of options" in determining how to proceed following the placement of CEO-to-be John Jones on a leave of absence. (Translation: They don't know what in the hell they're going to do.)

Dolphins QB Cleo Lemon has signed his $1.3 million RFA tender; he's serving as the first-string quarterback while Daunte Culpepper continues to heal.

Only 11 players have been on the Colts' roster for all of coach Tony Dungy's five years with the team.

Broncos OT Matt Lepsis is talking to the media, after nearly 15 months of silence.

Woody Paige looks at the two states where dog fighting is not a felony. (It's also not a felony in Colorado to write a meandering column with no overriding theme or purpose.)

Steelers first-round LB Lawrence Timmons is still nursing his groin. (He's also recovering from an injury to a muscle in his upper leg.)

Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill might have suffered a concussion while falling off of the jet ski that he and a friend were riding on Sunday night in Lake Pontchartrain. This could have caused confusion for Hill, making it more difficult for him to swim in fading light and fast currents.

An autopsy detected no drugs or alcohol in Hill's body, but there was a "pretty nasty bruise" above his right eye and a small amount of blood in his brain.

"That could have caused him some confusion," Orleans Parish (La.) coroner Frank Minyard, M.D. said. "Although we were told he talked to the woman who was with him after the accident, he could have become disoriented."

Hill's funeral will be held on Saturday. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has arranged for a chartered flight so that members of the organization can attend. The team has posted a video tribute to Hill on its web site.

Hill's teammate in New England and at LSU, Jarvis Green, is struggling to comprehend the loss. "He was 24 years old. A freak accident like that. I don't think anybody's ready for that," Green told the Boston Herald. "But I think there's a lesson in there for everyone. Like the guys who don't wear helmets when they ride motorcycles. It's the same thing. Think before you make decisions. I just wish he had that life jacket on. We all make crazy decisions sometimes."

Green intends to speak about his friend at his funeral. "I probably will say something. I have a lot to say," Green said. "I want to talk about him. I want people to remember him for the good he's done, for all the help he's given victims of Hurricane Katrina."

Another person suffering in the aftermath of the incident is Hill's fiancee, Inell Benn. She and Hill have a son, Ma'shy, who is 20 months old. "Marquise didn't have a father," Benn told the Boston Herald. "What he had with Ma'shy was so natural. Ma'shy knew who his dad was. Even if we were a long distance apart, he'd see a picture of Marquise and hug it and say, 'That's my daddy.'"

We all need to heed Jarvis Green's words and realize that, whether it's a motorcycle or a car or a jet ski, we need to take all available precautions, all the time. One of the defects in the human mind is that we're often inclined to think that the accidents will happen to someone else, not to us. Though plenty of tragedies are to a large extent unavoidable, we always need to be thinking about our own safety -- if not for our own sake, for the sake of those we'd leave behind.

When we saw video of Tank Johnson's first media appearance after being released from jail, we wondered how the 300-pounder kept his girlish figure while behind bars for 60 days.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Johnson spent more than $700 on junk food during his two-month sentence, including 162 beef sticks, 40 honey bun sweet rolls, 35 summer sausages, and 35 bags of barbeque potato chips. He also "ordered" nine tortillas, six packs of refried beans, and nine packages of jalapeno cheese spread.

We're not advocating prison life or condoning a lifestyle that could lead to incarceration, but we never realized that they had room service. We thought a guy had to trade cigarettes (or other, ahem, favors) in order to get anything other than the stuff that the guy with the hair net and the open sores on his chin slops onto your metal tray.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher is upset because running back LenWhale White didn't make it back to town for the resumption of Organized Team Activities.

"I've been on record with being disappointed with him right now. I hope to have him back on the practice field Thursday. But again, everybody else was here, he wasn't. I'm anxious to hear what kind of excuse he has."

Look, we think that it's in White's best interests to show up for practice, even if it's voluntary. He needs to get his chunky butt in shape, and he needs to make the most of his opportunity to become the starting running back. But it's not Fisher's place to make comments suggesting that White doesn't have the right to sit home and eat ham sandwiches instead, if he so chooses.

Meanwhile, the NFLPA continues to do nothing to address these blatant violations of the rules.

Only a day or so after his name was mentioned as a potential replacement for Packers COO John Jones, who was in line to replace CEO Bob Harlan, Packers V.P. of Finance and General Counsel Andrew Brandt is facing a potential smear campaign because (gasp) he currently isn't licensed to practice law in any U.S. jurisdiction.

Folks, we don't know the difference between Andrew Brandt and Gil Brandt, and we don't care whether either of them ends up running the Packers. But the idea that Brandt is in some way unfit for his current position because his District of Columbia law license lapsed in 1991 is flat-out goofy.

There's no requirement that in-house counsel be an active member of any state bar, unless in-house counsel is going to be actively serving as the mouthpiece of the company in legal matters, or (arguably) if in-house counsel will be providing specific advice about a specific aspect of the law of a specific state.

We think there's someone inside or outside the organization who doesn't want to see Brandt get in line to succeed Harlan, and that this clerical matter was leaked in order to derail Brandt's candidacy before it gets rolling.

We wrote earlier in the day about the lie detector test that was imposed (supposedly) on Broncos receiver David Kircus. We've now had a chance to eyeball some quotes from Coach Kevlar on the subject, and we're more skeptical than before about the whole thing.

"To address the situation that we had last week: We talked about David Kircus, and we talked about the scenario that existed with him," Shanahan said. "David came to me and said, 'Hey, Coach, I guarantee you that I did not take the first swing. I defended myself. I probably used poor judgment being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I said, 'Well, David, I'll give you a chance to take a lie-detector test,' and he wanted to do that, and he passed it with flying colors, so he will be on our football team.

"Obviously it was somebody that does it for a living -- an FBI agent -- who (administered) it. They're experienced in that area. He gave us the results. They asked the tough questions -- did you defend yourself, did you take the first swing, or who took the first swing. There were three or four questions that were asked different ways, and according to the person who took it, it was 100 percent.

"If he flunked the test, he would not be with us. He wanted to take the test. He said, 'Coach, if I flunk it, I won't be on this football team. If I do pass it, I'll be on this team.' I said, 'Hey, that's fair enough for me.' Anybody that wants to go in there and take a lie detector test where his career is based on whether it comes out positive or negative, I've got a good feeling."

We're not as conversant in the nuances of the laws of the State of Colorado, but we don't think that the whole concept of self-defense when a punch is thrown contemplates jacking the person who threw the punch in the face with a fist (or, as the case may be, a sock full of pennies). The guy needed surgery to repair broken bones in his face; in our view, then, the question of who threw the first punch isn't relevant to the question of whether Kircus beat the crap out of the guy.

Then again, the whole concept of self-defense is applied a little loosely in Colorado, where it's okay to shoot a guy who is sitting in his car outside your house because he might try to come back inside and hit you with a sock full of pennies.

Still, the questions that supposedly were posed to Kircus aren't in any way controlling on whether the elements of the defense are met. It's now fairly obvious that Kircus beat the guy up -- the question is whether Kircus can prove that the specific outcome was necessary under the circumstances.

The other thing that continues to trouble us is the willingness of the Broncos to use a lie-detector test on players. There's a certain federal law known as the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988, and it's a violation of this law if an employee is disciplined or discharged for failing to submit to a test or based on the results of a lie-detector test.

And while the Collective Bargaining Agreement precludes most potential player lawsuits, employee rights created by statute in some cases survive the grievance process contained in a CBA. In English, the Broncos could have been sued if Kircus had failed the test, and had been cut.

Also, we think that the NFLPA has standing to do something to force the Broncos to abandon this practice, which Coach Kevlar admits that he has used with other players.

"I've done it a number of times," he said. "It's been very good for us over the years -- at least my experience with it."

Finally, why in the hell does Coach Kevlar think that passing a lie detector test means anything? There's a reason why the results of polygraph tests aren't admissible in a court of law. But in Coach Kevlar's world, passing a lie-detector test is conclusive proof of innocence.

People have asked us in the past why we don't like Coach Kevlar very much. We never had concrete proof to support our general sense of disdain for the guy. Until now.

Something stinks in Surry County, Virginia. It might be the rotting flesh of dogs buried on property that Mike Vick previously owned or still owns, depending on whether the abrupt sale of it at less than half its appraised value has been finalized.

But we won't know for sure whether that's the case, because investigators apparently will not be pushing the issue of whether a search warrant will be issued, and executed, to search for dog carcasses and other evidence of illegal dog fighting.

Updating reports from earlier in the day, Patrick Terpstra of WVEC-TV reports that there are no plans to seek the re-issuance of a search warrant that was rejected by Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter. Per Terpstra, investigators believe that they already have enough evidence to proceed with charges.

But, even so, why not search the land for the bodies of dogs that either died in the pit or were killed after losing? If there was/is a problem with the warrant, a judge won't pitch the evidence that was previously obtained on that basis. The only evidence that would be barred is the stuff found the second time around. If there's already enough other evidence to proceed, there's no down side to looking for more proof.

At a minimum, we think that Poindexter and, to the extent that he truly agreed with Poindexter's position, Sheriff Harold Brown need to explain to the media in detail the reason(s) for nixing the warrant after it had been issued.

Though it still might not come for weeks, we're hearing that an increasing number of league insiders expect that Falcons quarterback Mike Vick eventually will be indicted for dog fighting.

We also suspect that the league is applying, in subtle yet real fashion, its own brand of pressure to the situation, since it will be hard for Commissioner Roger Goodell to impose punishment under the Personal Conduct Policy unless Vick is at least charged with a crime.

As an industry source reminded us on Tuesday, the revised policy states that, "[u]nless the case involves significant bodily harm, a first offense will generally not result in discipline until there has been a disposition of the proceeding."

But, as we see it, the key word is "generally," and we believe that Jeff Pash or some other legal heavy-hitter made sure to insert that word in order to preserve for Goodell the ability to make an exception where, for example, a player's alleged off-field misconduct has been extremely detrimental to the integrity of, and public confidence in, the game of professional football.

Still, we think that Goodell will have a hard time securing victory in the court of public opinion if he tries to punish Vick without even an arrest.

A big part of this equation, we believe, is whether Goodell concludes that Vick lied to him when they met in New York last month. If Vick tried the "I never go there" routine with Goodell and if it later becomes clear that Vick was at the property on a routine basis, Vick's effort to cover up his actions is no different than Pacman Jones' failure to report his two arrests in early 2006 to the Titans.

In a lengthy, well-written, and balanced item regarding the still-unfolding Mike Vick dog-fighting investigation, George Dohrmann of SI.com adds another new nugget of information to the ever-growing pile of evidence connecting Vick to the "sport."

Per Dohrmann, a "source close to Vick with links to the NFL" explained Vick's connection to dog fighting. "Mike really loves dogs," the source said. "It's the country side of him coming out. He doesn't believe he's doing anything wrong. It's a cultural thing for him that got worse as he got the means to support his friends who are more into [dogfighting] than him. . . . He's heavily influenced by a dogfighting culture that travels to Baltimore, D.C., and Virginia for fights."

The source also told SI.com that, despite Vick's claim that he never went to the property he owned in Surry County, Virginia, Vick was there "frequently" in past offseasons.

The rest of the article breaks no new ground regarding Vick, but delves into some of the details of the situation in classic Sports Illustrated fashion. It is a compelling read, and it will do little to remove from Vick the burgeoning belief that this scandal already has scarred Vick's image, and could still derail his career in Atlanta.

The Nashville Tennessean reports that the NFL Players Association has asked Commissioner Roger Goodell to reduce the one-year suspension imposed last month on Titans cornerback Pacman Jones.

"Your suspension of Jones without pay for the 2007 season is clearly excessive and much greater than discipline imposed upon players for the same or similar incidents," NFLPA staff counsel Thomas DePaso wrote in a May 23 letter.

Previously, the NFLPA had little to do with the appeal of the decision. We believed that the union was keeping its head low so as to avoid criticism arising from its past agreement that the Commissioner not only would impose the initial punishment, but also would handle any appeals.

But now that Jones and his lawyers could be mulling a claim against the NFLPA for breach of the duty of fair representation that every union in the U.S. owes to each of its members, the NFLPA's belated entry into the fray might have been motivated by its desire to avoid the appearance that it sat on its hands, thumbs pointing north, throughout the process.

Updating prior reports, Patrick Terpstra of WVEC-TV reports that Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter has rejected the warrant to search the Virginia property of Mike Vick for dog remains because Poindexter "did not like the language of it."

Poindexter claims that Sheriff Harold Brown shared these concerns. And we'll believe it when Brown says so himself.

Poindexter previously has pointed to a problem with a search warrant as the reason for the failure of another dog-fighting prosecution in which he was involved. In this case, the specific reason for Poindexter's rejection of the warrant is not known. It's also not known whether Poindexter is penning alternative language that will address his concerns.

The warrant had been issued by a magistrate, at the request of an investigator from the Sheriff's office.

In our view, the resulting discrepancy is further proof of tension and disagreement between investigators and the prosecutor.

Meanwhile, any of Vick's minions who are in the area have time to get to the property and dig up any dog carcasses that might be buried there. Presumably, law enforcement officials will be monitoring the property for such activities -- unless Poindexter reassigns them to handle a high-level jaywalking investigation or the case of who stole a handful of Werther's Originals out of Grandpa's basket at the nursing home.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that Broncos receiver David Kircus recently submitted to a lie detector test, at his own suggestion.

Schefter reports that the test was taken on Friday. Per Coach Kevlar, Kircus passed it with "flying colors." Schefter says that the Broncos were prepared to cut Kircus if he had failed.

Now that the "news" portion of the entry is out of the way, there's something about this story that bothers us. If the alleged victim didn't get his face rearranged in a one-on-one meeting with Kircus in a driveway after the victim had repeatedly asked Kircus to leave the victim's party, then how did it happen? Was there a second puncher on the gravelly road?

Also, we're troubled by the notion that the Broncos might have cut Kircus if he had failed. In the wake of the arrest, Coach Kevlar said that he'd dump Kircus only if he was convicted. Passing or failing a lie detector test means nothing in the eyes of the criminal justice system. The fact that many states forbid employers from directly or indirectly asking employees to submit to such testing makes us wonder how hard the hummus might have hit the fan if Kircus had failed.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we think that this was Coach Kevlar's way of poisoning the jury pool with information that jurors will never, ever hear in open court. If, after all, the Broncos' official position is that Kircus will be cut if he's convicted, the best way to ensure that the team will be able to keep him is if the team can do its part to ensure that he isn't convicted.

Frankly, we wouldn't be surprised to learn that there was no lie detector test, or that Coach Kevlar was the guy at the controls of the contraption.

Patrick Terpstra of WVEC-TV reports that authorities are searching the property previously owned by Falcons quarterback Mike Vick for the remains of dogs.

According to a search warrant, seven dogs were destroyed and buried on the property on April 23, and as many as 30 dogs might be buried there.

The warrant also states that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector General sought approval to enter a building on the property in order to pull up floor boards and wall boards in search of signs of blood.

After the body of Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill was recovered on Monday from Lake Pontchartrain following a Sunday night jet ski accident, Pats coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft said all the right things in statements issued by the organization.

But there was a problem with the organization's online headquarters: The entry page to the Patriots' web site made no mention of the tragedy.

The situation lingered into Tuesday morning, and we were compelled to make note of the fact after receiving several e-mails from irate readers who reminded us of the manner in which the Broncos memorialized cornerback Darrent Williams after his January 1 murder.

The situation has been rectified; the team has changed the entry page to pay tribute to Hill.

In our opinion, it was the right thing to do, and it's better that it was late than not at all.

Rams TE Randy McMichael isn't upset that the Fins cut him. (Why should he be? He's making more money this year in St. Louis than he would have earned in Miami.)

The only way that a sculpture of Jake Delhomme will ever be outside Bank of America Stadium is if some kid's mom drops this thing out of her bag from Target:

The only way the Cowboys might be close to a Super Bowl over the next several years is if they get free tickets when their new stadium hosts the thing.

We've never been accused of carrying water (or any other fluids) for the NFL because, as anyone who reads this site on a regular basis knows, we carry water (and any other fluids) for no one.

Our rare praise and frequent criticism is doled out based solely on merit. When we see something we like, we point it out. When we see something we don't like, we bleed glowing yellow ink all over it.

One of the things we like -- a lot -- is the manner in which Commissioner Roger Goodell has tried to clean up the problem of certain NFL players who think that they can do anything they want, due in large part to the fact that they are NFL players. Over the past few years, the increase in the number of off-field incidents has gone from being a wart on the league's butt to a football-shaped goiter on its neck.

But as the problem of player arrests threatens the unprecedented popularity of America's new pastime, some in the "real" media see fit to sound off about Goodell's efforts to clean up the game.

The latest bozo to give it a whirl is Clay Travis of CBSSportsline.com. (Though we previously hadn't heard of him, the name sounded vaguely familiar to us -- in a "didn't he used to be on American Idol?" sort of way.)

Travis can't use the "I'm just a journalist" excuse for not reading the CBA, because he apparently has a law degree.

If Travis had read the CBA, he would have seen that the league and the NFL Players Association jointly agreed to an exclusive procedure for handling players who engage in "conduct detrimental to the integrity of, or public confidence in, the game of professional football." Both parties to this labor contract between the NFL and its players decided to give the Commissioner the exclusive power to impose punishment.

And both sides necessarily agreed to allow the Commissioner to determine what "conduct detrimental to the integrity of, or public confidence in, the game of professional football" is. The last Commissioner articulated his interpretation of the term in the league's first formal Personal Conduct Policy. The new Commissioner has revised the policy to reflect his own views in this regard.

In light of these basic facts (all of which Travis has ignored), the notion that discipline can be imposed for something less than a conviction or a guilty plea makes sense.

Why shouldn't players who get arrested be subject to a fine, suspension, or termination of employment? Every day, people in these United States get busted for crimes that they might not have committed, and many of them lose their jobs as a result of it. In an industry like the NFL, with overall interests so closely tied to public perception and image, it's amazing to us that more players haven't previously received stiff sentences for the embarrassment to the game flowing from a news cycle consumed by reports of the latest guy who was driving drunk or beating someone up or carrying drugs or guns.

Besides, and as we've said many times in the past, pro athletes have the money to buy the best criminal defense lawyers in the land, who are experts at planting reasonable doubt in the minds of jurors -- even where the evidence of guilt is otherwise overwhelming.

In clumsily attempting to make his case (maybe we understand why he apparently never actually used that law degree), Travis seizes on the notion that the litany of players arrested in the recent past have received better treatment than the punishment imposed on Pacman Jones. There are serious flaws in this logic.

First, there's a new sheriff in town. Decisions made by the last guy, Mr. Milquetoast, no longer matter. The idea that Goodell is bound by the practices of his predecessor is like suggesting that the next U.S. president is legally required to continue to follow the current administration's policies.

Second, the sheer volume of names on the list of players arrested over the past seven years shows that the old approach wasn't working. The problem has gotten worse over the past few years, not better. Thus, it clearly was and is time to act.

Third, Travis ignores the fact that Pacman Jones' offenses include failing to report two separate arrests to his employer, which are blatant violations of the prior version of the Personal Conduct Policy -- and which none of the other NFL players on the wrong end of the "State versus" equation had done.

So Goodell is right to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty. The fact that Goodell isn't a lawyer is, in our view, a good thing. The Collective Bargaining Agreement gives him all of the legal cover that he needs, leaving him free to focus on solving the problem.

And the real test of Goodell's power, and willingness to use it, isn't the Pacman Jones case. The true challenge will be the manner in which Goodell sifts through the Mike Vick matter and imposes punishment, especially if he's never indicted for involvement in dog fighting.

Under the CBA, Goodell arguably has the power to punish Vick based solely on the fact that his ownership of land at which an apparent dog-fighting compound was discovered is, standing alone, "conduct detrimental to the integrity of, or public confidence in, the game of professional football." If the NFL has determined through its own investigation that Vick was far more than an absentee landlord, we're convinced that Goodell will take appropriate action, even if Mike never makes a perp walk.

Although folks like Clay Travis or Randy Aiken or whatever his name is will piss and moan when it happens, Goodell will be doing the right thing for the integrity of, and public confidence in, the game of professional football.

Although late Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill wasn't a household name in NFL circles, he made a significant impact in his three NFL seasons.

A member of the LSU national championship team, Hill entered the league as a second-round draft pick. But in a system that uses only three down linemen, and with a trio of down linemen named Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, and Ty Warren, a lot of guys currently starting in other NFL cities would have been on the sidelines for much of the time, too.

But Hill still had a great perspective, as evidenced by quotes contained in Tuesday's Boston Herald. "I don't worry about what other people say, because they can't play football," Hill said during the 2006 season. "You can't get down on yourself too early in your career if you’re behind some good guys. Obviously you want to play, but everything happens for a reason, so you have to sit back and wait, and when your time comes, take advantage of it."

Hill also is being remembered today as a hero. After the jet ski on which he and a female friend were riding Sunday night in Lake Pontchartrain overturned, Hill helped her to a buoy and told her to stay calm, before drifting away in another direction.

An off-duty law enforcement officer heard the woman's screams for help, and he nearly rescued Hill.

Hill is remembered as a player who helped the team in many ways other than between the lines on game days. "He worked hard and he was a funny guy," defensive lineman Jarvis Green told the Boston Globe. "It's like Coach always says: 'Even if you're not on the field, you can still do a lot to help the team.' He was out there pushing guys in practice."

"He also liked to have fun and enjoy things. He always would say, 'Life is short.' He could find anything, anywhere, and talk about it and make everybody laugh. . . . He wouldn't sit here and be miserable. He was a guy who always smiled."

Hill also found ways to help the community. In October 2005, he led a group of Patriots players to his hometown of New Orleans, where they helped an M.S. patient who had survived Hurricane Katrina by building a ramp to her home, repairing her fence, and cleaning up her yard.

We're very reluctant to suggest how folks should process grief, especially while we're still struggling to deal with the loss of a great friend last week. But we're compelled to note that the Patriots should give serious consideration to adjusting the entry page of their web site to include some type of memorial to Marquise Hill.

Several readers have expressed concern to us regarding the absence of any mention of Hill on the first page that appears after entering "patriots.com" into the browser. Currently displayed there is a picture of Vince Wilfork, an ad for a "Moving Sale" of team merchandise, and a frame from a recent practice video.

We'll give the team the benefit of the doubt on this one, since it was a three-day weekend and the apparatus likely

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