Pro Football Talk

As a follow-up to that scathing critique of the direction of the Browns' organization under new president John Collins, a reader has pointed out to us a recent quote from coach Butch Davis that is directly contradicted by Collins' approach to the Kellen Winslow negotiations.

As Davis said on July 28 in his pre-camp press conference, "First and foremost is is that we obviously don't negotiate in the media. I mean, that's clearly not what we're going to do not only with Kellen but with any of the draft choices."

Two days later, the Browns went on the offensive, as Collins outlined for the media that the team had made its best offer to Winslow, that the money was equivalent to the package paid to the guy picked one spot ahead of Winslow, and that Winslow's agents had rejected the offer.

The Cleveland press has failed to pick up on this discrepancy, which cries out for coverage by the media. (Then again, maybe the local scribes are hoping to follow Pat McManamon's footsteps into a paid gig with the team; pissing off the team by doing things like pointing out obvious statements won't get their resumes onto Randy Lerner's desk, that's for sure.)

As we see it, this is objective evidence to support the assertion that the wheels are coming off in Cleveland. As the source who supplied the info for our earlier story observed, they might have to gut the entire operation and start over in order to fix this thing.

A high-level league insider has shared with us (anonymously, of course) some biting observations regarding Friday's decision by the Cleveland Browns to offer the sixth overall draft pick, Kellen Winslow, the same deal signed by the guy taken at the No. 5 spot, Sean Taylor.

Per the source, this development confirms that the Browns "are the most f--cked up organization in the NFL."

They "don't know or understand the ramifications of doing business this way," the source explained. The Browns "aren't buying and selling widgets. We're talking about human beings. The entire business is based on human performance and psychology."

Translation -- by breaking from established procedures for determining the market value of draft picks (i.e., the slotting system), the Browns are inviting every agent to try the same routine in future negotiations.

And if enough teams start doing this, the entire slotting system quickly will go to hell in a holy handkerchief.

The efforts of newly-hired team president John Collins to justify the decision to offer Winslow as much as Taylor was paid reflect Collins' inexperience, the source said. Specifically, the question of whether Winslow and Taylor have comparable market value or were teammates and friends is "irrelevant to Winslow's market value," the source said.

As a result, the source believes that "the hiring of Collins is going to be a disaster" for the Browns. "Putting a guy like this in and around football operations is a mistake. He's a bean counter who knows nothing about football, [but he's] talking about [player] talent."

The source also echoed an issue on which we reported when Collins was hired -- that there's a perception among league insiders that Collins was the "fall guy" for the Janet Jackson boob-drop at the Super Bowl, and that the Browns gig provided the Commissioner with an easy way to nudge Collins out of the league office.

Collins "will screw up the Browns," the source said. "He'll set the franchise back for years."

As to the decision to go public with the offer made to Winslow, the source said that Collins committed "one of the biggest mistakes you can make. . . . You don't negotiate through the media."

(Then again, perhaps the Postons bring out the worst in teams. Earlier in the offseason, the 49ers pulled a similar move with franchised linebacker Julian Peterson. The team made its best offer and went public with it. Since then, there has been no further activity toward a long-term deal.)

Even more troubling, as the source explained, is the fact that the Browns apparently plan to continue to use their own in-house media machine for the purposes of generating a favorable public image. Recently, the Browns quietly hired Akron Beacon Journal sportswriter Patrick McManamon, who cobbled together the "story" that appeared on the Browns' official site on Friday regarding the status of the Winslow negotiations.

So, under the guise of continuing his role as a beat writer covering all things Brown, McManamon is now literally bought-and-paid-for by the Browns -- and it shows in his work. Consider this excerpt:

'Absolutely,' said one agent who has negotiated deals for several first-round picks. 'If Winslow is asking for more, it�s hard to justify.'

The same agent added, though, that the Postons may be pressured to get a big deal for Winslow because of an ongoing dispute between Postons client LaVar Arrington and the Redskins. Arrington and the Postons claim the Redskins left a $6.5 million bonus out of a contract that Arrington signed in December. The dispute is headed to arbitration.

An official from an NFC team who has negotiated many deals also said the Browns offer was fair.

'You wouldn�t think the team was being unreasonable by doing it, because (Winslow and Taylor) were teammates and all,' he said. 'That seems pretty reasonable.'

Noticeably absent from McManamon's piece is the kind of balance that is the hallmark of actual journalism; instead, he props up the team and bashes the Postons.

Maybe he should change his last name to McMahon. As in Ed. As in "You are correct, sir!"

Here's a hint, Pat -- there are plenty of folks out there who think that what the Browns are doing is stoopid. We suppose you won't be looking for any off-the-record quotes along those lines, however, if you want to keep getting a paycheck with Randy Lerner's name scrawled on it.

We're also hearing that the Browns have hired NFL.com scribe Vic Carucci to climb aboard the propaganda express. Though Carucci's work still appears on NFL.com as of July 30, it'll be interesting to see what happens as of August 1 or September 1.

The fact that the Browns have formally announced neither move shows that the team is looking to take a low-key approach to an issue that could result in plenty of criticism for everyone involved.

And our source is perplexed by the team's obsession over its image. "This proves that they're focusing on the wrong things. Who gives a f--k about public image? Go out and win games. That's the best way to improve your image."

In our view, an obsession over public image also would include a commitment not to draft turds (e.g., William "Stick A Knife in Me, I'm Done" Green) or a decision not to sell beer in the Dawg Pound.

In hindsight, we're glad that we re-posted a link to the "Going Postons" cartoon, a parody which the Browns (as reported in May by Mr. McManamon, then of the ABJ) did not find to be humorous. It seems that, in this case, the truth might be even funnier than the fiction.

We had a moment of temporary insanity on Friday night, when we found ourselves giving the Postons credit for their commitment not to negotiate Kellen Winslow's contract through the media.

But, as it turns out, the Postons are negotiating through the media. Said Kevin Poston, according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer: "[W]e won't settle for anything less that market value."

As one league source said in response, "Hey assholes . . . . Negotiating [through the media] isn't just giving financial figures."

Winslow's father, Kellen, Sr., also got in on the not-negotiating-through-the-media routine. Winslow told the Plain-Dealer that the offer of Sean Taylor money was rejected because Taylor's deal was less than it could have been.

"Teams wait for a bad deal to hang their hats on and fortunately for the Browns, that's what happened," he said. "Just because Sean Taylor signed a bad deal doesn't mean we're going to. Fans need to look at both sides of the equation."

Winslow Jr. left Cleveland for Houston on Friday, where he'll be working out with a growing stable of Postons clients who aren't in camp due to contract disputes.

Our guess is that he'll be there for a while, as the front office continues to negotiate through the media and the agents continue to not negotiate through the media -- and as Winslow's chances of hitting the ground running this season begin to subside.

Jason Cole of the Miami Herald has had, in hindsight, a bit of a rough week. On Thursday, he reported that the Dolphins had called the Chiefs about running back Larry Johnson at the same time he reported that the Chiefs denied that any such call was made (kind of like voting for the $87 billion before voting against it, huh?), and we reported later in the day that the latter half of the Cole report was the right half -- the Fins made no call to the Chiefs.

On Friday, Cole reported that the Dolphins were making progress toward a long-term deal with defensive end Adewale Ogunleye. As Cole reported, "[a]gents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus and the Dolphins have gotten closer to agreeing to a basic value of a contract for Ogunleye."

Then Cole quoted Jason Rosenhaus, causing the reasonable reader to conclude that the Ogunleye camp truly believed that progress indeed was being made toward that elusive multi-year deal. Not so, a league source with knowledge of the status of the discussions told us on Friday afternoon.

Though a deal is still possible before the regular season begins, any suggestion that a deal is coming soon is flat-out wrong.

Jags first-rounder WR Reggie Williams agreed to terms on a multi-year deal (gee, wonder why the Postons didn't slip that scoop to us?).

Speaking of the Postons, Kevin's declaration that he does not negotiate in the media following the Browns' news release regarding the deal offered to TE Kellen Winslow is about the smartest thing we've ever heard ol' K-Dog say.

The Vikings reached a contract agreement with first-round DE Kenechi Udeze (who is a monster on that new ESPN NFL 2K5 game).

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is unhappy that second-round RB Tatum Bell wasn't signed by the start of training camp; it's the first rookie in Shanny's decade with the team that a rookie wasn't signed and in camp on time.

Want any more evidence that Giants QB Kurt Warner is suffering from chronic post-concussion syndrome (apart from the fact that he remains married to Yoko)? Kurt and his $3.5 million, two-year deal thinks he can hold off QB Eli Manning and his $45 million, six-year package.

Broncos DB Lenny Walls will miss three weeks after surgery to repair torn cartilage in his foot.

Our Chitown mole tells us that current estimates by the team that middle linebacker Brian Urlacher will miss 4-6 weeks with a hamstring injury are on the short side, and that there's concern within the front office that Urlacher could be out even longer.

Per the mole, optimism (you know, that quality that every politician now claims he/she has after the media crowed about Ronald Reagan's "glass-half-full" outlook) was running high in Chicago on Thursday afternoon/evening after the MRI on the hammy came back negative. By Friday morning, however, it was learned that the muscle still has suffered more damage than a standard "pull" -- and the Bears became concerned that their 2-4 week estimate should be adjusted.

The thinking is that the 4-6 week estimate was selected so that it would not dampen coach Lovie Smith's honeymoon period in Chicago, especially since any longer estimates would mean that Urlacher will miss at least one regular season game. Bottom line is that the Bears really don't know at this point whether he'll be available for week one -- and they privately are concerned that he won't be.

In a move that will shock no one who is even remotely acquainted with the growing legend of the brothers Poston, the Browns have announced that the most notorious agents in all of sport have rejected a contract offer that would have paid sixth overall pick Kellen Winslow as much as the guy drafted one spot higher than him, Redskins safety Sean Taylor.

The Browns' announcement of the rejection of a deal including a $13 million signing bonus and a potential value over six years of $40 million clearly is intended to make the Postons look like the bad guys for apparently trying to leapfrog Taylor, who was the fifth overall pick.

Still, league insiders question the wisdom of team president John Collins' reasoning for the offer -- and of his decision to share his reasoning with the free world. Said Collins:

"Given the close personal and competitive relationship between Kellen and Sean Taylor, as well as their equal talent level on different sides of the football, we did not want to penalize Kellen for being picked one slot below his former teammate. Faced with the opportunity to get Kellen in camp on time, we made our best offer."

Obviously, the Postons are trying to get for Winslow a lot more than Taylor got at No. 5 -- possibly based on the contention that the Browns were a whisker away from trading up to No. 4 with the Giants, before the Giants swung a deal with the Chargers.

(Of course, the Browns would have taken Taylor at the four hole, but good luck convincing the Postons of that.)

Still, the system is the system. Two makes less than one, three makes less than two, four makes less than three, and on down the line. As one league source opined, the Postons' efforts to step out of line on Winslow's behalf highlights the need for a structured pay scale for rookies, similar to the systems used by the NBA and the NHL.

The Postons also could be arguing that Taylor made a mistake by doing his deal early before the Giants signed Eli Manning (with the fourth slot in the rookie pool) to a deal including $20 million in guaranteed money, and that Taylor would have been in line for even more if he'd waited on Manning. The Postons' argument in this regarding only will get stronger if (as we believe) Larry Fitzgerald snags a deal equal to or better than Manning's at the three hole and/or Philip Rivers does a deal significantly greater than Manning's.

The bottom line is that the Postons are taking full advantage of the fact that the top of the first round is a complete mess this year given the Manning-for-Rivers trade. The Texans, by the way, are looking smarter and smarter by the day for locking up No. 10 pick Dunta Robinson before this mess unfolded and before another Postons client -- ninth overall pick Reggie Williams -- gets the last piece of a market suddenly gone haywire.

There are rumblings around the league that retired running back Ricky Williams might pull a Michael Jordan and re-emerge in the sport of baseball.

After a week where each news cycle seemed to spit out yet another bizarre and unlikely revelation regarding the man who has rocketed to No. 2 on the national weirdness barometer behind only Michael Jackson, nothing will surprise us at this point.

Perhaps Ricky is looking for something that can produce a cannaboid-inducing stupor without having to worry about the presence of T-H-C in his P-E-E. If so, baseball and its plodding pace could be the best way for Ricky to lapse into semi-consciousness.

Or maybe Ricky realizes that his marijuana habit won't be a problem in baseball, which is just getting around to the issue of testing for performance enhancing drugs.

Earlier this week, Ricky's mom said that a shoulder injury likely would prevent Williams from returning to baseball. Even so, we suppose that there's all sorts of other things he could ingest, inhale, and/or inject in order to help dull the pain, restore the range of motion, and/or grow enough additional muscle to enable him to pop the ball over the wall from the bunting stance.

A league source tells us that the New York Giants privately aren't disappointed by the possibility that second-round pick Chris Snee might miss the start of training camp due to the fact that he has yet to agree to terms.

Per the source, the Giants believe that a holdout will help defuse criticism of the decision to draft Snee, who happens to be the father of coach Tom Coughlin's grandchild. Indeed, if Snee's teammates think he had an easier time getting paid at the bargaining table, then those inevitable locker-room whispers of favoritism will only increase.

Of course, our theory has been that Snee might be more willing than other draft picks to help the Giants offset the chunk of the rookie pool that Eli Manning's deal consumed, since he was paid as the No. 1 pick even though the team's rookie pool number was calculated based on the team having the No. 4 slot in the first round. So, in our view, the favoritism that we envision at this stage of the game would favor the team, not the player.

Even after Snee's contract is signed, and regardless of whether he holds out, the perception that Snee is getting special treatment will be unavoidable. Perhaps a short holdout will help to take some of the short-term steam out of the issue; the only way that the question will be rendered moot over the long haul is if Snee develops into a great player sooner rather than later.

Rocker Lenny Kravitz has gone public to deny having any role in persuading Williams to quit football.

"I don't understand why the press is saying that. They weren't there. I had absolutely nothing to do with it. It's up to him to decide what he wanted to do, and I applaud him for making the decision that he did, and having the heart and the spirit to do it."

Williams has been spending time on the road with Kravitz, joining him on an overseas tour in June.

Meanwhile, Williams' lawyer told the Palm Beach Post that Ricky was in a downward spiral that traced to a 12-0 late-season loss to the Patriots. Three days after averaging less than 3 yards on 25 carries in a December 7 loss that dropped the Fins to 8-5 and put a major crimp their playoff chances, Williams tested positive for marijuana, triggering a $650,000 fine.

"He was so deflated emotionally, that was a setback for him," Gary Ostrow said. "That loss was the beginning of the end, in my opinion. Here you had a free-spirited individual stuck in the rigors of a drug intervention program that was really far more than he wanted to tolerate.

"He started talking crazy things about wanting to go to Jamaica and about how he hated having to go to the Dolphins' facility at 5 a.m. All these signs make sense to me now."

Given that Williams now acknowledges yet another positive test, which would result a four-game suspension if he returns, he essentially would be playing 50 percent of the 2004 season for free -- and he'd be one more positive test away from a one-year suspension.

The Williams retirement has prompted rampant speculation of a deal involving disgruntled defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, who is not under contract and who likely will sit out for all of training camp, the preseason, and seven regular-season games before signing his dramatically reduced tender offer.

Though it now appears that a deal could be coming for O-gun, it apparently won't be a trade -- it'll be a new contract.

Jason Cole of the Miami Herald reports that talks on a long-term contract between Ogunleye and the Dolphins are progressing. Agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus told Cole that the two sides have "gotten closer" as to the value of the deal.

Per Cole, the floor for the Ogunleye deal is the contract given a year ago to Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila by the Packers. KGB got an $11 million bonus on a seven-year, $37.3 million deal. But we think that the ridiculous money paid by the Seahawks to Grant Wistrom in March, which included a $14 million bonus, is the real target for the guys at Rosenhaus Sports.

Really, if Wistrom is worth $14 million up front, Ogunleye is worth $18 million.

The director of the Ricky Williams Foundation is receiving threats against her and her children.

The Browns have given a fair contract to second-round S Sean Jones, who'll miss all of his rookie season with a torn ACL; his $1.35 million bonus is a 4-percent raise over last year's pick in the same spot

Vikings RB Michael Bennett has a chip on his shoulder to match the wings on his heels.

Just as the Bengals are gaining some respectability, they're pissing off players, agents, and the NFLPA by insisting on a clause in rookie contracts the hinges the retention of signing bonus money upon 100 percent participation in "voluntary" offseason workouts.

Steelers WR Hines Ward decided not to hold out from training camp to protest the team's decision not to re-do a contract that he has grossly outplayed.

Packers LB Hannibal Navies will be an unrestricted free agent in 2005 after easily surpassing the 15-percent play-time trigger necessary to void the third year of a contract signed in March 2003.

Redskins S Sean Taylor has appealed the $25,000 fine imposed upon him for skipping out early from the rookie symposium.

Eagles DT Corey Simon is expected to report for training camp despite his unhappiness with his contractual status.

Despite a one-year suspension of his driver's license, Texans S Marcus Coleman has a permit that allows him to drive to and from work -- as long as he (or, in theory, someone else) can blow a clean air sample into the device installed on the steering column.

Former NFL running back and Heisman winner Rashaan Salaam says that, like Ricky Williams, marijuana use brought his career to a premature end (but if Rashaan had protected the football as if it were his stash of M.J., he might still be playing).

In a feature that will appear whenever we receive an e-mail worthy of sharing with the readership at large, he's the first entry in this new category, which was triggered by our recent reference to Browns running back William Green, whose troubled 2004 season was punctuated by a puncture wound to his back:

"William 'Stick A Fork In Me, I'm Done' Green? Very nice. Why don't you stick to making up your bullsh-t football 'rumors' and leave the man's personal life out of it? First of all, the man is involved in a very complicated situation with the mother of his children and is subsequently trying to turn his life around. Secondly, the man deserves a little credit for how much he has accomplished his life so far considering the shit he has gone through. Lastly, it was a knife, not a fork. So for future reference, between your daily routine of yapping about pro football and gay porn, why don't you do a little homework? And do us all a favor and leave the comedy to Carrot Top. Kiss my black ass all of you chicken f--kers.

We could take the time to explain that we used "fork" instead of "knife" because the saying as used commonly in the culture calls for the word "fork." In order to avoid any further problems, however, we'll simply adjust the phrase moving forward.

As it turns out, the package received by Eagles first-round pick Shawn Andrews wasn't as fat as, well, Andrews himself.

A league source who double-checked our calculations regarding Troy Polamalu's deal at the No. 16 spot in 2003 pointed out that his contract also contains one of those $685,000 "falling off the log" incentives -- which drives up in Polamalu's deal the value of all of the various factors we're tracking for the purposes of comparing rookie deals from 2003 to rookie deals from 2004.

As a result, the total increase over the life of the two deals reflects a pedestrian 2.9 percent for Andrews. Though he received a 10-percent raise over Polamalu on all of the other factors we've been tracking, it's a far cry from numbers that showed a raise in excess of 20 percent for Andrews as to bonus money, first-year pay, guaranteed money, and three-year value of the respective contracts.

We apologize to Polamalu and his agents for creating the impression that they got hosed last year -- and to the Eagles for creating the impression that they paid Andrews too much money.

Ravens DB Dale Carter will miss the season due to a blood clot in his lungs that was at one point "life-threatening".

Rams RB Marshall Faulk knows that the end of the line is coming (but thanks to that softball contract his agent negotiated for successor Steven Jackson, Faulk might have some more time than he thinks).

Adding to the appearance of impropriety regarding agent Rocky Arceneaux's representation of both Faulk and Jackson is the news that Faulk was present for the signing of Jackson's below-market deal -- and the event occurred at a St. Louis restaurant where Faulk often entertains.

Our official Chitown mole tells us that the MRI on middle linebacker Brian Urlacher's hamstring was negative, showing no evidence of a tear.

Still, look for Urlacher to miss 2-4 weeks. We're told that the Bears will be very vague about the specific date for Urlacher's return, so that the team can continue for as long as it wishes to use Urlacher's absence as a tool for eyeballing the players who will be filling in the depth chart behind him.

Also, the mole tells us that Urlacher made the pull worse by continuing to practice after the initial injury occurred.

A knowledgeable source tells us that the Miami Dolphins have not called the Kansas City Chiefs regarding the availability of running back Larry Johnson.

This contradicts reports by Jason Cole of the Miami Herald that the "Dolphins inquired" about Johnson. In the same story, Cole reports that Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil denied any contact from the Dolphins.

Vermeil's denial didn't prompt Cole to back off of his statement that the inquiry had been made, and the information we're receiving is that the call wasn't made.

Dave Goldberg of the Associated Press reports that quarterback Eli Manning will receive $20 million in bonus money via his contract with the New York Giants. The deal is worth at least $45 million over six years, and it can be worth up to $54 million.

Coincidentally, we reported a day ago that league insiders were predicting that both Manning and quarterback Philip Rivers would receive bonus money in that amount.

Assuming that agent Tom Condon receives a three-percent fee for his services to the brothers Manning, Condon's take -- on the bonus money only -- from the two contracts will be $1.635 million dollars.

We've received some questions regarding the decision of Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma to sign a contract that provides him with a total signing bonus of zero dollars, zero cents.

"What if Vilma suffers a career-ending injury this year?" we've been asked more than once today (and once is once more than we care to deal with the issue).

So for anyone out there who has been fretting over Vilma's financial security should his knees go snap, crackle, or crunch this year, you can sleep easily.

A league source tells us that Vilma's contract contains guaranteed salaries in 2005, 2006, and 2007 that are equal to the $6.03 million bonus he'll receive next year if the team exercises its option to pay the money up front and wipe out the guaranteed salaries.

So in addition to his $1.22 million reporting bonus paid in 2004, Vilma is guaranteed to receive $7.5 million. And if he's released because, for example, he suffers a career-ending injury this year, he'll be entitled to receive the full amount of the future guaranteed payments, per the collective bargaining agreement.

The Browns continue to haggle with the Postons regarding Kellen Winslow's rookie contract (maybe they'll offer him a one-year deal).

Raiders coach Norv Turner says the team hasn't been contacted by the Dolphins regarding whether one of their gaggle of running backs might be available in trade.

QB Steve Beuerlein, who played for six different teams (seven if you count both the Phoenix Cardinals and Arizona Cardinals . . . five if, more appropriately, you count neither of them as real NFL teams), has signed with the Panthers for the purposes of retiring.

The Titans struck deals with S Scott McGarrahan and three draft picks on Wednesday; McGarrahan gets a one-year deal for the veteran minimum.

As Len Pasquarelli observes, such a number would make Eli and big brother Peyton (who got $34.5 million earlier this year) the only two NFL players to land bonus money at or above the $20 million mark.

Manning's trade from the Chargers, who drafted him, to the Giants, who held the fourth overall pick, reduced the available cap space that the Giants had for their rookie salaries in 2004. (We've previously predicted that second-round pick Chris Snee, who has fathered coach Tom Coughlin's grandchild, will allow his 2004 salary to be offset in order help ensure that Peyton's deal will get done.)

The question now becomes whether Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald will be able to persuade the Bidwills that he should get more than Manning, since Manning technically was in the No. 4 spot -- and whether the "real" fourth pick, Philip Rivers, will try to get more than either of them, since he now sits in the No. 1 hole.

But, as the Herald also reports, the information is news to Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil.

Johnson was drafted by Kansas City in the first round of the 2004 draft. At the time, the availability of workhorse Priest Holmes was in doubt, given a hip injury and unhappiness with his contract.

Since then, Holmes' hip healed, he got paid (well), and he rushed for more than 1,400 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2003.

Since Johnson was a first-round pick, a trade of the former Penn State star straight up for unsigned defensive end Adewale Oguneleye makes some sense -- especially if the Dolphins are indeed initiating these discussions.

For the Chiefs, a Johnson-for-Ogunleye trade fits with Vermeil's effort to go for broke and win it all now, so that he can ride off into the sunset . . . again. O-gun would help beef up a defense that couldn't stop the Colts in the playoffs last year, and losing Johnson would mean little to an already souped-up offense.

Look at it this way: If the Chiefs knew in April 2003 that Holmes would be healthy and happy and productive and Ogunleye was on the board at No. 27, would they have taken him?

Of course, the fact that the deal makes so much sense probably means it won't happen. Stay tuned.

There's been a rash of cuts over the past few days as teams prepare for training camps. And the decision to dump these guys now is prompting criticism in some league circles.

Why? Because in most cases nothing has happened since the conclusion of offseason workouts to change a team's plans as to the player in question. Holding the guy until late July essentially limits his chances of landing with another team -- either in the NFL or in Canada.

For guys who'll choose to get out of the game, their ability to make post-football plans (like going back to school or getting a job) also were put on hold and, again, for no good reason (in most cases).

We know, we know -- the teams have the right to cut guys whenever and however they want. But at a time when teams are crying about the absence of any loyalty from players like Ricky Williams, perhaps the teams should think about their own conduct before claiming that they got screwed by players.

Really, there's no good reason to put these guys' lives on hold from June until August. Once a team knows a guy is gonna get cut, the team should cut him. If the decision genuinely isn't made until July 28, so be it. But if it's made on June 1, don't hold the guy on the roster for the same reason that a dog licks his own genitals (i.e., because he can). Do the right thing and let the guy go.

As the Cleveland Browns continue to insist on five-year contracts from every draft pick (with the option to take a one-year deal), there's a growing consensus in league circles that the team is unnecessarily alienating players and agents for a cause that doesn't have much of an upside.

In the end, this strategy protects the Browns against getting prematurely hijacked by a low-rounder who becomes a superstar, either as a restricted free agent after three seasons or an unrestricted free agent after four.

But, the last time we checked, the Browns haven't been growing superstars either from the low rounds or the high rounds of their draft classes, which has been headlined since the team's return to the league by guys like Tim Couch, Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, and William "Stick a Fork in Me, I'm Done" Green.

So by obsessing over getting themselves into embarrassing situations such as those that the Jets experienced with Laveranues Coles and Chad Morton and the Bears experienced with D'Wayne Bates and Warrick Holdman, the Browns are instead pissing off everyone involved in the process from rounds three to round seven -- every year.

In our view, it's a serious mistake, and it will only grease the skids for Butch Davis's exit from the team.

We posted our analysis of the Bill Cowher extension in Pittsburgh after reports of the impending deal first broke on Saturday, and there really isn't much more to add. First, we think that the front office realized that an implicit "win now or else" mandate for Cowher didn't mesh with the idea of grooming a first-year quarterback who might not place until after Cowher is gone. Second, we think Cowher has his eye on Kansas City anyway -- and the Steelers will be immune from criticism that they ran him out the door if/when he chooses to succeed Dick Vermeil.

Far more entertaining, however, is an e-mail we received from a reader on this topic:

Is there any reason why the Steelers don't, oh, I dunno, sign The Chin to a HUNDRED YEAR EXTENSION?!?!? Rooney, just come out and say you love the man so much, it doesn't matter if the Steelers are a perennial shoulder-shrug. An annual who-gives-a-crap. A yearly ho-hum. I know they had a good season a few years back, when Greg Lloyd wore a garage door-sized
facemask and Larry Brown almost had to fend off the interceptions. But Art, The Chin's most unpredictable move during a game in the last [10] years has been to stuff a field photo down the shirt of Red Cashion. Otherwise, The Chin's game plans fall somewhere between Styrofoam cup and paper plate on the interesting scale.

Again, we're not sure that this extension should be interpreted as a sign that Cowher is still regarded as the long-term, 20-plus-year field general in the 'Burgh. Sooner or later (preferably sooner), Cowher needs to add that long-elusive fifth Lombardi to the case before he gets that lifetime contract he otherwise has been piecing together in two-year and three-year increments.

Broncos rookie WR Darius Watts already is lighting up training camp -- just like another former Marshall wideout did six years ago (Watts also spoke to his new NFL money: "I still go to Wendy's and get 99-cent bacon cheeseburgers. I don't go to Applebee's or something. I guess once I get out and start knowing I have the money in the bank, it might be a little different. But it still feels like I'm poor.")

One day before agreeing to terms with the Eagles, a doctor told Eagles rookie OT Shawn Andrews that his nasal polyps are "kind of coming back a bit" (we wonder whether Andrews shared this nugget with his employer before taking their money).

Bears RB Anthony Thomas would like to stay with the team beyond 2004, but he's not interested in being the backup to Thomas Jones.

Newly-signed DL Brock Lesnar is explaining away recent negative comments regarding homosexuals: "If you're gay, that's fine. Go ahead and be gay. But you don't have to tell me about it and approach me.''

Our Chitown mole, who beat everyone else to the punch by getting word to us that the Bears signed first-round pick Tommie Harris on Wednesday afternoon, tells us that the Bears privately expect middle linebacker Brian Urlacher to miss two weeks after suffering a hamstring pull in the first day of the team's training camp practices.

Urlacher worked hard in the latter stages to get in shape for the season amid rumors that the team could seek to restructure his $50-million-plus contract downward if he doesn't have a big season in 2004. In the grand scheme of things, the injury is a minor setback. Still, it will prompt Urlacher to fall behind as the team adjusts to the scheme of new head coach Lovie Smith.

Our mole described the pending MRI as a precaution, and that the front office is optimistic that the injury is a pull, not a tear.

As illustrated in our first-round contract analyzer, two of Monday's draft picks who agreed to terms got healthy raises in comparison to the players picked in the same spot a year ago.

At the twelfth overall position, linebacker Jonathan Vilma scored from the Jets a whopping 13.2 percent increase in bonus money and a 17.4 percent increase in total value over the deal signed a year ago by Rams defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy.

At the sixteen-hole, offensive tackle Shawn Andrews snared from the Eagles jaw-dropping raises of more than 20 percent on bonus money, first-year money, guaranteed money, and money earned over the first three years. In total value, Andrews receives an 11.4 percent increase over the 2003 deal given to Troy Polamalu by the Steelers.

Vilma technically received no signing bonus. His bonus money instead will be paid in the form of a $1.22 million reporting bonus this year and a $6.03 million roster bonus next year. Also, $554,000 of his 2006 salary is guaranteed in the event of injury.