ProFootballTalk.com -- The Best Pro Football Scoop on the Internet

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the Rams and the agent for quarterback Marc Bulger will resume talks on Tuesday aimed at signing Bulger to an extension of a contract that expires after the 2007 season.

A couple of weeks ago, Bulger hinted at a possible holdout, but then backed away from such possibilities. However, that was before the Colts handed defensive end Dwight Freeney a six-year, $72 million deal with $30 million in guaranteed money. We think that Condon will now be looking to break the bank with Bulger, and serious action might be needed to make it happen.

But whether Bulger would stay away from camp remains to be seen. Condon allowed Peyton Manning to play out the final year of his rookie deal before landing a nine-figure contract; in Manning's case, however, his grossly inflated franchise tender was all the leverage Condon needed. This time around, the only leverage that Condon might have is to encourage Bulger to withhold his services.

We didn't get it done by midnight, but we've posted of the No. 6 overall player of the last 25 years as soon as we could.

On the day that federal authorities returned to Mike Vick's Surry County, Virginia property and exhumed the carcasses of seven more dogs, Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com characterized the events of the day as a "respite," given that ESPN.com also reported that Vick was unlikely to be indicted.

Here's what we had to say to that one: "What will he call the day that Vick does a perp walk? A brief detour through a meadow of daisies?"

And now that Commissioner Roger Goodell has taken the unprecedented step of instructing one of the NFL's short-list superstars to stay away from training camp, Len somehow sees the glass as half-full.

Says Len: "The NFL and the Atlanta Falcons, already lacerated by the indictment of one of the game's highest-profile players and likely to suffer even more severe hemorrhaging by the end of the week, got a Band-Aid Monday night when commissioner Roger Goodell ordered quarterback Michael Vick not to report to training camp."

A Band-Aid? Maybe we don't fully appreciate what the term "Band-Aid" means. Maybe a "Band-Aid" is actually something like a "kiss of death" or a "kick to the loins" or a "kind of bad thing."

Len, take off the rose-colored ladies' glasses, please. These events are bad. Very bad. The Commish didn't do the Falcons or Vick any favors on Monday. Instead, Goodell went to the extraordinary step of fashioning a remedy that the rules currently don't contemplate in order to give the league and the team more time to figure out what in the heck they're going to do.

And the move is, we firmly believe, a sign that talks aimed at brokering an agreed exodus from camp were at a hopeless impasse, and that the team simply didn't have the stones to make a decision of its own.

As to the latter proposition, the Commish provided cover for Arthur Blank's Hamlet routine by instructing the team not to discipline Vick until the NFL's review is completed -- even though the Falcons have the ability, if they so choose, to impose a suspension of up to four games for conduct detrimental to the team.

Whatever we call this thing, it's obvious to us that the NFL has imposed an involuntary leave of absence upon Vick. If Vick were to file a grievance over the move, the grievance would likely prevail, since Goodell has no authority to, in essence, impose discipline without imposing discipline. Absent some effort to tie this move expressly to a violation of the Personal Conduct Policy, the Gambling Policy, or some other NFL policy, the edict of the Commish is no different than the Titans' refusal to allow Steve McNair to participate in offseason drills in 2006.

If Vick insists on the filing of a grievance, the NFLPA might have no choice but to comply with his wishes. And the grievance likely would prevail.

So none of this is good. Goodell's move was, in our view, merely an effort to buy time, in the hopes that Vick's new lawyer, Billy Martin, will persuade Vick to accept a leave of absence, which without Vick's approval also cannot be forced upon him.

Don't get us wrong on this one. We're not criticizing the league's handling of the issue. It remains an inordinately complex question, and there is insufficient time for the league or the team to make a prudent decision, especially since Vick doesn't seem inclined to follow the prudent course of action. But there's no way that tonight's action can be characterized as positive; it is the latest unfortunate step in a most unfortunate story.

The situation also highlights a hole in the CBA that should be addressed, ASAFP. Put simply, the league and/or the teams need to have the ability to place a player facing criminal charges on a paid leave of absence, if in the judgment of the franchise the charges are expected to create an unwarranted distraction.

Regardless, we still think that a final decision from the league and the Falcons needs to be made sooner rather than later. Though Pasquarelli seems to believe that conclusive action cannot be taken absent a conviction, a guilty plea, or "indisputable" evidence of guilt, Goodell has the sole authority under Article XI of the CBA to determine whether a player's actions are detrimental to the integrity of, or public confidence in, the game of professional.

In making this decision, Goodell is not bound by standards that only apply to the question of whether the player goes to prison. Based on the available evidence, we think that Goodell is fully within his rights to conclude that the actions resulting in the removal of 54 live dogs, 17 dead dogs, and dog-fighting equipment and pharmaceuticals from property owned by Vick, along with the issuance of a federal indictment in which Vick is accused of conspiracy to engage in gambling, dog fighting, and the killing of dogs, is more than enough to justify a decision by Goodell that Vick should be severely punished.

It's also enough for the Falcons to conclude that Vick has already engaged in conduct detrimental to the team. Even if he ultimately is acquitted, Vick's actions and omissions have created a serious mess for the team.

Our guess is that efforts to persuade Vick to agree to a leave of absence will continue, and that if Vick continues to leave the league and the Falcons with no other option, the league and/or the Falcons will be forced to take action.

Or, you know, just continue to buy time.

A league source tells us that the Miami Dolphins and receiver Ted Ginn, the ninth overall pick in the draft, have reached an agreement on all major points and are merely wrangling on Monday night over escalator provisions.

A deal needs to get done soon, or owner Wayne Huizenga's "if you hold out, you don't play" edict could be put to the test.

Glazer reports that the move is seen as an opportunity for the league office to take more time to assess the facts of the accusations of dog fighting leveled at Vick. Glazer reports that the league could give Vick "an extensive punishment" for his ties to dog fighting, and that Vick could be forced to sit out the year.

Glazer's report comes on the heels of Fox 5 in Atlanta reporting that Vick will take a leave of absence. The entirety of the FOX 5 report was, "The NFL says that Michael Vick will be taking a leave of absence."

Pretty much everyone except Vick agrees that a leave of absence would be the best solution. It would allow Vick to devote his full attention to his legal defense, and it would allow the NFL and the Falcons to avoid having animal-rights activists picketing Falcons training camp. But apparently Vick disagreed, and now Glazer reports that Goodell has made the decision for him.

The AJC story has been repeated by television reporters who seem to misunderstand the report. Just because Poindexter won't seek an indictment tomorrow does not mean Vick won't eventually face state charges of animal cruelty, dog fighting or anything else. It just means that the indictment won't come tomorrow.

Poindexter said last week that he planned to use evidence gathered by federal investigators to bring an indictment against Vick, so a local prosecution would only come after federal authorities have shared their evidence with the local authorities.

As we've mentioned here before, Poindexter might be forced to wait until the federal prosecution is concluded before acting against Vick. So nothing definitive is likely to come out of Poindexter's office any time soon.

NFL Network's Adam Schefter reported on NFL Total Access tonight that the Indianapolis Colts are not completely convinced that left tackle Tarik Glenn will retire.

Per Schefter, Glenn will meet with Colts coach Tony Dungy and president Bill Polian, and that, as far as Dungy and Polian are concerned, Glenn could still be talked out of retirement.

Per Schefter, Polian and Dungy urged Glenn to take his time and make sure he's making the right decision for himself and his family.

It's not clear whether offering him a big raise could help convince Glenn that staying with the Colts is the right decision for himself and his family, but with the kind of money mediocre offensive linemen are making these days, and the kind of money the Colts paid Dwight Freeney, a big raise for Glenn doesn't seem out of the question.

FALCONS' JIMMY WILLIAMS CITED FOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION by Michael David Smith

CBS 46 in Atlanta is reporting that Falcons defensive back Jimmy Williams was cited on June 2 on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge. But the TV station reports that "Williams disputed the report and said he is totally innocent."

Per the report, Williams was scheduled to make a court appearance last week, and his case has been continued to Dec. 3.

The station reports that Williams' agent, Ethan Lock, said he was aware of the citation, and that Falcons G.M. Rich McKay and coach Bobby Petrino have a copy of the police report and are discussing the matter.

Williams was the Falcons' second-round pick in 2006. He played 13 games last year, starting five. Like that other Falcon who has been in legal trouble recently, Williams is a product of Virginia Tech.

Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com reports that the San Diego Chargers have reached an agreement with draft pick Craig Davis, one of two LSU pass-catchers who were selected in the first round.

Davis was the 30th overall choice in the draft. He joins the No. 31 pick (Bears tight end Greg Olsen) and the No. 28 pick (49ers tackle Joe Staley) as guys who have signed at the bottom of the round. The other first-rounder under contract is Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons, the 15th overall pick.

Coincidentally, Davis is represented by Joel Segal, who represents Mike Vick, whom Len has been subtly defending over the past several weeks.

Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com reports that Mike Vick has hired Billy Martin to represent the Falcons (for now) quarterback in connection with federal conspiracy charges relating to gambling and dog fighting.

We reported earlier in the day that Martin had been interviewed for the gig, along will Ted Wells, who represented Scooter Libby, the former Chief of Staff for Vice President Dick Cheney.

Martin's biggest challenge, as we see it, will be getting Vick to go along with Martin's advice on all matters, without question or debate. Vick needs to be willing to put his life in this guy's hands, or Vick's case will fail.

Of course, even if Vick complies with every recommendation from Martin, the case still might fail. But the chances of success will be greater if Vick lets Martin call the shots.

For now, we'll venture out onto a limb and predict that Martin won't be the lead counsel when this thing goes to trial. We simply can't see Vick fully appreciate the jeopardy he now faces unless and until he has fired or scared off one or two of his lawyers.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells us that an Atlanta television station will disclose in the 6:00 p.m. EDT newscast that another member of the Atlanta Falcons is in trouble with the law.

In an unrelated development, we predict that a middle-aged man with a bad moustache might soon be putting a pro sports team up for sale and re-focusing his efforts on selling light bulbs and sheet rock.

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Steelers and safety Troy Polamalu have agreed on a contract extension that will keep Polamalu in Pittsburgh beyond 2007, which previously was the final year of his rookie deal.

Terms are not yet available. According to the team's official web site, the contract is a four-year extension, which means that he is signed through 2011. Bouchette reports that the deal makes Polamalu the highest-paid member of the Steelers defense and the highest-paid safety in the NFL.

Polamalu is widely respected for his frenetic, fearless approach to the game. We argued that he should have been used as a kick returner in Super Bowl XL, because we believe that he is one of the best broken-field runners in the history of the game, and definitely the most entertaining.

The only concern is his history of concussions. It was an issue coming out of USC, and he suffered another one in 2006.

Okay, this is the last Mike Vick story that we'll post, for at least an hour or two. In fact, we'd planned to call it quits for a while until spotting an item from Dan Benton of AOL's FanHouse in which he writes that Steve Wyche of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Monday on ESPN that the Falcons might cut Michael Vick this week.

As we've previously explained, a post-June 1 release of Vick would trigger a cap charge of $7.57 million in 2007 and $14.68 million in 2008. But by avoiding Vick's base salary of $6 million in 2007, the net effect of dumping him would be an extra cap hit of $1.57 million this year. Likewise, because the team wouldn't be on the hook for his $7.5 million base salary to be paid in 2008, the net difference is $7.18 million.

The cap hit does not represent any new money that the Falcons will be required to pay. Instead, it is the result of past bonus money being accelerated into the salary cap. In fact, because the Falcons already are carrying in 2007 a $7.57 million cap charge for the portion of Vick's $37 million in signing bonuses that applies to the current league year, the actual net result of cutting him would be additional cap room of $6 million, since the $7.57 million is on the books regardless of whether he's on the team or not.

With that said, we believe that a decision to release Vick is unlikely to come until after he commits a default, and after the team initiates an effort to recover bonus money previously paid to him. By our calculations, Vick is potentially on the hook for more than $28 million if he misses Thursday's training camp practice without written consent of the team to attend his arraignment. Likewise, the repayment obligation will be triggered if he is suspended by the team or the league.

By cutting him before he is in default, the Falcons would lose their ability to pursue the bonus money. Also, by cutting him after he is in default but before they secure a ruling that the money is owed, it's possible that the Falcons will have waived their claims.

And don't underestimate the potential backlash from the Vick supporters that will occur if it is perceived that the Falcons went too far in their reaction to the indictment.

The better approach, then, would be for the Falcons to merely suspend Vick for now, file a grievance against him to recover the bonus money, and sever ties with him after the 2007 season.

Of course, the best approach would be for Vick to agree to a leave of absence at a reduced salary, with the difference being pushed into 2008. But since he apparently still isn't able to identify what's good for him (and what isn't), it appears that a leave of absence won't happen.

It took us a few days to polish the thing off, but we finally are ready to unveil the 2007 PFT All-Turd defensive unit.

Later this week, we'll offer up some miscellaneous All-Turd awards, and we'll induct the second All-Turd Hall of Fame class on the day that the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame get their bronze busts in Canton.

One business day after protesting outside of the NFL's offices in New York, roughly 50 people showed up at Falcons headquarters in Flowery Branch, Georgia in a protest orchestrated by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

"The Falcons can get rid of us right away if they suspend Michael Vick. And we hope they choose to do that," said Dan Shannon, assistant director of campaigns for PETA.

The Falcons are due to open training camp on Thursday. Vick, however, will be in Richmond for an arraignment and a bond hearing on federal conspiracy charges.

Falcons spokesman Reggie Roberts said that the team will have no comment about the protests.

An industry source tells us that Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is encountering difficulty in identifying big-name lawyers who are interested in representing him.

Also, there's a sense that Vick's "I'm never there" statement from April 27 already dooms the defense to failure. If, as it appears, the feds have compiled detailed evidence putting Vick on his Surry County property on multiple occasions during the five-plus years that it served as the headquarters for a dog-fighting operation, Vick's comment is strong circumstantial evidence that he knew darn well what was happening there.

Even if "never" really meant "rarely" (as the "real" media inexplicably has inferred), our guess is that the feds can prove that the truth is that he was there "often" or "frequently" or "all the damn time."

The source tells us that two of the lawyers who have been interviewed for the representation are Ted Wells, who represented Scooter Libby, and Billy Martin, who defended former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell on corruption charges, and who was defended other sports figures and celebrities.

Since the federal prosecutors handling the Vick case won't be conducting many (or any) Poindexter-style press briefings, the closest thing we'll ever get to the thought processes of the federal prosecutors in this case will be via the insights of a former federal prosecutor.

Attorney Marc Garber of The Garber Law Firm, with offices in Atlanta and Marietta, Georgia, worked for eight years as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey and Nevada. He agreed to provide on-the-record observations regarding the Vick case, based on Garber's experiences working up and trying federal criminal cases on behalf of the United States of America.

As an initial matter, Garber believes that the mere existence of an indictment is the product of extensive work by prosecutors to marshal evidence that puts Vick in the places where they allege that he was, doing the things he allegedly did. That evidence, Garber believes, goes beyond the four unnamed cooperating witnesses mentioned in the indictment.

John Clayton of ESPN.com reports that the Miami Dolphins have agreed to terms with quarterback John Beck, the team's second-round pick in the 2007 draft.

Beck, a former BYU quarterback, saw his stock rise significantly in the run-up to the draft. Some teams had him rated as the best overall quarterback. Others regard him as a good player whose studious-to-the-point-of-nerdy demeanor might not mesh well with the modern pro athlete.

Clayton reports that Beck signed "a three-year deal and an option." We're not sure what that means, frankly. It sounds like there's a provision that allows the Fins to pay Beck some additional money in exchange for picking up the fourth year of the deal. Under the CBA, the maximum duration of contracts for second-round picks is four years.

The distinction between three and four years is critical. After three years, a player is eligible for restricted free agency.

Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins are close to a deal with receiver Ted Ginn, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2007 draft.

The Dolphins' selection of Ginn came as a shocker, since everyone expected them to take the aforementioned (thanks, Tiki) Brady Quinn.

Owner Wayne Huizenga thumped his chest earlier in the year regarding the consequences of a training-camp holdout. Doing his best George Costanza impersonation, Huizenga said, "If you don't report, you're sitting out, baby. We're not playing you."

We were hoping that Huizenga would be forced to act on his words. If anything, the triple-dog (thanks, Ookie) dare has likely put the front office in a position of having to overpay Ginn in order to avoid Huizenga from the embarrassment of benching the guy that was drafted instead of Quinn.

King also reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reserves the right to tack additional penalties to the sanctions imposed by the team.

The Falcons' options in this regard are limited. They can cut him, pursuant to paragraph 11 of the Standard Player Contract. Or they can suspend him without pay for up to four games under the CBA.

So it's possible that the Falcons will suspend Vick for the first four games of the regular season, and then Goodell will later suspend Vick for the remaining 12 of the 2007 season. Given that the Vick prosecution is in the so-called "Rocket Docket," the case will most likely be resolved by the commencement of offseason workouts in 2008, and the team can make a decision about Vick's future after the trial.

The only flaw in this approach? Suspending Vick for the first four games of the 2007 regular season might not permit the team to tell him to stay away from training camp and the preseason. Players suspended by the league for the first four games of the season due to violations of the substance abuse policy or the steroids policy are permitted to participate in preseason preparations.

Of course, Vick could voluntarily agree to accept a banishment from camp and the preseason, but the fact that Arthur Blank spent Sunday in Montana pondering his options for disciplining Vick tells us that, as we'd heard, Vick has refused to agree to anything. And this means that Vick is likely to refuse to stay away from camp or from the preseason games.

Thus, if/when the Falcons suspend Vick, the stage will be set for a nasty T.O.-style grievance hearing, if Vick decides to fight the decision. (Before making any decisions in this regard, however, Vick should consider the fact that he'd likely have to testify at the ensuing arbitration, and that the feds would likely subpoena the transcript of any such testimony for use in the trial on the pending conspiracy charges.)

Regardless of how it turns out, it's increasingly clear to us that Vick can't be a part of the Falcons team while these charges are pending, and it's apparently becoming increasingly clear to Blank that something must be done. The possibility of pickets and increased security at training camp, and of constant boos raining down from the stands at home games, is beyond unacceptable.

If Vick isn't willing to realize that it's in everyone's best interests (including his) for Vick to not be around, then someone else will have to make that decision for him.

The stakes are nevertheless high. Ridiculously high. As we explained on Saturday, the Falcons would be able to attempt to recover more than $28 million in bonus money from Vick if he misses a single practice or game due to a suspension. That reality could force Vick to fight any effort to discipline that the Falcons try to impose, even if it means that he'll be creating evidence that could be used against him by prosecutors.

Bottom line -- this ugly situation is going to get uglier, primarily because Vick can't realize that it's in his best interests to work out a deal with the Falcons, and because no one around Vick has the juice to get him to listen.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen mentioned during a morning appearance on ESPN Radio that Mike Vick will be hiring his legal defense team on Monday.

It will be the biggest decision Vick makes in his life, since the outcome of the pending prosecution will shape the rest of it.

The problem is that Vick has by all appearances surrounded himself from sycophants (thanks, Tiki). In our estimation, Mike doesn't like people telling him things that he doesn't want to hear. Thus, he's got a tendency to end up associating with people who nod and smile at whatever Mike says that he wants to do, no matter how stupid they think it might be.

But when it's time to hire a lawyer who has the stuff to be effective in a federal courtroom wrangling with federal prosecutors, the client needs to be willing to say to the lawyer, "You're the doctor."

Some clients just can't do that. Based on what we know of Mike Vick, we think he's one of them.

You see, Mike needs a lawyer who isn't looking to make a name for himself or herself by representing Mike Vick, and thus who would be willing to kiss Mike's ass and do whatever Mike wants as long as the lawyer can get his or her name in the paper every time the case is mentioned. That's, in our view, a recipe for a conviction.

Instead, Mike needs a lawyer who is concerned only about doing everything he or she can to get Vick acquitted -- and Vick needs to be willing to put his full faith and trust in that lawyer. He needs someone who has extensive experience with and knowledge of the prosecutors handling the case, and with the judge who is presiding. If, for example, a former law clerk to Judge Hudson is now a criminal defense lawyer in the Richmond area, he or she should be part of the team. Likewise, if there is a local lawyer who has matched up well with the lead prosecutor in other cases, that's the person who should be squaring off with the prosecutor in this case.

The problem is that Vick has shown deeply flawed judgment over the years, and we have no reason to believe that he finally "gets it" now. Our guess is that he'll hire the persons who clamps their lips most tightly to Mike's butt, or that he'll hire the firm who quotes the lowest hourly rate.

After all, Mike probably thinks that his total bill for this effort should be only $10,000.

We sounded off on Saturday about the goofy remarks from ESPN's Emmitt Smith regarding the Mike Vick situation.

Said Emmitt: "He's the biggest fish in the whole doggone pond right now so they're putting the squeeze on him to get to everyone else. . . . Now, granted he might have been to a dogfight a time or two, maybe five times, maybe 20 times, may have bet some money, but he's not the one you're after. He's not the one you're after, he's just the one whose going to take the fall -- publicly."

Peter King of SI.com joins in our criticism of Emmitt. King writes: "Nice to see Emmitt knows so much about the federal government's case. Didn't anyone ever tell him, 'When there's an important issue out there, give an educated opinion if you have a good idea what you're talking about. If you're not sure what you're talking about, the only thing you can do by opening your mouth is look like you're 11 years old.'"

King also predicts a potential train wreck in Bristol: "I have a bad feeling about Smith's tenure at ESPN, and it hasn't even started. His comments on Vick are so idiotic and inappropriate that a few people at the Worldwide Leader have to be thinking, 'Uh-oh. What if we've gone and hired someone who's very famous but not very smart?'"

Browns center LeCharles Bentley, whose career was in serious jeopardy after tearing a patellar tendon on the first day of training camp and thereafter developing a staph infection after surgery, will undergo a physical in New York on Monday.

If he passes, he could be back on the field with the team when it heads to camp.

However, Bentley will still be required to pass a physical imposed by the team before getting clearance to play.

Regardless of how it all turns out, the fact that Bentley has a chance to return is nothing short of amazing. He has had multiple surgeries on the knee, and was considering a procedure in June that would have removed the previously infected replacement tendon, and installed another one. His availability, if he can return to form and remain healthy, could be a huge boost for a Browns team that is trying its best to turn things around.

We're hitting the home stretch in our list of the best 25 players of the past 25 years.

Meanwhile, we'll also be launching our team-by-team preseason previews on Monday, with each franchise ranked from No. 32 to No. 1.

Adverting Age reports that companies like Nike are using a broader mix of athletes to endorse their brands. The companies claim that the practice gives advertisements a broader and more diverse appeal.

Industry experts think that it's a sign that these corporations don't want to risk putting all of their eggs in a basket that also will end up carrying a cake with a file in it.

"When you hang a brand on one guy, you're taking a huge risk," Jason Cavnar, managing director at Sports Business Ventures, told Advertising Age.

The move began before the issue of off-field misconduct in the NFL hit the fan. For example, Nike's signature football commercial in 2006 was the impressive Briscoe High School spot, with an all-star cast that included Mike Vick, but also many other current and former NFL players. (We particularly like the part where Jimmy Johnson knocks Mike Vick's leg off of a chair and Vick gives him a "my dogs are gonna bite your ass" look.)

Nike says that Vick wasn't scheduled to star in any commercials this year. We wonder whether that decision was made before or after the 54 dogs were found on his Virginia property in late April.

A league source tells us that the Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to terms with linebacker Lawrence Timmons, the team's first-round pick in the 2007 draft.

All Pittsburgh rookies are now under contract, one day before the team is due to report to St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

The contract includes $8.053 million in guaranteed bonus payments, and have a five-year maximum total of $15 million. The deal includes a basic value of $12 million and incentive payments of up to $3 million.

The guaranteed payments are a combination of signing, option, roster, and one-time incentive payments based on playing time. The deal also includes the reporting/roster bonus concept in future years, which protects the team in the event that the player holds out or is suspended. Due to the Ashley Lelie ruling and the revised CBA, option bonus language is not subject to forfeiture; thus, teams are looking for alternative ways to ensure that the player will show up as the contract matures.

We're told that the total value represents a 19-percent increase in last year's deal signed by the player taken in the No. 15 overall spot in the draft, cornerback Tye Hill of the Rams.

Timmons is the third first-round draft pick to sign. The others are Bears tight end Greg Olsen and 49ers tackle Joe Staley.

An important point to keep in mind here is that, under the CBA, the maximum length of the deal could have have six years, but the Steelers agreed to only a five-year term. The Steelers are one of the few teams to not insist on players signing contracts of maximum permissible length. They routinely sign their low-round picks to three-year deals, even though more and more teams are insisting on the current cap of four years.

[UPDATE: Not that we really give a crap about this kind of stuff anymore (okay, maybe we do), but ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli also reports that Timmons has signed, in an item time-stamped at 5:52 p.m. EDT, one minute before our story was first posted. The only problem with that? As of 5:55 p.m. EDT, there was no hint of the Timmons story on the ESPN.com site.]

The Philadelphia Eagles have announced that they have signed defensive end Victor Abiamiri, a second-round selection in the 2007 draft.

He is the seventh Eagles rookie to sign. Still unsigned is quarterback Kevin Kolb, a second-round selection but the team's first pick in the draft.

In the wake of the decision to the Miami Dolphins to dump quarterback Daunte Culpepper on the eve of a hearing on the grievance that he filed against the team after he was prevented from participating in drills at a June minicamp, there's talk in league circles that the manner in which the organization squatted on the guy they no longer wanted could create a strong degree of mistrust between the players and the front office.

And that's bad news for a team that is still trying to recover from the unexpected departure of coach Nick Saban, and the installment of Randy Mueller as G.M. and Cam Cameron as head coach.

The thinking is that, once the Fins landed Trent Green, they should have allowed Culpepper to walk away. Instead, they wanted to try to get a draft pick for his services, presumably in order to offset the latest second-round pick wasted on a guy who didn't become the next Dan Marino. When they couldn't do so, they opted to sit on his rights, hoping (presumably) to shake something out of the tree once camps opened.

Possibly in an effort to undo the potential damage, coach Cam Cameron recently said that the delayed release of Culpepper was the result of a trade attempt that fell through. Bullcrap, we say. If that's the case, why hasn't Culpepper already signed with the team that would have had to send some consideration to Miami? Also, if the opportunity for a trade arose not long after the Fins acquired Green, why did it take so long for the process to reach an impasse?

And isn't it a strange coincidence that the Fins decided to bail on the trade effort the day before they were due to defend their decision to freeze him out of practice reps?

As it turns out, if they had waited one more day, they might have had another trade partner, in the NFC South.

We know that the Fins might not like the fact that we're suggesting that their head coach is speaking with forked tongue. But, you know, the franchise doesn't have a recent history of truth-tellers in that job.

After a reader tipped us off to the fact that former Colts and Cowboys kicker Mike Vanderjagt was patrolling the sidelines of a CFL game in Toronto, we called his Toronto-based agent, Gill Scott, to find out whether Peyton Manning's favorite liquored-up kicker might be contemplating a return to Canada.

On Friday, Scott said that there is no plan to attempt to sign Vanderjagt with a CFL team, and that the most accurate kicker in NFL history (except when playoff games are on the line) is focused on coming back to the "real" North American pro football league.

Scott told PFT that he and Vanderjagt are specifically watching a couple of situations in NFL cities, in the event that the any of the teams in question decide to punt the current kicker at the top of the depth chart. But Scott declined to identify the squads that are being eyeballed.

We think that Vanderjagt deserves another shot in the NFL. But we can't help but wonder whether he did or said something to prompt his sudden fall from grace last season in Dallas. And we're also curious about whether his former head coach, Bill Parcells, is bad-mouthing him to NFL scouts and insiders. The fact that Vanderjagt can't get a sniff at 37 when Morton Andersen still has a job on the fringes of 50 just doesn't make sense.

And we still don't rule out a return to Canada, if all else fails in the NFL. Our reader who saw him in Toronto asked him whether it meant he was returning to the league where he got his start, and Vanderjagt said, "You never know."

We've gotten a strong response to our new endeavor into Internet video, and thanks to the suggestions of two readers, we're going to call the thing "PFTV." Unless/until someone comes up with something better.

One thing we've noticed, however, is that you're a lot more likely to review the clips if we post them in the rumor mill. So what we'll do in the future is put all of them on their own page once they're posted, and we'll stagger them into the rumor mill over the next day or so.

For now, those, here are the other three segments from our first week that have yet to make it into this space:

We're scheduled to make some more of these on Tuesday. If we can the guy who holds the keys to the studio drunk again.

And if there are any topics you want us to address or questions that you have, let us know.

When you're out driving around that 1989 Pontiac Fiero on Sunday afternoon, be sure to find the local FOX Sports Radio in our listening area at 4:30 p.m. EDT for our weekly visit with Dan Moriarty and Denny Hocking.

[UPDATE: Several readers have informed us that the last year for production of the Fiero was 1988. We're not sure that that kind of knowledge is something to brag about.]

We like and respect the "real" journalism that occurs on ESPN's Outside the Lines, a long-term offering of a network that has allowed itself to be infested by adolescent offerings like the insufferable "Who's Now."

Nevertheless, we're disappointed by the questions (or, more accurately, lack thereof) that were posed to former NFL running back Dorsey Levens during a Sunday morning appearance on OTL.

Levens was on to discuss the dog-fighting controversy engulfing Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, and Levens offered up some opinions on the matter.

But why solicit opinions from Levens when he's one of the few guys in the NFL with first-hand knowledge of the pry bar in Vick's pocket for pit bulls?

As a reader pointed out to us earlier in the week, Levens once sold a dog to Vick. Levens also had knowledge of plans by Vick to open a kennel of his own.

PE.com: You are part-owner of a dog-training company called Premier K9. Talk about how you got started with that.

DL: "It was just a business opportunity. I had a dog that was just obnoxious. I couldn't stand the dog and my girlfriend at the time wouldn't let me get rid of it. Art Washington trained the dog to perfection in two weeks. He was simply incredible. He could do anything with dogs. I've seen him give demonstrations. We've built up a relationship over the course of a year. The opportunity came up where another kennel had closed and it was a smart business move. It was an easy investment."

DL: "Absolutely. I had two Rottweilers that were trained to perfection. But I had to give them up, it's a long story. But I have two dogs coming that will be born any day now. Once the season is over, I'll go back to Atlanta and pick them up."

DL: "Presa Canario. They're real big dogs. They're from the Canary Islands in Spain. That's where they originated from. They're really, really, big massive dogs. Think of a pit bull on steroids. I think Correll Buckhalter has two of them. The first time I saw it, I was like 'Nice-looking dog, now please put it away.' "

DL: "We don't do froo froo dogs. All we do is protection dogs. We will train and board them if you wanted, but our main business is breeding and training protection dogs -- German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Presa Canario, just big dogs that say 'stay out of my house.' "

DL: "I've put on a bite suit and have done bite work with the dogs. You agitate the dogs and have them come attack you. I was terrified the first time, but it was something I had to get out of my system. I started with a small pit bull and worked my way up."

DL: "As long as you protect your face, it's really not that bad. But Art is so good, he can have a dog sprint 20 yards to attack you. Then you can tell the dog to stop a yard before he gets to you and the dog will not touch you. He'll stop and come right back. But if he doesn't say that word to stop, the dog will jump all over you."

PE.com: Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons is another customer. Did you think of not training his dog so it would attack him?

DL: "No, no. It's all business. Mike is a big dog person. Actually, he wants to open up a kennel of his own and that is in the works."

The site for Levens' business is right here. At the top of the "Satisfied Celebs" page is a photo of (you guessed it) Mike Vick.

Another "Satisfied Celeb" is former NFL safety Ryan Stewart, an Atlanta radio host who was interviewed for the OTL piece. He was asked nothing about his own interest in large dogs with sharp teeth.

Unlike the now-defunct site for Vick's K-9 Kennels operation, which contains a specific statement that his dogs aren't meant for fighting, Levens' site contains no such disclaimer.

None of this means that Levens is a dog fighter. But, wow, Bob Ley would have had some ammunition for some interesting questions if someone in Bristol had known about Levens' connection to Vick.

And even though Levens wasn't asked any questions about whether during his dealings with Vick he ever got the impression that Mike was interested in these dogs for something other than securing his home, Levens could have chimed in and said, "I don't believe any of these charges. I breed and train dogs, and I've sold dogs to Mike Vick. I can tell you that he loves these animals and he'd never do anything like this. And if I ever thought he did, I'd kick his ass myself."

The fact that Levens didn't raise the issue makes us wonder whether he now has suspicions of his own about Vick's interest in dogs. And at a time when there is speculation that other current and former NFL players know about or are involved in the "sport," plenty of people will likely wonder whether Levens has been to the fights, or has helped train dogs specifically for that activity.

Brian Butterfield wants to play major league baseball and be an NFL scout. At the same time.

Though we don't agree with all of it, Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has penned a great piece regarding the Vick case.

Redskins LB Marcus Washington discloses that he was in Stage One of the substance-abuse program last year, and he thinks that the rigors of the increased testing ruined his season.

Though Titans coach Jeff Fisher doesn't like hokey slogans, we submit for his approval "Move On Or Move Out."

Giants RB Brandon Jacobs knew he was destined for the NFL: "I always knew I would get a stage like this. Everybody was always telling me that of all the football players in the country, 3% or something like that, make it. I always said, 'You can count me in that three, because I'm making it. I don't care how I got to do it, I'm going to get there.'"

We continue to hear that the wife of Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is pushing him aggressively to make 2007 his final season in the National Football League.

Gibbs emerged from retirement in 2004, after 12 years out of the game, to return to the team that he led to three Super Bowl wins after the 1982, 1987, and 1991 seasons. The team has been to the playoffs once since his return, defeating the Buccaneers in the 2005 wild-card round before falling to the Seahawks.

We're also told that owner Daniel Snyder is poised to turn up the behind-the-scenes heat aimed at securing former Steelers coach Bill Cowher to succeed Gibbs, if/when it begins to become apparent that Gibbs will call it quits after the 2007 season.

Gibbs, who'll be 67 in November, suffers from diabetes. Two years ago, a stent was inserted to clear blockage in an artery near his heart. Also, a young grandson of Joe and Pat Gibbs was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year.

We reported several weeks ago that Cowher has been privately discussing possible arrangements with several teams, and we've heard from two sources that Cowher has been in touch with the Redskins. The next day, the team issued a statement disputing our report.

Though Gibbs, a Hall of Famer, should be allowed to coach the team as long as he wants to, a decision to discreetly scope out a potential successor reflects good business sense by Snyder. Why wait until the feeding frenzy for Cowher's services begins in January when the basic groundwork for an eventual deal can be laid now? And if it becomes clear that the coach and the team won't be able to agree as to a big issue like salary or control, it's better for the team to know about it sooner rather than later, so that the candidate can be removed from the radar screen.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers show up for training camp on July 23, they'll have a new coach who'll apply a new approach to getting ready for the season.

Mike Tomlin, 35, the former Vikings defensive coordinator who had an immediate impact on a moribund unit in his only season with the team, is ready to put his thumbprint on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

At a time when many NFL observers justify pervasive contact in offseason workouts by pointing to the fact that training camps aren't nearly as strenuous as they used to be, Tomlin is rolling out 15 days of two-a-days. And he's making no apologies in advance for it. He likely won't be making any apologies during or after, either.

"I don't know too many active players that like training camp. They probably endure it. I did tell the group . . . that it is going to be extremely tough. I am not apologizing for that. I am going to put that challenge out there to them because in a lot of ways it represents the journey that we are going to face this year."

And just because a guy was at the top of the depth chart at the end of the 2006 season doesn't mean that he's guaranteed to be a starter.

"There are known position battles that everybody knows about, but there are also unknown position battles that are going to develop, because we are going to go into this thing with no preconceived notions," Tomlin said. "We are going to base our decisions on what we see in training camp."

The first year of a new coaching regime is the best time for a fresh look at the roster. As time goes by, every coach develops a comfort level with his roster, and an emotional attachment to his players. This makes it more likely for a starter who has a lackluster camp to still keep his job.

We have a feeling that Tomlin is going to be different. If the new NFL is a year-to-year proposition, then every season is a new opportunity for unproven players to rise, and for established veterans to falter, and for the coaching staff to draw up the depth chart based solely on merit.

That said, we're not sure that different is necessarily better. Can a football coach secure the long-term attention and affection of the locker room without a nucleus of guys who have the coach's back because they know that he has theirs?

But if the modern NFL really is a one-year-at-a-time affair, perhaps each season results in the development of a fresh nucleus, born in the weeks of offseason workouts that serve as the precursor to a training camp that encourages the best to prove it and, in so doing, to become even better.

"Whether people are looking for comfort or if they find comfort in whether or not their jobs are mentioned as one being up for grabs, I hope they don't," Tomlin said. "I hope they understand what we have been saying to them all along. We are going to base our judgments off of what they do and not what they have done or what their reputations are.

"No job is secure," he said. "This is not a security business and if they are looking for security, they need to find a new line of work."

Tomlin already proved his point by giving his stamp of approval to the surprising (on the surface) decision to cut linebacker Joey Porter. After watching film of Porter's performance in 2006, Tomlin was in agreement with the move.

The only potential flaw in Tomlin's approach is the reality of the salary cap. If/when, for example, safety Troy Polamalu secures a long-term deal with guaranteed money north of $10 million, can Tomlin truly put the Tasmanian Devil to No. 2 on the depth chart if he has a bad camp and/or preseason? Or what if a guy like Hines Ward gets benched and becomes a locker-room problem? Does Tomlin cut him without regard to potential cap consequences?

If Tomlin intends to use his 2007 mentality on a year-in, year-out basis, the front-office needs to adopt a Cardinals-style pay-as-you-go approach to the cap, using roster bonuses and other devices aimed at pushing the bulk of a player's "guaranteed" money into the first year of his deal, so that Tomlin and the team will have the flexibility to move on (and move out) if the player is eclipsed in year two or three of his deal by someone else at his position.

Regardless of how it all plays out, it will be compelling to watch. And, frankly, we don't think that it'll take another 15 years to win a Super Bowl under the new boss.

Newsday reports that the identity of the person who supposedly bought Mike Vick's Surry County, Virginia property not long after 54 dogs were removed from the yard behind the house is still unknown.

"You and about 10,000 other people want to know," said a person who answered the phone at the office of the Surry County Courthouse. "But I haven't seen a bill of sale yet."

Typically, property transfers are formalized via the filing of a deed in the local courthouse.

The home reportedly was sold for less than 50 percent of its assessed value in May. One neighbor claimed that the had a verbal contract to buy the house, but that the Vick camp declined to formalize the deal. At one point, there was a report that "heads will turn" when the purchaser is identified.

Newsday also echoes past (and, potentially, forgotten) reports that neighbors had previously complained about the noise emanating from the dogs that were kept on the property. "Everybody has been calling the sheriff," one local resident said. "It's been reported for years. It wasn't that hidden. The house sits right there by the road. You go by there and you know something's going on."

A source close to Colts left tackle Tarik Glenn tells us that the veteran lineman, who is 31 years old and only one season away from hitting the free-agent market, where so-so players are getting seven-year, $49 million deals, indeed plans to walk away from the game of football.

The source says that the decision has nothing to do with any desire by Glenn to pressure the team to give him more money, or to extend his contract.

"He wants to live in Indy and do this the right way," the source said, "evening inquiring and researching what he would have to pay back. He told [coach Tony] Dungy and [G.M. Bill] Polian and all was positive."

So is the retirement decision permanent? Says the source, "Players can change their minds at will but the delay here with a formal announcement has to do more with the Colts wanting him to delay. If a change occurs it is because he misses football or some other reason but there is no sign of that now and there is not a hidden agenda."

With all that said, an offer of a short-term raise or a long-term deal could, in our estimation, be something that makes Glenn miss football.

A league source tells us that Falcons owner Arthur Blank and G.M. Rick McKay are pushing for a paid leave of absence for embattled quarterback Mike Vick, but that Vick doesn't want to do it.

Though one of our readers pointed out that Vick would be inclined to resist a leave of absence if he fears that he'll be convicted, and thus would likely never play again thereafter, the source says that Vick believes that he'll be acquitted, and that he doesn't think he should step aside while the case is pending.

The source also says that Vick's handlers are afraid to be frank with him about the wisdom of taking a leave of absence, since they fear that if they tell Vick something other than that which he wants to hear, he'll fire them.

The Falcons, we're told, want to resolve Vick's status so that they can pursue free-agent quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Also, the source says that the team fears the loss of sponsorship dollars and the ire of folks who lease high-dollar suites at the Georgia Dome.

Under the CBA, the team cannot impose a paid leave on Vick against his will, due to revisions made in 2006 following the Terrell Owens situation, where the Eagles sent him home for the balance of the season with pay.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network recently reported that the Chiefs and running back Larry Johnson are on a collision course for a training camp holdout.

Frankly, we don't know which side is being more unreasonable. In light of the Dwight Freeney deal, which included $30 million guaranteed, we actually think that the Chiefs are the ones who are in the wrong here.

Though the team might not yet know whether L.J. is a truly great back who can get his yards even if the left side of line is composed of Oprah Winfrey, Rosie O'Donnell, and Rita Cosby, $14 million is awfully low in the present spending climate, even if it's consistent with veteran tailback deals from the past couple of years.

Still, Johnson needs to realize that running backs are now like Vice Presidents at a bank -- they get the fancy titles but they don't get the coin, primarily because there are so damn many of them.

As we've said before, beyond the short-list best-of-the-best tailbacks (like Jim Brown and Barry Sanders and Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith and, maybe, LaDainian Tomlinson), good running backs are plentiful, and fungible. If Johnson won't play, the Chiefs can find someone else who'll be almost as good, but for a lot less money.

The problem, as we see it, is that if the Chiefs won't pay Johnson what he wants, who will? Especially when another team will also have to bow to King Carl Peterson's typically unrealistic trade demands.

And even if Johnson stays away until Week Ten of the regular season, pays his $14,000-per-day in fines, gives up a chunk of his signing bonus money, and also becomes eligible for free agency in 2008, don't be surprised if the Chiefs slap him with the franchise tag.

Peterson proved that he's willing to put principle over practicality with the Trent Green affair. It could be that the offseason stare-down with the team's former starting quarterback was merely a warm up for the coming storm with Johnson.

We missed our Friday entry as a result of the day trip to Kennywood Park with Florio Jr., but we're still committed to getting this thing done.

Meanwhile, the USA Today list that inspired us to make our own is essentially completed. (No. 1 hasn't been revealed, but it's obviously going to be Joe Montana. Or Wade Wilson.)

The USA Today list contained only one receiver -- Jerry Rice at No. 2 -- and no tight ends. Meanwhile, five running backs and nine quarterbacks made the cut.

So who was catching all of those balls from the passers and/or keeping the strong safety off of the tailbacks' back sides?

Sorry, folks. Though plenty of you might disagree with some of the decisions made in our list of the Top 25, there's no way in hell that only one receiver deserves to be among the best 25 players since 1983.

In nearly three months, the only public statement from Michael Vick or any of his agents, lawyers, and other handlers has been Vick's "I never go there" routine from April 27.

Apart from that, there has been nothing. From Vick, from agent Joel Segal, from Vick's lawyers. From his brother Marcus, who suddenly knows the relief that LaToya Jackson felt once her brother Michael went cuckoo. Nothing. From anyone.

In fact, the only teammate who has said a word about Vick is Joe Horn, who really isn't a teammate at all because he just joined the team earlier this year.

Though Vick's silence can be explained by the fact that his lawyer(s) have told him not to speak, we can't help but wonder whether a truly innocent man, who breeds and sells dogs because he loves them so much, would be able to stay silent in the face of media reports and federal documents indicating that he shows his love for his pets by subjecting them to pain, disfigurement, and death.

Those who have cautioned against a "rush to judgment" regarding Vick have pointed to the lessons of the Duke lacrosse case. Though we think that the two cases are very different, there's one aspect of the Duke case that is worth mentioning.

In the Duke case, the three men who were ultimately found to be innocent weren't afraid to yell it from the rooftops.

Added Evans: "I passed that polygraph for the same reason I will be acquitted of all these charges. I have done nothing wrong and I have told the truth, I have told the truth from Day One . . . I have the truth behind me and it will not phase me."

In this case, no similar suggestion has been made, by Vick, or by anyone close to him. There has been no polygraph test (which is even more glaring given that at least one NFL team believes that it's appropriate to employ such tactics), and there has been no declaration of innocence.

Sure, Vick likely will stand up next week and utter the words "not guilty," but as everyone except Vinny Gambini realizes the options at an arraignment are to say "guilty" or "not guilty." Saying "not guilty" is hardly a heartfelt declaration of factual innocence.

Meanwhile, why in the hell isn't Segal saying anything on behalf of his star client?

Our belief is that Segal fears that his association with Vick will be used against him in the recruiting of future potential clients, and that rival agents will tell the players that Segal doesn't know how to keep his guys out of trouble. Though the damage in this regard has already been done, Segal won't make the situation any better by holding press conferences on Vick's lawn or appearing on SportsCenter via satellite.

Also, if Segal were to declare that Vick is a great guy and would never harm an animal, and then Vick is convicted, Segal's chances of getting any future clients would be seriously diminished.

As noted above, Mike Vick's silence in the wake of the current controversy doesn't do much to inspire a belief that he's being falsely accused of wrongdoing. And, as one of our many astute readers has pointed out to us, a Vick who knows in his heart that he is guilty is highly unlikely to voluntarily sit out for the 2007 season.

Why? Because if Vick did it and if he realizes that he's going down, the coming season will be his last chance to play NFL football. So why should he or would he agree to step aside?

Of course, it's possible that Vick's handlers will convince him to step aside even if he feels that 2007 will be his last chance to play pro ball. But, to date, Vick's handlers haven't been doing a very good job of giving Mike advice, or of getting him to heed it.

At a time when some folks believe that Mike Vick is being condemned too quickly by the public and the media in the wake of a federal indictment containing horrific details of dog fighting and torture, many of the folks who are convinced that Mike Vick deserves swift and serious punishment from his employer are condemning the NFL and the Atlanta Falcons too quickly for the failure to sideline Vick in the wake of the indictment.

We believe that Vick should be severely sanctioned by the NFL and the Falcons, but not because we believe that he is legally guilty of the federal conspiracy charges lodged against him. We think he should be suspended (if not banished) because we believe that Vick's decisions (regardless of the outcome of his trial) have done more damage to the NFL brand than all other players allegedly involved in criminal wrongdoing over the past few years combined, especially since the Vick indictment comes at a time of unprecedented media and fan scrutiny of off-field misconduct.

As we've said before (and likely will say again), whether Vick still should have a multi-million-dollar job is a separate question from whether he goes to jail. As to the latter, we're more than willing to wait for the jury's verdict. As to the former, we think that Vick already has forfeited his ability to play professional football at its highest level via, at a minimum, his reckless associations with persons who would use land he owns to engage in such despicable deeds.

But if we were the ones making the decision to seriously limit (and possibly to permanently end) a guy's sports career, we wouldn't make that decision in only four days. The league and the Falcons were surely shell-shocked after the indictment was handed up (or down, or whatever the right term is); under these circumstances this just isn't the kind of decision that can be made quickly and without sufficient information.

Was Pacman Jones suspended for a year less than a week after he allegedly went bonkos in that Vegas strip club? No. Was Chris Henry suspended for eight games days after the latest of his various misdeeds? No. These things take time, and it's unreasonable to expect the NFL and the Falcons to come to a prudent and proper conclusion so soon after the news broke that Vick is facing serious federal charges.

We're not saying that the folks who want to see Vick out of the game should remain silent until a decision is made. The public and media reaction is part of the information that the league and the Falcons will consider in coming to a final conclusion.

But let's not insist on a decision as to such a complex and delicate issue before the folks making the decision have had the chance to make a good one.

When ESPN decided to dump Michael Irvin from its NFL coverage, we were concerned that the Boys in Bristol had realized that it was more important to hire people who could intelligently analyze football-related issues and speak extemporaneously about them in an engaging, entertaining manner. And that, of course, would give us less things to criticize about ESPN's football coverage.

The hiring of Emmitt Smith suggests that ESPN continues to prefer name recognition to ability, if Smith's initial comments about the Mike Vick situation are an indication of the brain power that he'll apply to his new job.

On Saturday, Smith told the AP that he thinks the feds have targeted Vick to get him to give up information regarding other dog fighters.

"Now, granted he might have been to a dogfight a time or two, maybe five times, maybe 20 times, may have bet some money, but he's not the one you're after. He's not the one you're after, he's just the one whose going to take the fall -- publicly."

So who are they after, Emmitt? Every person who ever has attended a dog fight with Vick? Or is it that the feds plan to filet and fry the big fish first and then work their way down to the minnows?

As an initial matter, Smith's concession that Vick might have been to a dogfight or two suggests that Smith has not been following the story very closely, or that he doesn't understand any of the nuances of it. If, as Smith concedes, Vick knew about or was involving in dog fighting, then there's no way that he can claim ignorance of the 54 live dogs, the 17 dead ones, and the dog-fighting equipment that have been taken from his property in Virginia.

Also, if Smith's theory is accurate, it would represent a groundbreaking new approach to criminal prosecutions by the U.S. government. Instead of using the Sammy Gravanos of the world to bring down the John Gottis, the feds will now go after the top of the pyramid first, and then use him to take down all of the little guys.

It doesn't work that way, Emmitt. Because the feds can't prosecute every violation of federal law, they prefer to get the biggest bang for their buck. They do so by targeting the big names, if/when they have hard proof that can be used to bring the big names down. If they don't have the evidence, they work their way from the bottom up. Once they have the evidence to get the kingpin, they could care less about going from the top down.

In this case, the feds clearly believe that Vick is the kingpin of the dog fighting operation that allegedly was being maintained for more than five years in Surry County. Thus, the goal is to make an example out of Vick, so that the rest of us keep in mind that there are real consequences for failing to respect the rule of law.

Though there might be plenty of other dog fighters who won't be prosecuted, the goal of the feds isn't to round up those folks and put them into a system of overcrowded prisons. The objective is to scare as many of them as possible into changing their ways.

And that makes the stakes of the Vick case even higher. If the feds swing their big bat at him and miss, others who are breaking the law might be emboldened, not deterred.

Of course, we can't expect Emmitt to understand all of this, in part because he has spent the last 20-plus years playing football and dancing ballroom. As a result, we're looking forward to the well-informed, cogently-reasoned, and common-sensical analyses that he'll be offering up this year.

The NFL and the NFL Players Association both claim that the possibility of a leave of absence for Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is not on the table.

So, if Browne and Upshaw are telling the truth, where did ESPN.com get it's information that the only impediments to a leave of absence were the willingness of Falcons owner Arthur Blank to offer it, and Vick's willingness to accept?

One league source believes that the notion of a leave of absence has been floated to ESPN.com by Vick's agent, Joel Segal, who is regarded in league circles as a key provider of NFL information to Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com. Segal has been conspicuously silent regarding his star client (more on that to come), but that doesn't mean that Segal isn't working guys like Len on an off-the-record basis.

In our view, a leave of absence makes perfect sense. It allows the team and the league to get out of an increasingly hot kitchen, deferring any final decisions on Vick until the federal case in which he's involved makes it trek through the "Rocket Docket" of the Eastern District of Virginia. And it allows Vick to focus his attention on getting ready to stay out of a steel-and-cinder-block pocket from which he won't be able to roll out. There's no reason for the league, the team, and the union to not want to proceed in this fashion.

So it could be that the ESPN.com report is right on the money, and that the league and union are saying otherwise because Vick has made it clear that he's not interested in a leave of absence, even if it's his smartest option. Based on

Quick Team Pages