• People forget how young Vikings WR Sidney Rice is, so it should be no surprise that he has had a breakout season, especially as QB Brett Favre has shown great confidence in him on deep routes. Rice, who just turned 23 despite being in his third pro season, already has a career high in receiving yards mainly because he has not only worked harder at film-room study and in the weight room, but he also is learning how better to be a pro. Our sources say the difference between Rice now and his first two seasons is like night and day.

• Don't be shocked if CB Demarcus Faggins earns a starting job as the Lions come back from their bye. Although the former Texan was signed only last week, the Lions have shown they will try any CB combination that works, willing to rotate and/or bench players if needed. Anthony Henry, who lost his starting spot, might be worked in at safety. The Lions say that was the plan for Henry at some point, although he indicated the team had not said anything specific about playing there.

• We hear the Bears player most likely to lose playing time at the expense of newly acquired DE Gaines Adams is current backup Mark Anderson. "Adams has done more in the league than Anderson," said one team insider. "The playing time of (starting DEs) Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown shouldn't be immediately affected. What Adams also does is move Israel Idonije back inside. He keeps going back and forth."

• Even if Packers WR Jordy Nelson hadn't suffered a sprained knee that could keep him out of a couple of games, we hear the team was on the cusp of incorporating No. 5 WR Brett Swain more into the offense. Word is the team really likes Swain and considers him to be an ascending talent. While we might start to see more of Swain on the field, also look for TE Jermichael Finley to line up more often as a wideout in Nelson's absence.

• The Eagles feel they finally have the coverage linebacker they need in new MLB Will Witherspoon, who was acquired from the Rams right at the trade deadline. Although he hadn't played much inside in St. Louis this season, the Eagles are not concerned about it. The transition from Steve Spagnuolo's scheme, similar to what the Eagles run, should not be difficult. The one downside of the deal was that the Eagles had to give up WR Brandon Gibson, who they feel has a chance to make it in the NFL.

• We hear there's real validity to the claim that Redskins head coach Jim Zorn, who was told Friday that he would remain the coach for the rest of the season, considered stepping down — as friend Steve Largent claimed on a Seattle radio show — before deciding to remain in Washington. Our sources say Zorn wanted to retain his pride and also didn't want to forfeit the rest of his 2009 salary. We also hear that Zorn's reputation league-wide has not taken a big hit, considering all he has gone through.

• Barring setbacks or further injuries, Giants QB Eli Manning should be able to manage his heel injury for the rest of the season with a limited practice schedule and regular treatment. Although Manning likes to take the majority of the snaps during practice, we hear he has accepted a scaled-back slate as a necessary step to remain in the lineup for the whole season.

• It was no shock that WR Patrick Crayton was demoted from the starting lineup. First, Miles Austin's breakout game prior to the bye showed the team what it needed to see from him, and second, Crayton earned the starting job, we hear, only because Austin's hamstring injury leading up to the season prevented him from winning the spot outright. It was only a matter of time, though, before he pushed Crayton into the slot, where he is better-suited.

• Things could not be going much worse for Falcons RB Jerious Norwood in his contract year. Norwood first missed time with a concussion, and now he says he should be out for at least a few games with a hip injury. Sources told PFW that Atlanta had been seriously considering a contract extension for Norwood last summer, but the change-of-pace back's health issues have become a major obstacle in the negotiations.

• Panthers DT Nick Hayden was thrust into the starting lineup twice early in the season after injuries decimated the Panthers' corps of defensive tackles, but sources say the team didn't gain much confidence in the second-year veteran. Following the recent acquisition of former Chiefs DT Tank Tyler just before the trade deadline, Hayden has fallen to the bottom of the depth chart at tackle.

• Sources say DT Kendrick Clancy didn't get the credit he deserved as a key piece of the Saints' defensive line last season, but he has lost his starting job for at least the near future, we hear. Clancy has recovered from a knee injury that had kept him out since Week One, but Remi Ayodele has impressed the coaching staff with his strong play while filling in during Clancy's absence, and the club is going to stick with him as its first-string nose tackle.

• We hear the Panthers are pleased with what they've seen from rookie DE Everette Brown in the first stages of his pro career. Brown is operating at a bit of a size disadvantage, but he has provided the quickness off the edge in the pass rush that the Panthers felt they needed to complement Julius Peppers.

• The consensus in Arizona is that the Cardinals really have missed J.J. Arrington, who just kept on improving last season as the team's third-down back. Free-agent addition Jason Wright was signed to fill the third-down role. "But with Tim Hightower doing most of the catching out of the backfield, Wright just hasn't been much of a factor," said one team insider.

• Despite convincing Niners head coach Mike Singletary in the offseason that he would be better off sticking at one position, which turned out to be right tackle in the Niners' first five games, Adam Snyder apparently was more than willing to switch into a time-share situation at right guard with Chilo Rachal, at Singletary's request. "He was very proactive," Singletary said of Snyder. "That was good to see."

• Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo is definitely intrigued by newly acquired rookie WR Brandon Gibson. "He is one of those guys that always seems to get himself open," Spagnuolo said of the Eagles' sixth-round draft pick this season. "He's got really good hands and is a quality guy. He's got a little bit of size to him, and (GM) Billy (Devaney) and the staff had an eyeball on him from way back and, of course, Philadelphia kept him on the 53 (roster) for a reason."

• While there are hardly any guarantees, our sources in Seattle believe the most likely starters on the Seahawks' offensive line for their next game in Dallas are as follows: OLT Damion McIntosh, OLG Rob Sims, C Chris Spencer, ORG Max Unger and ORT Ray Willis.

PFW has launched its brand-new NFL Draft Newsletter series, with the first issue now ready for mailing. Produced by PFW's player personnel department under the direction of Nolan Nawrocki, the series consists of four information-packed issues. For more info or to subscribe — click here for PDF e-pub or here for print format.