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The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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Jason Witten
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 “Jason Witten is not the biggest, fastest or strongest, but he knows how to play the game. He can set up defenders in coverage and get separation even though he is not a blazer. To me, there are none better. At that position, it’s very important to be a good football player, to be crafty and understand the nuances of the game. You could be the greatest athlete in the world and it will not matter. I’ll take Witten over Ben Watson or Vernon Davis every day of the week.”
“What has Marcus Spears done for the Cowboys outside of getting his (butt) handed to him? And Bill Parcells had to be talked out of drafting him sooner. He wanted to take him where they got DeMarcus Ware.”
“Minorities have been more suppressed in college than they have in the pro game. Count how many black coaches have risen through the ranks in college. There are not many. How many black coaches are even coordinators? It’s a major problem in the NCAA.”
“(Vikings defensive coordinator) Leslie Frazier will be a hot candidate next year. The Vikings could win it all. They copied the Bears’ blueprint from 2005 and ’06. If the quarterback just does not turn over the ball, they will be tough to beat. What Tarvaris Jackson brings that the Bears did not have is mobility. Combine that with a helluva running game — they have two great backs. The defense is solid. I’m not sure where (OLT Bryant) McKinnie stands with a (possible) suspension. That could shake up the O-line a little bit, but they have (Bernard) Berrian as a deep threat. They went out and signed the pass rusher (Jared Allen). They are not missing anything other than a consistent quarterback.”
“(Jets GM) Mike Tannenbaum is out of control. He made all the moves he did to protect his own job, so he could say, ‘I brought all the players for him (Eric Mangini).’ In his mind, it’s trying to get the coach the players so he can get the heat off himself.”
“The Jets totally, totally overpaid for (Damien) Woody. (Tony) Richardson is done, and the people in Minnesota will tell you the same thing. He’s on his last legs. (That said,) I liked the (Alan) Faneca and (Calvin) Pace signings. They were market-value deals.”
“Forget about the money for a minute. Just looking at the talent, (the Jets) have a veteran O-line, which always bodes well. They added to their defense. On paper, they should be right back in the thick of their division. Miami is on the downtick, in a rebuilding mode. Buffalo is always competitive. I think the Jets will finish second to New England. I just don’t know what their quarterback situation is. They’ve got the offensive line. They solidified the running game. They solidified the defense and protected the quarterback. They should be highly competitive.”
“The Raiders should have never tried Michael Huff at cornerback. He’s not a cornerback — he’s a safety. What I don’t know about him is his work ethic — that’s what kills all the (University of) Texas guys. Everywhere Mack Brown has been, he has had talent, but his players don’t have the mindset and work ethic to hang in there when the going gets tough. The majority bust because they are soft.”
“The Bears have no offense. Who is their quarterback? Who is their running back? Who are their receivers? A guy who could not get on the field with Washington (WR Brandon Lloyd) is slated to start. They are going to be putting a lot of faith in a rookie left tackle and a rookie running back. They are bound to be down by 30 at halftime against Indianapolis in the opener with (defensive coordinator) Bob Babich still coordinating the defense. They could begin the season 0-4 and be right back to where they were when they made the mistake of selecting Cedric Benson. If you want to look at the quality of their backfield, just consider the guy they were counting on to be their starter (Benson) was passed by all 31 other teams on waivers. What does that tell you?”
“If the Packers just had a quarterback who could stay healthy, they have all the pieces in place to stay competitive. I think Aaron Rodgers was ready to play last year. He looked impressive when he played. He just has not been able to stay healthy. They’ll be competitive with the Vikings as long as Rodgers is in there. I still think they need to pick up a veteran backup.”
“Indianapolis and New England are consistent every year. It’s been that way for five years with those two. It’s been one or the other. Why would it be any different as long as two franchise quarterbacks are going at it? Those are two Hall of Fame quarterbacks. It’s like (Johnny) Unitas and (Joe) Namath. No one else is in the same category.”
“The Giants will still be competitive, but I think it’s going to come down to Dallas and Minnesota in the NFC. St. Louis is a long shot to rebound, as good as they looked last preseason when they were healthy. Seattle is always competitive. Tampa Bay should be right there. Carolina could rebound. Philadelphia is interesting — it might be (Donovan) McNabb’s last hurrah if they don’t get there. New Orleans has some talent and a great coaching staff. Arizona — I just don’t think that organization knows what it takes to get over the top. I’m not convinced the moves they made in their front office made them any better, and the people making decisions behind the scenes are very underrated. They may not get the credit, but they bring in the players. If a coach does not have players — I don’t care who he is — he’s not going to win a lot of games.”
“OTAs are a joke for offensive and defensive linemen, at least in the way of evaluating them. To judge them as players is a waste of time. You can evaluate skill players in a 7-on-7 skeleton, but it’s difficult to gauge the quality of the lines until the pads come back on.”
“I wonder if Mike Tice will ever resurface as a head coach if the Jaguars continue to do well. There are a lot of good candidates out there, and I expect there to be a lot of change next season in front offices and coaching departments. A lot of coaching jobs are already filled, though — you got Jimmy Mora in line to take over in Seattle, (Jim) Caldwell in Indianapolis, (Jason) Garrett in Dallas, Rob Ryan in Oakland — although you never know for sure what the old man (Al Davis) is going to do. Then you’ve got Steve Spagnuolo in New York. St. Louis and San Francisco could be the most interesting situations.”
“Detroit ended the season on a bad note, and it can be very difficult to recover from that. Throw in the problems they created in the draft — all their top picks have serious issues they are working through. There’s going to be a split in that locker room between the offense and the defense — it’s never a good thing. I think (president Matt) Millen’s last year may finally have come.”
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