July 20, 2008

Marcus Spears

 Expect Cowboys DL coach Todd Grantham to make Marcus Spears one of his pet projects this summer and fall. The team has yet to get full return on its big investment in Spears, a 2005 first-round draft choice who has started for three seasons but hasn’t shown consistency or fire in his play. Grantham is considered a good motivator and coach who might be able to make a difference in Spears’ progression.

 It’s looking more and more as if Giants WR David Tyree, the Super Bowl hero who had knee surgery in March, will be a strong candidate for the physically-unable-to-perform list, which either could limit his chances of getting on the field or even making the club altogether. The Giants’ WR situation is very crowded now with the emergence of Steve Smith and the drafting of Mario Manningham.

 It’s not terribly sexy, but the Redskins should have a very good battle at punter. They drafted Durant Brooks in Round Five, the first punter the team has drafted in 15 years, and they think his strong leg could give him the edge over Derrick Frost. Special-teams coordinator Danny Smith, however, requires his punters to be good directional and pooch punters, too, so Brooks will have to show touch.

 In the Cardinals’ minicamps and OTAs leading up to training camp, team sources tell us QB Matt Leinart’s arm strength appeared to be very close to what it was before he suffered his 2007 season-ending fractured collarbone. But they also said Leinart, the designated starter heading into ’08, didn’t look nearly as sharp as backup QB Kurt Warner, who seemed to be right on the money with every pass he threw. Daily team observers maintain that Warner’s passing has improved significantly since he decided to don gloves to improve his grip on the ball last year. “Every pass is a tight spiral,” one team insider said. “The flutter balls he used to throw are gone.”

 Rams executive Jay Zygmunt reiterated to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch early in the week that the team remained “very optimistic” that first-round draft pick Chris Long would sign his rookie contract before the opening of training camp July 24. Said Zygmunt, “Marvin (Long’s agent, Marvin Demoff) expressed how important that is to Chris, and we expressed how important it is to the Rams.”

 Niners team insiders tell us RB Thomas Clayton — the team’s sixth-round draft pick last year, who spent the entire 2007 season on the practice squad after leading the team in rushing during the exhibition season — displayed very impressive quickness in this year’s OTAs and minicamps.

 We hear the rift that surfaced between Niners WR Asley Lelie and perfectionist WR coach Jerry Sullivan last season over Lelie’s far-from-perfect route-running has cooled down, with Lelie reportedly much more in sync with Sullivan so far this offseason.

 Our Seahawks sources will be anxious to see if newly acquired RB Julius Jones picks up where he left off in the final minicamp as far as hitting holes quickly. So far, we’re told, Jones has made a very positive impression.

 With no progress toward a contract extension expected for C Matt Birk, who can hit free agency in 2009, the Vikings are likely to take long looks at young OLs Dan Mozes and John Sullivan as possible replacements. The Vikings typically are aggressive in re-signing their core players well in advance, so the lack of concrete progress on a deal for Birk is quite telling.

 Bears insiders tell us third-round draft pick Marcus Harrison, who is being widely projected as the team’s fourth defensive tackle, at times displayed the type of speed in the team’s minicamps that had some experts suggesting he was a first-round-caliber performer.

 How much did the addition of RB Kevin Jones actually cost the Bears? Not much at all, we hear, with our sources informing us he signed a one-year deal worth just over $600,000, with no incentives.

 We hear Packers QB Aaron Rodgers really likes to throw the ball to third-year WR Ruvell Martin, who could turn out to be a very intriguing sleeper this coming season.

 Our Packers sources tell us the coaching staff is pleased with the way second-year DT Daniel Muir has improved his counter moves after opposing offensive linemen get their hands on him.

 Don’t pencil Stephen Peterman into the Lions’ starting ORG spot just yet. Though Peterman ended last season starting there and played fairly well, he will get competition from Manny Ramirez and Frank Davis.

 Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has been known to make his voice heard when one of his defenders is in the midst of a contract dispute, and he may get involved on behalf of DE Greg White, the way we hear it. White has been jockeying for a long-term contract throughout the offseason, but the Bucs have offered him only a one-year deal. White doesn’t have much leverage, since he’s an exclusive-rights free agent, meaning he can play for Tampa or not play at all this season. Kiffin is highly respected within the organization and does have some leverage, but it’s still very unlikely that the longtime coach can get GM Bruce Allen, a tough negotiator, to back down and risk overpaying for White, who led the team in sacks last season after coming over from the Arena Football League.

 Sources expect the contract negotiations for the Falcons’ remaining unsigned rookies — OT Sam Baker and LB Curtis Lofton — to extend up to the start of training camp, which begins July 25. Both players have a good chance of becoming Week One starters, but holdouts could change that.

 We hear Falcons rookie RB Thomas Brown, a sixth-round pick, could become the team’s kickoff returner if RB Jerious Norwood is pulled from the special-teams unit. A close observer of the team likened Brown to Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw, a seventh-round pick in ’07 who had a 151-yard game against the Bills and a strong postseason for the defending Super Bowl champs.

 Although there’s no new development in the Philadelphia gunfire incident that Colts WR Marvin Harrison is allegedly connected with, that doesn’t mean the issue is dead. Rather, the Philadelphia police are being eerily quiet on the matter, not willing to divulge hardly any information. We hear that the team is in close contact with the police and that Harrison is by no means in the clear.

 Ideally, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio would like to stage an open competition for the starting SS job between converted CB Brian Williams, Jamaal Fudge and Gerald Sensabaugh. In reality, the latter two have little chance of beating out Williams. The reason? Money. Williams signed a six-year, $32 million deal in 2006, and a team insider tells us Del Rio will be reluctant to have that highly paid a player come off the bench, despite his inexperience at the position.

 The Texans aren’t expected to have any competition for P Matt Turk and PK Kris Brown in training camp, so keeping their legs fresh will be a priority. A source close to the club expects the team to use kicking machines to limit the wear and tear on Turk and Brown.

 A source close to the Titans notes that reserve DE Jacob Ford had a strong offseason after missing his rookie campaign because of an Achilles injury and will be in the mix for a reserve role at right end.

 The way we hear it, Titans fourth-year CB Eric King will push nickel back Vincent Fuller for his job in training camp. Fuller scored a pair of touchdowns last season and comes off a good season, but King has had a productive offseason.

 The Bills raised some eyebrows recently when they gave DT Kyle Williams a three-year, $14.5 million contract extension. After Buffalo had fortified the position with Pro Bowl-caliber Marcus Stroud and Spencer Johnson earlier in the offseason, the prevailing thought was that the position was in good enough shape as it was, and that the money could’ve been spent on a greater priority, such as an extension for OLT Jason Peters or WR Lee Evans. As one team insider put it, “Kyle’s a high-character, maximum-effort guy, but take him away from this team, and you wouldn’t see much of a difference.”

 Marvin Harrison isn’t the only player to have a gun-related legal issue hanging over his head. According to a source close to the Dolphins, the investigation of the allegation that CB Will Allen pulled a gun on a man he owed a gambling debt to back in May is merely on hold, not resolved. Pending the resolution to the case, Allen may still face sanctions from the league.

 Patriots WR Kelley Washington is itching to prove he’s more than just a special-teams ace. The way we hear it, it’s doubtful he’ll be afforded that opportunity. Washington is likely to be the fifth wideout in the Pats’ WR pecking order, and his contributions likely will be confined to the kicking game once again.

 The Steelers are expected to give WR Santonio Holmes a look as a punt returner, the way we hear it. Rookie RB Rashard Mendenhall and veteran Mewelde Moore will be in the mix to return kickoffs, with second-year RB Gary Russell another potential option if the Steelers want to employ a bigger returner the way they occasionally did with the departed Najeh Davenport. Pittsburgh will have a new look at those positions after releasing RS Allen Rossum in the offseason.

 The way we hear it, Ravens rookie LB Tavares Gooden could play a major role on special teams in his first season as he learns the defense. Gooden has exceptional speed for the position, and he could be an asset on kick and punt coverage. In the long term, Gooden will compete for a starting spot at inside linebacker; both of Baltimore’s starters (Ray Lewis and Bart Scott) are expected to enter free agency after the season.

 Word from Pittsburgh is that the Steelers have been pleased with the development of reserve DE Ryan McBean, who played in only one game as a rookie and missed spring workouts with a foot injury. If he can return to health, there’s hope he can provide capable help off the bench in his second NFL season.

 One of the most interesting roster decisions the Browns will have to make, the way we hear it, is whether to keep three tight ends and two fullbacks or four tight ends and just one fullback, starter Lawrence Vickers.

 If the Raiders hire veteran assistant coach Paul Hackett as an offensive consultant, as Al Davis is reportedly considering, it might be the most critical move of their offseason, according to sources in Oakland. Hackett is widely regarded as one of the best developers of quarterbacks around, and he might work wonders with JaMarcus Russell, who begins his first season as the Raiders’ starter.

 Although underachieving DT Dewayne Robertson failed a physical earlier this offseason, which stopped him from being traded to the Bengals, we hear the Broncos, who later acquired him in a swap with the Jets, don’t seem too worried about the bone-on-bone condition in his knee. Sources say head coach Mike Shanahan is well aware of the fragile knee and will likely lighten Robertson’s training-camp workload to help him stay fresh for the season. Robertson’s ability to stay on the field will be important to Denver’s defense this year — the interior of its defensive line struggled last season, and the Broncos ranked 30th in run defense.