<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>? Word out of Oakland is that several former Raiders are not too keen on the way Al Davis handled the Art Shell firing, feeling as though Davis turned his back on Shell after preaching loyalty in the Raiders family for so many years.? LB Chad Greenway, the Vikings' first-round pick last April, is running well on his surgically repaired knee and is expected to be ready to participate in early offseason minicamps.? According to sources, the effort put forth by Broncos DT Gerard Warren was not the same in 2006 compared to his first year in Denver, and some believe that his securing of a contract extension in the offseason may have had something to do with that.? The Dolphins don't want to let go of QB coach Jason Garrett, who's under contract through 2007. We hear that Miami refused the Browns' request to have Garrett interview for Cleveland's offensive coordinator position. However, Nick Saban is pursuing Garrett to be his offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama, and there may not be any way for Miami to prevent Garrett from leaving for a college job.? We hear that comments by GM Mike Tannenbaum that the Jets believe DL Dewayne Robertson affords them flexibility with his ability to play tackle or end indicates that the team may consider moving Robertson, who's not as stout as the team would like for its nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme, to end in 2007.? Word is Dolphins special assistant Scott O'Brien has been told that there is no longer a future for him with the franchise now that Nick Saban, who brought in O'Brien to be his eyes and ears at the team's headquarters, has departed. We hear that it's hard to find anyone at Dolphins headquarters who likes O'Brien, who was brash and abrasive in his role as Saban's right-hand man.? Sources close to the Buccaneers tell us the team may have had a change of heart on DE Simeon Rice. We hear the Bucs really missed Rice's pass-rush ability this season after he was placed on injured reserve, and they no longer view him as a potential salary-cap casualty. Instead, they are willing to have him back in 2007, though we hear they will entertain trade offers for Rice.? Keep an eye on the contract situation of Buccaneers CB Brian Kelly, who missed 14 games in 2006 with a turf-toe injury. We hear Kelly, who has one year left on his contract, has been seeking a pay raise for some time now, and there's a possibility that he could be a holdout if he doesn't get a new deal.? Our sources expect the Falcons to continue to use a 4-3 defense under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who oversaw a 3-4 defense in his last stop as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator. We hear Zimmer prefers a 4-3 defense but used a 3-4 in Dallas because that was the defense of choice for head coach Bill Parcells.? We hear the Jaguars are now sending signals that they could bring QB Byron Leftwich back next season. But we're told Leftwich, who has one year left on his contract, doesn't want to come back after the way he was treated by head coach Jack Del Rio, who communicated poorly with Leftwich and stripped him of his starting QB job last season.? We're told one of the reasons QB Chris Simms re-signed with the Buccaneers at the end of the regular season, instead of testing the free-agent market, was because of the presence of QB coach Paul Hackett.? Despite zero sacks in 16 starts this season, the Vikings still have faith in DE Kenechi Udeze. The 2004 first-rounder would like to return to the left side once DRE Erasmus James returns from his knee injury.? Short of a Super Bowl win, Lovie Smith is not likely to get a top-five coaching contract, even with the eye-opening totals garnered by first-time coach Bobby Petrino. Still, the sense is that Smith won't require elite money to remain in Chicago long term.? The latest name making the rounds in Detroit, where RB Marshall Faulk and DE Simeon Rice have already surfaced as 2007 targets, is Ravens LB Adalius Thomas, slated to become an unrestricted free agent in the spring. We're told he's said to have interest in playing for Lions head coach Rod Marinelli.? Detroit would love to bring back DL Cory Redding, who racked up all eight of his sacks after making a midseason switch to tackle, but the unrestricted free agent may be looking to get out of Detroit for competitive reasons. The situation may result in the application of a franchise or transition tag.? Patriots LB Tedy Bruschi on the Chargers' offensive line: "They're scrappy. They don't just stick on you, but they push the pile very well. They stay on their blocks and let you know after the play is over that they have made their block because sometimes they are still there on top of you. I think they have great pride in blocking for a player like LT"? His rehabilitation schedule following the knee surgery that cost him the 2006 season is set to have him start running in about a month, but it's not believed that Broncos DE Courtney Brown has a future with the team.? Sources close to the team are all but certain OG Will Shields will hang up his cleats after yet another Pro Bowl campaign. ORT John Welbourn, who has played his best football at guard in his career, could move inside to replace Shields, perhaps leaving Jordan Black and Kevin Sampson to battle it out at right tackle next year if the Chiefs can find an upgrade at left tackle. Money could be an issue there, however.? After a disappointing finish offensively, Chiefs head coach Herman Edwards has promised several personnel changes on the roster before next season. "There will be some tough decisions, no doubt about it," Edwards said last week. "There will be some unpopular decisions at times." Despite taking some heat for his conservative play-calling, offensive coordinator Mike Solari is expected to stay on board, while QB coach Terry Shea has been let go.? Browns general manager Phil Savage indicated that the franchise's storied tradition has been difficult for players to grasp and has led to higher expectations from the fan base. "Every player that we brought here, we brought here because we think that they can help us win," Savage said. "At some point in time, they were a winner in the past. I think they know that, but at the same time, they are being measured to a Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Lou Groza or Brian Sipe. Some of our players weren't even born yet when these guys played and don't have an idea of who some of these guys were. You have questions trying to live up to someone who they don't know. We try to educate some of our younger players. We show videos to them, and we talk to them. It's a lot of pressure to live up to and when it doesn't go well, we have to figure out the equation."? Bengals WR coach Hue Jackson was respected and liked by his players, and he worked well with WR Chris Henry. Jackson has moved on to Atlanta to become the Falcons' offensive coordinator, and there's a feeling that the Bengals were fortunate to have had a coach of his caliber in the fold for three seasons.? With the Steelers not having any major contributors entering unrestricted free agency this offseason, look for management to focus on contract extensions. DE Aaron Smith, SS Troy Polamalu and OLG Alan Faneca could all be under consideration for new deals.? Texans RB Ron Dayne has said he'd like to return to Houston, and look for the Texans to push to re-sign the unrestricted free agent.? Seahawks rookie P Ryan Plackemeier credits special-teams coach Bob Casullo with the major improvement in his directional punting late in the season (12 of his last 28 punts landed inside the 20, with just four touchbacks). "After having problems in the Monday-night game in Oakland, I needed to do something," Plackemeier told PFW. "Coach told me that if I put the nose down, I could swing as hard as I wanted, but the ball would go only 35-40 yards. I used that technique in the Denver game and had two punts land at the two- and the one-yard line. I'm sticking with it; it will help me stay in the league longer."? Veteran La'Roi Glover was on the field for 75 percent of the snaps as the Rams' starting "under" tackle this season, and we hear the team would prefer to reduce his load to the 50-60 percent range next season. But the prevailing feeling is that '06 rookie Claude Wroten is going to have to make some major strides to prove he's capable of sharing the load with Glover almost half the time.? Even though Keith Lewis proved to be a major difference-maker after being inserted into the Niners' starting FS role, we hear the team would prefer to employ him next season as a situational safety who could then spend more time on special teams, an area in which he excels. Our sources tell us the Niners believe Lewis could be a perennial Pro Bowl special-teamer if that role was his top priority.? Cowboys OG Marco Rivera's career is in jeopardy following a second major back surgery in 22 months. He struggled for most of the season, but the team stuck with him over Cory Proctor, whom Bill Parcells has shown an affinity for but has never called on to play.? One Cowboys source indicates that the team has been down on DE Marcus Spears for his lack of production and development. It would not be a shock to some to see Jason Hatcher take some of Spears' reps next season; the team reportedly has bigger plans for Hatcher, who could boost the pass rush.? All indications are that Kevin Gilbride, who took over the Giants' play-calling duties for the final two games, will be promoted to offensive coordinator. The players responded favorably down the stretch to Gilbride's enthusiasm and more creative game-planning.? Redskins sources think Joe Gibbs would like to bring back both SS Adam Archuleta and WR Brandon Lloyd, despite both having miserable seasons for different reasons. The team might be able to adjust its salary-cap situation enough with other cuts and reworked deals to bring both back.</div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jon_Vilma @ Jan 17 2007, 09:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>? We hear that comments by GM Mike Tannenbaum that the Jets believe DL Dewayne Robertson affords them flexibility with his ability to play tackle or end indicates that the team may consider moving Robertson, who's not as stout as the team would like for its nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme, to end in 2007.</div></div>Nice. That's where I (among others) have been saying he should go for, um, I don't know, the entire season.
