PFW Whispers

[THE SIX KINGS]

While Brett Favre has yet to make a decision regarding his future, we’re told the overwhelming consensus among those around the team is that No. 4 will return for another season.

 

Don’t be surprised to hear Simeon Rice’s name floating around Detroit this offseason. Rice raves about Rod Marinelli, his former position coach in Tampa, and is expected to receive his walking papers from the Bucs this offseason. Of course, after drawing the Rams’ ire by mentioning Marshall Faulk as possible insurance next season for injured RB Kevin Jones, the Lions likely won’t discuss Rice publicly until the appropriate time.

 

There is a growing sentiment that CB Shawn Springs’ career in Washington may be nearly at an end. The Redskins almost assuredly will ask him to take a pay cut, and if Springs won’t accept it, he might be let go. His injury-riddled season certainly hasn’t helped his case.

 

Sources in Tampa tell us injured QB Chris Simms could re-sign with the Buccaneers in the next few weeks. We hear the Buccaneers may have sweetened their initial offer, and Simms and his agent realize they won’t get a much better offer from another team. Also tipping the scale in Tampa’s favor, rookie Bruce Gradkowski’s struggles make Simms the front-runner for the starting job next season, and Simms does not want to learn a new offensive system.

 

Philip Rivers’ recent lack of accuracy when on the move outside of the pocket and his penchant for getting a little too excited when things don’t go well are considered a bit troublesome for San Diego, but certainly correctable with more experience.

 

Word out of Denver is that rookie RB Mike Bell seems to be more effective when he doesn’t know when he is going to play because he gets a little too amped up thinking about things beforehand, which has thrown off the patience necessary to play effectively in Denver’s offense.

 

Mike Shanahan and several teammates have indicated that what’s even more impressive than Champ Bailey’s play on Sundays is his approach to practice and meetings during the week. Bailey admits he is more detail-oriented and more aware in coverage than he was two years ago, when he was dealt to Denver in 2004.

 

According to sources close to the team, Chargers veteran ILB Donnie Edwards is playing his best football of the year (and probably his best since 2004) down the stretch. His versatility vs. the run, in coverage and as a blitzer has been on full display, and being kept free from blockers by the defensive line has helped.

 

The snub of OG Kris Dielman (who was named a first alternate) from the Pro Bowl team did not sit well with many people in Chargers camp, who felt he has clearly outplayed Will Shields, Brian Waters and Alan Faneca this season but fell victim to the other players’ reputations.

 

Sources in Kansas City don’t see any way that Pro Bowl OG Will Shields will return for a 15th season. The consensus is that the Chiefs were lucky to have him this season, especially when he thought OT Willie Roaf was coming back last summer, as well.

 

Jerry Porter’s mysterious hip injury, which continues to keep him off the practice field, has left the entire Raiders organization baffled and, according to sources close to the team, is a clear attempt to force his way out of town. Porter’s poor attitude has sullied his worth on the market, however, leading some to believe a middle-round draft pick is all the Raiders would get in exchange for the talented but difficult wide receiver.

 

Jets TE Chris Baker told PFW that he and his teammates marvel at how tough WR Laveranues Coles is. “He’s extremely tough,” Baker said. “He tries to claim he’s a big guy, but I keep telling him he’s not. He gets banged around, but he always gets back in there and makes plays. I mean, he’s been beat up the whole year, but he hasn’t missed a game. And he’s our MVP, so that says a lot about him and his toughness.”

 

We hear that the success in recent weeks of the Bills’ revamped offensive line may answer two questions heading into the offseason. First, we hear that ex-OLT Mike Gandy’s strong play at left guard likely means he will be re-signed in order to keep the line intact. Second, we hear that the Bills may not feel as much pressure to make the O-line a top draft priority anymore.

 

We hear that Bills owner Ralph Wilson has been thrilled with the coaching job turned in by Dick Jauron, going so far as to call Jauron “the second-best coach in franchise history,” behind Marv Levy, and ahead of notable coaches like Lou Saban and Chuck Knox.

 

Word from Jets camp is that the team hoped QB Patrick Ramsey’s demotion to the No. 3 QB position a couple of weeks ago would serve as a wake-up call and that they want the veteran to be ready if something were to happen to Chad Pennington.

 

Saints head coach Sean Payton has had a quick trigger when it comes to placing his players on the injured-reserve list this season. So our sources believe it’s a good sign that Payton hasn’t placed WR Joe Horn, who has been sidelined the past month with a groin injury, on I.R. We hear Payton has been patient with Horn because he believes the veteran will be healthy and contributing in the playoffs.

 

Nick Saban isn’t the only NFL head coach to have his name mentioned in the University of Alabama head-coaching search. We hear Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden is also on the Crimson Tide’s radar. While Gruden’s intentions for the Alabama job are unknown, our sources have not gotten any indication that the Glazer family plans to dump Gruden after the season.

 

Rookie WR Greg Jennings and QB Brett Favre were not on the same page on two plays that ended in turnovers last Thursday night, the first of which led to the Vikings’ only score of the game. We’re told the first interception fell on Jennings’ shoulders for making an incorrect route adjustment, while the second pick was on Favre for a poor decision. Jennings really struggled overall, looking more timid than at any point in his otherwise impressive rookie season.

 

Quietly, we hear the likelihood is that defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson will not be back with the Lions in 2007. There are no hard feelings between Henderson and Rod Marinelli, who go way back, but the two have very different defensive philosophies. Henderson’s aggressive, blitzing scheme simply doesn’t mesh with Marinelli’s cover-2.

 

The Lions are likely to part ways with ORG Damien Woody, who made five starts before a foot injury forced him to I.R. Woody has regularly been overweight, doesn’t move well and, to make matters worse, has been accused of harassing a local Detroit woman.

 

We hear Brad Johnson doesn’t have any interest in staying in Minnesota beyond this season and that the Vikings will let him walk. Johnson has been put off by the fact that head coach Brad Childress never accepted or solicited any input from Johnson despite his 15 years of experience.

 

Without DT Tommie Harris, the Bears’ defense has held up against the run but struggled to get after the quarterback. As a result, we’re told the team is resigned to bringing more pressure from linebackers and defensive backs. CB Ricky Manning Jr. recorded two sacks in Week 15 vs. the Bucs.

 

Niners WR Antonio Bryant has been put on a very short leash after being hit with a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, a loss that couldn’t have been more ill-timed for the team. Yet, the early word is that he is considered a keeper that the team hopes will learn from his mistakes and go out of his way to help teammates from avoiding similar off-the-field problems in the future.

 

With roughly $40 million under the salary cap at their disposal this offseason, it’s no surprise that the Niners have their sights set on more than a few potential free agents, although we hear they still plan on being very careful working this year’s market. Two names that continue to be frequently mentioned on the Niners’ rumor mill are Ravens SLB Adalius Thomas and Bills CB Nate Clements.

 

The consensus among our Cardinals sources is that special-teams coordinator Gary Zau­ner, who was well-regarded in prior stints with the Vikings and Ravens before this season, has done a disappointing job in the desert. In addition to PK Neil Rackers being only average this season after an outstanding 2005 campaign, the Cardinals’ return and coverage teams have been mediocre, at best.

 

Our Seahawks sources tell us that both C Robbie Tobeck, who has missed considerable time lately with an abscessed hip, and TE Itula Mili, who has missed the last four games with a nasty concussion, can be expected to think long and hard this offseason about resuming their playing careers in 2007.

 

Although Stephen Davis did score a meaningful touchdown in a Week 16 win over the Redskins, the Rams probably wouldn’t have minded a little more production on the field this season from the veteran offseason pickup. But we hear the team couldn’t be more pleased with the way Davis has filled his role as a mentor to fellow RB Steven Jackson. Word is Davis has spent considerable time off the field helping Jackson become more of a north-south runner in short-yardage situations and has developed a much closer relationship with Jackson than veteran RB Marshall Faulk had the previous two seasons.

 

Our Colts sources tell us that, while both TE Dallas Clark and FS Bob Sanders are expected to be healthy enough to return to action from knee injuries for the team’s season finale vs. Miami this Sunday, it’s quite likely the team will exercise caution and opt to preserve both players for postseason action.

 

Word around the Giants is that C Shaun O’Hara, an impending free agent, is looking for a big payday. And the Giants might be willing to let O’Hara walk considering that they have dependable Rich Seubert to play center and that the Giants’ negotiations in the past with Tony Agnone, O’Hara’s agent, haven’t always gone smoothly.

 

Don’t be surprised if Brian Westbrook gets an occasional chance on punt returns. Reno Mahe should continue to serve as the regular guy back there, but Westbrook has appeared fresh despite an increased workload and is a much better playmaker than Mahe.

 

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said that offseason rest will be just the cure for DE Mario Williams’ plantar fasciitis in his left foot, and he insists that Williams will learn from the experience of playing in pain. Said Kubiak: “You’re never going to be perfect in this league. Guys, from about the first month on, play beat up all year long. And also, it’s something to be able to go out where you’re not going to practice but still be an effective player. There are a lot of guys that can’t do that, and he has played pretty good for a young kid who hasn’t practiced much.”

 

The Browns have missed FS Brian Russell’s presence in the secondary. Cleveland is more susceptible to surrendering the big play without the veteran serving as the last line of defense and directing traffic. Russell is out for the season after sustaining a staph infection. Russell and three other Browns players have contracted staph infections in the past two seasons. However, Russell, who is Cleveland’s player representative, has said that the team is doing all it can to prevent the infections.

 

The way we hear it, Ravens rookie NT Haloti Ngata is even better than the team thought he was — and Baltimore thought enough of him to trade up in last April’s draft. Ngata filled an obvious need, but the Ravens are now convinced he can be a Pro Bowl-caliber performer.