Author: mflorio.tsn

Every year at this time, we’re reminded that many college football players have smoked marijuana. Given that many college students smoke marijuana at some point or other during their four (or five … or eight) years of "higher" education, it’s not really a surprise.

Usually, the issue hits the NFL radar screen due to reports of positive marijuana samples generated by players tested at the Scouting Combine. Given that the players know they’ll be tested, a positive result constitutes evidence of a problem — or proof of extreme stupidity. But while those players require more scrutiny, the supposed rash of players who tested positive during college or who admitted to smoking marijuana in pre-draft interviews gets far more focus than it deserves.

Teams generally don’t care if players smoke pot. Teams care if smoking pot affects player performance, or if it keeps them from playing due to a suspension. "There’s a difference between a guy who smokes pot from time to time," said an agent who requested anonymity, "and Charles Rogers or Onterrio Smith."

Rogers, the second overall pick in the 2003 draft, and Smith, a first-round talent who slid to Round 4 due in part to multiple marijuana issues, couldn’t put down the weed, even when their livelihoods depended on it. But for every player who smokes his way out of the league, there are hundreds who can stop cold turkey as soon as they enter the league’s substance-abuse program and become subject to up to 10 unannounced tests per month. Indeed, most men prefer playing pro football to smoking pot, and most can quit when they absolutely must.

Still, scouts and coaches claim to be worried about the issue. One unnamed head coach recently told Don Banks of SI.com that "[i]t’s something that’s concerning to all coaches and general managers in this league."

Apparently, these aging muckety-mucks all have forgotten the things they did when they were 20. As the agent who requested anonymity told me, he recalls in their younger days a current "high-level NFL decision-maker" passing him a joint.

Really, how many of the people who occupy positions of influence and responsibility in the NFL can say they haven’t smoked pot at least once in their lives? It’s a normal – albeit illegal – activity, and concerns should arise only when the player has become addicted to it or has become entangled with law enforcement because of it.

In the grand scheme of things, few players are suspended for using marijuana. Even fewer see their careers end. Thus, the reward outweighs the risk. Last year, many news outlets reported via anonymous sources that Vikings receiver Percy Harvin tested positive for marijuana at the Scouting Combine, and he only went on to have a dramatic impact on the Minnesota offense and special teams.

So why is it suddenly a big deal? It could be that some teams hope to scare other teams into passing on players with red flags due to green leaves, which could cause highly-talented players to slide into the clutches of teams that are quietly fueling the anti-pot crusade. Or it could be that many of these scouts and coaches are too old to remember what it’s like to be a kid in college, and the things that they and their friends did 20, 30, or 40 years ago.

Those who realize that marijuana use now is no more of an epidemic now than it ever has been will be in the best position to do the homework necessary to differentiate those who control their pot smoking from those whose pot smoking controls them. And the teams who take the time to draw those lines instead of simply striking from the board anyone who has a history of doing something that a large percentage of the total college population has done will reap the benefits on draft day.

Heck, maybe even a few of the G.M.’s and coaches will celebrate by firing up a doobie.

Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.

With the completed NFL season fading into the rear-view mirror, the offseason wasteland is filled with anticipation for the release of the 2010 schedule.

Sean Payton’s Super Bowl champion Saints will open up the 2010 regular season.

Though the identity and location of the 256 games already is known, the date and time remains a mystery. And so fans wait anxiously to see, for instance, how many Monday night, Sunday night or Thursday night games or back-to-back-to-back road games or games against teams coming off "bye" weeks their favorite teams will play.

And so the early days of April become like the latter days of December, with football fans awaiting the arrival of the schedule as if the Commissioner Roger Goodell were wearing a red suit and commandeering a flying sleigh. Typically, the NFL gives fans a peek at some of the packages in conjunction with the annual meetings, announcing the schedule of prime-time games in Week 1 and the trio of Turkey Day contests.

This year, for reasons still unclear, the league opted not to do so.

So let’s fill that void by suggesting the matchups we’d like to see for each of the games that would have been announced. And then let’s look at a few other preferred dates for several other key games.

For the Sept. 9 season opener, the Saints will be the host. With Steelers president Art Rooney II declaring last week that his team won’t make its once-every-eight-years trip to the Superdome to launch the season, it’s widely believed the opponent will be the Vikings. But a visit from the Falcons also would be compelling.

On Sunday night, an AFC North showdown would be a great way to kick things off, with the Steelers visiting the Ravens. (The delay in the announcement of the prime-time games might have something to do with the tenuous status of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.)

For the first game of Monday night’s doubleheader, what better way to christen the Jets’ portion of the new stadium than to invite the Dolphins to town, a decade after the two teams played a classic game on a Monday night in October? And it makes sense. For the past three years, the league has scheduled games between division rivals for the first Monday night of the season.

The other viable alternative would be the Patriots, but they played on Monday night to start the 2009 season.

For the nightcap, which typically features division rivals from the western edge of the country, Pete Carroll’s return to the NFL would provide a great story line — especially if his Seahawks are traveling to Arizona to face the Cardinals, who presumably will be quarterbacked by one of Carroll’s prized pupils at USC, Matt Leinart.

For Thanksgiving, the reports that the Jets will host a night game means the Patriots will play at Detroit in the early game, given that the Jets and the Patriots were the two candidates to play on Ford Field.

In the second game, the Cowboys can host any of their six NFC opponents. The best game would come from the Saints, but the NFL typically doesn’t waste "good" games for the games that we’ll all watch regardless of how "good" they are. So scratch off the Saints, the Eagles, the Giants, and the Redskins. The Lions are otherwise occupied.

So it leaves the Bears.

The Saints-Cowboys contest would be a great candidate for prime time in November, during the ratings sweeps, even though FOX surely will want it for the back end of a Sunday afternoon doubleheader during that same period. Steelers-Saints is another one that will attract plenty of attention, giving NBC and ESPN a game to covet for evening placement, and for CBS an ideal game for a Sunday afternoon doubleheader of its own.

Other non-division games that merit a high profile include (in no particular order) Colts-Patriots, Cowboys-Colts, Giants-Colts (featuring the Mannings brothers), Chargers-Colts, Jets-Steelers, Vikings-Patriots, Packers-Patriots, Vikings-Jets, Packers-Jets, Texans-Jets, Jets-Steelers, Saints-Ravens, Ravens-Jets, Saints-Bengals, and Falcons-Steelers.

Bottom line? The 2010 slate features plenty of great games. Still, even when we know what’s in Santa’s bag, we still can’t wait for him to show up. The fact that he didn’t let us open a few of the packages early at the league meetings will only make us even more eager for him to arrive.

Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.

As authorities in Milledgeville, Ga., continue to investigate a claim that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sexually assaulted a 20-year-old college student at a local night club, Roethlisberger’s lawyer has yet to agree to submit Roethlisberger to a comprehensive interview.

Roethlisberger not talking to authorities on advice of attorney Ed Garland.

The U.S. Constitution provides all of us the right to remain silent. Under the Fifth Amendment, we cannot be compelled to testify against ourselves in criminal proceedings. In this case, but for a brief interview at the scene of the alleged crime, Roethlisberger has been taking full advantage of his right to say nothing.

And if freedom remains Roethlisberger’s goal, his lawyer, Ed Garland, apparently believes that silence represents the best way to preserve it.

The decision not to fully cooperate with the investigation could be driven by different factors. First, it’s possible that Roethlisberger is guilty as charged, and that he prefers neither to admit to a crime nor to compound the problem by lying to police. If that’s the case, Garland will force the prosecution to prove its case with no specific cooperation from Roethlisberger. (Of course, if Roethlisberger is guilty, then he deserves to be convicted, and to have a large cellmate who is a Ravens fan. Our system of justice, however, seeks to prevent unjust imprisonments, even if it means periodically — or more often — allowing the guilty to go free.)

It’s also possible that Roethlisberger is innocent, but that Garland believes that his client, well, isn’t very bright. (Garland would have a lot of company.) In that case, talking to the cops could give them ammunition for prosecution and a conviction that they don’t already have, even if it’s merely a case of Roethlisberger getting tied up in knots while he tries to explain himself.

There’s also a chance that, guilty or innocent, Garland wants to defer producing Roethlisberger until Garland has concluded his own investigation. This will allow Garland to funnel to his client the information that has been gathered, so that Roethlisberger will be aware of the potential traps, pitfalls and conflicts in the various accounts that have been given by other witnesses.

Regardless of the reason, Garland’s approach exposes Roethlisberger to extra scrutiny, criticism and doubt. The jurors on the Court of Public Opinion will wonder whether Roethlisberger has something to hide, and thus whether he might be guilty. Put simply, the average person thinks that the wrongfully accused don’t retreat to a shell. They shout their innocence from the rooftops and everywhere else.

Thus, with each passing day during which Roethlisberger hides behind lawyers and agents and Constitutional rights, he risks that more and more members of the general public will conclude that perhaps he did it, and that he’s simply gaming the system in order to become one of the many guilty men who go free. But if the overriding goal is the preservation of liberty, the approach makes sense. Not talking makes it harder for the authorities to persuade a prosecutor to pursue formal charges or a grand jury to indict.

Really, the best outcome for Roethlisberger will be no charges at all. That’s precisely what Garland is attempting to achieve.

Will the approach jeopardize Roethsliberger’s public image? Surely. Steps can be taken later to win the hearts and minds of football fans. The process becomes slightly more challenging if he’s trying to do it after being released from prison.

Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, one of the most eager and earnest draft prospects in NFL history, opted not to work out at the Scouting Combine because he was still working on his new throwing motion.

Tim Tebow looks to impress scouts after disappointing Senior Bowl performance.

Of course, he says he’s not really changing his throwing motion. But he’s changing it enough to have kept him from throwing for scouts in late February.

Now, less than three weeks later, he’ll show what he can do at his pro day session in Gainesville on Wednesday. He promises that no conditions or limitations will apply, and that he’ll do whatever the scouts and coaches want him to do.

So let’s take a look at what they’ll be looking at:

1. The snap.

It’s the most basic and mundane of a quarterback’s duties. Place knuckles of one hand into the nether regions of the center, call for the ball, receive the ball, grasp it with other hand.

For a guy who took the huge majority of his snaps during his college career out of shotgun formation, it’s hardly a basic or mundane task. Especially when he’s asked to do it for the first time in front of a bunch of strangers.

So it’s no surprise Tebow dropped more than a few of the exchanges on his first day of Senior Bowl practices.

When he works out on Wednesday, scouts will surely closely monitor his technique for doing something that most NFL quarterbacks have long since taken for granted.

2. The drop.

Once the quarterback has the ball in his hands, it’s time to begin moving away from the line of scrimmage. It’s not as easy as it looks, this mechanical, second-nature movement of one, three, five or seven steps. The quarterback, while backpedaling sideways, must focus on the development of the play, attempting to decipher the coverage and spot a blitz while at the same time checking to see whether the receivers were able to fight off any contact they encountered at the line of scrimmage.

For shotgun quarterbacks like Tebow, the drop already is accomplished before the ball sails from between the center’s legs. It allows the quarterback to get into passing position more quickly and more easily.

Tebow, who never had to worry about footwork at the college level, suddenly must figure out not only how to do it, but how to do it well.

3. The release.

The most obvious flaw in Tebow’s game comes from his throwing motion, a slow, looping, predictable crank shaft that makes Byron Leftwich look like Dan Marino. Much has been written and said about whether Florida coach Urban Meyer and his staff failed Tebow by not fixing this problem. Some have suggested that Meyer and company tried, unsuccessfully, to shorten Tebow’s release.

Regardless, Tebow is shortening his release. Which is an implicit admission that his release should have been shorter all along.

It definitely will be shorter on Wednesday. Whether it stays that way after he’s drafted remains to be seen.

4. Play-action.

Success in football often arises from successful deception of the opponent. One of the most effective acts of deception comes from the play-action pass.

It’s shorthand for a fake handoff. The best of the best (like former NFL quarterback Steve DeBerg) can put the ball into the gut of the running back and deftly sneak it away, pinning it against his hip while the linebackers — and hopefully the defensive backs — converge on the guy they think must be tackled.

But executing the fake isn’t the hard part. The hard part comes from turning away from the coverage while pretending to hand the ball off. Then, after roughly a full second, the quarterback must regain his bearings, figuring out what has changed — and what hasn’t — during the critical moment when he wasn’t looking.

Who bit on the fake? Who didn’t? Was a blitz called? Is the blitzer taking out the running back’s legs, or is he coming at the quarterback’s head?

More importantly, is a receiver open?

From time to time at Florida, Tebow would take a step forward and crouch a little, as if he were going to hand the ball off, before stepping back, standing up and looking for a receiver. But Tebow never took his eyes off the secondary — so he never had to reacquire the happenings down the field after turning his back to the defense.

It’s arguably the toughest thing Tebow will have to figure out, and little that anyone sees during his pro day workout will tell NFL teams whether he’ll be able to do it.

5. Pressure.

As to each of the above factors, the addition of pressure changes everything. Most importantly, it can cause a quarterback to retreat to his instincts.

In Tebow’s case, it means that he might revert back to his old throwing motion.

As one league source explained it, there’s a belief that, by the time a quarterback gets to the NFL, he has made "a million" throws, and that it will take a lifetime to truly change his motion. More often than not, the old motion will resurface when the quarterback is feeling heat.

So if the pro day workout truly is a no-holds-barred affair, one of the potentially interested teams should bring along a couple of defensive backs and a defensive lineman or two to simulate the one fact that won’t exist when Tebow is playing pitch-and-catch with several of his former teammates at Florida — real, live pressure.

The approach would be unconventional, but it would definitely make the workout far more meaningful.

Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.

The Pittsburgh Steelers could be facing a serious dilemma, and soon. If quarterback Ben Roethlisbeger is charged with sexual assault in Georgia, the team might need to make alternative plans at the position for 2010 — and possibly beyond.

Even if Roethlisberger isn’t charged, one more false move could prompt the Steelers to pull the plug on a franchise quarterback who has given the franchise a few too many headaches.

So what would the Steelers do if they suddenly didn’t have Roethlisberger at their disposal? Let’s consider the possibilities.

Dennis Dixon could get his shot at starting if the Steelers need to replace Ben Roethlisberger.

1. Dennis Dixon

The 2007 Heisman candidate, who played during his senior year with a torn ACL, saw his draft stock plunge. But his loss was Pittsburgh’s gain: The Steelers scooped Dixon up in round five of the 2008 draft.

Like so many great college players who find themselves thrust into the anonymity of the lower tiers of an NFL depth chart, Dixon was largely forgotten — until he received an opportunity to replace Roethlisberger at Baltimore during the 2009 season, putting together a performance that prompted comparisons to a young Randall Cunningham.

Widely regarded as a favorite of coach Mike Tomlin, Dixon would get the first crack at stepping up.

If he stumbles, that’s when things could get interesting.

2. Charlie Batch

In 2002, the former Lions starter turned unwanted free agent came home to Pittsburgh to assume a backup role. Eight years later, Batch has started only four games — and he has won two Super Bowl rings.

He’s currently an unrestricted free agent, but if Roethlisberger’s legal entanglement results in a suspension or worse, the Steelers likely would consider bringing Batch back for at least another year, if for no other reason than to assist with the week-in, week-out process of preparing Dixon to play.

And to be ready to play if Dixon is injured.

3. Byron Leftwich

When Batch broke a collarbone during the 2008 preseason, Leftwich quickly was added to the team. He was solid in limited duty throughout the season, winning a Super Bowl ring and making himself attractive to the Buccaneers as a free agent.

Currently languishing on the Tampa depth chart, Leftwich likely could be had for a late-round pick. It might be wise for the Steelers to try to get the deal done now, before the Bucs acquire even more leverage via Big Ben doing a perp walk.

4. Daunte Culpepper

After the Batch injury in August 2008, the Steelers brought in both Leftwich and Culpepper for a look-see, and the team was contemplating signing both of them. If they now can’t pry Leftwich away from the Bucs, Culpepper could be a viable fallback.

And to the extent teams look at what a player did against them in making decisions in this regard, consider the fact that Culpepper helped the Lions give the Steelers everything they could handle in October, with Pittsburgh winning at Ford Field by only eight points. Against Pittsburgh’s otherwise stout defense, Culpepper completed 23 of 37 passes for 282 yards.

Given that the class of 2010 quarterback free agents is weak, Culpepper is one of the best available. Though plenty of teams might not agree with that assessment, the Steelers’ might come to a different conclusion, given what they saw from Culpepper during the 2009 season. 

5. Mike Vick

Coach Mike Tomlin, a native of eastern Virginia, has an affinity for players who are from that area. Mike Vick is from that area.

In the past, Tomlin has spoken of Vick in positive terms. So if Tomlin were forced to move forward without Roethlisberger, would Tomlin be interested in bringing the Eagles’ third-stringer to the other side of Pennsylvania?

It’s highly unlikely, given the circumstances that franchise is facing with Roethlisberger. Whether Ben stays or goes, the franchise has a P.R. problem that wouldn’t be improved with the addition of Vick. Though the protests against him during his first season back in the league generally weren’t as bad as most believed they would be, the scene at the recent Ed Block Courage Awards dinner provided a reminder of the animosity that still lingers regarding a man who admitted not only to dogfighting but also to killing dogs deemed unfit to fight.

6. Tim Tebow

Two years after picking up in the fifth round a Heisman contender whose draft stock fell due to injury, the Steelers could be in position to snag a Heisman winner whose draft stock is plunging due to multiple mechanical flaws.

And while many are troubled by the fact that Tebow has a release slower than Byron Leftwich’s, Leftwich did well with the Steelers. Indeed, the Steelers generally have been able to "coach up" their quarterbacks successfully, finding ways to get the most out of a player’s skills while also minimizing his weaknesses.

Though Tebow lacks the downfield burst that will make him another Steve Young or Mike Vick, Tebow is sufficiently mobile to buy more time horizontally, like Roethlisberger does. Then there’s the fact that the coaching staff and front office will likely be in place long enough for the payoff, if/when Tebow finally becomes a solid NFL quarterback.

Given the headaches that Roethlisberger has caused for the franchise, Tebow would be an anti-Ben — a guy who says and does all the right things, and who never would be accused of anything other than being a little bit too blatant about his benevolence.

Still, we’ll take allegations of self-righteousness over allegations of sexual assault any day. The Steelers undoubtedly would agree.

Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is under scrutiny over an alleged sexual assault that took place in Milledgeville, Ga.

After former Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison was sued by the man who claimed Harrison shot him in Philadelphia nearly two years ago, I gave Harrison some free advice, for which he surely got his money’s worth.

Settle the case.

Now that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger faces new sexual assault charges in Georgia, I’ll give him some free advice, too.

Settle the case.

(If the advice wasn’t free, I suppose I could double-bill them.)

During a Monday press conference, authorities in Milledgeville acknowledged that the woman accusing Roethlisberger of sexual assault has hired a lawyer. This means that, at some point, she’ll sue the two-time Super Bowl-winning signal-caller.

So the best approach would be for Roethlisberger’s lawyers to commence a dialogue with the alleged victim’s lawyer and settle the case — now.  Perhaps there’s a number north of $100,000 and south of $1 million that she’d take to waive any civil claims and drop her charges.  Like Kobe Bryant’s accuser nearly seven years ago, nothing takes the steam out of a criminal prosecution faster than a civil settlement.

(This doesn’t mean that sexual assault is not a serious crime.  The point here is that the mess has been made, and now Roethlisberger must decide how to clean it up, whether he’s guilty or innocent or a little bit of both.)

The settlement needs to happen soon, before a decision is made to charge Roethlisberger with sexual assault. With a completely confidential settlement that entails an agreement to drop the charges, everyone can move on — and Roethslisberger can continue his career without having to deal with a civil trial like the one he faces in Nevada, or a criminal trial that could, in theory, put him in jail.

If or when formal charges are filed, it could be too late to salvage Roethlisberger’s reputation, and possibly his career. The league and/or the Steelers would be forced to take some type of action in the wake of an indictment, possibly by suspending Roethlisberger until the case is resolved, just as the NFL did when Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was indicted in 2007 on federal conspiracy charges relating to dogfighting and gambling.

Speaking of Vick, his ordeal would have been much less serious if he’d found a way quickly and cleanly to accept responsibility and move forward. The difference, of course, is Vick couldn’t have entered into a civil settlement with his victims; he would have been required to work out a deal with prosecutors regarding potential criminal charges. Roethlisberger has the opportunity to placate his victim with a significant-yet-secret payment of cash, and to avoid any further legal jeopardy.

To be sure, any resolution of the charges, no matter how confidential, would trigger rumors and/or reports that Big Ben wrote a really big check. But the early moves Roethlisberger has made show he’s not necessarily worried about good public relations this time around. Hiring the lawyer who represented Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis 10 years ago on murder charges, for example, invited suspicion that Roethslisberger has opted to try to buy his way out of a problem he created. Given the choice between his image and his liberty, Ben wisely is erring on the side of advancing the interests of the latter.

So instead of buying a big-time lawyer, why not buy his way out of the problem more directly? Guilty or innocent, the only way to obtain certainty before charges are filed is to dispense justice via the bank account.

In response to the civil claim of sexual assault made last July in Nevada, a full year after the alleged incident occurred, anger, stridence, and defiance were understandable reactions. In response to criminal charges made on the very evening that the latest incident supposedly happened, Roethlisberger needs to tread more lightly. He faces very real consequences, and instead of fighting tooth and nail, the best approach might be to offer up some dollars and cents.

It could be the only way Roethlisberger can quickly and decisively turn the page on this latest ugly chapter in his life.

Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.

ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio weighs in on the biggest story lines of the free-agency period:

1. Where have all the Cowboys gone?

It was long presumed that, with the disappearance of the salary cap, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would behave like Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, spending as much money as necessary to ensure the purchase of a berth in a Super Bowl that will be hosted at Jones’ brand-new stadium in 2011.

Jerry Jones and his Cowboys have been quiet players in the free-agency market so far.

Even though the Cowboys fall within the confines of the "Final Eight Plan," they can still blow the budget for one unrestricted free agent, as long as his first-year salary exceeds $5.8 million.

But they haven’t, and by all appearances they won’t. The Cowboys have shown no interest in any of the available players. They’ve also shown no interest in locking up one of their own, receiver Miles Austin.

Though Austin, a restricted free agent, has been limited by the highest possible tender, which would require compensation in the amount of first- and third-round picks in the 2010 draft, the Cowboys’ decision not to lock him up for the long term leaves him exposed. It’s a risk the Cowboys shouldn’t have to take in the absence of a salary cap.

So what’s going on? The Cowboys already have lined up significant cash commitments for ’10, because of contracts signed in the recent past based on the assumption that the salary cap will go away. Also, Jones still has that brand-new stadium to pay for, and the thinking is he simply doesn’t have the cash on hand to spend like everyone thought he would.

2. Optimism returns to Chicago, again

Last year, a trade that brought to Chicago the team’s first franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman triggered a flood of euphoria.

Then, the season started.

In the wake of expectations that the organization failed to manage and the team failed to meet, the front office and the coaching staff found themselves in a situation so poisonous that offensive and defensive coordinator candidates with other options consistently opted to go elsewhere. A strong sense of gloom and despair developed.

In one day, the dark cloud was moved away. Hope has returned to Halas Hall with the arrival of defensive end Julius Peppers, tight end Brandon Manumaleuna and running back Chester Taylor.

But winning the offseason press conferences won’t be enough this time around, and that’s why general manager Jerry Angelo followed up last year’s "all in" move by throwing the deed to his house and his car keys into the middle of the table.

The cards will be turned over come September, but is there any reason to think the moves will make the Bears any better?

The focal points remains the ability of Mike Martz to get the most out of Jay Cutler. If Martz can coax Cutler into playing like he did in Denver, then Angelo & Co. will have a chance to remain gainfully employed. If not, Cutler, Peppers, Manumaleuna, Taylor and every other player on the roster will be someone else’s problem come 2011.

3. Dockett shouldn’t be upset about Arizona exodus

In roughly a month, the Arizona Cardinals have lost a large chunk of their nucleus. Quarterback Kurt Warner has retired. Then, in one fell swoop, linebacker Karlos Dansby, safety Antrel Rolle and receiver Anquan Boldin were gone.

Defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, never shy about making his feelings known via Twitter, has been venting about the developments.

He shouldn’t be upset. After all, the departures mean more money will be available for him.

Currently, Dockett is signed through 2011 at base salaries of $3.75 million and $4 million. He has wanted a new deal for a while, and the Cardinals now have the money to give him one.

Of course, without a salary floor in place, they have no need to do anything other than squat on Dockett’s rights. Besides, if they were willing to pay big money, Dansby and/or Rolle and/or Boldin would still be on the team.

So maybe Dockett’s anger comes from the fact he’s heading for the same outcome as the others — to get paid, he’ll have to leave Arizona.

4. Vikings have wiggle room; Colts don’t

With the salary cap disappearing, the NFL’s labor agreement places strict limitations on the ability of the best teams from 2009 to sign unrestricted free agents.

The "Final Eight Plan," applicable to the teams that played in the divisional round of the playoffs, places even tighter limits on the final four teams — the Saints, Colts, Vikings and Jets. Put simply, these franchises cannot sign an unrestricted free agent from another team until one of their own unrestricted free agents leaves.

For the Colts, who have only two unrestricted free agents and who already have re-signed one of them (linebacker Gary Brackett), the "Final Eight Plan" represents a set of Super Bowl loser handcuffs. They can sign no unrestricted free agent until kicker Matt Stover, who was unsigned throughout the entire 2009 offseason and into the regular season, inks a new deal. Even then, the Colts would be able to pay any new unrestricted free agent the same first-year salary that Stover receives.

For the Vikings, greater flexibility applies, thanks to the free-agent departures of running back Chester Taylor and offensive lineman Artis Hicks. Minnesota now can sign two unrestricted free agents from other teams, with first-year salaries matching those paid to Hicks and Taylor — and 30-percent growth moving forward.

By now, Redskins owner Dan Snyder would have made some player an instant millionaire. That hasn’t happened yet during this free-agency period.

But the Vikings aren’t rushing to spend that money; through the first weekend of free agency, they have arranged a visit only with kicker Rhys Lloyd — and they have been linked to only one other player, Colts restricted free agent Marlin Jackson.

5. Redskins change their ways, dramatically

If the Cowboys were going to mimic the Yankees in the uncapped year, the Redskins were poised to make like the Red Sox.

But then came general manager Bruce Allen, who has been charged in part with the task of protecting owner Daniel Snyder from himself. To date, Allen has persuaded Snyder not to overspend. They’ve hosted a couple of offensive linemen, like Chad Clifton and Tony Pashos. Unlike past years, they didn’t make them instant multi-millionaires.

Indeed, the only new player they’ve signed is a backup from Minnesota who hardly received a market-busting deal.

It’s a stunning change in philosophy for the Redskins, and it came at the right time. If the uncapped year had unfolded in any other offseason, Snyder would have already spent $200 million.

6. Seahawks should pull an end run around the Broncos

With the Seattle Seahawks flirting with Brandon Marshall, the Broncos are getting the word out, loud and clear: If the Seahawks want Marshall, they need to sign him to an offer sheet and be prepared to give up the No. 6-overall pick in the draft.

The position is more than a little donkey-headed, given that the Seahawks also hold the 14th-overall pick, which Denver sent to them in ’08 for a second-round pick. With the Broncos essentially begging someone to sign Marshall to an offer sheet by tendering the restricted free agent at the first-round level only, the Broncos should be happy with any first-round pick they can get.

So here’s what the Seahawks should do. They should communicate to a team like the Saints or the Colts or anyone who picks below No. 14 the terms they’d be comfortable paying to Marshall, and the Seahawks should offer to those teams the 14th-overall pick for Marshall’s contract. Then, one of the teams picking below No. 14 should sign Marshall to an offer sheet.

It would be a lot easier for the Broncos just to take the 14th-overall pick and send Marshall to Seattle. But if they refuse to relent, then the Seahawks should give some other team an easy chance to upgrade to No. 14 — and to stick the Broncos with a pick a lot lower than No. 6.

7. Rolle’s arrival raises questions about Phillips’ return

New Giants safety Antrel Rolle has said he looks forward to playing with Giants safety Kenny Phillips, a good friend who like Rolle played college football at Miami.

Rolle apparently hasn’t considered the possibility that he’ll be Phillips’ replacement.

Rolle and Phillips share an agent, and Drew Rosenhaus recently told Sirius NFL Radio that Phillips will be making a complete recovery from a knee condition that has caused more than a few whispers that he’ll never play again.

Either way, the Giants decided it would be wise to pay a guy who isn’t regarded as one of the top safeties in the NFL as if he were, and it would be foolish to not at least consider the possibility that Rolle’s unspoken leverage was the uncertain status of his good friend’s knee.

8. Bengals could be taking yet another risk

For the past several years, the Cincinnati Bengals have been more than willing to take risks when it comes to acquiring players with checkered pasts. In 2009, the gambles paid off, creating a team that surprised the rest of the league by making it to top of the AFC North.

Now, the Bengals could be rolling the dice yet again. But not with a player who has had one or more arrests, for a change.

Receiver Terrell Owens never has gotten himself in trouble with the law. However, he has left in his wake a slew of quarterbacks who became the targets of his insults and/or finger pointing.

Receiver Chad Ochocinco wants T.O. to join him in Cincinnati. It appeared for a while that management would not be interested. It now appears, however, that the Bengals could be making a run at him.

With quarterback Carson Palmer making his desire to embrace the enigmatic Owens publicly known, it might only be a matter of time before the Bengals become the next stop on the T.O. tour.

It could turn out well, and it could turn out poorly. The only sure thing is that it will not be boring.

9. Chargers benefit the most from the rules of the uncapped year

Whenever the appropriate time comes to determine the winners and losers in free agency, the Chargers will be among the winners, even if they don’t sign a single player.

The system propelled them to victory. With the disappearance of the salary cap, and the service time required for unrestricted free agency increasing from four years to six, the Chargers automatically were able to retain the rights to five key players who otherwise would have been able to walk away.

If the salary cap had survived the stroke of midnight on March 5, linebacker Shawne Merriman, left tackle Marcus McNeill, receiver Vincent Jackson, receiver Malcom Floyd and running back Darren Sproles would have been unrestricted free agents. The Chargers could have used the franchise tag on only one of them; the rest would have been free to leave.

With the salary cap gone, the Chargers applied the highest possible restricted free agency tender to each of them, guaranteeing that their rights will be retained, at least for a year.

Though things could get very interesting for the Chargers come 2011, the system is smiling on them right now.

10. Falcons’ draft needs suddenly changed

Before Friday, everyone assumed Atlanta would target a cornerback with its first-round pick in the 2010 draft.

But now that they have signed former Texan Dunta Robinson, they don’t need a cornerback in Round 1.

So why does anyone bother to talk about a team’s draft needs before free agency? Every year, the signings made (and not made) have a huge impact on draft-day decisions.

Then again, reality and practicality rarely invade the ever-burgeoning cottage industry that the NFL draft has spawned.

Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.

After the Saints scored a field goal to cap the opening drive of overtime in the NFC championship game, my mother-in-law called the house and wanted to know why the Vikings didn’t get a chance to match the three points.

Casual fans wondered why NFC title game ended on Garrett Hartley’s kick.

That was the moment when it became more clear than ever that the NFL’s overtime rules need to change.

Casual NFL fans assume, on a fundamental level, that the rules of the game are fair. Casual NFL fans who also are ardent college football fans (like my mother-in-law) have an even greater reason to assume that fairness in overtime includes each team getting a crack at the ball.

And if a Super Bowl ever were won on the first drive of overtime, millions of once-a-year NFL fans would feel like all of those baseball fans felt the morning after the All-Star Game ended in a tie.

The good news is that NFL finally has broached the subject of overtime reform, (but for the playoffs only), which could mean that change is inevitable (for the playoffs, at least).

So let’s take a look at the pros and cons of various options:

1. The current proposal.

Reportedly, the proposal the NFL is considering would hinge overtime victory to scoring a touchdown. But if the receiving team doesn’t score, any score by the team that kicks off to start overtime would be sufficient.

The biggest benefit comes from the elimination of the 30-yard kick return plus a couple of first downs leading to a 40-yard field goal for the win. But it still doesn’t guarantee that each team will have a possession.

That said, this alternative bolsters the "just play defense" argument, which the status quo crowd currently uses to shout down those of us who clamor for change. And requiring the team that kicks off to defend its end zone instead of its goal post represents an improvement.

Still, the overtime debate took on new life in the 2008 playoffs, when the Chargers kept Peyton Manning on the sidelines as they worked over the Colts’ defense en route to a one-drive win. Under the new proposal the league is considering, however, Manning still wouldn’t have re-entered the field of play because the Chargers scored a touchdown on their opening drive.

2. Right to match, then sudden death.

My preference entails an opportunity for the kicking team to match or beat the outcome of the first drive of overtime. If the game is still tied after each team has had a possession, the game then converts to sudden death.

The system achieves genuine fairness; each team gets a crack at the ball. Though eventually the sudden-death concept applies, the kicking team can’t complain as much. Unless the receiving team scores a touchdown and successfully converts a two-point conversion, the kicking team has a chance to win before the first-to-score rule is activated.

The downside? The game is extended, and if the league ever applied such a rule in the regular season, there would be more occasions involving sisters getting kissed and/or Eagles quarterbacks getting confused, because there would be less time remaining after each team has had the ball.

3. The college rule.

The approach involving each team getting the ball at its opponents’ 25-yard line with alternating possessions represents a completely fair outcome, with one team always having a chance to match or best the score generated by the opponent. But since it’s the system used by the NCAA, the NFL might not wish to adopt it for that reason alone.

Also, there’s a concern that the 25-yard box concept bastardizes the sport, taking the return game out of play and making overtime more like a high-stakes, short-field scrimmage.

But if fairness is the goal, fairness is achieved.

It’s just not really football.

4. Modified college rule — football’s version of the shootout

If the league is inclined to consider the college rule, and if the goal is to achieve fairness while at the same time limiting extra reps, why not craft the football version of a hockey shootout?

First-and-goal from the 10.

And instead of deferring the mandatory two-point try until the third overtime as they do in college, the requirement to try to put the ball in the end zone from the extra-point line would apply from the outset of overtime.

In theory, a game could be resolved in eight snaps or fewer. In most cases, the overtime ultimately wouldn’t last very long — and it would be far more thrilling.

In fact, the more I think about this option, the more I like it. Sure, the old-school types would have to warm up to it — which could take about 30 years — but it could produce some memorable moments in meaningful games.

Most important, no one could claim they didn’t get a fair shake to win. And the overriding goal here is to bring fairness to overtime, before an unfair outcome occurs in the most important game of the year.

Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.

Two years ago, a certain Internet hack wrote this sentence: "If the NFL Players Association will be pressured as part of the next round of Collective Bargaining Agreement talks to take a smaller percentage of the football revenue than the 60-percent chunk that the union now receives, there’s something important the players should request in return. They should ask the league to get rid of the franchise tag."

Today, it’s now clear the players are being squeezed to take a smaller piece of the pie, in the name of the ongoing growth of it. So I’ll reiterate what the unnamed Internet hack said on Feb. 25, 2008 — the players should insist on the disappearance of the franchise tag.

The Patriots designated DT Vince Wilfork as their franchise player, with a tag figure of $7.003 million.

Assuming the league won’t agree to wipe off the books the device for keeping one unrestricted free agent per year from becoming unrestricted, the union should make every effort to scale back its use. Two years ago, I suggested making the franchise tender irrevocable until the start of training camp, prohibiting trades of franchise players, and creating a structure that permits a franchise player to pick a multi-year deal that would provide the kind of long-term security that the year-to-year use of the franchise tag prevents.

Now that I’m two years older and, as evidenced by the additional gray hairs, wiser, I can add some more requests that the union should make.

1. Get rid of the transition tag

In 2006, changes to the labor agreement guaranteed the salary offered to players slapped with the transition tag, which gives only a right to match and no draft-pick compensation to the team using it. As a result, the transition tag has been used sparingly.

So it’s easy to get rid of the transition. The union should ask for it to be dumped, and the league should have no issue with doing so.

It’s the kind of thing that the union can trumpet as real consideration obtained in exchange for reducing the players’ percentage, even if it’s really meaningless.

2. Limit franchise tag to one year

In 2006, the players successfully addressed the year-after-year use of the franchise tag by adding provisions that dramatically increased the salary paid the third time the tag is used.

Still, the current system allows teams to readily use the tag twice, delaying by 24 months the player’s ability to obtain a long-term contract with life-changing guaranteed money.

As a result, the players should press for the franchise tag to be available only once per player. This would give the team plenty of time to work out a long-term deal. If a long-term deal can’t be negotiated, then the player should be permitted to negotiate with any, some, or all of the other 31 teams, too.

3. Base the tender on salary in the current year

The formula for coming up with the franchise tender is fairly simple. For each position, the amount is determined by calculating the average salary of the five highest-paid players from the prior year. For the "exclusive" version of the tag, which prevents the player from talking to any other teams, the player gets a contract worth the average of the five highest-paid players at the position for the current year.

But why should the non-exclusive version of the franchise tag be based on last year’s pay? That approach arguably made sense in 1994, when the year-to-year growth wasn’t as dramatic as it has become. Today, if a team is going to restrict a player, the team should be prepared to pay him in accordance with the highest-paid players in the game now, not a year ago.

As to the exclusive version of the franchise tag, the league should dump it. Only the Raiders ever use it (they did it again this year with Richard Seymour), and no team is going to give up two first-round picks for a franchise player, anyway.

4. Hold firm on the current categories

If the union tries to tinker with the franchise tag, owners could insist on a more specific categorization of the tenders. Because there’s only one tender for all offensive linemen, for example, guards and centers rarely are tagged, since left-tackle money drives the number to an amount that simply isn’t justified for interior offensive linemen.

Ditto for fullbacks, who would get running back tenders, and middle linebackers, whose outside counterparts tend to make more money.

The union should resist those overtures, if they’re made. The current system promotes movement of fullbacks and guards and centers and middle linebackers. For them, it’s the next-best thing to having no franchise tag at all.

5. On defense, develop a ‘defensive quarterback’ category

This year, three nose tackles who play in a 3-4 defense were slapped with the franchise tag: Vince Wilfork of the Patriots, Ryan Pickett of the Packers and Aubrayo Franklin of the 49ers. Each will make $7 million in 2010 under the franchise tender calculation.

A fourth, Casey Hampton of the Steelers, would have been tagged if he hadn’t signed a multi-year deal with a $7 million average.

But an argument can be made that, in a 3-4 defense, the nose tackle is the most important guy on the field. He shouldn’t be lumped into the same category as the defensive tackles in a 4-3 system.

And this leads to a broader point. Every defense has a quarterback — a key player who is the leader of the unit. In Pittsburgh, it’s Troy Polamalu. In Minnesota, it’s Jared Allen. In Denver, it’s Elvis Dumervil.

And so if, as in New England, the key player on defense is also a franchise player, he shouldn’t be tendered a number based on the average salary of the five highest-paid players at the same position, but the five highest-paid players on the defensive side of the ball.

This year, the number would be driven by defensive end Julius Peppers ($16.6 million), Allen ($14.5 million), cornerback Champ Bailey ($13.2 million), linebacker DeMarcus Ware ($11.4 million), and defensive end Dwight Freeney ($11.2 million).

The average? $13.38 million.

Such an approach would require a procedure for determining each team’s key player on defense. That player could be determined each year by a neutral panel of writers, with a combination of objective and subjective factors.

Hey, if it’s good enough to determine the players who are immortalized in the Hall of Fame, it should be good enough to determine whether a guy like Wilfork deserves $7 million or $13.38 million based on what he means to his team.

Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.

Every four years, Americans become enthralled with sports we routinely ignore during the two-week respite from reality known as the Olympics. But as the Winter and Summer Games continuously expand to include niche sports with cult followings at best, the ongoing omission of the greatest sport on the planet becomes more glaring.

Football. American football. The real football.

The Olympics won’t be complete until the roster of events includes football. More importantly, football won’t be able to completely saturate the world’s consciousness until the Olympics embrace it.

As crazy as it sounds (my editor used that same phrase when green-lighting this column), football isn’t as far away from becoming an Olympic sport as the casual observer might think. Reached for comment regarding the league’s position on the matter, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello shared with me the comments of Tommy Wiking, president of the International Federation of American Football.

"One of the key objectives of IFAF is to achieve International Olympic Committee recognition and we plan to make a formal application to the IOC in 2011," Wiking said recently at Le Deux Magots in Paris.

"IOC recognition would be the first step towards proposing American football as an Olympic participation sport, but more immediately would benefit the more than 50 countries that are members of IFAF. Such recognition would open doors to funding, provide a route into many school curriculums and would further raise the profile of our sport internationally, which in turn would lead to growth."

The kicker? (Pun intended, weak as it may be.)  Sports that want to be added to the Olympic program must propose both male and female participation. (This does not apply to established Olympic sports like boxing.)  For American football to gain IOC recognition, it has to demonstrate that it’s heading in the right direction regarding female participation. "IFAF has already increased the female presence within the game by mandating that women become more involved at board and committee level and by initiating the IFAF Women’s World Championship that will be played in Sweden this summer," Wiking said.

There’s another hurdle. To gain recognition, the sport must be played on every continent. Currently, American football has not yet infiltrated Africa. But efforts are being made to address that issue and all other potential obstacles, with the long-term goal being acceptance of American football as an Olympic sport.

The expanded presence of the NFL in other countries can only help the efforts to push American football to a level that makes it an attractive option for the Summer Games. Actual inclusion of football in the Olympics could be the tipping point toward widespread acceptance of football on a global basis.

To help guard against the inevitable, as the Nard Dog would put it, "Cornell-Hofstra slaughter" of every team that faces the USA, NFL players shouldn’t be loaned to the Olympic effort — at least not until other countries could stay within 100 points of the best American football players in the world. At some point, however, introduction of a football "Dream Team" could provide the same catalyst for international growth of the sport as the original "Dream Team" did for basketball in 1992.

Other practical challenges remain. Currently, football players play one game per week; how could a full tournament be squeezed into only 14 days? But much of the action would likely be deferred to qualification rounds, with perhaps only the final eight teams heading to the Olympics, for a maximum output of three games in two weeks.

These and other issues could be resolved if/when American football makes it into the Olympics, where it belongs.

If the NFL is serious about making American football a truly global phenomenon, the 100-year plan surely includes the Olympics. And if the Olympics hope to continue to be regarded as a complete athletic competition, its 100-year plan surely includes American football, too.

Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.