The Facts:
The quiet offseason that has surrounded Bryant is no accident. "I found myself," Bryant said Tuesday after the Cowboys' first organized team activity. "I'm comfortable with my life. I'm enjoying being in the NFL. I wish it could've been a couple years back, but I had to go through a couple of things to figure it out. I think I got it and I'm just more focused on my job and doing what I love to do and that's playing football."  Reported by ESPN.com

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As ESPN.com's Todd Archer reminded readers, off-field issues played a part in Bryant slipping to the Cowboys with the 24th pick in the first round in 2010. Last July, Bryant was arrested after an incident with his mother, but the misdemeanor family violence charge was conditionally dismissed in November and will disappear providing Bryant attends counseling and is not charged with any crimes for a year. Bryant and the Cowboys agreed to guidelines that were in place following the arrest. "Listening and looking at people who do it right," said Bryant when asked what has helped him turn a corner in his life. "When I was younger it wasn't like I was acquainted with all that stuff. I wasn't used to it. I had to get around people who do it right and I feel like that's been my stepping stone, these older guys. ..." Something worked; Bryant joined the NFL's elite receivers last season after catching 92 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. Earlier this offseason he talked about 2,000 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns as a goal.
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Following up on a previous item. ... As if the New York Giants and Victor Cruz weren't involved in enough of a stare down, Nicks sent the team a little message by not showing up for practice Wednesday. Pay day is coming soon for Nicks, too. That was the unstated goal of Nicks' not attending the Giants' organized team activity practice, a source indicated Wednesday.  Reported by Yahoo! Sports

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As Yahoo's Jason Cole stressed, Nicks didn't violate any rules. OTAs are voluntary. Nonetheless, no-shows aren't appreciated. His absence left quarterback Eli Manning throwing passes to the likes of Jerrel Jernigan, Rueben Randle and Louis Murphy. HC Tom Coughlin didn't try to hide his irritation. Asked if he expected Nicks to be there, the coach replied: "Yeah, sure I did. I expect everybody to be here, trying to get our team better." Nicks, who was a first-round NFL draft pick in 2009, has one year remaining on his original contract. ... Stay tuned.
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Following up on a previous item. ... When news of Crabtree's Achilles tendon tear first surfaced Wednesday, the immediate suspicion was that the 49ers' top receiver would end up sitting out the entire 2013 NFL season. HC Jim Harbaugh refuted that notion, telling reporters Crabtree isn't expected to miss all 16 games. "We do not anticipate that it’ll be season ending for Michael," the coach said in confirming that Crabtree has undergone surgery for a complete tear of his right tendon.  Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line:
Even as recently as a decade ago, a complete tear was a career-threatening injury, especially for an offensive skill-position player. Surgical techniques and accelerated rehab schedules have advanced Achilles recoveries in recent years, as evidenced by Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas' Pro-Bowl caliber play over the past year and a half. Thomas' mid-February surgery in 2011 gave him a three-month head-start on Crabtree. Thomas said he didn't feel 100 percent again until seven months after suffering the injury. He didn't become a significant factor again for the Broncos until close to the 10-month mark. A similar timetable for Crabtree would keep him out of game action until Thanksgiving, with the likelihood of returning in a minor role for the remainder of the regular season as well as the playoffs. ... Meanwhile, speculation as to how the Niners will replace Crabtree has included names like Brandon Lloyd and Randy Moss -- although Harbaugh shot down the notion of Moss and suggested the team's young wideouts, A.J. Jenkins and Quinton Patton, will have to step up until Mario Manningham and Kyle Williams are healthy. ... We'll be following up as needed.
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The Steelers officially began practicing a reworked offense as they went through the first of 13 team practices Tuesday, and Roethlisberger said everyone involved likes this package better. The quarterback did not disclose the changes or even hint at them —“You'll have to wait until the first game,” he said — but it was obvious he seemed more comfortable with the offense than he did at any time last season.   Reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review

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In case you missed it, Roethlisberger didn't entirely like the offense, its nuances and terminology last season. Neither did some of the assistant coaches. Most of all, OC Todd Haley didn't totally like it, either. So, after the Steelers tumbled into the bottom third of the NFL in offensive production last season, Haley went about reworking the system he brought with him to Pittsburgh following nearly three seasons as the Chiefs' head coach.“There's been some changes this offseason in some of the offensive philosophies, playbook and some things that I think are good,” Roethlisberger said. “It's some compromise from all the different position coaches, the running back coaches, the line, and quarterback coaches. I think we've taken a little bit of everything and made it a lot better. ...” Good news if that's how it pans out. The fact that Roethlisberger, who appeared to be at odds with Haley at times last year, is on board will help.
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Rex Ryan says the pressure is on Sanchez to hang on to the football. Sanchez threw three interceptions in Wednesday’s OTA practice, which Ryan called “unacceptable.”  Reported by the New York Daily News

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“This is OTAs and things, but yeah, that’s going to be the pressure that we’re putting on him,” Ryan said. “He did a lot of great things. It’s not that you try to cover up the fact you had some bad plays -- no, no, no you flat tell him. We can’t have these and all that type of stuff. He knows. ...” According to Daily News staffer Seth Walder, one of Sanchez’ picks went to Damon Harrison, a defensive tackle, on a play where Rex said Sanchez should have thrown the ball away. Ryan described that play, and Sanchez’ three picks as a whole, as “disappointing. ...” You'd think the coach would be use to that after the last two seasons. Anyhow, the Sanchez-Geno Smith competition continues. We'll be following up as needed.
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Conversations about Dalton and being able to consistently throw it deep won’t subside any time soon. Dalton knows it and so does everyone else. That is why it has been a focal point during the offseason workouts.  Reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer

Diehards Line:
According to Enquirer staffer Joe Reedy, of balls in the air 20 yards or more last season, Dalton posted the fourth-lowest rating among AFC quarterbacks at 52.9. He was 19 of 73 for 633 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. During the past three weeks, when position coaches have been able to work with their players, quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese and Dalton have been working on the trajectory and accuracy. They have also been working on quickening up the time Dalton drops back in the pocket along with throwing the ball a little higher on different throws. Another thing that the Bengals hope will help Dalton this season is that he has more intermediate and deep targets. A.J. Green for the past two seasons has basically been the lone deep target but Marvin Jones has potential to stretch offenses and first-round pick Tyler Eifert excels on the intermediate stuff. Seems like a lot of energy going into coaching Dalton up this offseason.
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OTA days don't directly translate to regular season success. Players that look brilliant in shorts sometimes fade in the padded violence of games. But OTA do speak to alignments and the vision of a coaching staff. They do serve to provide a glimpse of what may be coming in those areas. And that's why the Dolphins four-wide set during Tuesday OTA was intriguing. Mike Wallace. Brian Hartline. Brandon Gibson. Dustin Keller. "Yeah you know we’re still learning, but I’m excited about what I see from those guys," Tannehill said. "They’re all getting a grasp on the offense and we’re starting to get a lot of reps with each other, so (we’re going to) continue to work that to get better. I'm excited about what they bring to the team and what they showed today."  Reported by the Miami Herald

Diehards Line:
As Herald staffer Armando Salguero notes, we're talking about two speedy receivers who have both had 1,000-yard seasons. A proven big, physical receiver that can work the middle and occasionally get deep. And a seam-threat receiver who has a reputation for uncovering quickly and making himself available to his quarterback. Salguero added: "We've come a long way from Hartline, Anthony Armstrong, Davone Bess and Anthony Fasano. ..." No doubt. Given all this it's also hard to argue with Salguero's contention that if this group stays healthy, there is little reason to doubt that Miami, 26th in the NFL passing the ball in 2012, can become an efficient, effective and scary pass offense that threatens a defense in multiple ways. ... It certainly sounds intriguing. We'll be watching for more.
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There is one veteran player not in attendance during OTAs this week — safety Louis Delmas (knee). There is another veteran player who wasn't expected to participate who is — receiver Nate Burleson. "I wasn't supposed to; I was told not to (practice)," said Burleson, who wasn't supposed to be back from leg surgery until July. "But it's like I always told you guys, if I can walk I can run, and if I can run I can play."  Reported by the Detroit Free Press

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Burleson, 31, took part in all the drills, including 7-on-7s. "It's as healed up as it's going to get," he said. "The good thing about being out there is I am playing at a high level and I am not 100 percent. When it gets stronger and I get endurance back in it, I will be back to playing with extreme confidence. ..." Meanwhile, several other players were on the field but not participating on Wednesday, the second of three OTAs this week, including running back Mikel Leshoure. "He's battling some stuff," Schwartz said. "He can do some individual stuff but he's not ready to do any team work." QB Shaun Hill, who had a surgical procedure after the season, still has a boot on his left foot. Receiver Ryan Broyles (knee surgery) was also not participating on Wednesday. ... Stay tuned. More on all the above as developments warrant.
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The Browns have waived quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, a league source told PFT’s Mike Florio on Wednesday.  Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line:
The 25-year-old Lewis started the 2012 season finale for Cleveland, completing 22-of-32 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Lewis’ departure leaves Brandon Weeden, Jason Campbell and Brian Hoyer as the Browns’ quarterbacks.
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Nobody expected Victor Cruz to show up for the Giants' OTA workout on Wednesday. That Nicks also didn't show up, however, was a much larger surprise. HC Tom Coughlin had been expecting Nicks to attend. "I don't know," Coughlin said after the session. "He should be here."  Reported by the New York Daily News

Diehards Line:
Nicks, who was in Manhattan just a night earlier, was nowhere to be found at the Giants facility on Wednesday, a concerning absence. Cruz is embroiled in an ongoing contract dispute with the Giants, so few expected him to work with the team. Coughlin added that Nicks would have likely worked with some "limitations" to protect the knee he injured last season. None of that happened, however, because Nicks was not in attendance. ... Stay tuned. More to come.
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