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Instead we have some stories about quarterbacks who will quite certainly be of interest to Fantasy owners this year.
We'll get the ball rolling this week in New England, where Tom Brady is back.
And as SportingNews.com staffer Albert Breer first suggested last Tuesday, if all the indications from this spring are correct, the new Brady should be pretty close, if not identical, to the old Brady who started the 2008 season with a clean bill of health.
Brady tore his ACL and MCL during last season's opening game and underwent reconstructive surgery Oct. 6. An infection resulted from the surgery, but the infection was quickly contained after follow-up procedures.
And this past week, Brady practiced with teammates for the first time since he was hurt. While clearly rusty, Brady claims the knee is no longer an issue.
In an interview for this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, Brady told Peter King he has no pain or restrictions in his movement when he runs and cuts.
He told King he's "as confident as anyone could be that I'll be ready to play, back to playing normally, when the season starts. I've done everything I could to push myself, sometimes too hard. Right now, I'm doing everything. Literally everything. There's nothing I can't do."
The 31-year-old Brady also told King, "I want to play until I am 41."
The Patriots obviously have no doubts that he will play this year.
Otherwise, they never would have traded Matt Cassel to Kansas City this offseason. Further evidence came when the club failed to add depth at the position -- either through free agency or the draft.
Instead, they'll head into training camp with 2008 third-round draft pick Kevin O'Connell as Brady's primary backup. ...
Oh, and by the way. ... Nobody in the locker room is in the least bit worried. In fact, guys like Randy Moss and Wes Welker are already setting expectations at a rather high level.
How high?
"The sky's the limit for this offense," Moss told ESPN.com's Tim Graham on Monday. "I think that we could be a little bit better than two years ago."
Say what? Better than two years ago??
In case you missed it, the Brady-led 2007 Patriots set NFL records with 589 points and 75 touchdowns. They averaged 411.2 yards a game.
So what makes anybody believe the unit can turn it up a notch with Brady coming off reconstructive knee surgery?
According to Graham, what has Moss and Welker especially pumped is a mastery of the system.
Graham went on to remind readers that when Moss and Welker helped New England obliterate NFL records in 2007, they were in their first season with the Patriots. They still were learning the offense as they almost ran the table, going undefeated until losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
Indeed, Moss, who didn't sound bothered by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' departure, claimed this year's Patriots legitimately could threaten all of the records set their first year together.
"This year, it's going to be a little bit scarier because we do have two years up under our belts," said Moss, who caught an NFL record 23 touchdown passes in 2007. "This offense is complicated. To be point blank, they don't want dummies in this offense. You have to be somewhat intelligent to be able to go ahead and run this offense because one play you could be here; the next play you could be there.
"You have to be versatile to be able to change positions and be good."
And it doesn't hurt to have Brady under center.
"One thing I definitely can hang my hat on is we got Tom Brady back," Moss told Graham.
Welker shared similar sentiments in King's "Monday Morning Quarterback" column on SI.com.
"I feel we've gotten better," Welker said. "Back in '07, Randy and I were in our first year here, and I don't know about Randy, but I was worried about where the hell I was supposed to line up a lot of that season.
"Now, with so many touches over the last two years, the offense is second nature to us. This is a complicated offense, and getting to know it takes time. But now I think we both know it well, and we're on the same page with Tom every snap. Our goal is to continue to get better. I hope we can.
"We've got some good new weapons here, and it'll be great for us to get on the field together to see what we can do."
No arguments here -- although, as somebody who drafted Brady in the first round last fall, I'm still a bit leery of guys coming off reconstructive knee surgery.
That being the case, a closer look is in order. ...
According to Breer, Brady was able to return his normal rehabilitation schedule within "10 days to two weeks" after the follow-up procedures to clear up the infection in his knee.
That means the quarterback is roughly six months into the rehab process.
As a matter of comparison, Breer notes that Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers had his knee reconstructed Jan. 23, 2008, and returned to practice on May 2, 100 days later, and played through training camp and the season without incident.
Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer tore his ACL and MCL in a playoff game Jan. 10, 2006, and was ready to start training camp July 30, six months and 20 days later.
But even if Brady's rehab is complete, Breer suggests it's hard to say he has come full circle.
There's a significant mental mountain a player has to climb in returning to game action. Authorities in sports medicine say it takes roughly two months of live action for a player to fully learn to use his new knee.
"There's no question that they're never really back 100 percent until they get behind that line, take snaps and play," Dr. Lonnie Paulos, Palmer's surgeon, told Breer. "That's where all the practice and technique comes back, and you get that razor's edge.
"No matter how hard you rehab, it's going to take time."
But who would really be surprised if it took Brady was an exception to the rule?
According to King, Brady told King he was "as confident as anyone could be that I'll be ready to play, back to playing normally, when the seasons starts. I've done everything I could to push myself, sometimes too hard.
"Right now, I'm doing everything. Literally everything. There's nothing I can't do."
Asked how Brady was moving, if he was struggling at all, Welker told King, "Nope" -- then chuckled -- "he looks like the same slow guy he was before.
"Just wait, you'll see. He's the same guy. ..."
Same guy? Maybe. ... But the offense will change at least to some degree.
If nothing else, they've had to replace 82 wide-receiver catches from that team, with Jabar Gaffney and Donte' Stallworth out, so Greg Lewis and Joey Galloway are in.
King believes Lewis is capable of catching 50 balls in this offense. Nothing we've seen from the former Eagle to date, however, offers me much in the way of confidence.
PhillyNews.com's Shael Kapadia lent some credence to my belief on Monday, noting that Lewis' best season came in 2005 when he had 48 catches for 561 yards. Lewis had just 32 receptions in 2007 and 2008 combined.
Galloway had a bad foot last year (and started only four games in Tampa) but he played in 47 of 48 Bucs games from 2005 through 2007. And if the cagey veteran remains healthy this year, King believes the key to a great offensive season for New England might actually be the fleet Galloway, who is said to be running in the 4.4s even at 38.
As King summed up: "Imagine splitting a healthy Galloway and Moss wide to either side, with Welker in the slot and a good receiver like Kevin Faulk in the backfield. There are going to be some tough coverage assignments for a defense with those receivers playing as a group. ..."
I will once again suggest that as Fantasy owners, we can only hope that Brady scores as well on the field this year as he has off it. Of course, I make that suggestion purely as an excuse for linking to some Gisele Bundchen-related research (like this). ...
One last Brady-related note here. ... As FOXSports.com insider Alex Marvez noted on Friday, there may be no other NFL superstar as conscious about showing that he is a team player than Brady.
During Thursday's 24-minute media session, Marvez reports that Brady used the word "we" on 76 different occasions along with nine mentions apiece of "us" and "team. ..."
Anybody else wonder how that might compare with Brett Favre?
In Indianapolis. ... As Associated Press sports writer Michael Marot suggested Tuesday, all Peyton Manning has wanted from the Colts is a game plan. Though it's taken some time, the three-time MVP may have his wish.
The front office has been trying to determine how retired assistants Tom Moore and Howard Mudd will fit into this season's coaching plans. Manning, who usually toes the company line, said Tuesday that he would like a better understanding of what to expect.
"Somebody says one thing, then somebody else says another thing," he said after a mini-camp workout. "I'm not sure everybody's on the same page in this building."
Not knowing the details during the process clearly irritated Manning, who faced losing his two most trusted coaches.
"It's not a situation that I'm just thrilled about," he told Indianapolis Star staffer Mike Chappell. "I'm just trying to focus on playing quarterback well.
The problem is, the Colts haven't known a whole lot, either.
Moore and Mudd retired two weeks ago to avoid losing money under the NFL's revised pension plan. Last week, team owner Jim Irsay told Chappell both would return as consultants.
Those details have been taking a while to work out.
Larry Kennan, executive director of the NFL Coaches Association, admitted to ESPN senior analyst Chris Mortensen that he has been confused, too, but he got word late Tuesday afternoon that Moore and Mudd can now return to the Colts as consultants -- but they are not eligible to go back into the pension plan for six months.
Kennan said last week the two assistants would have to wait six months before returning. Moore is the only coordinator Manning has played for in 11 seasons; Mudd is the Colts' longtime offensive line coach.
But the Colts haven't known if they'll really have to wait that long, or what responsibilities Moore and Mudd will assume when they return.
"It's still in negotiations and it's a situation beyond our control," new head coach Jim Caldwell said earlier Tuesday. "At the same time, it will filter itself out at some point. I think what we have to do is focus in on what we can get done now."
"I can't tell you what's going on. I will say I don't think it's been the most properly communicated scenario around here," he said. "But we have learned to deal with change and have to be prepared to adjust."
Team president Bill Polian told Mortensen on Tuesday: "Basically, Peyton is confused about the roles that Tom Moore and Howard Mudd will have in the future. My answer is, welcome to the club. We're confused, too. The people that are supposed to have answers still don't have answers. Whether we can bring them back, when we can bring them back, remains to be seen.
"We would love to have 'em back but we don't know in what capacity they will be allowed. It's still being researched."
The Colts have announced assistant head coach Clyde Christensen will assume play-calling duties and assistant line coach Pete Metzelaars will have the word "assistant" dropped from his title.
The team's veterans are content with those choices. Manning said Christensen helped call plays in third-down and red-zone situations last season, two categories in which the Colts had the league's No. 1 conversion rate in 2008.
And the offensive linemen are used to working closely with Metzelaars.
Still, the Colts are in the midst of perhaps their biggest transition since taking Manning with the No. 1 draft pick in 1998 -- and Manning is a creature of habit.
Besides losing Moore and Mudd, Caldwell has replaced the retired Tony Dungy and has hired new defensive and special teams coordinators. It's the first time since Manning's rookie season the Colts have switched head coaches and both coordinators in the same season.
Manning also lost Marvin Harrison, the franchise's career receiving leader who was released in a February salary-cap move. The team also hired interns Frank Winters and Ron Johnson to help with the offensive line and receivers, respectively.
But the most recent moves, losing Moore and Mudd, and the uncertainty about what they'll do this season has one of the league's highest-profile players concerned.
"I wouldn't say I totally like the way it is right now. It's not normal not having a full coaching staff," Manning said. "I know we hired a couple of guys to come in, but these guys are learning.
"They're not offering a lot of coaching out there, I can assure you of that. ..."
Hmmm. ... Did I mention Manning is a creature of habit? And that he gets a bit cranky when facing changes??
In fact, Caldwell pointed out just last week that Manning's approach doesn't change much year to year.
Even though Manning's circumstances have changed this offseason -- he's not having to deal with the knee problems that resulted in knee surgery that kept him out of preseason and training camp a year ago -- the new coach claims the quarterback's overall approach isn't too much different.
Manning, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time NFL Most Valuable Player, is just, plain intense, Caldwell said.
Very, very intense.
"If you know him, whatever phase he's in, he's in it 100 percent and it's an intense situation," Caldwell said. "He attacks everything the same way. This year, it's the same. ..."
Winters and Johnson certainly have a better understanding of how Manning attacks. ...
In San Francisco. ... According to those on hand for the session, tight end Vernon Davis was dominant, catching at least six passes on Wednesday alone from a combination of Shaun Hill and Alex Smith during last week's OTA practices.
Now entering his fourth season and with an offensive coordinator who likes to highlight the tight end, Davis has the best opportunity yet to realize his still-mostly untapped potential.
"[New coordinator Jimmy Raye] told me the tight end is the focal point," Davis told San Francisco Chronicle staffer Kevin Lynch. "I'm looking forward it. He said he wants to get his playmakers involved."
Lynch went on to remind readers that Davis has a year of frustration to unleash after his minimized role last season in Mike Martz' offense.
He went from 52 passes in 2007 to 31 last year, despite Martz's declaration in training camp that he was making a special play list just for Davis. Either Martz couldn't break his habit of having a receiver-dominated offense, or Davis never caught onto Martz's system.
Either way, Davis said he spent some time in Mike Singletary's office pining for more opportunities.
"It was real frustrating," Davis said. "I thought when you pick a guy with the sixth pick (in the 2006 draft) that you pick him to make plays. So my thing, was I was just trying to be patient."
Raye's development of Kansas City tight end and former Cal star Tony Gonzalez is a highlight in Raye's resume.
"I talked to Tony all the time," Davis said. "He said Jimmy would take of me and make sure I would get the ball and stuff like that. I'm just looking forward to the opportunity."
Despite learning a new offense, Davis said he's comfortable with Raye's scheme and it looked like it in the week of practices. In fact, the 49ers gave him the day off Thursday after he dominated on Wednesday. ...
In Arizona. ... Anquan Boldin informed agent Drew Rosenhaus, the Cardinals and the NFL Players Association of plans to fire Rosenhaus amid stalled attempts to force a trade or a new contract.
Rosenhaus, who represents more NFL players than any other agent (including Boldin's brother D.J. Boldin), had tried pressuring the Cardinals into trading the 28-year-old receiver but so far, all the agent's efforts have fallen short.
That, of course, has more than a little to do with the fact that Boldin, with two years remaining on his current contract, has zero leverage in the situation.
Head coach Ken Whisenhunt became the first Cardinals official to speak on the news Boldin -- who remained absent from the voluntary work Wednesday -- had dismissed the high-profile representative.
"Really, until we see where it goes from here, I don't see how anything has changed," Whisenhunt said. "I know from our perspective, nothing has changed."
The coach added: "We are a much better football team with Anquan than without him and we have a high regard for him. ..."
According to AZCardinals.com staffer Darren Urban, Whisenhunt also wouldn't bite when asked if he had hoped Boldin would show up after making the agent move.
"I am hopeful everyone will show up every day," Whisenhunt said. "But once again, this is not mandatory, it's voluntary. ..."
And the effort to maintain a civil tone (probably much easier for the Cardinals, who clearly have the upper hand here) can't hurt. ...
Also in Arizona. ... When Jason Wright made it to the NFL, he didn't get there by telling himself he was going to be the best third-down back in the league.
As Arizona Republic staffer Bob McManaman pointed out this week, roles become defined by coaches, rosters and circumstance, and although Wright comes to the Cardinals as the likely replacement for J.J. Arrington, he isn't about to set limitations on himself.
"I think that's the way it is around here in general," said Wright, a free-agent addition from the Browns. "The coaching staff, especially Ken Whisenhunt, gives everyone a chance to make an impact or take their game to a higher level and that's why they were so successful last season."
The NFC champion Cardinals lost Arrington to free agency and released veteran Edgerrin James, leaving the bulk of the running attack to second-year man Tim Hightower and rookie Chris "Beanie" Wells.
But McManaman went on remind readers that Whisenhunt has shown he isn't afraid to make changes. If Wright shines in voluntary organized team workouts, anything is possible.
Indeed, the chance for a greater role, Wright told McManaman, was one of the main selling points in signing a two-year deal with the Cardinals.
The offense, led by Kurt Warner and three returning 1,000-yard receivers in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston, is just as intriguing to Wright.
"It's an offense that puts players in the best position to win," he said. "It's an attacking offense, aggressive and it's not reactive. I love that about this offense. It's forward moving and it's very efficient.
"In fact, I was amazed during our first mini-camp at how many completions there were and how few dropped balls and mental errors I saw. That's really rare. But they've got something really crisp going on."
Wright may not have eye-popping career statistics -- he's rushed for 588 yards and caught 55 passes for 461 more in 49 games -- but numbers can soar in an offense such as Arizona's.
And even if Wright doesn't get more than a handful of carries or a few catches out of the backfield, he knows getting first downs are just as important.
"If you're a third-down kind of a guy, there's very little margin for error because it comes down to third downs a lot in the NFL," Wright said. "There's not many drives at this level, with defenses as fast and as smart as they are, that's just first down, first down, first down.
"Converting on third down, that's what helps you win games, especially the close ones."
In Washington. ... The Redskins' top three draft picks of 2008 often are lumped together but not necessarily for good reasons. The trio, receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly and tight end Fred Davis, contributed very little as rookies and come into this season facing a lot of pressure.
But Pro Football Weekly's Eric Edholm advised readers this past week there also are expectations for them.
Head coach Jim Zorn said earlier this month that he'd like to find "one sure starter" from the three of them.
"We play a lot of our stuff with three receivers," Zorn said, "and I want to put Antwaan [Randle El] in the slot. You'd like to see one guy completely take over the position, but all those guys are going to play. Those [young] guys have to make a statement. I need to see a lot of changes."
According to Edholm, that includes Davis, who is expected to be used a lot more in two-TE formations along with Chris Cooley.
But Edholm believes it will come down to Thomas and Kelly for the starting spot Zorn was talking about.
Last season, Kelly appeared to be ahead of Thomas in terms of development but was hindered by injuries. The club believes that Thomas has the more gifted ability, but don't be surprised if Kelly steps up first. ...
In New Orleans. ... Jeremy Shockey was briefly hospitalized Sunday for dehydration in Las Vegas. As initially reported by the TMZ.com web site, Shockey fell unconscious while attending a weekly Hard Rock Cafe pool party called Rehab.
As Marvez suggested in his first report on the story, this situation makes you wonder if Shockey needs another kind of rehab.
While it isn't known whether his symptoms were alcohol-related, Marvez reminded readers that Shockey's hard-partying reputation is no secret. In fact, the last memorable moment an injured Shockey provided before Sunday was being caught on camera drinking in a luxury suite during Super Bowl XLII while his New York Giants teammates were upsetting New England.
Shockey, who later demanded a trade, was shipped to New Orleans last July for second- and fifth-round draft picks. So far, the Giants have gotten the better end of the deal.
Shockey never meshed with Drew Brees and missed four games last season because of an ankle injury and sports hernia. Shockey had a career-low in receiving yards (483) and failed to score for the first time in seven NFL seasons.
And this was on a team that threw an NFL-high 636 times.
As reported in last week's Notebook, Brees and the Saints hope that Shockey's participation in a full off-season workout program will pay dividends in 2009. At 28, Shockey is young enough to regain his former status as one of the NFL's top tight ends.
But incidents like the one that happened Sunday combined with ongoing injury issues raise questions.
As King explained Monday: "I think that one of the reasons I rated New Orleans at No. 24 in my power rankings a few weeks ago was wheeled out of a Las Vegas hotel on a stretcher [Sunday]. I don't trust Shockey anymore to stay healthy for 16 weeks.
"The Saints have to hope that Sunday's shenanigans in Nevada are not a precursor of things to come. ..."
In Dallas. ... Most of the attention paid to the Cowboys' wide receivers this offseason has gone to two men, Roy Williams and Miles Austin, and for good reason.
As previously reported, Williams is attempting to step up after doing next to nothing in 10 games in Dallas last season following his trade from Detroit, and the release of Terrell Owens ramps up the pressure on Williams even more.
And Austin is attempting to nail down a starting spot after showing intriguing downfield speed in his first few abbreviated seasons.
But according to Edholm, there are a few other faces worth paying attention to at the position, as well.
Edholm went on to note that Sam Hurd, somewhat of a forgotten man in the picture, reportedly has looked very good catching the ball in mini-camps. At one point he was considered the more polished wideout between him and Austin, but Hurd has fallen behind.
Still, he will get a chance to win the No. 4 job, assuming Patrick Crayton lands as the primary slot guy.
And this also is a crucial season for Isaiah Stanback, who not only must contribute on special teams but also make strides as a wide receiver. In order to make the team, Stanback might need to be the fifth wideout and contribute something on offense -- not just make the team as a return specialist.
Stanback's quest got a little more difficult last week, however, when he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to repair a torn lateral meniscus. The Cowboys announced Stanback had the procedure last Thursday.
Stanback last season spent time on injured reserve. In August he separated his left shoulder returning a kickoff in a preseason victory over Houston. ...
In Oakland. ... According to PFW, reports from last week's OTAs were not very flattering when it came to JaMarcus Russell's performance, but fortunately for him, backup Jeff Garcia apparently didn't shine, either.
Garcia clearly would like a crack at the starting job, but the Raiders are committed to Russell as the top signal caller for now and have not opened up the starting spot for competition. ...
In Pittsburgh. ... Turns out that Ben Roethlisberger does not have cancer, and neither does he have a Facebook page. "There's no truth to it. I don't have any of that stuff," the Steelers quarterback proclaimed last week.
"That stuff" are accounts on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and any other social networking Web sites. Roethlisberger said he does not use them, including the one under his name that proclaimed he had skin cancer.
"I had a bunch of people ask me about it; obviously it's not true," Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We had to go on our Web site to let them know I don't have an account.
"There's nothing going on. ..."
Worth noting: The proliferation of social networking sites does indeed open the door to rumors of this nature. We recommend treading carefully when visiting such sites. ...
Which brings us to this week's final item, from our "Every Thought Does Not Necessarily Need To Be Shared" file. ... It's been widely assumed that Jason Garrett and Tony Romo wanted Owens out of Dallas and got their way.
And guess what?
T.O. finally said as much in a somewhat public forum: a Twitter reply to a fan who said he wasn't happy that the Cowboys cut the mercurial wideout.
Owens tweeted in reply: "blame the OC & romo!! but i'm happy 2 b where i am but i miss the other guys tht were & r true teammates!!"
As Dallas Morning News staffer Todd Archer summed up: "Gee whiz, why would Garrett and Romo have wanted to get rid of T.O.?"
And as King pointed out, this all sounds familiar.
In San Francisco, Jeff Garcia couldn't throw the ball deep enough and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp didn't appreciate Terrell Owens' talent. In Philadelphia, Owens wished Brett Favre and not Donovan McNabb was his quarterback, and he instructed coordinator Brad Childress not to speak to him anymore.
All of which promted the following response -- in Owensesque Twitterspeak -- from King: "B afrd Trnt Edwrds and Trk Schnert. B vry afrd. ..."
That's it for this week's Notebook. I'll check in again next Sunday. ... In the meantime, keep an eye on the News & Views section of this site for late-breaking news and other tidbits of interest. Watch the Headline News section for more in-depth reviews of current events -- including the Fantasy Notebook.