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According to Boston Globe staffer Nick Cafardo, Tom Brady told reporters yesterday that his throwing shoulder "feels better than it has in two years" after taking part in pregame activities at Fenway Park.

Brady said arthroscopic surgery on the shoulder alleviated the discomfort he experienced during the Patriots' second Super Bowl season.

Brady had separated the shoulder twice, against Tennessee Dec. 16, 2002, and against Miami two weeks later. After resting the shoulder last offseason, he struggled early last season, but the shoulder finally came around and Brady began throwing the deep ball well.

"I've been throwing for a couple of weeks now and I'm really encouraged at how it feels when I throw," he said yesterday.

Though Brady would not go into detail about how much pain he endured last season, former teammate Damien Woody recently said that Brady was "courageous" during the championship run. ...

Other Fantasy-specific news and notes of interest from around the NFL. ...

In Atlanta. ... After the conclusion of head coach Jim Mora's first mini-camp -- a three day affair that wrapped up Friday, the Falcons know one thing: Michael Vick has bought into the team's new West Coast offense.

"It's a great system," Vick said after running the offense for a third consecutive day. "Watching all the other quarterbacks who have played in this system, they've all been Pro Bowlers, so I definitely believe in it."

According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution staff writer Ken Sugiura, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp is at a "baby-steps stage" in teaching Vick and his teammates the rudiments of the scheme.

As far as Vick is concerned, so far, so good.

Even before the team's offseason workout program began March 22, Vick worked with Knapp and quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson three days a week for about 2 and a half hours each day, in meetings and on the field, to learn the terminology and concepts behind the offense.

Vick has taken the playbook home with him in order to keep up with Knapp and Johnson, who regularly quiz him on the scheme.

"To see the answers come out of him quicker each time you ask him a different question, you know the preparation is there," Knapp said.

Mora noticed that Vick handled himself well in the huddle as he called out plays, showing a firm grasp of the terminology.

Said Vick, "You've just got to study. You've got to say it in the mirror. You've got to say it all the time to yourself."

Sugiura noted: "Vick looked good hitting receivers in the mini-camp, but was hardly flawless. Still, Knapp said he was making the right decisions on where to throw the ball "pretty consistently."

"It's a learning process," Vick said, "so the most important thing is trying to get everything down pat."

Vick said he liked the fact that the offense is designed for him to release the ball quickly, which for him means fewer opportunities for defenses to take shots at him in the pocket.

"It's a great scheme," Vick said. "We've just got to understand the concepts and things that we're trying to do, and once we do that, we'll have a lot of success. ..."

In Pittsburgh. ... ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli advised readers Friday not to bet the ranch on Plaxico Burress remaining with the Steelers beyond the 2004 season.

Burress is entering the final year of his contract and there have been no extension discussions.

According to Pasquarelli, "the feeling among Steelers brass is that Burress' performance and effort lagged in 2003 after two standout campaigns. The team probably won't be able to meet Burress' contract demands after this season and isn't about to use the 'franchise' designation to retain him.

"With Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El, the Steelers figure to be covered at wideout, but will need to bring in a youngster at some point in this receiver-deep draft to begin prepping for the No. 3 wideout spot for 2005. ..."

In Tampa Bay. ... Talking to reporters Thursday, Michael Pittman said he knows what is coming, is prepared to deal with it. The "it" in question being his near future -- both personal and professional.

As St. Petersburg Times beat man Roger Mills framed it: "[Pittman] faces sentencing April 23 after pleading guilty to a felony charge stemming from a domestic violence incident involving his wife Melissa. He also faces certain suspension from the NFL, expected to be for a number of games, considering he already was punished by the league for a similar incident."

"I know something is going to happen, I'm going to get punished in some kind of way and I'm expecting that," said Pittman, who was suspended for the first game of the 2001 season after the earlier domestic incident. "But I got a lot of people behind me, my teammates, coaches, my general manager, everybody is behind me and that's all that matters. I hope everything works out for the best."

Pittman's immediate future will be up to the Arizona courts and the NFL, but the 28-year-old veteran said it's pointless to think about jail time and other penalties.

"I don't try to worry about the worst, if it happens it happens," he said. "If that's what I have to do, that's what I have to do. I'll get in and get out as fast as I can and maybe my future will be in jeopardy with the team or not. I'm going to go in there with my head up high, speak the truth."

Pittman said one reason for optimism is the recent meeting he had with NFL lawyers in New York. He said the meeting helped the league get a sense of who he is and what kind of relationship he has with his wife.

"[NFL general counsel Adolpho Birch] said he was glad that we got to have that talk and got to meet us because maybe he was going to stereotype me as a person. But as he met me, his own view about me changed."

Pittman, who has been involved in at least three reported incidents of domestic violence, said his relationship with his wife is "very strong."

"Sometimes, people perpetrate me to be this kind of villain," Pittman said. "But I know what kind of person I am. ..."

In Oakland. ... Roland Williams agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the Raiders, giving them their primary starter at tight end from the 2002 Super Bowl team. Williams played for the Raiders in 2001-02 but got released after training camp last year.

He sustained an injury during camp and was slow to regain full health. The Raiders already had second-year tight end Doug Jolley in the wings and had picked up former Stanford star Teyo Johnson in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. With free-agent tight end O.J. Santiago also on board as insurance, the Raiders had little choice but to cut the popular but ailing Williams.

He spent much of 2003 on the mend from his injuries before signing late in the season with Tampa Bay.

When healthy, Williams is one of the best blocking tight ends in the league. The Raiders' pass protection was hurt last season as Johnson and Jolley struggled with blitz pickups, and Williams' return will address that deficiency, as well as provide a model for the younger players.

According to Rochester Democrat & Chronicle staff writer Leo Roth, Williams weighed a good offer from the Buccaneers but Raiders owner Al Davis -- like Williams, a Syracuse grad -- persuaded him to rejoin Oakland and new coach Norv Turner.

"I left Oakland because I was banged up, but I'm back and I want to bring fire back to the organization," said Williams, who has 111 career catches and 13 TDs.