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Another Sunday, another Fantasy Notebook. ... With the spotlight still focused on Favre-Watch 2009 (those looking to catch up on all the latest developments should hit Brett Favre's FootballDiehards.com profile page), you'll be surprised to learn that other NFL-related news and activities of interest are ongoing.

The end result? Today's Notebook has a little something for you. ...

We'll get the ball rolling this week in Atlanta, where the Associated Press reports that Matt Ryan isn't trying to hide his excitement about the arrival of Tony Gonzalez.

On the team's first mini-camp last week, Ryan took great pleasure in connecting often with his new tight end.

"Well, yeah, certainly as a quarterback, any time you get a new toy, you want to try it out," Ryan said with a grin. "I threw a couple of balls his way, and he didn't disappoint."

At this point last year, Ryan was rookie just trying to feel his way in a new environment.

After helping Atlanta finish the regular season 11-5 and earn a wild-card berth, Ryan now finds himself surrounded by an elite set of skill position players.

But the acquisition of Gonzalez, the NFL's career leader in catches, yards receiving and touchdown catches for a tight end, was almost too good for Ryan to believe, particularly considering that general manager Thomas Dimitroff only gave up a second-round draft pick in 2010 to swing the deal with Kansas City.

"It's big for us to pick up Tony," Ryan said. "He's one of the greatest players of all time, so [adding] him to your team helps you improve. He's done a great job since he's been here the last couple of weeks, working hard in the weight room. I've been very impressed."

Gonzalez believes Atlanta has a legitimate chance to become an offensive powerhouse a year after Ryan, running back Michael Turner and receiver Roddy White were first-time Pro Bowl invitees.

Turner rushed for 1,699 yards, second-best in the NFL. White's 1,382 yards receiving ranked fourth. Michael Jenkins, who signed a four-year contract extension during the season, turned 74 percent of his receptions into first downs, ranking sixth in the league among wideouts with at least 40 catches.

"One thing that really stood out to me was how enthusiastic and how ready everybody was to go," Gonzalez said. "It's contagious, which makes you want to work hard and get better."

Gonzalez, the league's career leading tight end with 916 receptions for 10,940 yards, 76 touchdowns and 26 games with at least 100 yards, is a rarity at his position and one the Falcons coveted a year after letting Alge Crumpler leave as a free agent.

Atlanta's top tight end in '08 was Justin Peelle, who caught 15 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Peele ranked in a tie for 44th at his position, and the Falcons' tight ends collectively had 19 catches.

Gonzalez, running routes for a Chiefs offense that was 26th in both total yards and scoring, caught 96 passes for 1,058 yards, 10 touchdowns and 67 first downs.

"We were looking for a vertical, pass-catching tight end, [but he was] going to have to be able to block," offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey said. "That's been the history of this offense. You have to be able to block. He can, and that's why he's here and maybe some others aren't.

"He has that ability to block the point and be effective for us in the run game. Obviously his passing talents speak for themselves as a receiver. We feel he's a complete package."

Gonzo's versatility has Turner, who doesn't expect to see opposing defenses deploy eight or nine players near the line of scrimmage, is as excited as Ryan.

"They have to play us honest," Turner said of the veteran tight end. "We are not just a one-dimensional team. We can use the middle of the field more. Line him out wide. We can create some mismatches out there."

Turner led the NFL with 376 carries last season. With a more diversified passing attack, Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter believes Turner's carries could drop -- something the coaching staff has been suggesting all offseason (undoubtedly much to Jerious Norwood's delight).

Though learning a new offense for the third straight year, Gonzalez already understands many of the principles of Atlanta's formations because Mularkey's former boss in Pittsburgh, Chan Gailey, worked as Kansas City's coordinator last year.

For what it's worth, Ledbetter advised readers the team's offense, as a whole, appeared crisp compared to last season's mini-camps, when incoming head coach Mike Smith was implementing a new system.

"It's a big difference because everybody was learning," White said. "This year, we've got everybody back and the offense is set in stone. We are just working on the basic things and bringing the rookies along. ..."

Also according to Ledbetter, after two spectacular seasons, White and the Falcons are in discussions for a contract extension.

White is entering the final year of a five-year contract.

"We haven't come to an agreement," White, who is set to make $2.28 million next season under his current contract, told Ledbetter last week.

Preferably, White said he would like to enter the season with his contract situations resolved.

"Whenever it happens, it happens," White said. "We'll just wait around for it."

White participated fully in last weekend's mini-camp. He has also been taking part in the off-season workouts in an effort to build on last season's momentum.

Even with the addition of Gonzalez, it's safe to assume that White, who was targeted on 148 of Ryan's 434 attempts (34 percent) last season, will continue to be critical to the Falcons' success.

White's contract situation is impacted by the blockbuster deal that Arizona completed in March with Larry Fitzgerald, who received a four-year contract worth $40 million.

Also, the labor situation between the NFL and the players union is an issue. The owner's have opted out of the collective bargaining agreement and 2010 is set to be an uncapped year. ...

In Dallas. ... If there was a point when Roy Williams was unaware that all eyes would turn his way in the wake of Terrell Owens' release, the former Lion knows it now.

As Fort Worth Star-Telegram staffer Clarence E. Hill Jr. first reported last month, Cowboys legends Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin weren't shy about expressing their concerns about Williams' ability to supplant the departed Owens at the team's No. 1 receiver.

Then Hall of Famer Troy Aikman chimed in. ... According to a DallasCowboys.com report, Aikman said the Williams deal has bust potential of truly epoch proportions.

"I don't think you can give up what the Cowboys gave up for somebody and not make that a sure bet," Aikman said. "If Roy Williams doesn't turn out to be the player they thought he would be when they made the trade, I think this would be one of the biggest busts in the history of the league."

Another all-time great, Emmitt Smith, took things a step further this week.

"Bottom line is, I'm not sure [if cutting Owens makes the Cowboys better]," Smith said when asked about the team's receiving corps. "Who do they have who is going to be that explosive? That's the question. Who do you have that's going to be that explosive? I don't see it."

Told that Williams was going to replace Owens as the No. 1 receiver, Smith replied: "Like I said, who do you have that's going to be that explosive?"

Smith said Williams is more of a possession receiver, similar to tight end Jason Witten, and that perhaps it's an indication the Cowboys are going to switch to a more conservative offense.

Williams isn't buying it. Indeed, while readily admitting he has a long way to go before being included in any discussion of accomplishments with his higher-profile critics, Williams is clearly frustrated with the questions about his ability to be the No. 1 receiver.

He said that kind of criticism rarely came up in Detroit because he "was the guy."

"People say, 'Hey, you're our No. 1 receiver,' and say, 'I hope you can do it. Good luck,'" Williams said. "I've been a No. 1 ever since I was 1. ..."

Williams further explained: "I have done this job before. I have been the No. 1 guy everywhere I have been, at Odessa Permian (high school), at (the University of) Texas and in Detroit, so I don't know what the difference is."

But as Hill suggested, the difference isn't all that hard to figure out.

Williams is no longer in Detroit. Given the Lions' understandably low profile, his best season of 82 catches for 1,310 and seven touchdowns in 2006 went largely unnoticed nationally.

He is now in Dallas, where scrutiny is the norm. And the locals watched closely as Williams finished with a rather disappointing 19 catches for 198 yards and one touchdown in 10 games after being acquired in a bye-week trade with the Lions.

He was also given a $45 million contract extension.

There are, of course, plenty of reasons for Williams' minimal 2008 output, including Tony Romo missing Williams' first three games, a slow adjustment to the offense and a plantar fascia injury that limited him physically.

But owner Jerry Jones obviously believes Williams is capable of being the No. 1 receiver -- despite the fact that Williams just one 1,000-yard season in five years in a Detroit offense playing from behind more often than not.

Still, that was one of Jones' stated reasons for releasing Owens. Williams appreciates the confidence Jones and head coach Wade Phillips have shown him.

He's also extremely motivated to come back with a big season in 2009 to show everyone he is more than capable of handling the job. According to ESPN.com's Matt Mosley, Williams has been one of the team's most committed players this offseason.

That commitment is one reason he and Romo began working together earlier this year -- well before the start of the off-season program and before the team released Owens. The two play catch roughly four days a week to gain trust and create chemistry.

"We were doing it before [T.O.] got cut," Williams said. "I came in the middle of the season. I probably got thrown to 24 times the whole season. I had to get [Romo's] confidence. We had to get on the same page. So we had to start early. Everything is going good. We are trying to get that connection."

Williams said his foot is healthy and he is running and cutting with ease.

And now that he's the front-line receiver on a team with a Pro Bowl quarterback, a solid running game, a Pro Bowl tight end and a capable offensive line, Williams is aiming high.

"My biggest thing is winning," Williams said. "All I want to do is win. My goal is 75 catches, 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. But if I catch two balls and win, that will be OK. I'm trying to prepare myself for the season."

If nothing else, it sounds like he has the preparation angle covered.

After the team's most recent mini-camp, receivers coach Ray Sherman couldn't stop bragging on how Williams is becoming more of a complete player.

He better be. He darned well better be more than a possession guy. ...

In Detroit. ... Pro Football Weekly's Eric Edholm advises readers that Lions officials did some homework on Chris "Beanie" Wells before last month's draft, anticipating they might have a shot to take him if he fell to their second-round pick, No. 33 overall.

Wells went 31st to the Cardinals.

Asked directly if Wells would have been the choice at 33 had he been there, head coach Jim Schwartz said, "We considered just about everybody. We had done a lot of work on where he was and looking at a lot of mock drafts late in the week and who might take him.

"We were ready in case he would've fallen."

As Edholm suggested, even in a league where most teams use a two- or three-back system, the news came as a mild surprise considering the strong finish of Kevin Smith, a third-rounder in 2008, as a rookie.

As DetroitLions.com staffer Chrissie Wywrot reminded readers last week, after opening the season as the lead back, Smith was demoted. He spent four games as a reserve before he was put back into the starting lineup Week 10 against Jacksonville.

Whether those four games served as a wake-up call or not, Smith turned things up once he resumed his role as the starting tailback.

Over a three-week span, Smith turned in performances of 96, 112 and 86 yards, averaging 4.7 yards per carry, also adding three catches for 50 yards.

So even though they aren't necessarily down on Smith, Edholm suggests the incoming staff isn't sure if he'll be as good a fit in the new offense as he was in the zone blocking scheme of the prior coaching staff. Scott Linehan's running game is more of a north-south attack that requires hitting the hole quickly and precisely and with more of a downhill approach.

Smith either hasn't heard or isn't interested in the questions. His focus is on becoming a better player.

The second-year man told Detroit Free Press sports writer Carlos Monarrez that he wants to improve in all facets, but he emphasized his pass-catching and power running. "I caught 30 balls last year; I want to catch more," he said. "Lower-body strength; there was a lot of times where a guy tackled me just hitting my legs. Those were rookie legs."

Now, as the Lions transition to Linehan's power-running attack, it will be important for Smith to have a strong burst and break through tackles.

"I would like him to pick up a lot where he left off as far as the way he played from the first part of the season, to the end of the season," Linehan said. "We have similar plays to what they ran a year ago. We've got some other type schemes. The biggest thing is just to take the whole offense in and continue to run the ball like he did -- run secure with the ball like he did and become that productive, every-down threat that we believe he can be."

Meanwhile, having worked out prior to the off-season conditioning program, Smith is looking leaner than he did in 2008. He says he has lost approximately six pounds and wants "to be slim -- but ripped and explosive."

While Smith is getting to know a new coaching staff, he also has the familiarity of his position coach, Sam Gash, who was retained. Gash served as the team's running backs coach for the first time last year after he was the assistant special teams coach in 2007.

"I'm really excited he's still here," said Smith. "He's a real good mentor, a great teacher. He does a great job preparing me. He's always in my head -- he's never going to let me let down. I appreciate that he's back."

As for the new coaches, Smith is happy with them as well (even if he's happier with them than they are with him).

Bottom line?

According to Edholm, the Lions failure to draft running back who will challenge Smith right away doesn't mean he's a great fit in the new scheme. But their options are limited. Andre Brown is smaller and might make the team as the third back behind Smith and Maurice Morris and as one of the top kick-return options.

But don't be surprised if Smith is not the team's long-term solution at the position. ...

In Tampa Bay. ... Luke McCown says the Bucs' starting quarterback job is his to lose.

"Absolutely," McCown told St. Petersburg Times staffer Rick Stroud on Tuesday. "This has been a long time coming for me and I'm not letting anybody take it from me. And it's the first legitimate opportunity. Say what you want about getting three starts at the end of a season.

"But this is my first real opportunity to be the starter, to be the guy. And I look at it as mine and you're going to have to shoot me."

McCown is among five quarterbacks under contract for the Bucs, a list that now includes first-round pick Josh Freeman and veteran Byron Leftwich.

Neither player was on board when McCown signed a two-year deal. But McCown said head coach Raheem Morris made it clear from the start there was a possibility the Bucs could draft a quarterback in the first round.

"I wasn't surprised by it at all," McCown said. "What I love about Raheem is he shoots you straight. He's going to tell you what's going on. ... So I anticipated that pick and we'll go from there."

On Tuesday, McCown split reps with Leftwich and Josh Johnson.

Veteran Brian Griese is not attending the OTAs and expects to be traded or released. Freeman is unable to participate in off-season workouts until the semester ends at Kansas State later this month.

As Profootballtalk.com's Aaron Wilson noted, the question now is whether the Bucs opt for a more experienced passer like Leftwich or McCown or throw caution to the wind and throw Freeman into the fire immediately as a rookie?

Whatever the case, Leftwich said he has been assured that it will be a legitimate competition.

"As a quarterback all you can ask for is that, 'If I'm the best quarterback on your team, will I play?'" Leftwich said.

According to the National Football Post's Mike Lombardi, Leftwich knows this is his chance to make it back as an NFL starting quarterback.

With a very good offensive system being installed by new coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski -- one that suits Leftwich's skill level -- Lombardi fully expects Leftwich to flourish in Tampa Bay. Indeed, Lombardi believes Leftwich will emerge as the team's short-term bridge to Freeman.

In other words, Freeman's progress in training camp will be worth watching.

I'll go ahead and suggest the team should have a solid supporting cast to work with whoever wins the competition.

In fact, McCown said this year's offense has the most weapons of any team he has played on in Tampa Bay.

"No question about it," McCown said. "You just look across the board. Not only that, but the depth that we have as well. We've got a chance to compete, we've got guys that are going to be able to step in and fill in when somebody has got a sprained toe and perform at a high level. When you look across the board as an offense and we can be very explosive."

Eight of their starters are former first- or second-round picks. Their offensive line will be much better this year, they have depth at running back, and Lombardi expects wide receiver Michael Clayton to emerge as the player he proved he could be in his rookie season. ...

Also in Tampa. ... Kellen Winslow, acquired in a trade with the Browns in February and later awarded a six-year contract that could be worth as much as $42 million, didn't attend Tampa Bay's first off-season training activity workout Tuesday.

"The coaching staff was aware that he wasn't going to be here," the team said. "They've been in contact with Kellen, and they understand why he wasn't there."

Earnest Graham, who missed six games and was placed on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain, went through drills at full speed. Fellow halfback Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, who tore the patellar tendon in his left knee last season after suffering the same injury in his right knee in 2007, continued his rehabilitation.

According to NFL.com's Steve Wyche, Williams hasn't been medically cleared to resume football-related activities. Graham, on the other hand, is meeting all expectations in terms of his recovery. ...

Early indications are Graham will work behind newcomer Derrick Ward this fall with both men getting significant carries. Williams' role isn't clear at this point.

In New England. ... Laurence Maroney vowed to silence his critics this season and proves that he was worthy of being a first-round pick.

And recognizing that this is a make-or-break season, Maroney said he is confident he will respond.

"Man, you know, you like to be confident," Maroney told Boston Herald staffer Karen Guregian last week. "You never want to say it's not going to be your year. I just feel real confident about myself. I just feel like this has to be my year. There's no other way around it. I just feel like I have to be better this year."

According to Guregian, Maroney, who was taken with the 21st overall selection in the 2006 draft, clearly understands the significance of this season, it being his fourth with the team

"I was a first rounder with a lot of expectations. I know how good I can be. I know my worth to the team," he said. "But at the same time, I feel like my rookie year was cool, my second year, the second half I finished strong. Last year I got hurt, so I feel like all three years I was dealing with injuries.

"So this is the year I really have to prove to the fans, to the coaches, to the world, I can be this running back, I can be the guy for [head coach Bill] Belichick and the Patriots."

Maroney has heard that Belichick continues to publicly say he has confidence in him.

"Even though you don't listen to the media, it still finds a way to get back to you," Maroney said. "You try your hardest not to listen to it, but when you have a coach on your side, and a coach you really want to play for, you're going to work hard to be that guy for him.

"Just to know he trusts you, and still has confidence in you, it makes you feel a lot better."

Hmmm. ... Not sure about the rest of you, but I don't get the same warm, fuzzy feeling that Maroney does. ...

Moving on to a few follow-ups to recent Notebook items. ...

In New York. ... Even though it's widely assumed the Giants will maintain a partnership at running back this season based on the recent success of the team's platoon situations in the backfield, that approach might not be the lock most believe.

In fact, Edholm reports it would not surprise some observers if coaches increase Brandon Jacobs' load this season.

The team signed Jacobs to a four-year deal as an upper-tier running back, and though partnerships are more the norm in the backfield around the league, he still is making a healthy salary for a player who averaged only 16.8 carries per game.

That number could rise toward the 20-mark this season with Ward now in Tampa.

Ahmad Bradshaw has done it at times and could be a good backup option if he curbs his fumbling, and Danny Ware and rookie Andre Brown are intriguing.

But Edholm still believes Jacobs get the first crack at replacing some of Ward's carries.

That'd be great -- as long as the big fella can avoid the bumps, bruises, strains and sprains that are pretty much inherent given his ginormous frame and running style. ...

In Buffalo. ... The Bills and running back Fred Jackson have agreed to terms on a contract extension. With other incentives the total value of the extension is $7.5 million.

According to Buffalo News staffer Allen Wilson, Jackson's base salaries over the four years are $500,000 this year, $1.195 million in 2010, $1.625 million in 2011 and $1.830 million in 2012. He received a signing bonus of $1.1 million and is scheduled to get another $650,000 bonus for making the 53-man roster. He is due a $250,000 reporting bonus in 2010 and gets workout bonuses of $50,000 each year of the deal.

Jackson was an exclusive rights free agent so he couldn't negotiate with any other team. The Bills had made him a minimum contract offer of $460,000 under which Jackson would have played had a new deal not been negotiated.

The three-year veteran has played in 24 career games with four starts. He set a career-high with 571 rushing yards on 130 carries, including three touchdowns and added 37 catches for 317 yards in 2008.

Jackson has recorded 871 rushing yards on 188 attempts and 507 receiving yards on 59 catches in his career.

He is expected to start the first three games of the 2009 season while Marshawn Lynch serves a suspension -- unless Dominic Rhodes can convince coaches he's the right man for the job. Or unless Lynch, who appealed his suspension this week, can convince commissioner Roger Goodell to reduce that suspension. ...

In Cleveland. ... Citing an unnamed league source (who does not work for an NFL team but works with NFL teams and has a prominent name, Cleveland Plain Dealer beat man Tony Grossi reports that the Browns had two "very substantial" trade offers for Brady Quinn -- each involved a No. 1 draft pick -- and declined to trade him.

Grossi's source would not speculate on whether a trade of Quinn might have been blocked by owner Randy Lerner.

The source believes that there will be a true "open competition" between Quinn and Derek Anderson and that Quinn will prevail. ...

In Indianapolis. ... While most observers expect Marvin Harrison to ultimately retire, the veteran wideout's agent announced last week that's not the current plan.

Unfortunately for Harrison, there are not many teams interested in bringing him back right now, if at all.

According to the National Football Post's Mike Lombardi, Harrison will be on every team's emergency list this fall. After the first game of the 2009 season, NFL teams will no longer have to guarantee a full year's salary for any veteran player on the roster, at which point some teams might consider him.

I would stress the "might" in that last sentence. ...

Also. ... Offensive coordinator Tom Moore and offensive line coach Howard Mudd submitted their retirement papers as expected this week and team president Bill Polian confirmed that Clyde Christensen will move into Moore's coordinator role and Pete Metzelaars takes over for Mudd.

"The main cogs in terms of operating the program are in place, have been in place and were prepared to do this," Polian said. "It's just a transition that we would rather not have made, but we knew full well that it's likely we were going to have to."

According to Polian, the team has yet to decide on a replacement for Christensen, who has been receivers coach since 2002.

Worth noting: Although Moore and Mudd are no longer part of head coach Jim Caldwell's official staff, Indianapolis Star staffer Mike Chappell reports that either or both could possibly return as consultants by the start of training camp, pending pension guidelines. ...

And finally this week, from our "Change We Can Believe In" file. ... The NFL had agreed to let the player formerly known as Chad Johnson wear his new name on the back of his jersey this season. There's one catch for the receiver: It's not exactly how he wanted it.

Instead of Ocho Cinco, he'll be Chad Ochocinco.

The receiver legally changed his name in Florida last August. He asked the league and the media to call him Chad Ocho Cinco, a two-word nickname he had adopted referring to his No. 85.

The Bengals complied, but the NFL balked. It said the receiver would have to pay for the large inventory of "Johnson" jerseys that Reebok stocked for the season -- ones that would be a tough sell -- before he could switch. The receiver declined, choosing to play the season under his old name.

The league has agreed to let him wear his new name this year, but it will be rendered as "Ochocinco" because that's how he wrote it when he submitted his name-change form in Florida.

"It's his legal name," AFC information manager Corry Rush said Thursday.

Maybe so, but the high-profile wideout was still selling shirts and other gear under the "Ocho Cinco" name on his Web site.

And of course, it's safe to assume that Ochocinco will be on prominent display throughout the summer with the Bengals slated to appear on HBO's "Hard Knocks" this year. ...

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.