PFT’s Week Two picks

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Last week, Rosenthal reveled in his victory (victories) in the 2010 picks contest.  This week, I can rub his face in the first week of 2011.

I accurately picked 10 of 16 outcomes.  Rosenthal got only seven right.

And so I’ve got a three-game lead . . . with only 240 to play.

This week, we disagree on several games — including the much-expected return of Mike Vick to Atlanta as a starting quarterback.

Raiders at Bills

Florio’s take:  Once upon a time, these teams got together for a conference championship game, which the Bills won big, 51-3.  With the Bills going into Kansas City and beating the Chiefs 41-7, could a similar outcome be coming?  Probably not.  But the Bills have a new attitude — and the talent to match it.  Oakland’s chasing a Monday night road trip with a cross-country visit to Western New York, and that’s even better news for Buffalo.

Florio’s pick:  Bills 31, Raiders 20.

Rosenthal’s take: These two perennial doormats opened the season with convincing victories.  Oakland only won by three, but they manhandled Denver on both lines of scrimmage.  Buffalo dominated Kansas City through the air.  This is a great test to see if the Bills are truly tougher than their usual lightweight groups, especially the rebuilt run defense.  Here’s one vote they’ll pass the test.

Rosenthal’s pick: Bills 26, Raiders 21.

Packers at Panthers

Florio’s take:  Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis thinks the Panthers can win the game.  I think that’s a great attitude.  But I also think that the Panthers don’t have the horses on defense to keep the score within range.  That Thursday night opener gave the Packers a few extra days to get ready to face Cam Newton and company.  Though it won’t be a blowout, the Panthers aren’t ready to defeat a team that seems to be ready to have a huge season.

Florio’s pick:  Packers 35, Panthers 24.

Rosenthal’s take: Cam Newton’s first start was almost too easy.  Look for Dom Capers, Clay Matthews, and Charles Woodson to make life considerably tougher on the No. 1 pick.  The only way to beat Green Bay right now may be in shootout.  The way the Panthers defense looks, Newton may need to score 40 points.

Rosenthal’s pick: Packers 38, Panthers 20.

Chiefs at Lions

Florio’s take:  As Mike O’Hara of the Detroit News recently put it, the Lions haven’t been this heavily favored to win since the days of the Roman Coliseum.  The Chiefs are reeling after getting trampled by an up-and-coming Bills team.  The Lions are even more up — and they’ll be coming hard every Sunday.

Florio’s pick:  Lions 42, Chiefs 20.

Rosenthal’s take: The Lions won in Tampa without a great performance by Detroit’s vaunted defensive line. Matthew Stafford threw a pick six, and it didn’t matter. Suddenly the Lions can beat inferior teams without their “A” game. The Chiefs, meanwhile, look inferior to just about every team.

Rosenthal’s pick: Lions 31, Chiefs 20.

Browns at Colts

Florio’s take:  If the Colts can’t beat the Browns at home, the Colts may not win a single game all year.  That should be enough incentive for pride to take over in the Indy locker room.

Florio’s pick:  Colts 20, Browns 14.

Rosenthal’s take: This is the game to truly learn about the post-Manning Colts. It’s no surprise they couldn’t win a tough road game yet with Kerry Collins, but how one in the dome against a sub-par opponent? Expect Cleveland’s big offensive line to push the Colts defense around.

Rosenthal’s pick: Browns 22, Colts 17.

Buccaneers at Vikings

Florio’s take:  The Bucs were held to 56 yards rushing last week, and the Vikings were held to 39 yards passing.  This one-time NFC Central rivalry could get ugly, but the Metrodome crowd should carry Adrian Peterson and company, if Donovan McNabb can get the passing yardage on the right side of 50.

Florio’s pick:  Vikings 22, Buccaeers 21.

Rosenthal’s take: The Bucs defense needs to get “youngrier.” Detroit’s offensive line absolutely stoned Tampa in pass protection last week. Adrian Clayborn, Gerald McCoy, and company should have an easier time getting to Donovan McNabb. That’s especially true if Minnesota continues their revolutionary run-run-pass offense.

Rosenthal’s pick:  Bucs 21, Vikings 17.

Bears at Saints

Florio’s take:  On Wednesday morning, I assumed that the Saints would return home to the Superdome and take care of business against an overachieving Bears team.  On Wednesday afternoon, I watched every play of the Bears’ Week One win over the Falcons.  The Saints will have their hands full, regardless of whether linebacker Brian Urlacher will be able to play only days after the sudden passing of his mother.  The folks who vote for the Associated Press awards should ignore stats and study the performances from Bears defensive end Julius Peppers.  If he plays every week like he played against the Falcons, he should be the defensive player of the year, unanimously.

Florio’s pick:  Bears 27, Saints 24.

Rosenthal’s take: Perhaps the Bears offense is a little better than expected in year two under Mike Martz. The Saints defense may be a little worse than expected because it has no pass rush. I’ll still take New Orleans because the game is in a dome and the Saints need the win more. Even this early in the season.

Rosenthal’s pick: Saints 27, Bears 21.

Jaguars at Jets

Florio’s take:  This one has “trap” written all over it for the Jets, given the emotional Week One win over the Cowboys.  But even with the Jags surely primed to give the Jets their best shot and with the Jets sliding into a soft spot on the schedule before consecutive trips to Oakland and Baltimore, Rex Ryan and company will do everything they can to push their record to 2-0.

Florio’s pick:  Jets 28, Jaguars 19.

Rosenthal’s take: This is the game of the week if you like smashmouth football. The Jaguars bludgeoned Tennessee, but couldn’t pull away on the scoreboard. The Jets seemingly only play close games with ridiculous endings. Gang Green used to find creative new ways to lose every week. Under Rex Ryan, the opposite is true.

Rosenthal’s pick: Jets 17, Jaguars 16.

Seahawks at Steelers

Florio’s take:  A rematch of Super Bowl XL comes at a time when when the Seahawks have taken a big step backward, and the Steelers have uncharacteristically fallen down.  They’ll likely find a way to get up against Tarvaris Jackson and company — especially with referee Bill Leavy breaking out his black-and-yellow striped shirt.  (Again.)  The Steelers shouldn’t need any extra help from the officials this time.

Florio’s pick:  Steelers 34, Seahawks 17.

Rosenthal’s take: Seahawks coach Pete Carroll hinted this week the young Seahawks may take a step back before taking two steps forward.  Tarvaris Jackson will take roughly three steps backward this week before he gets hammered by Pittsburgh’s ornery defenders.

Rosenthal’s pick: Steelers 41, Seahawks 17.

Ravens at Titans

Florio’s take:  Tennessee tailback Chris Johnson believes the Ravens tried to hurt him in the 2008 playoffs.  If nothing else, it will prepare him for Sunday, when a team with an offense that nearly matches its defense comes to town with good prospects — and bad intentions.

Florio’s pick:  Ravens 28, Titans 13.

Rosenthal’s take: The Titans had five first downs in he first 50 minutes against the Jaguars. What is going to happen against the Ravens?  Even if Tennessee can move the ball, Baltimore’s offense is ahead of schedule. Bryant McKinnie completes the offensive line and the young tight ends grew up fast. Tennessee is still playing post-lockout catchup.

Rosenthal’s pick: Ravens 28, Titans 14.

Cardinals at Redskins

Florio’s take:  The up-and-down Redskins were supposed to lose the Giants.  The up-and-down Redskins are now supposed to beat the Cardinals.  But the Cardinals often struggle in East Coast games, even when they had a future Hall of Famer at quarterback.  Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman eventually will have a bad day (or more), but not yet.

Florio’s pick:  Redskins 30, Cardinals 24.

Rosenthal’s take: It is getting more difficult to resist Redskins fever. The good vibes built throughout the preseason, exploding in a Sexy Rexy Grossman crescendo in the opener. My heart thinks it will come crashing down this week in typical Redskins fashion. But my head thinks Washington is further along than Arizona on both sides of the ball.

Rosenthal’s pick: Redskins 24, Cardinals 23.

Cowboys at 49ers

Florio’s take:  In the early 1990s, the Cowboys and 49ers ruled the NFC.  Neither has had much success since.  Though the Niners have plenty of potential in a watered-down NFC West, they’re not quite ready to knock off a Cowboys team that is determined to play strong for four quarters.

Florio’s pick:  Cowboys 26, 49ers 17.

Rosenthal’s take: I know what Jerry Jones was trying to say. Tony Romo did play three outstanding quarters against the Jets. He made good decisions, beat the Jets’ tight coverage often, and the new line mostly held up. Playing three great quarters against the 49ers should be enough, no matter what happens in the final 15 minutes.

Rosenthal’s pick: Cowboys 27, 49ers 20.

Bengals at Broncos

Florio’s take:  Two years ago, these two teams gave us a finish to remember in Week One.  There’s a good chance that they’ll give us four quarters to forget on Sunday.  Look for the Tebow chants to continue.  And to intensify.  Even in victory.

Florio’s pick:  Broncos 24, Bengals 21.

Rosenthal’s take: The Tebow chants were loud last week. What will happen if Brandy Daltonkowski puts the Bengals ahead in the second half Sunday?  The Bengals have a shot here if they follow Oakland’s pass rush and ground game model. As the official PFT Kyle Orton beat writer, however, I can’t give up on the former neckbearded one yet.

Rosenthal’s pick: Broncos 23, Bengals 21.

Texans at Dolphins

Florio’s take:  After beating the Colts in Week One of the 2010 season, the Texans lost 10 of their next 15.  Though they likely won’t suffer a similar fate in 2011 after again taking down the Colts, winning at Miami against an improving offense won’t be an easy feat.  The Dolphins played the Pats tough on Monday night, and it wasn’t until that 14-point swing fueled by a failed fourth-and-goal and a 99-yard touchdown pass that the game was decided.

Florio’s pick:  Dolphins 24, Texans 21.

Rosenthal’s take: Cutting Benny Sapp was an odd solution to Miami’s problems. Perhaps drinking more water during the week to avoid cramps would be a better approach. Miami’s defensive line is very deep and can slow down Houston’s rushing attack.  I still like the Dolphins corners. The Dolphins didn’t get their first home win until mid-November last year, but they’ll get it out of the way early this time.

Rosenthal’s pick: Dolphins 27, Texans 24.

Chargers at Patriots

Florio’s take:  In what could be an AFC championship preview, the winner gets the inside track toward hosting the rematch.  The Pats look every bit as unstoppable as they were in the 2010 regular season.  Even though the Chargers should run away with the AFC West, the home team could run away with this one — no matter how “lubed up” the fans are, or aren’t.

Florio’s pick:  Patriots 38, Chargers 27.

Rosenthal’s take: The Chargers possess the rare defense that can slow Tom Brady down. (San Diego did it last year, but still lost.) Philip Rivers is the rare quarterback that can match Brady throw for throw. Yet I still can’t pick against Brady at home coming off his 500-yard bonanza. This mid-September game could loom large during December playoff positioning.

Rosenthal’s pick: Patriots 33, Chargers 28.

Eagles at Falcons

Florio’s take:  Mike Vick returns to the Georgia Dome for the first time as a starter.  The Falcons return to the Georgia Dome after looking lethargic and predictable against the Bears.  Expect a virtuoso performance from Vick, who surely believes that his personal journey of redemption includes going back to Atlanta and playing like he never played there before.  If/when the Falcons lose, it won’t be time to press the panic button — it’ll be time to stomp on it.

Florio’s pick:  Eagles 28, Falcons 23.

Rosenthal’s take: The Mike Smith Falcons usually win by doing the little things: Tackling well, playing situational football, and avoiding big mistakes. Atlanta did none of this last week against Chicago. Now the Falcons get a chance to do a very big thing: Beat Michael Vick in Atlanta. I’m not ready to believe the fundamental Falcons are gone just yet.

Rosenthal’s pick: Falcons 28, Eagles 24.

Rams at Giants

Florio’s take:  These teams can compare injury lists like a couple of stuntmen comparing scars.  With Steven Jackson out and Sam Bradford banged up, the home team with the healthy quarterback is the safe choice.

Florio’s pick:  Giants 20, Rams 13.

Rosenthal’s take: Bad vibes and big injuries make this game feel more desperate for the Giants and Rams. New York looks better equipped to bounce back. Justin Tuck’s return should help the Giants pass rush, while Sam Bradford and Josh McDaniels don’t look ready to take advantage of a shaky Giants secondary.

Rosenthal’s pick: Giants 21, Rams 14.

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Former Patriots and Saints defensive back Randall Gay turned 30 this month, and although there was once a time when he figured he’d still be playing in the NFL at this age, he says the symptoms of concussions make a return to the game impossible.

Gay went on injured reserve with his last concussion in 2010 and didn’t play at all in 2011, and he told the Boston Herald there’s no way he’d be able to play now.

“I can’t play anymore. I wish I could, but I’m still having symptoms from concussions,” Gay said. “I wanted to try again, but I can’t really do anything. Hard, physical activities, I get headaches and nauseous and dizzy and stuff. I’d still like a chance in the NFL, but it’s not worth it.”

Gay, who played for the Patriots from 2004 to 2007 and the Saints from 2008 to 2009, said he doesn’t know how many concussions he has suffered and didn’t know much about concussions during his playing days.

“It’s scary because you don’t know enough about it,” Gay said. “When you play football, it’s the effect of everybody just wants to deal with it. All right, my ankle hurts? I can deal with it. My arm hurts? But I can deal with it. It’s not hurting enough where I can’t play. Then you’ve got the headaches, the concussion thing. I’ve got a headache, but I can deal with it. That’s the mindset that you go through your whole life with. But then it gets to the point where you don’t know enough about head injuries to just say I can deal with it. You might be able to deal with it today, but you don’t know what tomorrow holds. That’s the scary thing about it. That’s the decision you don’t want to make. I love the game of football, and I feel like I can deal with the headaches or just being nauseous. Just being a little dizzy, I can deal with it, but you just never know what it’s going to bring later.”

For Gay, what the concussions brought was an early end to his football career, and a tough time in retirement.

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Ravens running back Ray Rice remains unsigned as the team’s franchise player, but coach John Harbaugh says there’s no doubt in his mind that Rice will be capable of contributing as soon as he shows up.

Harbaugh said on NFL Total Access that he’s not worried at all about Rice being prepared to play.

“It’s the business of football,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t worry about Ray Rice.”

The business of football means that Rice wants a long-term contract that pays him in the range of what the highest-paid running backs in football make, but all indications are that the Ravens are not willing to pay Rice anything like the contracts that Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson got last year. Rice probably won’t get the contract he wants and will likely end up signing the one-year franchise tender for a guaranteed base salary of $7.7 million in 2012.

Even if Rice doesn’t sign until after training camp, however, Harbaugh thinks he’ll be the same old Ray Rice in time for Week One.

“Ray will be ready to go when the season starts, he’ll be in shape and he’ll be Ray Rice,” Harbaugh said. “He’s one of the hardest-working guys, and I have complete trust in Ray.”

It doesn’t come out until August, so you can strike it from the early phases of your summer reading list.  But few football books figure to be more entertaining than Sapp Attack, the first written offering from former NFL lineman Warren Sapp.

Gary Shelton of the Tampa Bay Times recently previewed the 314-page effort, in which Sapp apparently perfectly captures his essence:  “[H]e is loud, and he is profane, and he is stepping on a different set of toes every time you turn a page,” Shelton writes.  “You may like it, you may hate it, and you may stay up late laughing about it.”

Sapp shares his views on his coaches and teammates, telling it like he sees it.  Sapp says he chose to play college football at Miami over Florida State in part because coach Bobby Bowden referred to one of his other players as a “fat ass.”  Sapp says that his first NFL coach, Sam Wyche, tried to motivate “by making snide comments, by belittling people.”  Sapp says that “Tony Dungy put the damn cake in the oven, and then Jon Gruden came in and put the icing on it.”

Sapp’s views on the men he played with include outing former Bucs defensive tackle Brad Culpepper for cheating.  Sapp claims that Culpepper, now a lawyer and one of the many former players suing the NFL for concussions, used silicone to make it harder to be held.  “Now that [Culpepper] also is retired, I’ll confess for him that he was one of the people who did that,” Sapp writes.  “He practically bathed in silicone before a game.  Trust me, if he had ever tried to hug his wife before a game, she would have slipped right out of his arms and gone straight up in the air.”

Um, does that make Sapp a snitch?

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about the book is that the cover art features an image of Sapp wearing the Super Bowl ring that, according to his bankruptcy filing, he lost several years ago.  Though it’s quite likely that the picture was digitally altered, it’s a detail that Sapp will surely have to explain at some point to one of Sapp’s colleagues in the judiciary.

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As a rookie, Dexter McCluster eventually found a home with the Chiefs as a slot receiver.  Last season, the team moved him to running back.  During offseason workouts, he’s back at receiver.

He soon could be back at running back.

Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star writes that the Chiefs are struggling to find value from McCluster, a second-round pick in 2010.  “We feel like he knows how to play running back, and we can put him over at running back at any point in time, but we felt like he needed the work at wide receiver,” coach Romeo Crennel recently said, via Teicher.  “So we gave him the work at wide receiver.  If we need him at running back then we’ll put him at running back.  Probably what that will do is open it up for us to be able to use him however and whenever we need him at whatever position.  He’s taken to it really well.  He’s been enthusiastic about it, so that is working out pretty well for us.”

McCluster described himself simply as an “Offensive Weapon” two years ago, and that appears to be how the team plans to use him.

The best bet for the Chefs, given the arrival of former Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as the new offensive coordinator in Kansas City, could be to use McCluster like the Browns used Josh Cribbs under Daboll — as a return specialist, a receiver, a running back, and Wildcat quarterback.

McCluster generated 844 yards from scrimmage in 2011, up from 280 in 2010.

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Running back Justin Forsett isn’t the only veteran free-agent who’ll get a chance to catch the attention of the Houston Texans on Wednesday.  Veteran free-agent wideout Mike Sims-Walker will work out on Wednesday for the defending AFC South champions, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Sims-Walker played four games with the Rams last year before being released and returning to Jacksonville last season.  After two games back with the Jaguars, a knee injury landed him on injured reserve.

In 2009, Sims-Walker made a big splash with 63 catches for 869 receiving yards and seven touchdowns for the Jaguars.  The next season, his production dropped by 20 catches and more than 300 yards, but he added another seven touchdowns.

The Jaguars let him leave via free agency in 2011, opting not to apply a restricted free agency tender.

The Texans have needs at the position given the decision to cut Jacoby Jones and the recent knee injury sustained by Andre Johnson, which is expected to knock him out for the balance of offseason workouts.

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Though it’s Memorial Day and not Thanksgiving (Metta World Peace set me straight on that), we’re thankful for the Cowboys and their cornucopia of cornerbacks.  From whether the Cowboys will trade cornerback Mike Jenkins to when they will trade him if they ever decide to do so to whether they’ll slide one of their corners to safety in order to keep as many of them on the field as possible, the Dallas defensive backs have helped us fill up the page on what otherwise would have been a slow news day.

On that last point, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes that Orlando Scandrick has scant interest (actually none, but I was having a Chris Berman moment and couldn’t resist using “scant” after “Scandrick”) in playing safety.

“Not happening,” Scandrick said.  “Brodney Pool, Gerald Sensabaugh and Barry Church are our safeties. Orlando Scandrick, Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr and Mike Jenkins are our corners.”

We can’t imagine Scandrick refusing to play safety if being a safety gets him on the field and being a cornerback leaves him on the bench.  For now, he professes ignorance as to the specific strategies that will be employed.

“I have no idea what they have planned,” Scandrick said.  “I feel like the best players are going to play regardless of your contract, draft status or who you are.”

Given the various types and forms of coverages, Scandrick can play like a safety while still telling himself that he’s a corner.  In Cover Three and Cover Four, corners typically join the safeties in patrolling the deep zones.  In pure man coverage, it doesn’t really matter whether a guy is a corner or a safety.  For Scandrick, as long as he’s not covering a deep zone in Cover One or Cover Two or otherwise providing help over the top for Carr or Claiborne or Jenkins, Scandrick plausibly can continue to regard himself as playing cornerback.

Even if he technically isn’t.

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I rarely address a subject that one of the other PFT writers has handled.  But sometimes I just can’t keep quiet.

MDS pointed out earlier today the item from Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback regarding former Colts Vice Chairman Bill Polian’s belief that the proposed extension in 2012 of the trade deadline from Week Six to Week Eight would have helped the Colts improve on their final record of 2-14, given that Polian would have shipped a third-round pick to the Broncos for deposed starter Kyle Orton.

Apart from the simple fact (as MDS noted) that Polian could have had Orton for nothing by simply making a waiver claim for Orton after he was cut in November, the idea that the Colts would have given up such a high pick in the hopes of getting a few more wins — and in turn not having the ability to land their next franchise quarterback — by picking up a guy whose contract was set to expire makes no sense.

At all.

Polian has been surprisingly good and informative during his time on the air with ESPN.  He comes off as far more likeable than the experiences of plenty of agents and reporters would otherwise suggest, and personally he has become one of the few voices on the network to which I will stop whatever I’m doing and listen.  But I don’t want to hear that Polian would have given up a third-round pick for Kyle Orton in the hopes of salvaging a lost season that has helped secure the team’s future.

If Polian is telling the truth, it makes owner Jim Irsay’s decision to move on much more understandable.

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Any football fan will admit that, if forced to choose between having players who performed badly on the field or behaved badly away from it, they’d take the latter in the flash of a stun gun.

And so for the fans of the Lions, who have gone from being 0-16 to having players assigned jailhouse numbers that possibly include 0, 1, and 6, there could be far worse things than having multiple players who are getting in trouble with the law.  But it’s starting to become a bit of problem, with 2011 first-round draft pick Nick Fairley and 2011 second-rounder Mikel Leshoure now having two legal entanglements — each — during the offseason.

Our buddy Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press chronicles the (alleged) crime spree, and he bravely calls it like it is, despite the fact that the Lions are the only team he covers.  For example:  “Of the Lions’ five-member 2011 draft class, only Doug Hogue has successfully avoided drama this off-season, which begs the question, what exactly did the Lions see in him?”

Beyond Fairley and Leshoure, seventh-round tackle Johnny Culbreath was busted for marijuana posssesion, and second-round receiver Titus Young (who perhaps would benefit from the mellowing effects of marijuana) was barred from OTAs for busting a teammate, Steve Smith style.  To make matters worse for Young, Birkett writes that the second-year wideout was lollygagging during Phase One of the offseason program, when most of the coaching staff was absent.

Still, the strength and conditioning coaches were allowed to participate, and it’s on them to light a fire under all players.  Young clearly has an edge to him; someone with the organization needs to get his attitude harnessed and refined and pointed in the right direction at the right times or he’s going to end up being yet another high-round pick that the Lions wasted on a receiver.

All things considered, these are far better problems to have than a roster full of players who can’t get out of their own way between the white lines.  Veteran leadership and proper coaching discipline will be critical to getting this team to the Super Bowl — and to keeping multiple members of it from playing for the Mean Machine.

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Ravens third-year nose tackle Terrence Cody’s weight is a constant concern because he’s ballooned to 400 pounds before. The Ravens list him at 349.

Cody trimmed down to 335 last year, but in hindsight doesn’t believe it was the best decision.

“Losing that weight last year kind of made me a little weak because I lost it a little too fast,” Cody said. “But working out with [strength coach] Bob [Rogucki] … I am feeling good. … I feel good, I look good.”

Per Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times, Cody has “restructured his bulk” and lost a significant amount of body fat since his rookie year. Wilson says Cody is “noticeably leaner” at OTAs.

Per Cody, his focus continues to be “Just taking care of my body. Most of all, it’s just eating right and just staying in shape.”

Still just 24 years old, Cody teams with Haloti Ngata to form a nearly 700-pound interior on the Ravens’ defensive line. Baltimore ranked second in the league in run defense last season. If this is the year Cody realizes his potential, the Ravens will make a strong push to unseat San Francisco for the No. 1 spot.

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The Cowboys say they won’t trade cornerback Mike Jenkins, despite the fact that they tried to during the draft. But a trade ultimately makes the most sense for both sides. The Cowboys could get a mid- to late-round draft pick before Jenkins’ rookie deal expires, and Jenkins can go play out his contract year as a starter as opposed to the dime back he’d be in Dallas.

ESPN’s John Clayton reported on SportsCenter over the weekend that if a trade is going to happen, it won’t occur until late July or August.

“If they’re going to deal [Jenkins],” Clayton said, “they’re going to deal him during training camp.”

The theory here is that a cornerback-needy team might get desperate in camp, especially if one of its top corners goes down in practice or a preseason game. Jenkins is young, and his base salary is an affordable $1.052 million. He’s been a Pro Bowl-caliber cover guy when healthy.

And that’s another issue: Jenkins isn’t healthy yet. He underwent significant surgery on his right shoulder in January, and won’t be medically cleared to resume football activities until training camp.

The Colts and Lions are known to have interest in Jenkins. Clayton mentioned the Tennessee Titans as another potential trade partner.

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With the finagling of millions of dollars in public money for the construction of a football stadium comes the reality that the primary tenants of the new venue will now be subject to the whims of a public body that will oversee the construction and management of the facility.

According to the Associated Press, a new group of public employees will oversee the new Vikings stadium.  The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, with three members named by Governor Mark Dayton and two by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, will nail down a 30-year lease with the Vikings and also ensure that the place gets built.

And so, even with the Vikings kicking in $477 million, they’ll have to deal with bureaucrats who may, from time to time, decide to flex their muscles, simply because they can.

It’s another reason why it makes sense for sports teams to find a way to build their own stadiums on their own property.  Surely, these ventures can be managed in a manner that makes them profitable, and if the team builds its own building, the team gets to keep all the profit and run the place in the manner it sees fit.

Of course, the fact that so many teams choose to deal with public authorities demonstrates the value of free money.  For the Vikings, putting up with the MSFA is a relatively small price to pay in exchange for nearly $500 million in public funds.

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Patriots center Dan Koppen played less than one half of football in 2011 thanks ‘to a broken ankle.

Koppen told Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald that the ankle is fully healed — “I don’t even feel it anymore” — as the Patriots go through their offseason activities. Koppen seems to appreciate being back at work.

“It’s just tough to sit around and watch it,” Koppen said. “But you’ve got to be mentally strong enough to probably handle that and say, ‘All right, injuries happen, and you’ve just got to move on from that.’ It’s just tough to sit there and watch.”

Koppen may still have some watching to do. Dan Connolly did a good job at center in his absence and Koppen seemed unlikely to return as he made the rounds as a free agent. Nothing developed elsewhere, though, and Koppen signed a two-year deal to stay in New England.

The deal didn’t come with a starting job attached and Connolly’s been called the favorite to hold onto it. Connolly could move to guard if Logan Mankins hits a snag in recovery from his knee injury, but Koppen will have to beat him out otherwise. He’s physically ready to try and the depth will be a good thing for the Patriots either way.

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A dozen years ago, the Patriots benefited tremendously from the availability in round six of a quarterback who would become one of the best to put a helmet over his widely varying types and lengths of hair.  But Tom Brady didn’t slide; he wasn’t expected to go much higher, if any higher, than the sixth round.

In 2012, cornerback Alfonzo Dennard did a draft-day free fall after an unfortunate incident from the prior weekend involving an alleged punch to an actual cop.  Though the drop wasn’t a surprise in light of his arrest, Dennard would have been draft much higher but for the arrest.

In the end, it could end up being another coup for the Pats.

Dennard’s agent, Brian Murphy, explains to Tom Curran of CSN New England that the former Cornhusker remains in good spirits despite enduring a major disappointment.  “His reaction to the whole process was mind-boggling to me because he said, ‘Things happen the way they’re supposed to happen.  And this is all happening for a reason and all I can do is prove everyone wrong and show that I’m a great cornerback, a great teammate and a great man,’ and he wants to reward the Patriots for the faith they showed.  I wouldn’t describe him as down and out,” Murphy told Curran.

Murphy’s predictable assessment meshes with recent words from Dennard’s new coach and his old one.  Both Bill Belichick and Bo Pelini believe in Dennard.  “He’s a perfect representative of [his hometown] and they’re so proud of him,” Murphy said.  “When I met him, it was always, ‘Yes, sir; No, sir; Yes, Mr. Murphy.’  When I asked what was important to him, he said taking care of his mom and representing his town well.  It was a neat experience watching how the people in town reacted to him.”

Still, Dennard continues to face the felony charge of assaulting a police officer.  Dennard’s arraignment is set for Wednesday.  A trial date could be set during the hearing.  And even if the alleged conduct was out of character, Dennard still needs to deal with the aftermath of what could end up being one of the dumbest things he ever did, or will ever do.

AP

The Cowboys’ insistence that they won’t trade cornerback Mike Jenkins strikes some as puzzling, considering that Dallas’s two biggest offseason moves were signing cornerback Brandon Carr and trading up to draft cornerback Morris Claiborne. But the Cowboys’ philosophy is simple: You can’t have enough good cornerbacks.

Members of the Cowboys’ coaching staff told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that in today’s NFL, they may have four cornerbacks on the field on a regular basis, with Carr, Claiborne, Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick all getting plenty of playing time.

“This league has become a passing league,” Cowboys defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said. “Look at what the quarterbacks are doing and how the game is kind of evolving a little bit, how they protect the quarterbacks, and rightfully so. The more cover guys you have, the better off you’ll be on defense. So any time we can put cover guys on the field in a pass situation and let those guys match up, I think it helps our defense. We’ll look to do that some if the opportunity presents itself.”

With the proliferation of the passing game resulting in NFL defenses using dime packages more frequently, four cornerbacks on the field at a time will become increasingly common. It makes a lot of sense that the Cowboys want to have four cornerbacks they can count on.

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But for the lawsuits and arrests, last week’s back-and-forth from players on franchises that used to be division rivals would have gotten a lot more interest and attention.  Still, the comments from 49ers quarterback Alex Smith about the perceived reason for Panthers rookie Cam Newton’s uncanny stats in 2011 were noticed by key players from each team.  Panthers linebacker Jon Beason verbally smacked Smith down, and 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis defended his quarterback.

The numbers seem to cut against Smith’s theory, according to Peter King of SI.com.

“I could absolutely care less on yards per game,” Smith said last week, to get the controversy rolling. “I think that is a totally overblown stat because if you’re losing games in the second half, guess what, you’re like the Carolina Panthers and you’re going no-huddle the entire second half.  Yeah, Cam Newton threw for a lot of 300-yard games.  That’s great.  You’re not winning, though.”

As King points out, Newton threw for more yards last season in the first half of games than in the final two quarters, with 2,071 and 1,980 yards, respectively.  Also, Newton threw for only 523 of his rookie-record 4,051 yards when they Panthers trailed by between nine and 16 points.

There’s another relevant reality that doesn’t arise from the numbers.  Attaching any member of the 49ers’ front office, coaching staff, roster (except for Smith), and fan base to a lie-detector and asking whether they’d prefer the first overall pick from 2005 or 2011 to be the San Francisco quarterback, and the answer would be unanimous.

The same outcome would happen in Carolina, and perhaps the best news for Panthers fans is that Newton has taken the high road, saying nothing in response to Smith’s assessment.