PFT’s wild card picks

Reuters

With matching 10-6 records in Week 17, I finished the regular season seven games behind Rosenthal.

But there are still 11 games to go.  (Counting the Pro Bowl, there are 12.)

So I’m saying there’s a chance. . . .

For the regular season, Rosenthal is 169-87.  I’m 162-94.

Bengals at Texans

Florio’s take:  With neither team having any realistic shot at advancing beyond the division round, this one feels like a bowl game that, fortunately for the Texans, is being played on their home field.  The Texans have little playoff experience, but they get to play another team that doesn’t have much more.  With a flu bug possibly snaking through the Cincinnati locker room, there’s a chance that Bengals fans will be feeling nauseous by Saturday night.

Florio’s pick:  Texans 23, Bengals 17.

Rosenthal’s take: There’s a “happy to be there” vibe to both of these teams. But only the Bengals are lucky to even make the playoffs. They can’t beat quality teams. Houston’s defense is more dangerous and more balanced. The Texans running game is superior too. Throw in one of the best home atmospheres in the league, and the Texans may win going away.

Rosenthal’s pick: Texans 23, Bengals 13.

Lions at Saints

Florio’s take:  Through the first eight games of the 2011 season, Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford repeatedly connected, with 11 touchdowns and 804 yards.  After the Lions’ bye, teams spent more time blanketing Johnson.  When defenses took him away, Matthew Stafford had nowhere else to go — especially without a running game.  Eventually, Stafford decided to throw it to Johnson even if Johnson wasn’t open.  In the last three games, Johnson and Stafford have connected for 530 yards and four scores.  The Saints beat the Lions by 14 points during the period when Stafford wasn’t throwing it to Johnson when Johnson appeared to be covered.  And so, partially under the influence of a desire to catch Rosenthal and partially under the influence of one or more potent beverages, I’ve got a feeling that the Lions will make the last three-pointer in the basketball game that will unfold on the floor of the Superdome.

Florio’s pick:  Lions 44, Saints 41.

Rosenthal’s take: This isn’t the matchup Detroit wanted. Matthew Stafford struggles against the blitz; the Saints love to blitz. You beat New Orleans by running; Detroit can’t run. The vaunted Detroit defensive line is no longer a difference maker. This is like an Arena League game for New Orleans’ defense. Get three stops and they win.

Rosenthal’s pick: Saints 44, Lions 31.

Falcons at Giants

Florio’s take:  So Eli Manning once again is elite, even though Victor Cruz has saved Eli’s salsa with big catches — and runs — in the last two weeks.  And the Giants have some Super Bowl buzz, given the memories of what they accomplished back in 2007.  But these Giants have a bad habit of showing up only in huge moments, and there’s nothing about a wild-card visit from the Falcons that will make the Giants feel like they did in the past two games against the Jets and Cowboys.  If — and it could be a big if — the Falcons resist the urge to justify trading up for Julio Jones and/or to prove that Matt Ryan is a big-time quarterback and simply run the ball and run the ball and run the ball some more, they can get the Giants on their heels and infest MetLife Stadium with the same funk that existed when the Redskins, Seahawks, and Eagles won there.

Florio’s pick:  Falcons 24, Giants 21.

Rosenthal’s take: The Falcons traded up for Julio Jones to get more explosive on offense and they were more explosive down the stretch. The Giants defense is prone to giving up big plays. This just feels like a game the Falcons have been building towards for a few years. It’s their time. At least for one week.

Rosenthal’s pick: Falcons 24, Giants 21.

Steelers at Broncos

Florio’s take:  If Lions-Saints is destined to be a basketball game, a hockey match could be breaking out in Broncoland.  The Steelers are sluggish on the road, losing in Baltimore, Houston, and San Francisco, and barely winning in Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Cleveland.  But the Broncos aren’t the Ravens, Texans, or 49ers.  And the Steelers, despite any real or imagined or embellished injuries, will find a way to shut down the Denver running game, and in turn ensure that Air Tebow will be nothing more than a paper airplane.

Florio’s pick:  Steelers 13, Broncos 9.

Rosenthal’s take: If the Chiefs and Browns can keep things close against Pittsburgh, the Broncos can make this a game. When Tebow Time arrives, however, the Steelers defense seems more likely to score a touchdown than this dreadful Denver passing attack.

Rosenthal’s pick:  Steelers 16, Broncos 10.

Reuters

Last month the NFL and the players’ union agreed that before testing of players for human growth hormone would begin, a population study would be conducted at an independent lab to help determine the threshold for what constitutes a positive test for HGH. But now that agreement has hit a snag.

NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said at his press conference on Thursday that a new lab will have to be found to conduct the study, because the researcher the NFL initially commissioned now says he can’t do the job.

“We just recently found out . . . the league’s choice to run the population study that we had consented to recently withdrew and said that he wasn’t the right person to get this done,” Smith said. “I’m thrilled that the league has made a decision to move forward with the population study. I’m a little frustrated that their selection has now pulled out so that we have to again re-up and try to get this done.”

The league and the union agreed last year that players would get blood tests for HGH. But those tests still haven’t begun because the two sides haven’t been able to agree on all the details of that testing. Smith said Thursday that the population study is not the only outstanding issue.

So even though it was agreed to nearly a year ago, HGH testing may not begin any time soon.

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Bills DT Torell Troup is hoping for a redemptive season.

Will RB Reggie Bush factor on returns for the Dolphins?

RB Joseph Addai is getting used to life as a member of the Patriots.

Jets RB Shonn Greene looked slimmer at Thursday’s practice.

Ravens S Bernard Pollard called his extension with the team a blessing.

Defensive assistant Hue Jackson has been an animated presence at Bengals practices.

CB Sheldon Brown is helping Browns rookies transition to the NFL.

Steelers CB Keenan Lewis is excited about the opportunities in front of him this season.

QB Case Keenum is getting used to taking snaps from center at Texans practice.

Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com outlines dream and nightmare scenarios for the Colts.

Former Jaguars T Richard Collier, paralyzed in a shooting in 2008, spoke to the team on Thursday.

The Titans are building a performance stage at LP Field.

There aren’t too many people missing Tim Tebow around the Broncos.

DT Dontari Poe is seeing more snaps in passing situations during Chiefs practice.

Raiders rookies are feeling a bit more comfortable after two weeks of practice with the team’s veterans.

Chargers LB Shaun Phillips likes the new additions to the defense.

QB Stephen McGee could lose his spot on the Cowboys roster.

The Giants signed CB Dante Hughes to replace Brian Witherspoon on the roster.

Said Eagles coach Andy Reid of QB Nick Foles, “Lots of little things. He’s completing balls and his completion percentage is way up there. He’s doing a good job with that and knowing the limited amount that he knows right now. He’s a smart kid and we’re throwing a ton at him right now. We really like his attitude.”

Redskins WR Santana Moss wants to regain the form that eluded him last season.

Bears RB Michael Bush knows that he’s going to play a similar role to the one he played in Oakland.

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News thinks Lions WR Titus Young deserves the benefit of the doubt after the incident with S Louis Delmas.

The Packers have an over/under of 12 wins in Vegas.

A roundup of what’s been going on at Vikings OTAs.

Curtis Lofton hopes to prove the Falcons wrong in their assessment of his abilities.

Panthers WR David Gettis said he’s on schedule for his return from a torn ACL.

Said Saints QB Chase Daniel, “I’d say I’m number 1-B right now. I obviously know what my role is on this team. And right now it’s to prepare like the starter and to take the No. 1 snaps. This is Drew’s team. I’m just here to fill in and get ready and prepare like the starter, you know, like I have from 2009, when I started here.”

T Donald Penn wants to see more running from the Buccaneers offense this season.

Rookie T Bobbie Massie is working as a backup, but the team wants him to compete for the starting right tackle job.

RB Steven Jackson likes the way the Rams offense looks right now.

The 49ers won’t move T Anthony Davis to guard this offseason.

Seahawks T James Carpenter ran for the first time since ACL surgery.

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With the labor agreement between the NFL and its game officials expiring in less than a week, pro football will be heading back to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in Washington, in the hopes of working out a new deal before a lockout or a strike.

Via Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the FMCS announced on Thursday that the league and the officials’ union have accepted an offer to submit their labor dispute to mediation, an informal process where the mediator has no power over the parties, other than possibly the power of persuasion.

The NFL’s labor dispute with players went to the FMCS before the lockout began.  Once a federal antitrust lawsuit was filed against the league, it made more sense to conduct mediation within the confines of the litigation, for a variety of reasons (including the reality that mediation conducted under the umbrella of a lawsuit generally helps keep the parties in line, since the mediator has a pipeline to the judge).

The NFL already has commenced the process of lining up replacements, something the NFL did 11 years ago.  Today, however, with unprecedented focus on player safety (and increased burdens on officials to spot possible concussions), an effort to replace the officials could be extremely controversial, especially in light of the current relationship between the NFL and NFLPA.

Especially if the officials strike — and if the players are inclined to respect their picket line.

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When he kicks for the Lions this year, Jason Hanson will break the NFL record of 20 consecutive seasons with one team, which he currently shares with Jackie Slater and Darrell Green. And he doesn’t think he’s much different as a kicker now than he was when the Lions took him in the second round of the 1992 NFL draft.

“I never thought I’d play this long,” Hanson told the Detroit Free Press. “I just know this: I know that when I’m kicking, I can kick as well as I ever have. And it’s just enough to make it each year.”

Hanson, who went 5-for-7 on field goal attempts of 50 yards or longer last season, becoming the first player in NFL history to have 50 field goals of 50 yards or longer in his career, is virtually assured of being the Lions’ kicker again this season. But he says the presence of undrafted rookie kicker Derek Dimke on the offseason roster means he views himself as competing for his job.

“You always have to perform,” Hanson said. “Always. There’s a few guys who are young and at the top of their game where they’re the guys. But everyone else, ‘Hey, Hanson, let’s see what you got?’ And once you reprove it and they’re like, ‘He’s ready,’ great. But as soon as you show up and your kickoffs are a little shorter and your hang times are down or you’ve missed a few more than you usually do, you bring young guys in who are good and they’re fired up.”

Hanson sounds fired up for at least one year. Maybe this will be the year the Lions do something that they haven’t done in his 20 seasons: Win a playoff game.

AP

The Randy Moss redemption tour continues to generate positive reviews from teammates and coaches in San Francisco, who have seen so far only the good and none of the bad that Moss has displayed during his 13 prior NFL seasons.

Linebacker Patrick Willis has become the latest player to gush about Moss, saying via Cam Inman of the Contra Costa Times that Moss has to date been “unbelievable.”

“It’s an honor to have a guy like that on our team,” Willis said.  “For people to say the things they said about him, that’s in the past.  All we know is what we’ve seen here, and that’s all that counts to us.”

But it’s not an issue of people calling Randy names or subjecting him to unfair criticism.  Moss has, at times, flat-out quit on his team.  When things are going well, it’s not a problem.  But once the losses mount and the passes are sailing over his head or not coming his way at all, Moss will disappear before his teammates’ eyes, fading into the background at best, creating problems in the locker room at worst.

The 49ers’ goal may be to nudge Moss toward behaving well by talking so much about his good behavior and acting as if tales of his bad behavior are exaggerated or embellished.  Coach Jim Harbaugh, for example, has said Moss is “like a coach,” and that his attendance and attention at offseason sessions has been “impeccable.”

If the 2012 49ers come out of the gates like the 1998 Vikings or the 2007 Patriots, the Niners may never see the other side of Randy Moss.  If, come November, they’re 4-5 and three games behind the Seahawks and Moss is getting targeted two or three times a game, Patrick Willis could once again be thinking that Moss is “unbelievable,” but for entirely different reasons.

Either way, here’s hoping that the food served to the team is at all times deemed fit for Randy’s dog.

AP

In a wide-ranging press conference held outside the NFLPA’s offices on Thursday, executive director DeMaurice Smith addressed the bounty allegations against four players:  Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Saints defensive end Will Smith, Packers defensive end Anthony Hargrove, and Browns linebacker Scott Fujita.  Smith emphasized a point that the union has been making for several weeks — and that the NFL has yet to rectify, privately or publicly.

“We have not seen one piece of evidence that would show that one of those players got paid to target a player and injure him and get him out of the game,” Smith said.

There very well may be ample evidence to support that conclusion.  Every line of those 50,000 pages generated by the investigation may implicate every man who played for the Saints’ defense from 2009 through 2011.  But until the NFL shares the information with the NFLPA and/or with the media, there’s no way to confirm that the evidence exists.

Smith also addressed the contention that the NFLPA has a conflict of interest when it comes to representing the rights of the players accused of acting on bounties and the players who were the targets.  Though unions routinely must balance potentially competing interests whenever a member of the rank and file is accused of doing something to a coworker, the conflict of interest doesn’t arise unless and until there’s evidence that one employee infringed on the rights of another employee.

Again, there could be a mountain of evidence on that point.  But until the evidence is shared, there’s no way to know whether the NFL’s conclusions are accurate, or whether the NFL has incorrectly concluded that a pay-for-performance program coupled with tough talk in the locker room translated to a band of assassins who were treating their union brethren like the Mean Machine treated the guards.

AP

For an NFL defensive tackle, 282 pounds is downright skinny. But Arizona’s Nick Eason says it’s the right weight for him.

Eason, who turns 32 next week, told the Arizona Republic that he made weight loss a goal in an attempt to extend his career, and through diet and taking up boxing this offseason he has dropped 40 pounds, getting down to 282 — the lightest he’s been in the NFL.

“I realized that I could probably help myself and extend my career if I lost a little weight,” Eason said.

As the NFL continues to emphasize player health and safety, encouraging players to keep their weight in check might be a step for the league to take. But Eason says his weight loss was mostly about getting better on the field.

“I feel a lot quicker now. I have a lot more endurance,” Eason said. “I think that’s going to help this team win more football games this year.”

AP

The inherently complex collusion case filed by the NFLPA against the NFL could boil down to a pair of short and simple legal documents.

The antitrust lawsuits (filed by Reggie White and others in the early 1990s and by Tom Brady and others in 2011) and all other legal issues formally were resolved by the August 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, which operates like a standard settlement agreement.  But signing a settlement agreement doesn’t automatically end a legal case.  Steps are still required to wipe the lawsuit off the court’s docket.

And so the NFL and NFLPA accomplished that by signing a “Stipulation of Dismissal,” a common legal document that formalizes a commitment to end litigation.  On August 4, 2011, one lawyer for each side signed his name at the bottom of this agreement:  “The parties stipulate to the dismissal with prejudice of all claims, known and unknown, whether pending or not, regarding the Stipulation and Settlement Agreement (‘SSA’) including but not limited to the claims asserting breach of the SSA related to (i) television contracts and broadcast revenues; and (ii) asserted collusion with respect to the 2010 League Year, excepting only the pending claim filed March 11, 2011 relating to an alleged rookie shortfall on the part of the Philadelphia Eagles.”

The “SSA” was the settlement document from the White antitrust lawsuit, under which the new collusion claim has been filed.  The presence of terms in the stipulation like “known and unknown” and “pending or not” and “asserted collusion with respect to the 2010 League Year” will serve as strong ammunition for the NFL’s inevitable claim that the NFLPA waived in exchange for the new labor deal the new collusion claim.

NFLPA lead outside counsel Jeffrey Kessler fully understands that the “Stipulation of Dismissal” could derail the new collusion claim.  During Wednesday’s conference call regarding the new filing, Kessler argued that the “Stipulation of Dismissal” was trumped by Judge David Doty’s order that actually dismissed the case.

“There was a stipulation as part of the Brady agreement that the parties said they would propose to the court,” Kessler said.  “The court did not enter that proposed stipulation. . . .  Instead the court did its own ruling, which it’s allowed to do, which says that only claims pending are dismissed.  That’s it.  That’s all the court was willing to do, and the court, as the guardian of the class, this is for the class action, has absolute authority on that.”

Asked whether the “Stipulation of Dismissal” would have prevented the present collusion case if Judge Doty had acted on the document, Kessler said, “Possibly.”

The NFL will dispute Kessler’s characterization of Judge Doty’s order.  Actually, there was no separate order.  Instead, the official docket sheet says only this:  “TEXT ENTRY ONLY.  IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that all claims pending regarding the Stipulation and Settlement Agreement are dismissed.  All other outstanding motion are dismissed.”

Kessler believes this operates as a rejection of the “Stipulation of Dismissal,” in which the parties agree that “all claims, known and unknown, whether pending or not” will be dismissed, including claims for “asserted collusion with respect to the 2010 League Year.”  The NFL believes that the text entry on the docket sheet merely represents the mechanical closing of the case by the court, especially since the docket sheet also shows the filing of the “Stipulation of Dismissal” with no subsequent entry indicating it had been stricken or otherwise ignored.

Thus, while there may be plenty of evidence of collusion in 2010 (and we fully suspect there is), the NFLPA will have a very hard time circumventing the content of the “Stipulation of Dismissal.”  Even though the NFL believes that Judge Doty has a bias in favor of the NFLPA, all judges have a strong interest in seeing settled cases stay settled.  It’s hard to envision any judge agreeing with the argument that the NFLPA isn’t bound by the plain language of the “Stipulation of Dismissal,” which as written encompasses the collusion claim filed on Wednesday, along with any other claims that the NFLPA could have asserted “known and unknown, whether pending or not” prior to August 4, 2011.

We continue to keep an open mind, and we’ll read with great interest the briefs and memos submitted by the parties on the question of whether the collusion case should be dismissed on the basis that the claim was forfeited in exchange for the new labor deal.  For now, though, it appears that the collusion claim was one of the things that the NFLPA sacrificed in order to strike the current labor deal.

AP

Though at times it may not seem that way, there are 88 players, give or take a few, other than Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow on the New York Jets roster.  One of those players currently isn’t present for Organized Team Activities.

Addressing the media on Thursday, coach Rex Ryan said he has no problem with safety LaRon Landry not participating.

“These are voluntary-type things,” Ryan said in comments distributed by the team.  “Obviously, I think we’re so used to it over the two previous seasons and even this year we probably had as many guys in our offseason program as anybody, even though it’s voluntary.  We probably had as many guys in our program this year and the first two [years] as anybody in the league.  But it is a voluntary-type thing.  I’m excited to coach the people that are here and they’ve done a tremendous job so far.”

Rex is saying the right things, in part because there’s nothing else he can say.  Coaches aren’t allowed to say or do anything to suggest that offseason workouts are anything other than voluntary, other than the single mandatory minicamp each team may conduct.  And with the NFL and NFLPA currently fighting in court on multiple issues, the last thing the league needs is to have a head coach suggesting (as more than a few did in past years) that players should be volunteering to attend voluntary workouts.

So it’s safe to say that there will be no comments calling out players who aren’t attending OTAs, and no retaliation against guys who stayed away by knocking them down the depth chart.  In the grand scheme of things, that’s not a bad thing.

Thus, even though Rex Ryan may be making his best Hector Salamanca face in the photo accompanying this article, Rex realizes that, no matter how many times he rings his bell, the players don’t have to come running for voluntary workouts.

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In the Ravens’ 2011 defense, Terrell Suggs played roughly half of his snaps at outside linebacker, and the other half at defensive end. Suggs tore his Achilles’ tendon earlier this month, and the Ravens are now trying to replace those snaps.

While much of the early speculation centered on rookie linebacker Courtney Upshaw, Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times reports that former second-round pick Paul Kruger is getting the first crack at Suggs’ rush linebacker position.

“It’s early to say what will happen,” conceded Kruger, “but this is what we’re doing now. I’m told where I’m going to line up and I do it.”

Kruger recorded a career-high 5.5 sacks last season, and is more familiar with coordinator Dean Pees’ defense than Upshaw. Upshaw is practicing at strong-side linebacker — Jarret Johnson’s old position. Johnson is now a San Diego Charger.

Kruger certainly won’t lack motivation to excel in what Suggs patented as a highly productive and active position in Pees’ system. It’s the last year of Kruger’s rookie contract, and he could strike it rich on the 2013 free agent market with a breakout season.

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We’ll all go insane if we scrutinize every Jets practice all summer long for any sign of Mark Sanchez strengthening his grip on the starting quarterback job or of Tim Tebow taking the job away. But after a day of Organized Team Activities at which Sanchez seemed to have the lead over Tebow, both Sanchez and Tebow talked like men who want to compete this summer.

“Absolutely, it had a competitive vibe,” Tebow said of today’s practice. “It was a lot of fun. I feel like we have a very good pace – getting in and out of the huddle and getting a lot of plays off which is something that coach Sparano stresses. So we want to have a good tempo. I feel like we were very competitive. We were trying to make plays – trying to execute. A lot of guys are learning the offense for the first time. It is understandable if some of the different flaws or mistakes or mental errors here and there because it is the first time a lot of us have ever run these plays. It will constantly just get better every time.”

Sanchez said he puts more pressure on himself than Tebow could put on him, but he too said he sees the value in competition.

“Everybody’s demeanor today was competitive,” Sanchez said. “It was good to see that vibe and talking to guys, guys were pushing and competing to the very last second with everything they have and then they pull up at the last second to protect the other guy on the other side of the ball. So that’s good. I think we have great competition going on offense and defense, it’s good for us.”

Sanchez’s agent, Brian Murphy, may have been the most competitive person of all, writing on Twitter that the media members who are writing about the competition are being silly because it’s obviously a competition that Sanchez will win.

“No offense media, but of course Sanchez is going to out perform Tim T,” Murphy wrote. “Mark is a franchise quarterback and Tim is a great athlete.”

No word yet on whether Tebow’s agent will get into the competition as well.

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Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown wasn’t thrilled with the team’s selection of Trent Richardson in last month’s first round, and he made those feelings clear on the draft’s first day.

Though Brown has upset the fanbase in front of which he once thrived, he’s not backing down from his evaluation of Richardson as an “ordinary” talent.

“I think the kid is a good working back, and if you’ve got everything else around him he can play his role,” Brown told ESPN Cleveland. “But when it comes to outstanding, I don’t see anything outstanding about him. It’s not said in a cruel manner. He’s very efficient, and that’s what you want.”

Pressed further on his evaluations by ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi, Brown even questioned club president Mike Holmgren’s commitment to the team.

“What have I said about the Browns other than the fact that Richardson is an ordinary back?” Brown asked, rhetorically. “There’s so much I could say. So you tell all those people that want to look at me, look at what you’ve got. You’re sitting on a mess. You’ve got a guy that doesn’t give interviews except in other cities. I ask all the people in Cleveland, do you get the impression that Mr. Holmgren wants to be there? If you do, then tell me.”

In the interview with Grossi, Brown went on to say Richardson lacks “special” running back traits while reiterating that Richardson’s “speed and quickness” is “ordinary.”

“He’ll work hard for you, and he’s kind of an all-around back,” Brown said. “But if you look at Cleveland, I would have gotten me a couple of receivers.”

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The Giants announced that wide receiver Hakeem Nicks‘ recovery would last 12 weeks after he fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during Thursday’s OTA practice. But that might be an optimistic timetable.

Appearing on NFL Network later in the day, coach Tom Coughlin suggested Nicks will be in a race to play on opening night against the Dallas Cowboys.

“Well it’s probably gonna be close,” Coughlin acknowledged. “Hopefully, he will. [Nicks] feels confident about it. The doctors have expressed it as being something that they think will heal very, very well. … If it takes the full three months, you’re gonna be sitting right up next to that opening game. And we certainly hope that Hakeem is correct in saying he heals fast.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter explained on NFL Live Thursday that the Giants won’t have an accurate timetable for Nicks’ return until he undergoes surgery on Friday. Rookie Rueben Randle will have to get up to speed quick.

AP

Rams coach Jeff Fisher continues to insist that Sam Bradford’s disappointing 2011 season should be discounted because he was thrust into a new offense with no offseason, and that Bradford will pick right up where he left off in his promising rookie year under the new Rams coaching staff.

Fisher told Jim Rome on Rome that he has no doubt that the real Bradford is the one who was named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010, and not the one who struggled through an ugly 2011. And Fisher said the coaching staff the Rams have in place will be the right one to get Bradford back on track.

“You have to kind of delete last year, look back to the way he played his rookie year, under Pat Shurmur, who did a great job with him in this offense,” Fisher said. “We’re very excited. Brian Schottenheimer’s an outstanding coach and we’ve got a fabulous quarterbacks coach in Frank Cignetti. They’re off to a real good start. It’s really fun to watch him work and watch him improve.”

Fisher said he gave no consideration to using the second overall pick on Robert Griffin III and always wanted to trade down and build a good team around Bradford.

“The reason I came here is because of Sam,” Fisher said. “We’ve got a franchise quarterback here.”

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Free agent linebacker Quentin Groves has found a new home in Arizona.

The Cardinals signed Groves today, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Groves was a second-round pick of the Jaguars in 2008 and spent two seasons in Jacksonville, playing in all 32 games but struggling to find a place for himself on the defense. He was traded to the Raiders for a fifth-round pick in 2009 and spent two years in Oakland, earning a spot in the starting lineup in his first season but being mostly a backup in 2011.

In Arizona Groves will provide depth at the outside linebacker position, where O’Brien Schofield and Sam Acho are penciled in as the starters, and contribute on special teams.