PFT’s Week 15 picks

AP

Three weeks remain, and I’ve gradually built the lead back to four games.

But MDS has a chance to trim the gap down to one, if he’s right and I’m wrong on the three games on which we disagree.

And yes, Raiders fans, after four weeks of picking your team to lose, getting the exact score of two games right, missing a third exacta by one point, and correctly predicting the Raiders’ point total in all four games, MDS is picking your team to win this week.

Our picks on all Week 15 games appear below.  (Then again, where the hell else would they be?)

For last week, I eked out the win, 11-5 to 10-6.  For the year, I’m 134-73-1, a 64.4 percent accuracy rate.  MDS is 130-77-1, which keeps him at 62.5 percent.

Bengals at Eagles

MDS’s take: I’d been saying for weeks that the Eagles have given up on the season and wouldn’t win another game this year, and they proved me wrong with a spirited effort on Sunday, beating a Buccaneers team with playoff aspirations. So can they do that twice in a row? I don’t see it. Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins will lead a defense that will make life miserable for Nick Foles.

MDS’s pick: Bengals 24, Eagles 10.

Florio’s take:  The Eagles have now won more recently than the Phillies.  At least that can’t change until April.  Between now and then, the Eagles will change, plenty.

Florio’s pick:  Bengals 24, Eagles 17.

Giants at Falcons

MDS’s take: The Falcons are still the favorites to earn home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, but I think the Giants are the better team. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Giants win in Atlanta in December and then do it again in January.

MDS’s pick: Giants 30, Falcons 20.

Florio’s take:  The Falcons need a win to prove they can win in the playoffs.  The Giants need a win to help ensure they’ll get to the playoffs.  This one feels like the NFC version of Texans-Patriots.

Florio’s pick:  Giants 31, Falcons 21.

Broncos at Ravens

MDS’s take: Baltimore’s decision to fire offensive coordinator Cam Cameron strikes me as a desperation move. The Ravens know they’re not as good as the three elite teams in the AFC, and the Broncos are going to demonstrate that on Sunday in Baltimore.

MDS’s pick: Broncos 24, Ravens 14.

Florio’s take:  The Ravens don’t match up well against Peyton Manning.  They never have.  Throw in a flat-tire offense that the Ravens are trying to change while the car is moving, and the late-season slide continues.

Florio’s pick:  Broncos 28, Ravens 20.

Packers at Bears

MDS’s take: The Packers can clinch the NFC North with a win, and I think they’ll do just that. Lovie Smith has said from his first day as the Bears’ coach that his No. 1 goal is to beat Green Bay, and Smith’s seat will get even hotter when he fails to do that on Sunday at Soldier Field.

MDS’s pick: Packers 28, Bears 13.

Florio’s take:  If Jay Cutler doesn’t play, who’ll shove J’Marcus Webb when this one starts to go south?

Florio’s pick:  Packers 24, Bears 13.

Redskins at Browns

MDS’s take: The Redskins have been red hot lately, but the Browns are better than people give them credit for. Whether it’s Robert Griffin III or Kirk Cousins, the Redskins’ quarterback is going to have a tough time against Cleveland’s defense, and I like the Browns to win a close, low-scoring game.

MDS’s pick: Browns 13, Redskins 10.

Florio’s take:  With or without RG3, the Redskins have found their groove and they’ll continue to push for the playoffs.  Still, this one could be the toughest challenge yet, notwithstanding wins over the Ravens, Giants, and Cowboys.

Florio’s pick:  Redskins 24, Browns 21.

Colts at Texans

MDS’s take: The Texans don’t have much time to lick their wounds after the epic beating they took in New England, but Houston is a more complete team than Indianapolis and should put the Colts away and clinch the AFC South.

MDS’s pick: Texans 24, Colts 17.

Florio’s take:  The Texans may have never won in Indy, but they’ve finally figured out how to beat Indy in Texas.  Besides, the Texans need the win to stay ahead of the Pats for the top seed — and the Colts for the division crown.

Florio’s pick:  Texans 28, Colts 17.

Jaguars at Dolphins

MDS’s take: Neither of these teams is particularly good, but the Dolphins at least look like they’re going in the right direction, while the Jaguars look like they need to be torn apart and rebuilt from the ground up.

MDS’s pick: Dolphins 20, Jaguars 7.

Florio’s take:  The Jags’ travel expenses will be low.  Their offensive output will be even lower.  And no one will notice.

Florio’s pick:  Dolphins 20, Jaguars 10.

Buccaneers at Saints

MDS’s take: Drew Brees will turn in a big game against a depleted Buccaneers secondary, and the Saints will put together a solid win, too late for it to matter in the playoff race.

MDS’s pick: Saints 31, Buccaneers 21.

Florio’s take:  Not long ago, both of these teams had a real shot at the postseason.  Now?  Not.  Though the Bucs have held their own in the Bayou in recent years, the Saints will be buoyed by their bounty victory.

Florio’s pick:  Saints 27, Buccaneers 23.

Vikings at Rams

MDS’s take: Raise your hand if you actually predicted before the season that this Week 15 game would have playoff implications for both teams. I’m betting on both of these teams falling just short, but I’m impressed that Jeff Fisher and Leslie Frazier have their teams playing well into December. I see the Rams’ defense forcing Christian Ponder into three interceptions and the Rams ending the Vikings’ playoff hopes.

MDS’s pick: Rams 21, Vikings 16.

Florio’s take:  I broke from my vow to never pick the Vikings again this year after their Week 11 bye, and it turned out to be a smart move.  For a change.  So why not do it again?  The young Rams remain inconsistent, and they’re due to lay an egg like the one they popped out against the Jets last month.  Meanwhile, Adrian Peterson is making a run at history.  What better way to take a big chunk out of the gap between A.P. and E.D. (that nickname isn’t as cool as it used to be) than to do it against the team with which he set the record?

Florio’s pick:  Vikings 20, Rams 13.

Lions at Cardinals

MDS’s take: Neither team is playing particularly well, but at least the Lions are playing competitively. The Cardinals aren’t doing anything right.

MDS’s pick: Lions 20, Cardinals 6.

Florio’s take:  Something’s gotta give when a pair of crappy teams get together in Arizona.  The Lions are the lesser of two evils, thanks to the fact that they have the better of the two starting quarterbacks.  By far.

Florio’s pick:  Lions 31, Cardinals 17.

Seahawks at Bills

MDS’s take: Seattle catches a break here, as a bad road team is going not to Buffalo but to Toronto, where the pro-Bills crowd won’t be quite as raucous. The Seahawks strike me as a team peaking at the right time, and they’ll beat Buffalo handily.

MDS’s pick: Seahawks 34, Bills 17.

Florio’s take:  The Seahawks are getting better on the road.  Especially when the road is more like the semi-neutral site that is Toronto.  The push continues for a playoff berth — and possibly the NFC West crown.

Florio’s pick:  Seahawks 33, Bills 20.

Panthers at Chargers

MDS’s take: Give credit to both of these teams: Late in a tough season, when it would be easy to mail it in, they’re both playing hard. So this should be a pretty good game, something you can’t often say about a December game when both teams have losing records. A big game from Philip Rivers will win it for the Chargers.

MDS’s pick: Chargers 31, Panthers 28.

Florio’s take:  Ron Rivera returns to San Diego, with inside information about the Chargers’ offense and a quarterback who seems to be finding his stride, again.  Sunday’s upset by San Diego over the Steelers was an aberration; the Panthers’ unexpected win over Atlanta wasn’t.

Florio’s pick:  Panthers 27, Chargers 20.

Steelers at Cowboys

MDS’s take: This might be the best game on a great NFL Sunday because both teams are desperate. Then again, the Steelers were desperate last week, too, and they laid an egg. Pittsburgh looks like it’s fading down the stretch.

MDS’s pick: Cowboys 20, Steelers 13.

Florio’s take:  It’s a rematch of three prior Super Bowls, and each team’s ability to pursue another Super Bowl appearance rides on the outcome.  It’s hard to overlook that ugly home loss by the Steelers — and it’s even harder to ignore the sense that the Cowboys are finding a way to pull together after Saturday’s tragedy.

Florio’s pick:  Cowboys 27, Steelers 17.

Chiefs at Raiders

MDS’s take: This might be the worst game on a great NFL Sunday because both teams have nothing to play for other than possibly getting the first overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft. I like the Raiders to win and the Chiefs to take another step toward the top pick.

MDS’s pick: Raiders 21, Chiefs 13.

Florio’s take:  It’s the latest renewal of a once-great rivalry, and it continues to disintegrate.  If the Raiders can win at Arrowhead, they can hold serve at home.

Florio’s pick:  Raiders 17, Chiefs 7.

49ers at Patriots

MDS’s take: In a potential Super Bowl preview on Sunday night, I think the Patriots will show they’re playing at another level from the rest of the league. Tom Brady will have a big game against a good 49ers defense, and Bill Belichick will have something up his sleeve for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

MDS’s pick: Patriots 31, 49ers 17.

Florio’s take:  Another prime-time home game against a playoff-caliber team, another big win for a Patriots team that is poised to make another assault on a championship.

Florio’s pick:  Patriots 34, 49ers 24.

Jets at Titans

MDS’s take: I don’t think the Jets are particularly good, but none of the teams they’re playing in December are particularly good, either. So I like the Jets to win this one, and probably win out to earn a surprising 9-7 record and even an outside shot at an AFC wild card berth.

MDS’s pick: Jets 14, Titans 10.

Florio’s take:  The Jets keep moving toward an unlikely playoff berth.  The Titans keep moving toward an inevitable house cleaning.  Mittens off for Bud Adams!

Florio’s pick:  Jets 14, Titans 10.

The pre-three-day weekend news dump strikes again.

On a handful of days every year, bad news safely can be slipped through the nation’s collective five hole.  The Friday before Memorial Day weekend is one of them.

And so Friday’s late-afternoon disclosure that a settlement has been reached the lawsuit filed by a pair of massage therapists against the Jets and quarterback Brett Favre was timed perfectly, from the perspective of the Jets and Favre.

While lawyer David Jaroslawicz has said only that the lawsuit was “resolved and discontinued,” it’s very common in any case where money changes hands for the party (or parties) writing the check insist on confidentiality.  Many settlement documents state that the only thing that can be said about the case is that it has been resolved.

And so the comments from the lawyer and the circumstances of the disclosure of the settlement invite speculation regarding what the plaintiffs received.  Often, the speculated amount is way too high.  Regardless, anyone who settles a case — for any amount of money — and insists on a confidentiality provision risks creating the perception that far more money changed hands that the settlement otherwise would indicate.

Still, the timing quite possibly was specifically engineered to ensure that fewer people will notice that the case was settled, and that those who do will be less likely to consider what it all potentially means.

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Lost in Friday’s decision by former Lions receiver Titus Young to exercise his right to remain silent literally is the fact that the list of charges against him has expanded to 11.

When a guy gets charged with 12 crimes, does the judge add a 13th for free?

Per multiple reports, Young picked up a felony charge of residential burglary, a misdemeanor charge of resisting and obstructing an officer, and a misdemeanor charge of vandalism under $400.

Police apparently learned during the investigation of Young’s May 11 arrest that he had attempted to break into a second home, that he fought with police, and that he damaged a fence.

Young won’t be able to expand to his rap sheet, unless he finds a way to commit crimes while in custody.  A judge has increased his bail to $50,000, and Young’s family has declined to post bond.

Family members and friends have said Young has mental health issues.  Here’s hoping that someone finally will persuade him to seek and obtain the help he needs.

I was going to add “before it’s too late,” but I’ve got a feeling it already may be.

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Yep, Mario Williams shouldn’t have tangled with Tony Buzbee.

As we recently explained, the lawyer representing Erin Marzouki will unleash the time-honored “let’s see what we can f–k with next” approach while representing the former fiancée of the Bills defensive lineman.  According to David Barron of the Houston Chronicle, Buzbee is now f–king with Williams’ liberty by asking a Houston judge to refer the matter to prosecutors for a potential criminal investigation.

To support his claim that Williams’ lied, Buzbee has released a new round of text messages from Williams to Marzouki regarding the $785,000 diamond ring for which Williams has sued.

“‘Keep those material things.  It means nothing to me anymore,’” Williams allegedly said.  “‘I said keep it’” and “‘KEEP IT! Remember me by it.’”

Buzbee argues that the text messages sufficiently conflict with the allegations in Williams’ lawsuit to make the statements perjury.

“Despite his fame and wealth, this court should not allow Williams to misuse the court system, or to avoid the ramifications of his conduct,” Buzbee explained in a court filing.  “Williams is not above the law.  He undeniably lied under oath.”

The criminal justice system rarely becomes involved in disputes arising from civil litigation.  Lies routinely are told under oath as people either make a grab for cash or try to protect it.  Prosecutors typically can’t and/or won’t devote limited resources for fighting real crime to pissing matches between private parties.

Sometimes, however, the private controversy assumes a very public position.  Which means that, in a case like this, an opportunity arises to deter similar behavior in the future.

None of this means that prosecutors will indeed pursue charges against Williams.  But it’s just another example of how aggressively Buzbee will attempt to get Williams to drop the case and leave Buzbee’s client alone.

Reuters

One month ago tonight, Commissioner Roger Goodell repeatedly made the slow walk to the podium at Radio City Music Hall to announce each of 32 first-round draft picks.

Over the three-day period, 254 rookies were drafted.  As of Friday, 157 of them had signed their first NFL contracts.

The trend flows directly form the 2011 labor agreement, which has streamlined dramatically the process of doing rookie deals.  Apart from the question of whether offset language will be added to the fully-guaranteed compensation paid to the players taken at the top of the draft and certain marketing considerations that bogged down the Andrew Luck talks last year, there’s nothing to negotiate.

Still, there’s a potential downside.  As Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com pointed out last year, players who get money in May have more time to spend it.  The guys who sign their rookie contracts in late July launch straight into training camp and the preseason and the regular season and they don’t have the same opportunity to squander any of their cash.

That’s not a problem for most of the guys being picked high in the draft.  Only four of 32 first-round picks have agreed to terms, and only one in the top 10.  Many are watching the Dolphins and defensive end Dion Jordan at No. 3, given Miami’s refusal last year to drop offset language from quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s contract.

AP

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who from time to time has talked about the importance of the NFL returning to Los Angeles, thinks that folks in Buffalo shouldn’t worry about their favorite team making a permanent trip to California.

“The thing that Bills fans ought to know is there are a handful of other cities as well that look to Los Angeles and say, ‘Should the fact the NFL doesn’t have a team out there concern us?’” Jones recently told Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.

“I think that’s an obvious thing to think about, but if I were a Bills fan I would feel good about the recent negotiation and remodeling of the stadium.”

Still, the “recent negotiation” locks the Bills in to the stadium named for its 94-year-old owner for only seven years.  After that, the price for leaving becomes much more affordable.  Depending on who owns the team at the time, the Bills could be in play to leave.

Regardless, unless the NFL expands, some team will be ripped from its current city and stadium and sent to L.A., if/when the NFL returns there.  Currently, the list of potential teams to move is fairly short, and the Bills remain fairly close to the top.

Of course, there’s a chance that the L.A. market will remain open indefinitely, providing ongoing leverage for teams looking to improve their stadium situations in their current locations.

It’s worked for 18 years.  There’s no reason for the league to stop now.

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In 2006, the Rams spent a third-round draft pick on defensive tackle Claude Wroten even though he had been arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute three months earlier. That turned out to be a mistake: Wroten was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy in 2007, then suspended for the entire season for another positive drug test in 2008. After that, his career was effectively over.

At least, it appeared to be over. Now Wroten is playing Arena Football for the Orlando Predators, and he says he is done with drugs and hoping for another chance in the NFL.

“NFL teams don’t have to worry about me,” Wroten told the Orlando Sentinel. “My ultimate goal is to make it back to the big show, back to the NFL. I feel I’m on the brink. I’m in the best shape of my life mentally, spiritually and physically.”

Wroten threw away most of his prime athletic years, but at age 29, there’s still a chance that he could convince some NFL team to give him one more chance. The NFL reinstated him in 2010, so he can play if he can find a team willing to sign him to a contract.

“I don’t look back at my life and say ‘shoulda, woulda, coulda,’” Wroten said. “I don’t live with regrets. My goal is to become a renaissance story and come back to the NFL. That’s my driving force.”

Playing well in Arena Football — and staying out of trouble — could be Wroten’s ticket to an NFL training camp.

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Publicly, the NFLPA has been mum on the manner in which the sports agency owned by Jay-Z recruited Jets quarterback Geno Smith.  Privately, the NFLPA will say just enough to spark action.

According to Albert Breer of NFL Network, the union plans to send a letter to agent Kim Miale, the certified agent who works for Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and who represents Smith.  The NFLPA wants to know whether and to what extent Jay-Z was involved in recruiting Smith to hire Miale.

Under a rule passed by the NFLPA in 2012, only NFLPA-certified agents may be involved in recruiting clients.  Thus, if Jay-Z engaged in any recruitment of Smith to hire Miale, Miale has a problem.

Complicating matters are comments from Smith’s advisor, John Thornton, to CBS and a photo of Jay-Z and a photo that appeared in social media of Smith with Jay-Z, before Smith hired Miale.

Said Thornton, who later claimed that he was misquoted:  ”It really all came down to who he was most comfortable with.  I was in those meetings and Jay-Z connected with him on many levels.”

In our view, information sought by the NFLPA could include the full list of Roc Nation employees who met with or talked to Smith, the circumstances and timeline surrounding Miale’s arrival at Roc Nation, whether Smith actually met Miale at any point before signing the Standard Representation Agreement, the number of times Smith and Miale communicated during the recruitment process, the number of times Miale communicated with Thornton and other Smith advisors, the number of times Smith and Jay-Z met and communicated during the recruitment process, and the number of times Jay-Z communicated with Thornton and other Smith advisors.

Phone records, emails, and other documents could be sought to confirm the things that potential witnesses may say, given the strong incentive to conceal any evidence of recruiting by Jay-Z.  Interviews could be conducted of Smith, Miale, Thornton, Jay-Z, and others with knowledge of the situation.

The biggest problem for the NFLPA could come from its lack of jurisdiction over Jay-Z.  While the union can take action against Miale, the NFLPA can do nothing to Jay-Z or anyone else who doesn’t fall under the union’s regulatory umbrella.  Indeed, the NFLPA lacks the power to compel Jay-Z or anyone else not certified by the NFLPA to cooperate.

Thus, the problem could repeat itself, with the NFLPA suspending Miale and Jay-Z then hiring another certified agent.  And so on.  While we’re not advocating this specific solution, the only way the NFLPA could end the cycle (if Jay-Z intends to be involved in recruiting clients and if he can’t or won’t obtain NFLPA certification) would be to issue a blanket statement that any agent who associates with Jay-Z automatically would be subject to discipline.

The union is a long way from that point.  But the decision to look into the Miale-Smith arrangement represents much more than some agents thought the NFLPA would do.  Those agents and plenty of others will be keenly interested in how the inquiry proceeds, the information it uncovers, and the manner in which the situation is resolved.

AP

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made quarterback Tony Romo one of the highest-paid players in NFL history this offseason, and he also said publicly that he wants to see Romo spend more time in the facility and get more involved in the offense. That raises a question: If there were any issues with Romo’s commitment, why give him that kind of contract?

But Jones says it’s not about questioning Romo’s commitment. Instead, Jones told Albert Breer on NFL Network that he simply meant that if he’s going to pay someone the kind of money he’s paying Romo, he wants to be certain that player is giving everything he can possibly give to the team.

“When you give somebody $100 million, you’d like to get every ounce of anything they can bring to the table to win a football game,” Jones said.

Jones said he believes Romo is a great offensive mind who can add a lot to game planning sessions.

“He’s outstanding on offensive concepts and he’s got a vantage point that very few people have,” Jones said of Romo. “So anything that he can bring from the concept to the field has got to make us a better football team. I think it will.”

Romo has led the Cowboys to an 8-8 record in two straight seasons, but Jones says that doesn’t mean Romo is mediocre.

“We’ve been disappointed the last two years,” Jones said. “Nobody more so than him. We’re going to take what we’ve got with Romo’s great experience, ability, decision making, all of those things and we’re going to try to win more ballgames.”

Romo will have to help the Cowboys win a lot more ballgames to justify that contract.

Reuters

From the “Who Doesn’t Belong and Whhhhhhyyyyyyy?” file, Pop Warner football will honor on Saturday night the Patriots, Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez, former Patriots TE Ben Coates, Redskins RB Alfred Morris, and Nancy Kerrigan.

The Bills’ new defense is designed to create confusion.  (Unlike the team’s recent defenses, the confusion ideally will be experienced by the members of the opposing offense.)

Dolphins OT Jonathan Martin is “excited” (calm down, Tebow) for the chance to play on the left side, and he has bulked up to help improve his performance.

When scouts went to Tennessee to watch wideouts Cordarrelle Patterson and Justin Hunter, they’d emerge curious about Jets WR Zach Rogers.

P Brian Moorman is more than a camp leg for the Steelers.

The Browns are shaking up their media relations department.

Ravens LB Elvis Dumervil already is emerging as a leader.

Here’s a look at whether Bengals CB Leon Hall is underrated.

Texans QB Matt Schaub says he’s his toughest critic.  (That makes me feel like less of a jerk.  Slightly.)

Titans WR Kendall Wright is determined to make more big plays in 2013.

Former Jaguars TE Pete Mitchell autographed a photo of himself being chased by Ray Lewis in creative fashion.

Colts G.M. Ryan Grigson will be honored next month by the National Football Foundation.

The Chiefs’ offensive linemen are learning fast, thanks to having not one but two position coaches, Andy Heck and Eugene Chung.

Here’s a look at possible surprises on the Broncos’ final 53-man roster.

Raiders LB Nick Roach said it’s obvious his teammates showed up for OTAs ready to work.

Former Chargers coach Sid Gillman is No. 18 on ESPN’s all-time list of coaches.

Redskins LT Trent Williams thinks the team’s offense doesn’t put QB Robert Griffin III at risk, because the plays on which he injured his knee weren’t “called runs.”

Cowboys DT Josh Brent has been placed on a new portable alcohol monitoring system that requires urine and breath testing at regular and random intervals.

It’s still too early to know who’ll win the starting quarterback job for the Eagles.

When the Giants recently welcomed the Manchester City Football Club to the Timex Performance Center, defender Micah Richards passed on the chance to catch balls from the JUGS machine; “I don’t trust my hands actually,” Richards said.

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson doesn’t believe in same-sex marriage, but he also doesn’t believe P Chris Kluwe’s support for it got him cut.

Lions S Ricardo Silva heard that people thought he was a little slow last season, so he has worked on getting faster.

LB Brian Urlacher says of the Bears organization:  “There’s one person I could really take or leave.”  (Bill Swerski?)

A Janesville, Wisconsin couple has won the truck previously owned by Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.  (It’s a Ford, which is fitting, since the Fords and Rodgers separately own the Lions.)

Panthers QB Cam Newton has a new clothing line at Belk, the store with the name that sounds like an interrupted burp.

Retired Buccaneers DB Rondé Barber has gotten the key to the city of Tampa.  (There’s only one condition:  He can’t loan it to Tiki.)

Saints coach Sean Payton apparently spent plenty of time working out during his one-season suspension.

A Georgia man is accused of trying to alter checks written by Falcons WR Julio Jones and Falcons CB Christopher Owens.

Rams WR Tavon Austin took a few handoffs during practice on Friday.

Seahawks WR Justin Veltung can perform a 56-inch standing box jump.

With the Cardinals drafting LB Alex Okafor, LB Sam Acho once again will help mentor Okafor.

Decensae White, a star basketball player at San Francisco State University and a former college roommate of 49ers WR Michael Crabtree, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering rapper Lil’ Phat, also known as Melvin Vernell III.  (And he’s where we emphasize that Decensae White, not Michael Crabtree, faces the murder charge.  Not Michael Crabtree.  Not Crabtree.  Not.  Crab.  Tree.)

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From the moment the Cowboys opted to install a 4-3, Cover 2-style defense, we began beating the drum (or, as the case may be, the dead horse) for the team to sign middle linebacker Brian Urlacher.  Apart from his lingering physical skills, his leadership and knowledge of the system would have dramatically assisted with the transition.

But just like 2009, when the Cowboys perplexingly passed on adding Ray Lewis, they never batted an eyelash at Urlacher.  And he recently has said that he wishes they had.

“If I could have picked a spot, it would have been Dallas,“ Urlacher said, via the Dallas Morning News. “[The Cowboys] run our defense. They took our [defensive] coordinator.  That would have been ideal.  But they have two really good young linebackers.”

Still, their young linebackers have no NFL experience in the 4-3 system.  Urlacher does, and he would have been a perfect option as the Cowboys make the change.

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Typically, players don’t participate in voluntary offseason practices only when the players choose not to do so.  In the case of Jets running back Mike Goodson, the recent decision to not volunteer was made involuntarily.

According to Seth Walder of the New York Daily News, both the Jets and the league held Goodson out of OTA sessions this week after his May 17 arrest on weapons and drug charges.  Goodson hopes to resolve the issue and return to practice next week.

Goodson could force the issue if he wants, filing a grievance via the NFLPA.  Teams can’t keep players from practicing unless they are suspended or cut.  In Goodson’s case, however, pushing for the team and/or the league to let him practice could prompt the team and/or the league to shrug.  And then to suspend him.

Goodson’s primary defense is that the gun found in the car in which he was riding wasn’t his.

Which, to the older folks in the crowd (like me), also is known as the Greg Brady defense.

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Maybe he’s just sucking up to his new quarterback.  Or maybe he genuinely believes it.

Either way, new Ravens defensive lineman Chris Canty would take quarterback Joe Flacco over Eli Manning.

“He won a Super Bowl and he’s one of the best deep-ball passers in the NFL,” Canty said during an in-studio Friday visit to Pro Football Talk on NBCSN.  “Take a look at the tape.”

While Canty credits Eli for being “good in clutch situations when you’ve got to have that fourth-quarter drive,” Canty believes more in Flacco.

“He throws a beautiful deep ball, he throws it only where the receivers can get their hands on it,” Canty said.  “You’re talking about in the vertical passing game and they’ve got some vertical pass threats.  They got Torry Smith.  They’ve got [Dennis] Pitta.  They’ve got [Ed] Dickson.  They’ve got some good weapons for him to use down the field.”

It also was fitting that, with Canty choosing a current teammate over a former teammate as the better quarterback, Canty also picked another former teammate as his favorite quarterback to sack.  “I’m on Tony Romo more than the Dallas media,” Canty said.

For more of Canty’s foray into the national media, check out his full chat with Erik Kuselias below.

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Dr. James Andrews, the renowned surgeon who rebuilt Adrian Peterson’s knee before his MVP 2012 season, and who has said Robert Griffin III is making “superhuman” recovery from his own reconstructive knee surgery, would like everyone to understand something: Peterson and Griffin are the exception, not the rule.

Andrews told Newsday that a couple of high-profile players making great progress from torn ACLs should not be taken as a sign that a torn ACL is the kind of injury that players can always expect to shake off over the course of an offseason and come back as good as new.

“The last thing I’d want people to be thinking is people are coming back quicker and quicker,” Andrews said. “The few individuals that you know of who have come back quickly are what I call ‘superhuman’ athletes . . . There are only a few of those superhuman athletes out there. Their healing potential for some reason is much better than the average patient, but you can’t extrapolate their ability to come back from an injury to the average athlete.”

Andrews added that even the greatest of athletes can have a long and difficult rehabilitation process after a major knee surgery, and the next NFL superstar to blow out his knee won’t necessarily come back as strong as Peterson did, or as progress as quickly as Griffin seems to be.

“They’re all different,” Andrews said. “There’s still a big spectrum in how they heal and how they come back . . . It’s hard to predict recovery from an ACL surgery, and to say that we’re getting them back quicker than we used to would be false information from my standpoint.”

That’s an important reminder for fans, and for the players themselves: A player who pushes himself to come back on Peterson’s timetable is probably going to do more harm than good. Going from ACL to MVP will always be the exception, not the rule.

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Mike Ditka will be the 14th Chicago Bear to have his number retired. He will also be the last.

The Bears, who have retired the most numbers of any NFL team, have announced that they will no longer retire numbers after Ditka’s 89 is retired at a Soldier Field ceremony this season.

“If there is going to be a last one, there is no more appropriate one than 89,” Bears owner George McCaskey said in a statement.

That means great Bears like Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary, Richard Dent and Brian Urlacher won’t have their numbers retired, but Hampton told the Chicago Sun-Times that’s fine by him.

“It’s simple math,” Hampton said. “This is a franchise with so many great players. If everybody’s number got retired, it would diminish the honor in a way. I understand. The trap of it all is that if you played for the Bears, you’re one of many. If you played in Tampa, what is there, a handful of guys?”

It’s still possible, of course, that the Bears will change their minds and decide to honor some great player of the future. But for now, the plan in Chicago is to retire retiring numbers.

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Carson Palmer hasn’t been the Cardinals’ quarterback for long, but he already knows one thing: He loves playing for head coach Bruce Arians.

Palmer gushed about Arians to Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports, and he said he can already tell the rest of the team loves the new coach as well.

“I love the head coach,” Palmer said of Arians. “I mean, I love the head coach. He keeps it real. He already has this team wrapped around his finger. And we have some talented players in this locker room.”

Veterans like Palmer don’t often describe offseason workouts as enjoyable, but that’s the way Palmer feels in Arizona.

“When you like the coach and the guys in the locker room, and you know you can still play at a high level, and you feel like you can help take a team to a Super Bowl, and you know you’re job’s not gonna be as hard as it may have been before – it’s just fun,” Palmer said. “It’s been very fun since I’ve been here. And nobody thinks OTAs are fun.”

Nobody thinks Palmer has much of a chance to take the Cardinals to the Super Bowl, either. But Palmer thinks he and Arians are building something special together.