And so comes the last of the unofficial postseason awards that everyone assumes are official, even though they aren’t.

The AP 2008 All-Pro team has been announced, and the full list is right here.  Some random observations follow. 

At the quarterback position, being the league MVP carries a lot more weight than being the offensive player of the year, given that Peyton Manning gathered 28 votes and Drew Brees pocketed only 10.

Adrian Peterson received only 45 votes at running back, which means that five voters viewed the guy who led the league in rushing as not one of the best two tailbacks in the league.

Le’Ron McClain is the starting fullback in a landslide, based in large part on what he did as a tailback.

Tight end Tony Gonzalez is the top tight end, based on equal parts reputation and sympathy.

Defensive end Jared Allen beat Julius Peppers for the No. 2 spot behind Justin Tuck by only one vote.

Albert Haynesworth got 49 of 50 votes at defensive tackle, meaning that some brain-dead moron brilliant AP voter didn’t regard Haynesworth as one of the top two defensive tackles in the league.

DeMarcus Ware of the Cowboys landed on 45 ballots at outside linebacker, despite the presence of James Harrison and Joey Porter.

At safety, Ed Reed got 50 votes and Troy Polamalu received 46.  Reed was the only guy to appear on all 50 ballots.

In all, the roster of All-Pros contains 15 first-timers.

We know, we know.  It’s easy and it’s obvious to poke fun at the Lions for their recent history of drafting receivers in round one.

But with two big-name receivers now slated to join the draft pool, and with the Lions holding two picks in the first round of the 2009 draft, we’ll go the Chris Berman route and make the incredibly superficial and overplayed connection.

If you’d like to know who the two players are, take a look at CFT.

On Monday, I’ll yield the reins of CFT to the new Editor-In-Chief, whom we identified during last night’s Live Blog of the Florida-Oklahoma game.

Though he returned to practice three days this week on a limited basis, Eagles guard Shawn Andrews has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Giants, due to a back injury suffered in Week Two.

Fullback Dan Klecko is doubtful with a shoulder injury, and tackle John Runyan is questionable, due to a knee injury.

Several Eagles are listed as probable, which means that it’s a virtual certainty that they will be available for normal duty.  They are:  defensive end Victor Abiamiri (foot), linebacker Stewart Bradley (rib), safety Brian Dawkins (back), safety Quintin Demps (quadricep), guard Todd Herremans (shoulder), cornerback Asante Samuel (hip), tight end L.J. Smith (shoulder), and running back Brian Westbrook (knee).

The Eagles and the Giants square off in the early game on Sunday.  The road teams won in the two regular-season games between the teams.

Last week, ESPN’s Cris Carter touched off a mini-controversy by introducing a new radio shtick focusing on the notion of shooting Terrell Owens before a crowd of credentialed media.

The story didn’t really gain traction, possibly because no one really listens to Cris Carter.

But T.O. heard him, and here’s what T.O. had to say in response, at YardBarker, via BSO:  “This is T.O. and I want to tell you this myself.  People ask me what I thought about what Cris Carter said about me a few days ago.  All I know is, if I’d been the one who had said that about him, what would everyone have thought?”

Um, is there more?

Actually, there isn’t.

So we’re left here with this odd feeling that Owens ascended to the top of the high dive, was preparing to do a Triple Lindy, and then in the end he just said ”screw it” and he climbed back down.

Really, why even respond to Carter if you’re not going to raise the stakes? 

But at least T.O. made his position known at YardBarker, because the comments are worth the price of admission. 

Here’s our favorite:  “do you have your ‘popcorn ready’ to watch the eagles in the playoffs from the couch this year?”

New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush insists that a December microfracture surgery to repair his damaged left knee wasn’t as serious as the typical full-blown microfracture procedure, describing it as a “clean-up” to smooth out cartilage.

Bush told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he underwent a cartilage repair called a “chondroplasty,” with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews performing the surgery.

Per the Times-Picayune, Bush said he’s been off crutches for a few weeks, has resumed workouts, and is on schedule to participate in the Saints’ offseason training program in March.

While the somehow-only-23-year-old former USC star acknowledged that some microfracture techniques were utilized, he added that there was no exposed bone inside his knee, which is typically the reason why microfracture surgery is conducted.

“I feel like I’m right on track,” Bush said.

Saints G.M. Mickey Loomis acknowledged earlier this week that the surgery was a somewhat minor microfracture procedure after coach Sean Payton labeled it as an arthroscopic surgery in late December.

Regardless of the severity of the surgery, Bush has suffered four different “minor” injuries to his left knee over the past 14 months and has been sidelined for 10 of the Saints’ past 20 games.  That’s enough of a recurring problem to raise eyebrows around the NFL about Bush’s durability as an undersized back at 6-0, 203 pounds.

Bush, who returned three punts for touchdowns and generated 660 844 yards of total offense this season before being placed on injured reserve, expressed frustration with being saddled with so many injuries.

“I think it has been unfortunate mishaps these last few years, but it’s definitely something I can’t ignore,” Bush said.  “I need to focus on strengthening my knee to the point where it doesn’t happen again.  I’ll work with the doctors, trainers and weight staff, doing everything possible to get ready for this season.

“This is my job, this is what I love to do, so it’s frustrating.  It’s nobody’s fault, but I won’t allow it to happen a third time.  Two times is enough. I’ll do everything possible to make sure I’m 110 percent.  I’ll push my butt more this year than I ever have, because of the injuries, and because I owe it to the city, I owe it to the team.  I don’t feel like I’ve lived up to the expectations that I have in my own mind.”

In three NFL seasons, Bush has rushed for 1,550 yards and 12 touchdowns and caught 213 passes for 1,559 yards and eight touchdowns. 

Two years after the Raiders parted ways with a well-known player named Moss, they could be landing a head coach of the same last name, but a far lower profile.

Packers assistant head coach/linebackers Winston Moss, the sole survivor of a recent purge of the defensive staff (other than the quality control guy), will be interviewing for the head-coaching job in Oakland, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Moss played for the Raiders from 1991 through 1994.  The 43-year-old has worked as an assistant coach for 10 years.  He recently interviewed with the Rams for their head-coaching vacancy.

In Oakland, Moss would be the second person formally interviewed for the vacancy that arose when interim coach Tom Cable’s stint ended with an unexpected two-game winning streak.  Cable was interviewed earlier this week, and Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride had a 90-minute phone interview that the Raiders later characterized as something that was done as a favor to Gilbride’s agent.

By interviewing Moss, the Raiders will be in compliance with the Rooney Rule, which requires at least one minority candidate to be interviewed for each head-coaching vacancy.  The Raiders, however, would be one of the last teams to suspect of conducting narrow-minded, non-inclusive job searches.  They had an African-American head coach (Art Shell) long before the movement to compel consideration for minority candidates gathered steam, and their Chief Executive (Amy Trask) is one of the only females in any position of significance with any NFL franchise.

Then again, this doesn’t mean that the Raiders don’t have something up their sleeves.  We wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the Raiders are interested in making Moss their next defensive coordinator, and that they lined up an interview of him for the head-coaching position because the Packers could have blocked an attempt to interview Moss for any other job.

So with Gus Frerotte trying to talking his way out of Minnesota and Tarvaris Jackson trying to play his way out of the starting job (again), Vikings coach Brad Childress has made it clear that change could be coming in 2009.

“It’s really kind of a whole offseason type of study,” Childress said Thursday.  “I’m not going to pass judgment right at this particular point.  I think with everybody here in the organization, just like we always have, is to turn over all the rocks and see what you have there. I would also say that there’s a point with Tarvaris of continuing to evolve as a quarterback, and while you’d like that process to happen immediately, it doesn’t always.  But there’s not anything we’re going to leave unturned in terms of free agency [and the] draft.

“You see who’s out there, and by the same token Tarvaris is going to be here and we’re going to continue to get him better.”

The challenge for Childress will be to know who is and isn’t available, and to then pick one of them.

Or, more accurately, to know who will be and who won’t be available.

Last year, Brett Favre made no secret about his desire to play for the Vikings, whose offensive coordinator (Darrell Bevell) is Favre’s former position coach in Green Bay.  The chatter regarding the chatter between Favre and Bevell/Childress culminated in tampering charges being filed against the Vikings.  (They were later cleared by the league.)

This time around, it’s unknown whether Favre will be available come June.  So, if the Vikings want him, how can they make a run at Matt Cassel or someone else whose presence would exclude Favre from making a late-offseason arrival?

If the Vikings don’t pounce quickly on one of the various quarterbacks with starting experience who’ll be on the market, then the chances of the team making a one-year run with Favre increase. 

The only fairly sure thing at this point?  Barring something completely unforeseen, Frerotte won’t be back — and Jackson won’t be the starter.

Former Titans and Ravens quarterback Steve McNair has decided to host a pep rally for the Ravens, as they prepare to play the Titans.

When word of the event first broke, the Nashville media went bonkos — and McNair decided not to do it.

Now, he has changed his mind.  But only because the proceeds from the event go to the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore.

“This is a charity event I’m doing for the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore and that’s it,” McNair said, according to WKRN in Nashville.  “It doesn’t have anything to do with the Ravens or the Titans.  I’m gonna be there because I’m not gonna disappoint these kids.

“People want to say it’s about the Ravens, it’s not about the Ravens,” McNair added.  “It’s not about Tennessee.  It’s about these kids from the Ronald McDonald House and I can put a smile on their face.  It this taints my image I’m going to be very disappointed because that’ll tell me that people [do not] care about me raising money to help kids.  That’s selfish.”

We admire McNair for even caring about his image in Nashville, given the crappy manner in which the Titans treated him two years ago, freezing him out of the facility and dragging their feet in trade talks with Baltimore.

Also causing a local ruckus is the fact that the event will be held at a place called Limelight, not far from LP Field, where the Titans play their home games.  Management of Limelight has issued a statement aimed at ensuring that the facility won’t be hosting crickets the day after hosting Ravens fans.

“On Saturday we will be a sea of blue and we will be rooting hard for our home team,” the statement asserts.  “With an open night on our calendar, we put together a Baltimore party to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House and the Steve McNair Foundation.  We did not promote this event in Nashville and only wanted to welcome Baltimore fans to our fine city while simultaneously raising money for charity.  It was not our intention to offend any Titans fans in the process.”

The Ravens rally in Nashville was arranged by our friends at WNST in Baltimore.  It’s unknown whether any of the folks who once rode in a limo with Ray Lewis will be providing security for the event.

Bills RB Fred Jackson is an exclusive rights free agent this offseason and would like to sign a long-term deal.

The Patriots are taking their playoff spectators role in good humor.

Dolphins QB Chad Pennington said that he felt the Jets didn’t want him as their quarterback even before they traded for Brett Favre.

When asked if Pennington would be his starting quarterback next year, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said “Yeah.”

Ravens T Willie Anderson has revived his career after getting cut by the Bengals.

20 years ago today, the Bengals won the AFC Championship behind 102 yards from RB Ickey Woods.

New coach Eric Mangini didn’t make any indication about whether Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson would be the starting QB next season.

Said Steelers play-by-play announcer Bill Hillgrove of the NFL’s new Trophy Towel, “They’re trying to piggyback off Myron Cope’s wondrous product.  It’s a cheap imitation.  I think it’s wrong.”

According to Cold Hard Football Facts’ Defensive Passer Rating, the Texans turned opposing quarterbacks into Joe Montana this season.

Said Colts President Bill Polian of coach Tony Dungy, “If his decision is to come back, we’ll welcome him back with open arms and I can’t wait to get ready for ‘09. If he decides not to come back — if he decides that’s the best situation for he and his family — then we’ll respect that and move on to [Associate Head Coach] Jim Caldwell in a seamless transition.”

RB Maurice Jones-Drew picks the Titans and Steelers this weekend, but thinks the Jaguars are better than the teams still in the playoffs.

Titans C Leroy Harris, replacing injured C Kevin Mawae this weekend, has started one game in two years.

Former Patriot Kyle Brady says Josh McDaniels will need to work to win over Broncos veterans if he gets their head coaching job.

The Chiefs G.M. search has led to a series of unfounded rumors.

Potential Raiders defensive coordinator Ed Donatell has a history with interim coach Tom Cable.

Long snapper David Binn is the only Chargers player who was with the team when they played in Super Bowl XXIX.

The Cowboys need to address their defense come draft day.

The Giants weren’t able to sack Eagles QB Donovan McNabb in either of their meetings this season.

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg isn’t concerned with T Jon Runyan’s health.

The Redskins laid off 20 employees, including two members of the football operations staff.

Bears QB Caleb Hanie didn’t play during his rookie season, but calls it a “learning experience” all the same.

More calls for NBC to oust Matt Millen from Detroit.

Packers linebackers coach Winston Moss reportedly told the Rams he wasn’t ready to be a head coach.

Vikings coach Brad Childress plans to retain his entire staff.

Former Giants DE Michael Strahan said he wasn’t surprised that Falcons QB Matt Ryan didn’t change his snap count against the Cardinals.

Panthers QB Jake Delhomme and Cardinals QB Kurt Warner were teammates with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe.

Saints RB Reggie Bush said he was on track to participate in offseason workouts after his microfracture knee surgery.

The Buccaneers signed 10 reserve/future free agents including 2008 fourth-round draftee DT Dre Moore.

For Cardinals P Ben Graham, his third 2008 team was the charm.

Rams LB Chris Draft is working to raise asthma awareness.

Said new 49ers RB coach Tom Rathman on what he likes about head coach Mike Singletary, “He wants to be a smash-mouth football team, a tough, physical football team. That’s always what I’ve wanted my guys to be, the toughest group on the field.”

Seahawks president and G.M. Tim Ruskell on trade rumors about QB Matt Hasselbeck, “Matt’s our quarterback. I’m very happy that he is.”

NFL player contracts often include roster bonuses due early in the offseason.  The goal is to force the team to make a quick decision as to whether the player is in the plans for the coming year.

Since base salaries typically aren’t guaranteed, a team can squat on a player long after the free-agency market has evaporated, and then cut him at a time when it’s too late either to get paid or to get prepared to be successful on a new roster.

Every once in a while, the team pays the bonus and then makes the ultimate decision later.  The Titans, for example, once paid running back Eddie George a $1 million roster bonus in March 2004, only to release him later in the offseason.

This year, Browns quarterback Derek Anderson is due to receive a $5 million roster bonus in March.  The widespread thinking is that they’ll try to trade him before the bonus comes due, because the only alternative is to cut him.

But a league source tells us that the $5 million roster bonus is fully guaranteed by $5 million in salary and other payments, all of which will hit the cap in 2009 because, in 2010, there is no salary cap.

So if the Browns cut him or if they keep him, they’re still on the hook for $5 million. 

How this affects trade talks remains to be seen.  On one hand, there’s even greater urgency for the Browns to do a deal before the roster bonus comes due, since that’s the only way to avoid paying the $5 million.  On the other hand, the Browns might take the position that, if they’re on the hook for the $5 million regardless of whether they keep him or cut him, they might as well keep him around for another year.

New coach Eric Mangini might have been already laying the foundation for the “screw it, we’ll keep him” approach on Thursday, when he didn’t commit to Brady Quinn as the starter.

Regardless, the fact that Anderson’s $5 million roster bonus is fully guaranteed by $5 million in other payments represents a fairly large Cleveland Steamer that Phil Savage has left for the next G.M. (whoever it might be) to clean up.

As Colts fans wait for an announcement (possibly coming Monday) on the future of coach Tony Dungy, the sense is and has been that he’ll call it quits after seven seasons with the Colts, and six before that with the Buccaneers.

But quarterback Peyton Manning thinks that Dungy will be back. 

So says Archie Manning, who shared the information on Thursday with Dan Patrick.  (Archie Manning thinks Dungy will retire.)

Last year, the team announced that Jim Caldwell will replace Dungy once he leaves.

Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin missed practice yet again on Thursday with a hamstring injury, making him a game-time decision for Saturday night in Carolina.

Boldin suffered the injury during a first-half, 71-yard catch-and-run against the Falcons six days ago.  He played in one more series but then did not return.

“The issues you have is if he’s able to contribute, then you are going to have to make sure it stays warm and you’re not just getting him one play here and one play there,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said Thursday, according to the Arizona Republic.

Boldin realizes the challenge of a receiver playing with a hamstring injury.  “If I played any other position, I’d be fine,” Boldin said. “But being a receiver, you’ve got to run every play and that’s doubly tough.”

The Cardinals will need Boldin in order to have a shot at upsetting the second-seeded Panthers.  For further analysis of the Cardinals’ chances and our pick for the game, we offer another PFTV segment.

By the way, the current forecast for kickoff in Charlotte is 49 degrees and rain, and that could be trouble for a team that has trouble when not playing in that climate-controlled bubble in Glendale.

When we saw the headline at ESPN.com this morning, we nodded and smiled.

The game.  Is on.

Favre knows that, unlike the cap-rich Packers of a year ago, the cap-strapped Jets can’t afford to carry his $13 million cap number into the 2009 league year.  So by delaying his decision as to whether he’ll retire for “several weeks,” Favre is pushing the Jets closer to the point at which they’ll have to decide whether to get in compliance with the cap by making cuts elsewhere — or by simply cutting Favre.

Last weekend, Charley Casserly of CBS said that the Jets are projected to be nearly $10 million over the 2009 salary cap.  And since this will be the last year with a salary cap under the current CBA, the Jets won’t be able to use time-honored tools of reducing current cap numbers by, for example, paying big chunks of base salary up front and spreading the excess over the life of the deal.

Ideally for the Jets, Favre would “retire” before the start of the new league year in late February/early March (we probably should find out the specific day), which would remove his $13 million from the books.

Sure, Favre could unretire later and drop the $13 million back onto the cap, but that’s a cannon that a living legend likely can fire only once in his career.

So either he’ll tell the Jets he’s inclined to retire if the team grants his unconditional release in the process, or he’ll simply drag his feet until the day in late February/early March on which, by 4:00 p.m. EST, the Jets must be in compliance with the 2009 salary cap.

Maybe the Jets will call his bluff, cutting players and slashing salaries in order to continue the house-in-the-Hamptons-style charade premised on the notion that the Jets genuinely want him back next year.

They don’t want him back.  And Favre doesn’t want to be there.

But the Jets, like the Packers a year ago, also undoubtedly prefer that Favre not go somewhere else and do well.  (The Jets also get a 2010 seventh-round pick back from the Jets Packers if Favre retires.)

Though Favre likely realizes there’s a limit to the extent he can get into a public pissing match with his second NFL franchise in two years, he’s also a guy who is used to getting his way.  He kind of got his way last year in Green Bay.  We’ve got a feeling that, this time around, he’ll settle for nothing short of the ability to go wherever he wants in 2009.

Last week, we pondered via PFTV the four playoff matchups.  In the end, we picked the Falcons, Colts, Ravens, and Eagles. 

We got two right, and two wrong.

This time around, we’re going for 4-0.  Which likely guarantees an 0-4 finish.

First up, the Ravens-Titans game.  So give us two minutes and 28 seconds of the last workday of the first week back after the Holidays and see what we have to say.

And then, if you’re making a pick of your own, it’s probably wise to do the opposite.

Maybe it’s the lingering effects of the steroids.

Or maybe he’s just not very bright.

Regardless, former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski wants to be the next head coach of the Broncos.

And unlike other former NFL players such as Deion Sanders and Marshall Faulk, who have merely talked about their desires, Romo has rolled up his sleeves and gone high-tech, preparing a Power Point presentation that makes his case.

Slide No. 7:  “If a player gets out of line, I will break his face.”

Romo, we hope this is just a way to inject your name back into the NFL consciousness, given that you’ve pretty much dropped off the face of the earth — and would have remained out of view until the time comes for Hollywood to cast the next movie featuring former football players showing tremendous range by playing, um, football players.

Regardless, he sounds serious about it.

“I can’t stop thinking about this,” Romanowski told the Associated Press.  “This may be a complete fantasy and that’s all right. . . .  At the end of the day, nothing may happen from it.”

Well, at least he’s not completely delusional. 

Then again, anyone who thinks that he can become an NFL head coach with no prior coaching experience is mostly delusional.

And that’s the reality — Romanowski has no experience, apart from helping with his son’s team.  So if he wants to become an NFL head coach, he needs to rekindle a relationship with a former teammate whose face he didn’t break or position coach whose authority he didn’t undermine by breaking teammates’ faces and become an assistant coach, and then work his way up.

“For Pat [Bowlen] to do something like this, it would take him being a visionary, thinking outside the box,” Romanowski said. 

Visionary?  No. 

Inebriated?  Yes.

But Romanowski doesn’t simply want to coach the team.  He wants to revamp the front office, specifically as it relates to draft preparations.

“I’d take the top 60 colleges in the country that produce pro prospects and I would treat those 60 like they were their own league and start looking at freshmen when they come in,” Romanowski said.  ”When 80 percent of your talent comes from 20 percent of the colleges, I think you ought to have a pretty strong focus on those colleges.” 

Great.  Fine.  We like it when people have ideas.  But, again, there’s a way to go about getting in position to be able to share those ideas.  Publicly grandstanding for a high profile job despite having no experience and an admitted history of steroids use and confirmed erratic behavior (probably from the steroids) isn’t the way to make it happen.

Think of it this way.  How many of the other candidates for any of the current NFL head-coaching jobs are publicly lobbying for the positions?

Exactly.

Romo, you’ve gotten your name on television and in the papers again.  Congratulations.

Now, please let the Broncos focus on their efforts to hire a coach.  A qualified one. 

In Thursday morning’s one-liners, there was a quote from Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Bryant about his negotiations for a long-term contract.  He said things were “moving in the right direction” and, according to PewterReport.com, the team feels the same way.

They also report, however, that should things hit a snag, Bryant could be franchised.

The Bucs will have in the neighborhood of $46 million in salary cap room for next season, which leaves plenty of space for a tender of about $9 million for Bryant.  It won’t be an issue until February 5th, the first date that the Bucs can use the tag, but the looming deadline should ensure Bryant’s agent Peter Schaffer and Bucs G.M. Bruce Allen keep discussing a new deal.

Bryant was a finalist for Comeback Player of the Year after posting 83 catches for 1,248 yards and seven touchdowns after missing the entire 2007 season.  Bryant was suspended for the final two games of the 2006 season and the first two of 2007 after he was arrested for driving under the influence and resisting arrest while playing for the 49ers.  He was released, failed a drug test over the summer and then sued the NFL to stop the league from drug testing him since he wasn’t a player.

Clinton Portis made his last visit to John Thompson’s radio show in D.C. on Wednesday and he didn’t sound like a man enamored of his role on the Washington Redskins. He started by complaining about his seating assignment on the team plane and moved onto the way coaching choices kept him from making statistical gains.

“I mean, bro, to be in Week Nine of a season and five yards away from a thousand yards at the end of the third quarter, and all of the sudden you can’t get five yards in the game because y’all trying to win the game?” Portis said. “And you’re finished, and can’t even get to 1,500 yards? You know, I mean, you want to have hope, but is it really hope? You’re telling me in seven games I couldn’t get 500 yards after I was 300 yards above all competition in Week Nine? So who knows, man?”

His major issue was the shift in philosophy that the team made after starting the year 6-2. As Dan Steinberg of the D.C. Sports Bog points out, they went from running the ball 33.4 times per game in the first eight games to 26.4 times in the second half. Passing attempts went from 29 to 34.8 over the same span.

“I think we was healthy in the 6-2 span and playing smashmouth football. And through that span of whatever we went, 2-6, I think we just lost the identity of what we were trying to do. I think when the running game was our focal point, I think Jason [Campbell] was playing great, I think Santana [Moss] was playing great and [Chris] Cooley as well and everybody else was getting involved. And once we got away from that and just started slinging the ball, nobody did anything. Jason’s play fell off, my play fell off, ‘Tana’s play fell off, Cooley’s play fell off. So I think we’ve just got to stick with what’s working . . . You know, I mean, that’s on them. That’s on the front office, you know, that’s on them to decide if our offensive line was good enough, if I was good enough, if anybody else was good enough.”

Given the 2-6 close to the season, Portis may have a point. He touched on his problems with Jim Zorn as well, saying that he couldn’t “rule with an iron fist,” and intimated that running backs coach Stump Mitchell had less control than other position coaches. Not all appears to be lost, however. Portis did make a magnanimous gesture when it came to his willingness to help the team next season.

“I can’t do nothing but go ahead and just do what they ask me to do. If they ask me to come in and start punting, I’m gonna get my leg ready and learn how to be a punter.”

The underclassmen continue to flock to the 2009 draft.

Another guy reportedly will jump into the pool.

Find out who it is at CFT.

Although Baltimore Ravens director of pro personnel George Kokinis remains the reported frontrunner to emerge as the Cleveland Browns’ new General Manager, a league source told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the team is also considering interviewing former Denver Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist.

Sundquist was the Broncos’ G.M. for six seasons before being dismissed in March and is highly regarded in league circles as an experienced personnel evaluator/negotiator.

(Undoubtedly working against his candidacy is the fact that he prepared scouting reports and game reviews here at PFT for the 2008 regular season.  Ted, we don’t mind if you disavow us.) 

The article also identifies Indianapolis Colts vice president of football operations Chris Polian as someone who could enter the mix.

Another secondary option is Browns director of player personnel T.J. McCreight, who has already interviewed for the job. His status with the team remains undecided.

Per the report, Philadelphia Eagles general manager Tom Heckert won’t change his mind about interviewing after withdrawing his name from consideration.

Heckert was scheduled to interview Friday, but changed his mind when Eric Mangini was hired as head coach because he wanted to follow the traditional NFL route of the G.M. being hired first and having a strong voice in hiring the head coach.

It’s been reported that Heckert would have advocated hiring New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who used to work with Heckert in Philadelphia.

Kokinis, who’s close friends with Mangini, is scheduled to interview Sunday following the Ravens’ AFC divisional playoff game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.

Mangini didn’t make it a secret that he’s a big Kokinis fan during his introductory press conference Thursday.

“He’s an outstanding person, he’s impressive and he’s got tremendous substance,” Mangini said.  “That being said, what ultimately is important is to get the very best people we can get in here to fill each of the roles.  We’re going to go through that process and meet different candidates.”

It will be interesting to see if the Browns are sincere about widening the net in their G.M. fishing derby, or if they’ve already zeroed in on Kokinis as the slam-dunk successor to Phil Savage.

With no NFL games on until Saturday, you know you’ll be watching the game that decides the second-best team in college football.

Because, as we all know, the best team is Utah.

Still, it’s football and The Office is a repeat.  So join us over at CFT for a PFT-style Live Blog.

Browns owner Randy Lerner, who typically declines to permit cameras or microphones to be used during his meetings with the media, gave an interview on Thursday during an appearance on ESPN 850 WKNR in Cleveland.

The goal likely was to help make the case for hiring Eric Mangini to be the team’s head coach before hiring anyone to serve as the teams G.M.

Frankly, we weren’t persuaded. 

“When you are going out to hire a head coach and a General Manager, it seemed to me that the head coach hire is the more urgent one,” Lerner said.  “The longer you wait, the less people are available.”

The problem with that logic?  Of the four other head-coaching vacancies with teams other than Mangini’s former employer (Rams, Lions, Broncos, Raiders), Mangini had generated no interest.

Nothing.  No interviews, no rumors, no speculation.  Nothing.

So, as it now stands, whoever gets the G.M. job in Cleveland will be stuck with a head coach for the first four years of his tenure.  And this means that, if George Kokinis doesn’t take the job, Lerner will be in the unveniable position of having to persuade a G.M. to work with a man who might not have been the G.M.’s first choice in a head coach.

Or his second choice. 

Or his tenth choice.

I talked about this possible dynamic earlier today during a spot on Sporting News Radio’s The Monty Show.  While the possibility of Lerner eventually hiring a G.M. who would then fire the head coach seems to be ridiculous on the surface, stranger things already have happened.  In Cleveland.

Lerner also explained the decision to hire a head coach before hiring a G.M. as follows:  “Typically, if you have a long-standing head coach that has been part of the continuity of an organization . . . that guy would take a leadership role in hiring,” Lerner said.  “In our situation, we don’t have that person.”

Wow.  This statement reflects such a gross misunderstanding of the business of the NFL that we can’t think of a way to address it without offending Mr. Lerner any more than we surely already have.

Rarely, if ever, does a team search for a new General Manager while having a “long-standing head coach” on the payroll. 

Rarely, if ever, does a head coach at any time take a leadership role in hiring a true General Manager.

A true General Manager is, by the NFL’s standard definition, the boss of the coach.  The true G.M. has final-say authority over the roster and the draft, or the G.M. isn’t truly a G.M.  (See Tom Heckert.)

So maybe what Lerner is saying is that Mangini will be superior to the G.M. (as it is in New England and Philadelphia, for example), which could prompt the Ravens to resist efforts to hire George Kokinis, who can’t make the move from Baltimore to Cleveland without serving the role of a true G.M.

Though this all might somehow end well, it’s definitely not starting well. 

And the losers are, once again, the fans of the Browns, who desperately deserve a team that isn’t competitive once every five years, but that consistently is winning at least as many games as it loses.

So far, their favorite team is losing the offseason.  Badly.

Someone sent us the link earlier today, and we forgot about it until we saw Jim Rome’s take on it during his ESPN gig on Thursday afternoon.

It’s video of the last true fan of the Lions, a guy who has had carved into his chest a tattoo of a big-ass team logo, with “0-16 2008″ under it.

“Dan” hopes to eventually augment his tat with a Super Bowl trophy, if/when the Lions ever win one during his lifetime.

“Dan” is 25.  We recommend that he refrain from smoking and drinking, and that he eat only brown rice and bean sprouts. 

Here’s the video.

As we prepare for the first-ever CFT Live Blog (I’m currently carbo-loading with Fettucini Alfredo), allow us to persuade you to give some advance traffic to our sister site with a tease as to a big-name college player who is entering the draft.

Click here for more.

And don’t forget to check out our Live Blog, at 8:00 p.m. EST.  All proceeds will be donated to the effort to cure rabies.

With the Browns hiring Eric Mangini to be the team’s next coach, with Scott Pioli and Tom Heckert out of the running for the G.M. job, and with Rich McKay never heard from again after the Falcons lost to the Cardinals, there’s an assumption in some circles that the only remaining candidate for the position with the Browns is George Kokinis, the Ravens’ director of pro personnel.

But, as a league source points out, do not rule out T.J. McCreight. 

McCreight currently serves as the team’s director of player personnel, and he has been interviewed for the job.  While the so-called “Baltimore Browns” (i.e., current Browns employees who worked for the franchise that was known as the Cleveland Browns before moving to Baltimore in 1996 and becoming the Ravens) desperately were opposed to the notion of Pioli getting the job, we’re told that they prefer McCreight over Kokinis.

“If Kokinis gets the job, he and Mangini are going to be cracking down on all the leaks and coasters who blamed [former coach Romeo] Crennel when convenient and trashed [G.M. Phil] Savage on his way out the door,” the source says.

We’re also told that, even though there’s now a presumption that Kokinis will take the job, the chances of him leaving Baltimore are right at 50-50.

So if Kokinis doesn’t take the job, then McCreight becomes the primary candidate by default.

Said the source, “[Owner Randy] Lerner is going to have a problem if Kokinis doesn’t get/take the job because he doesn’t have a qualified G.M. candidate to pick from unless he opens up the search.  Who is going to take the job with Mangenius already sitting at the desk?”

Hell, that’s easy.  We know who’d take the job.

Floyd Reese would take the job.

But, beyond Floyd, it might be hard to find candidates who’d happily step into a situation with cap problems and staph issues and some disgruntled high-profile players like Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards.

As the Scott Pioli rumors/speculation continue in Kansas City, we’re told that none of the various media outlets working the story have bothered to ask a simple question of the team.

Are any press conferences scheduled?

We’re also told that no press conferences are scheduled, which undercuts the ever-expanding suggestion that a deal is close to done, and that an announcement is close to imminent.

Oakland interim coach Tom Cable met with owner Al Davis yesterday to discuss getting the job on a permanent basis.  If Cable gets the interim tag removed from his title, it’s not as if the Raiders will have much continuity entering next season.

Oakland’s coaching staff has already been raided.

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan took the same job in Cleveland.  Offensive coordinator Gregg Knapp is gone to Seattle.  Running backs coach Tom Rathman has been hired by the 49ers.  Receivers coach James Lofton is the only Oakland assistant still under contract.

UPDATE:  We’re told that strength and conditioning coach Brad Roll is under contract, too.

The annual Brett Favre retirement watch will not end with a press conference. Favre told ESPN’s Ed Werder that if he decides to retire, he will do so outside of the public eye.

“I’m an emotional guy, and I’m sure people are tired of seeing me get emotional,” he said. “People would probably say, ‘Oh, here he goes again.’ I think it would just be better for me to just thank the Jets, and I sincerely mean that. It was well worth what I invested. But I’m going to just quietly step away if that’s what happens.”

It does seem fitting to hold only one teary retirement press conference per career, and Favre fired that bullet last year in Green Bay before later changing his mind.

The will-he-or-won’t-he-retire drama will last at least several weeks, though. According to Favre, Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum will call him in a month to discuss his possible return to the Jets. Favre isn’t sure whether he’ll have a decision made by then.

“I have the ability to turn it off just like that,” he said. “I don’t feel I have anything else to prove. Do I have to redeem myself for the last five games? No. I could be trying to do that until I’m 60 years old. There is nothing left out there for me from that standpoint. I’m disappointed with the last five games, sure, but I know I did everything I could have.”

The latest leg of the Rod Marinelli post-epic fail tour is in Houston, where the former Lions head coach is interviewing for either a job as the Texans’ defensive coordinator or defensive line coach. The Texans are looking for replacements for Richard Smith and Jethro Franklin, who were both fired after the the regular season ended.

Marinelli, who has never served as a defensive coordinator in the league, but was a highly regarded line coach for 10 years in Tampa, has already interviewed with the Bears and the Seahawks about coaching jobs.

We continue to be flooded with e-mails from folks who claim that Pats V.P. of player personnel Scott Pioli soon will be introduced as the new G.M. of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Though it’s our general understanding that these reports are premature at best, the tight lid that the Chiefs have kept on the situation makes it very hard to know precisely what in the hell is going on out there.

Len Dawson, formerly of the Chiefs and currently of KMBC-TV in Kansas City, generally cites “reports around the country” indicating that Pioli will be hired by the Chiefs before pointing out only the Eagle Tribune (your guess is as good as ours . . . actually, it’s in North Andover, Massachusetts) in support of the notion that the deal is done, and that the only step remaining is for Pioli to sign the contract.

Also, 610 Sports radio in Kansas City reported on Wednesday that the Chiefs have offered the G.M. job to Pioli.

Still, neither the Chiefs nor Pioli have said anything about the situation.

Other candidates are believed to be Mark Dominik of the Buccaneers and Jimmy Raye of the Chargers. 

The Cincinnati Bengals are engaged in an online promotion that might or might not provide a clue about the future of receiver Chad Johnson a/k/a Chad Ocho Cinco.

For every $50 spent via the team’s pro shop, the buyer will receive a free No. 85 jersey, with either ”C. Johnson” or “Ocho Cinco” on the name plate.

At first, we thought that it was a way for the team to clear out the “C. Johnson” merchandise, so that Johnson can officially become “Ocho Cinco” in ‘09.

The fact that either jersey is available makes less sense, especially since it’s our understanding the Reebok opted not to go forward with the production of “Ocho Cinco” shirts given the existing inventory of “C. Johnson” jerseys — unless Johnson bought roughly $800,000 worth of “C. Johnson” shirts.

Though the whole thing is confusing to us, we don’t think it means that the team is clearing out any and all Johnson/Cinco jerseys in advance of a divorce with the mercurial wideout.

Then again, these are the Bengals we’re talking about.

For jerseys and other stuff as to every other team and/or Super Bowl XLIII gear, click the NFL Pro Shop ads that you see on our various pages.

San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson hasn’t been formally charged with driving under the influence yet after being arrested early Tuesday on suspicion of DUI, according to court officials who said prosecutors are waiting for documents from the California Highway Patrol.

Jackson already was on probation due to a 2006 DUI conviction, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.  Under the terms of his probation, he was ordered not to drive with a measurable amount of alcohol or drugs in his system.

In the prior incident, Jackson allegedly had glassy, red eyes and slurred speech, didn’t perform well on a series of field sobriety tests, and blew a 0.13 percent blood alcohol concentration on a Breathalyzer test, according to the arresting officer.

In the more recent incident, Jackson was pulled over for an observed traffic violation.  It’s not known whether he submitted to a breath or blood test.

Jackson has been practicing this week and is scheduled to play in Sunday’s playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He issued a statement Tuesday afternoon after being released from jail at 6:00 a.m. PST, in which he said he’s innocent.

Jackson has met with team officials about the incident, including coach Norv Turner.

“You can do something wrong and not be a bad person,” Turner said.  “We’ll handle it.”

To no surprise, the hiring of Eric Mangini by the Browns closes the Cleveland window of opportunity on Pats V.P. of player personnel Scott Pioli.

Per multiple media reports, Eagles G.M. Tom Heckert is out of the running, too.

Heckert canceled an interview scheduled for Friday, explaining that he doesn’t know Mangini and would not be entirely comfortable in the job.  Per Jay Glazer of FOX, Heckert would have pushed the Browns to hire Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as the next head coach.

Meanwhile, Adam Schefter of NFLN adds to a growing chorus of reports that set the record straight regarding the notion that Pioli made “extreme demands” of the Browns.

“He never demanded millions of dollars per year, as had been speculated,” Schefter writes.  “He never demanded certain powers, as had been previously reported.  Pioli never asked the Browns for anything, not a single thing, which flies in the face of multiple reports that he had.”

As we’ve previously surmised, these reports possibly were coming from folks who didn’t want to see Pioli land in Cleveland, and/or folks who don’t want to see him leave New England.

The hiring of Mangini by the Browns, and the presumed arrival of George Kokinis as G.M., likely saves the employment of various colleagues and cronies of former G.M. Phil Savage, who faced potential termination if Pioli had been hired. 

Despite reports and rumors linking former 49ers coach Mike Nolan to the vacant defensive coordinator job in Green Bay, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that former Jaguars, Redskins, and Titans defensive coordinator and former Bills head coach Gregg Williams could get the job.

Though no one has been interviewed in the handful of days since Bob Sanders was fired, Williams could fit head coach Mike McCarthy’s “best available candidate” plan.

Then again, is Williams the best available candidate?  His only year in Jacksonville was a very, very bad one, and he received only cursory consideration for the head-coaching job in Washington last year after Joe Gibbs retired.

Also, keep in mind the possibility that Williams could land back in Tennessee with coach Jeff Fisher, if current defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz lands a head-coaching job.

Other possibilities for job, per Silverstein, include Jim Haslett and Romeo Crennel.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops is not and will not become a candidate for the Denver Broncos’ head coaching vacancy.

The Denver Post, citing an unnamed NFL source, reports that Stoops is not being considered by owner Pat Bowlen.

The source says that Stoops was being honest when he said he’s not going to succeed fired Broncos coach Mike Shanahan.

And, per the Post, the Broncos are about to wrap up the first wave of their search by interviewing Miami Dolphins secondary coach Todd Bowles today.  He’s the seventh candidate to meet with the Broncos’ search committee. 

The Broncos plan to hire one of the seven coaches they’ve interviewed.

So, the Broncos’ next head coach will be New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Broncos offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, or Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.

The Broncos plans to spend the next few days deliberating the initial interviews before bringing back one to three finalists by Monday for a second interview.  (Spagnuolo won’t be available for another sit-down until the Giants’ season ends, which could happen on Sunday.) 

Or, possibly, the team will just offer the job to whomever emerges from the pack as their first choice.

Meanwhile, there’s another interesting development afoot in Denver.  The Broncos will reportedly encourage the new head coach to retain six assistant coaches remaining from Shanahan’s staff, a group that includes Dennison, quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates, receivers coach Jedd Fisch, running backs coach Bobby Turner, defensive line coach Bill Johnson, and strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten.

The rest of the staff has been sent termination notices through the league office.

All of the six assistant coaches are under contract through 2009.  Whether they coach again for the Broncos will ultimately be up to the new coach, though.

The Cleveland Browns, who signed new coach Eric Mangini on Wednesday night to a four-year contract, was formally introduced by the team on Thursday.

Mangini, whose crooked neck tie reminded us of Danny DeVito as Louie DePalma, spoke of “truth in sports.”  The concept apparently has nothing to do with “truth” (as in, you know, hamstring injuries), but with a desire to win that flows from the top to the bottom of the franchise.

It remains to be seen just how close to the top of the franchise Mangini will be.  Though some assume that, because he was hired before a G.M., Mangini will have Belichick-style ”final say” over the draft and personnel. 

But the Browns likely wonR