How Will Offseason Moves Affect NFL?

New Coach, Important Draft For Miami

New head coach Nick Saban has plenty of needs to address and is trying to figure out a way to get extra draft picks. The Dolphins do not have a second-round pick, sending that to the Eagles for quarterback A.J. Feeley last year. Saban doesn't want to have to wait for 70th for his second pick.

The Dolphins and Tampa Bay, which has the fifth overall pick, have entertained a possible swap of first-rounders with Miami also receiving picks in the second and third round. Alex Smith, quarterback from Utah, must be available with the second pick. If San Francisco selects Smith No. 1 overall, then the Dolphins may not get offers for the second pick.

If that's the case, Miami will select Auburn's Ronnie Brown, who is rated as the draft's most complete running back, to replace the retired Ricky Williams. There are swirling rumors that Williams may want to return, but he still must serve a suspension for testing positive for marijuana. I don't see Williams coming back, or out alive after the defense gets a hold of him in training camp.

If Saban passes on a running back in the draft, he could still pursue a trade for Edgerrin James, who was designated as franchise player by Indianapolis. James starred for the University of Miami and would welcome a trade to the Dolphins.

Saban is a protégé of Bill Belichick, so look for the Dolphins to go after linebackers with size and pass-rushing ability, along with a playmaking safety.

Veteran cornerback Patrick Surtain, who carries a hefty salary cap figure, has been given permission to seek a trade and may be headed to Kansas City.

Saban already helped the defensive line by signing Kevin Carter and Vonnie Holliday.

The team can't do much worse than last season, and what better guy to have in your draft room than a college coach from the previous season.

Arizona Cardinals: The New Look

The Cardinals changed their bird-head logo in January to make it look tougher. It's about time something for the franchise is considered tough.

The Cardinals have had 15 straight losing seasons! Last year, they were 6-10 and don't look a team that can shed the monkey on its back. Some of the players thought the change was a good idea simply to break from the past.

"I think it's an example of how we're trying to turn the corner and change things up, change the perspective of what the Cardinals are all about," new quarterback Kurt Warner said. "I think the uniform is a great way to start on it."

Will the new uniforms do anything for the actual cardinals that take the field this fall? Probably not, but the teams group of budding stars should.

"Monday Night Football" Changes

The NFL has completed multi-year agreement with NBC and ESPN for its Sunday night and Monday night packages The agreement with ESPN covers eight seasons of "Monday Night Football" from 2006-2013 and includes an earlier kickoff time — 8:40 PM EST for 17 Monday night games. ESPN's Monday night telecasts will be preceded by its highly-rated NFL Countdown pregame show, which will continue to air at 7 PM EST.

My major question to the forever altering effect on "Monday Night Football": what if you don't have cable?

Collective Bargaining Agreement

Owners and players want to avoid the potential of a 2007 season without a salary cap, which is part of the current CBA, and the longer the owners debate, the less time will remain for negotiations with players.

"We need to focus on peace among the owners," New York Giants co-owner Wellington Mara expressed with concern.

"We must have peace among the owners before we have peace with the union," said Mara. Unity among the owners is absolutely critical. But the owners are far from unified on revenue sharing. The owners will meet again in Washington on May 24-25, but NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said he doesn't expect owners to resolve their internal debate in time to make a deal with the players that soon.

Life on the Other Side of the Tree: Without Moss

This weekend's NFL draft should go down as one of the most important in Minnesota Vikings history.

The significance of this draft does not suggest that the Minnesota Vikings are a couple of players away from a Super Bowl birth. They're looking to justify trading one of the best players in the league. Possibly in league history.

What the Vikings do with the No. 7 pick — whether they use it on a player or package it and trade up or down in the draft — will forever be linked to Randy Moss.

The Vikings acquired the pick from Oakland in the jaw dropping deal for Moss, who was more productive in his first seven years in the league than any receiver in the history of the league.

Now he's wearing No. 18 for the Silver and Black because the Vikings grew tired of dealing with his distractions in the locker room and off the field.

Anyone who knows Moss knows that when he feels like he has something to prove, he performs at a level that no other player in the NFL can match.

Now Moss has another chip on his shoulder, which means he will probably have a monster year in Oakland catching bombs from Kerry Collins.

Supporters of the trade will say it instantly improved chemistry in the locker room and allowed the Vikings to pursue some much-needed help on the defensive side of the ball.

There is little doubt that the first part of that equation is true. Coach Mike Tice spoke in the offseason about needing leaders to emerge in the locker room, a direct shot at Moss. As for the second part, not so fast.

The Vikings had a wildly successful offseason, bringing in cornerback Fred Smoot, linebackers Napoleon Harris and Sam Cowart, safety Darren Sharper, and nose tackle Pat Williams to turn what has been the weak link on this team into a strength.

But remember, the Vikings had more room under the salary cap than any other team in the league before they traded Moss and likely could have afforded most — if not all — of those savvy additions and still kept their superstar.

That means this No. 7 pick has to be a winner.

"Really what we need to do with that pick is add a blue chip player," Tice said. "If we can utilize that pick to get a blue chip player, regardless of position, adding that player can make the guy next to him better. It can make the guy behind him better."

Does that mean it has to be a receiver who scores 17 touchdowns in his rookie season, as Moss did in 1998? No.

In fact, a stud linebacker, cornerback, or defensive end would do just fine.

Raiders: Bus Stop For Dysfunctional Characters

Did the Vikings get the better deal in the Randy Moss trade? Of course, the Raiders don't see it that way. They only see Moss' touchdowns combined with Ronald Curry and Jerry Porter in a potentially lethal three-wide-receiver sets next season — not his high-maintenance ways or his walking off the field while his teammates were still fighting for a playoff spot in Washington in January. You would figure his lack of maturity would eventually end, but it seems like every year he does something to prove that even as the best receiver in the league, plenty of organizations wouldn't want him anywhere near their t-e-a-m.

Maybe it Should be Randi Moss, because there is an "I" in Randi.

But, as usual, the bus stop for the dysfunctional characters is in Oakland again and the team has a different theory: "I think change, at certain times, change can be the best thing for anybody," Raiders coach Norv Turner said at the league meetings last week.

"The reaction has been unbelievable, from players and then coaches we play against," Turner said. "The reaction of teammates, from guys who've been with him, has been outstanding. I think the guys you talk to have nothing but positive things to say, in terms of being a worker, the way he practices, his approach to the game, all those things. ... The combine was right after the trade and the coaches, you know, come up and say, 'Wow, how'd you pull that off?'"

Only time will tell which organization made out the best in the Randi trade.

Can the Steelers Top Last Year's Draft?

Ben Roethlisberger, the 11th overall pick last year, obviously projects as the franchise's QB for years to come. Will the Steelers draft a quarterback?

Absolutely not. Most likely, they will be in a perfect position to draft based on talent, not on specific needs. Depending on how the draft shakes out (and picking 30th, there are a million and one possibilities) the Steelers will pick the most talented player left. Whether it is a wide receiver, offensive lineman, tight end, or cornerback is still questionable. If Matt Jones is still out there, they may very well swing for the fences with him.

This much we know about who the Pittsburgh Steelers will pick in the NFL draft: Maurice Clarett won't be one of their selections. Team president Dan Rooney didn't appreciate the former Ohio State running back trying to skirt NFL rules by entering the draft last year after his freshman season. And Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert and his scouts aren't impressed with Clarett's skills.

So there's no room on the roster for a potential trouble-maker with questionable pro potential.

Matt Jones: Freak of Nature

Speaking of Mr. Jones. Jones' height (6-6), weight (242), and speed (4.37) are magnets enough. The fact that he is a player without a position makes him a can't-miss story for anybody looking for an angle on this weekend's NFL draft. Almost any Southeastern Conference coach who was across the field from Arkansas is willing to provide a juicy Jones quote. Several times former LSU coach Nick Saban has been quoted as saying, "Matt Jones single-handedly won more games than any player in the SEC."

Wide receivers Braylon Edwards of Michigan, Mike Williams of Southern California, Mark Clayton of Oklahoma, and Troy Williamson of South Carolina will go in the first round. Each compiled huge stats in college. Edwards owns school records with 252 catches and Clayton did the same with 221 receptions. Both Williams and Williamson passed up their senior year, but Williams still accumulated 30 TD passes and Williamson had 43 receptions in his final year.

The organizations know what they are getting with these guys and that's why they will be picked ahead of Jones. His college resume includes four catches!

The risk just might be worth it. He has ridiculous speed for a player his size (sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash), but he's raw and untrained as a receiver. Who will take the gamble?

Can the Redskins Win Under Gibbs?

Paying a hefty price for a short-term gain, the Redskins acquired the No. 25 overall pick from the Denver Broncos. In exchange, Washington gave up its third-round selection (No. 76 overall) in this year's draft and picks in the first and fourth rounds in 2006.

The trade allows the Redskins to take care of both of their most pressing needs — cornerback and receiver — in one afternoon. Washington holds the ninth and 25th picks, with the flexibility to trade up or down to get the players the team has targeted.

Two first-round picks could be too much for them to handle. Look at their number one pick from a year ago.

Sean Taylor, a safety, wants to overhaul the seven-year, $18 million deal he signed a year ago. Although he had a strong rookie season, he was an off-the-field nightmare for the club. He fired two agents, was fined for skipping a day of the NFL's rookie symposium, and was benched for a game after being arrested on a drunken driving charge for which he was later cleared.

Taylor has been a negative for the team as much as he has contributed as a positive. The interesting thing is, it's not only him.

"I think Sean's going to come back high-intensity," running back Clinton Portis said. "Just let him go out and have fun, as long as he's not getting in trouble."

Portis downplayed the significance of the workouts and said he was attending only because he wants to assume a leadership role among his teammates.

"Nothing happens today ain't going to affect July, August, September," Portis said. "Santana calls me every day: 'Man, what y'all do today?' I'm like: 'Man, we ain't did nothing. We're doing the same thing you're doing in Miami, running and working out. You ain't missed nothing.'"

I will bet my left arm that Clinton Portis is never an NFL coach.

The day after the season ended in January, Portis famously said his offseason plans were to live it up, and he asked reporters for mercy in advance in case he made the news for the wrong reasons.

Whether the Redskins can gel as a team remains to be seen, but it sure doesn't look like they did much in the offseason to change things.