Did the Browns really turn down second- and  fifth-round picks and up-and-coming wideout Domenik Hixon for Braylon Edwards?

In order to erase this possibility from my mind, let's move on to the Week 3 preview of the college football season.

Saturday, Sept. 19

Florida State at BYU: Our buddy Ian Guerin has predicted big things for the Seminoles this season, and Bobby Bowden is going to need them to take the heat off their off-field problems. Florida State was the youngest team in the country in 2008, trotting out 39 first-year players, and ended the season with a convincing 42-13 victory over Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl to finish 9-4.

The Seminoles will replace only two starters on offense and after suffering through the Chris Rix and Xavier Lee eras at quarterback, Christian Ponder has the potential to be Florida State's best quarterback since Chris Weinke. The key word there is "potential," as Ponder must become more consistent for Florida State to be a legitimate championship contender.

I talked about BYU a couple of weeks ago, and they will be tough to beat in Provo with Max Hall at quarterback. Still, if the Seminoles are to be taken seriously, this is a game they have to win. But this is also a game the Mountain West must have if it and its members want to be taken seriously as a conference, something they have been whining about all offseason. But give the Cougars credit, starting off the season with Oklahoma and Florida State in two of the first three weeks is definitely challenging itself.

Texas Tech at Texas: If this is anything like the thriller in Lubbock last season, a 39-33 last-second win for the Red Raiders that was one of the two or three best games I watched all season, fans are in for a treat. Unfortunately, two of the main contributors to the drama, Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, will not be back for an encore. The Red Raiders hope that sophomore Taylor Potts will be the next in the long line of quarterbacks to thrive in Mike Leach's pass-happy system, and they will also return eight starters on defense.

But this will be a tough task in Austin. Colt McCoy and wide receiver Jordan Shipley will be back, and the Longhorns certainly haven't forgotten about the last-second reception by Crabtree which doomed their national championship hopes. On the bright side for Texas Tech, the Longhorns will have to replace Brian Orakpo and Roy Miller on defense, and Texas is going to have to find someone to replace Quan Cosby to go along with Shipley. However, don't expect Leach and the Red Raiders to make it two victories in a row over Texas.

Nebraska at Virginia Tech: I talked a few weeks ago about the Hokies' 2009 potential, and if they can get past Alabama in the season's first week, this will be their next challenge before Atlantic Coast Conference play starts. The Cornhuskers will be no pushover, as they ended the season as well as any team, winning their last four games including a 26-21 victory over Clemson in the Gator Bowl.

Last season, they lost by only five to the Hokies in Lincoln and also took Texas Tech to overtime in Lubbock. Second-year head coach Bo Pelini appears to have the Huskers on the track back to success, but Pelini must start over on offense as Nebraska will replace quarterback Joe Ganz, tailback Marlon Lucky and receivers Nate Swift and Todd Peterson. The Huskers will return seven starters on defense, including star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

This should be a victory for Virginia Tech, but it also could be a signature victory for Pelini and the Nebraska program in Blacksburg.

Tennessee at Florida: This didn't seem like much other than another Gator beatdown until Lane Kiffin was hired in Knoxville and added a little spark to this rivalry. It might be an even bigger beatdown now, given the difference in talent between the two squads and Urban Meyer's history of making opponents pay for perceived disrespect to he and his Gators.

Remember Georgia last season? I know Mark Richt does, and Kiffin obviously wasn't paying attention when he accused Meyer of cheating when he called a recruit who was visiting Knoxville at the time. Only problem was, it wasn't a violation and the SEC reprimanded Kiffin and made him apologize. This came after Kiffin said he looked forward to "singing 'Rocky Top' all night long after we beat Florida next year" when he was introduced as Tennessee head coach.

This has led to Gators' players posting pictures of Kiffin all throughout the locker room as motivation for this contest, and also led to center Maurkice Pouncy saying this:

"That's OK, because they've got something coming. (Kiffin) went public with all his stuff, but we'll do all our talking on the field. That's when we'll have something to say about it."

Yikes. That doesn't sound like good news for Kiffin and the Vols. While I understand what Kiffin is trying to do, given the difference in the teams this season and the fact that Florida has pounded them four straight seasons, he maybe should have waited a year or two to start trash talking about the Gators.

Utah at Oregon: You have to hand it to the Mountain West teams -- they are not shying away from the competition out of conference. I talked a few weeks ago about the Ducks' battle with Boise State in the first week of the season, and now they host last year's undefeated mid-major squad.

While the Utes will have to replace quarterback Brian Johnson, their top three receivers and the right side of their offensive line, they will return nine starters from a defense that shut down Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The "Autzen Zoo" is always a tough place to win for opposing teams, but Boise State was able to pull off the feat last season and Utah did win at Michigan Stadium last season, so they won't be intimidated. As I said about the BYU-Florida State matchup, this will be a key game for the Mountain West in terms of gaining the respect as a conference it feels its deserves.

Other games worth watching: Georgia Tech at Miami (Thurs., Sept. 17), Michigan State at Notre Dame, California at Minnesota, Cincinnati at Oregon State, West Virginia at Auburn.

Chris Warner from PatriotsDaily.com and Chris Hutchison of TheClevelandFan.com join us to chat about their respective teams, and in the meantime, Brian, podcast newcomer Bruce Hammond and I talk about the impending labor strife in the NFL.

Don't miss this week's show!

Direct download [4.9 MB]

Just a couple of days ago, it was announced that the NFL signed a four year, $4 BILLION dollar deal with DirecTV.

As if the most popular and most demanding sports league in the United States hadn't put a stamp on its superiority in the landscape of professional sports before, it certainly has now. In a time where sponsors are cutting back on advertising dollars, large companies are going under and then getting bailed out only to give executives six-figure signing bonuses, the NFL just keeps getting richer.

The National Football League will receive a 43% annual increase over its current deal, according to the article. Not only will the NFL now receive $1 billion a year under this deal with DirecTV, but under their current deals with NBC, CBS and ESPN, they will make an additional $2.3 BILLION per season.

If you're like me, all you can think about at this point is that scene in Austin Powers where Dr. Evil says "why settle for millions when I could have ... BILLIONS???" I'm a big fan.

I'm thoroughly amazed at how much money this league makes, how it has justified laying off a lot of its employees and that the commish has taken a significant pay cut. Can you think of another group as powerful as this that makes this kind of money and generates this much interest - and still cuts corners? I really don't think any team is losing money, based on the figures that have been thrown out there.

Even the franchises that haven't won diddly poo over this decade are still doing alright. Look at the Cleveland Browns: They're still selling out games (even though the seats may be empty, at least they're paid for) and they've only been to the playoffs once since they returned, back in 1999. The appetite for this sport is INCREDIBLE right now, and fans are always looking for ways to feast on this stuff in the fall.

My buddy Joel Hammond wrote in December about how the NFL was out of line for laying off some of its employees, and after sorting through some of these figures, I agree 100%. Not that the NFL is recession proof, but based on the current demand, I don't really think it's been affected by this recession. How can tell your fans, and your front-office employees, that it's OK to sign a player for hundreds of millions of dollars, then turn around and lay off employees who help with the customer service and presentation of your product? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

If you do the math, based on the figures listed in the article, the NFL will make $3.3 billion, and if that money is distributed evenly to all 32 teams, they will receive somewhere in the area of $103 million based on television revenue alone. That also does not include FOX's share of the television puzzle, either. That money covers all of, or most, the salaries (based on salary cap figures) for the players each year. What the teams will make on tickets, PSLs, merchandise, concessions and other sources during the season will almost assure that these teams will not be running in the red.

In closing, I think we need to realize that the NFL is, for now, the most powerful enterprise in American sports, and will be for the foreseeable future. As saturated as the media has been recently with negative reports about how the economy is in the tank and will need at least a year to get back to some degree of normalcy, the NFL is increasing its revenue, in this case, by 43%.

Sports are by no means immune to this economic instability, but when you are as strong as the NFL, you can at least temporarily avoid the epidemic.

What playoff wannabes need.

The Browns have aged quickly.

The Packers are in tough spot with veteran tackle Mark Tauscher.

Maybe NFL owners aren't crying wolf after all?

Jay Cutler may be scaring off suitors.

Julius Peppers may want to think pay cut if he wants out of Charlotte.

... and obviously, more! Tune in Friday morning.

Our redo of the 2003 NFL Draft yielded a surprising depth to that year's proceedings: Eighteen of the first-round draftees remained in the first round.

But that was just my preconception, as our numbers have shown that that's about the norm. Here were the numbers from the first three we did:

2000: 16
2001: 17
2002: 20

How does 2004 stack up? Let's take a look. Remember, the players' original draft positions are in parentheses, and their colleges are also listed.

First round

1. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Miami (Ohio) (11)
2. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh (3)
3. Eli Manning, QB, Ole Miss (1)
4. Philip Rivers, QB, N.C. State (4)
5. Bob Sanders, DB, Iowa (44)
6. Jared Allen, DE, Idaho State (126)
7. Jonathan Vilma, MLB, Miami (12)
8. Sean Taylor, FS, Miami (5)
9. Karlos Dansby, OLB, Auburn (33)
10. Shaun Phillips, LB, Purdue (98)
11. Steven Jackson, RB, Oregon State (24)
12. Will Smith, DE, Ohio State (18)
13. DeAngelo Hall, CB, Virginia Tech (8)
14. Chris Gamble, CB, Ohio State (28)
14. Michael Turner, RB, Northern Illinois (154)
15. Kellen Winslow, TE, Miami (6)
16. Max Starks, T, Florida (75)
17. Roy Williams, WR, Texas (7)
18. Lee Evans, WR, Wisconsin (13)
19. Tommie Harris, DT, Oklahoma (14)
20. Travis LaBoy, DE, Hawaii (42)
21. Demorrio Williams, LB, Nebraska (101)
22. Chris Snee, G, Boston College (34)
23. Dunta Robinson, CB, South Carolina (10)
24. Kevin Jones, RB, Virginia Tech (30)
25. Darnell Dockett, DT, Florida State (64)
26. Michael Clayton, WR, LSU (15)
27. Michael Jenkins, WR, Ohio State (29)
28. Jason Babin, OLB, Western Michigan (27)
29. Vince Wilfork, NT, Miami (21)
30. J.P. Losman, QB, Tulane (22)
31. Ben Watson, TE, Georgia (32)
32. Shawn Andrews, T, Arkansas (16)

Dropped out of first round

Robert Gallery, T, Iowa (2)
Reggie Williams, WR, Washington (9)
D.J. Williams, OLB, Miami (17)
Vernon Carey, T, Miami (19)
Kenechi Udeze, DE, USC (20): 11/86
Marcus Tubbs, DT, Texas (23)
Ahmad Carroll, CB, Arkansas (25)
Chris Perry, RB, Michigan (26)
Rashaun Woods, WR, Oklahoma State (31)

Also meriting consideration

Igor Olshansky, DE, Oregon (35)
Tank Johnson, DT, Washington (47)
Madieu Williams, FS, Maryland (56)
Antwan Odom, DE, Alabama (57)
Bernard Berrian, WR, Fresno State (78)
Chris Cooley, TE, Utah State (81)
Matt Schaub, QB, Virginia (90)
Travelle Wharton, G, South Carolina (94)
Jerricho Cotchery, WR, N.C. State (108)
Nathan Vasher, CB, Texas (110)
Robert Geathers, DE, Georgia (117)
Gibril Wilson, SS, Tennessee (136)
Derrick Ward, RB, Ottawa (Kan.) (235)

By Joel Hammond
JHammond@pigskinpodcast.com

In December, I wrote that layoffs at the NFL's world headquarters were preposterous, that a league with a billion-dollar television contract and sold-out stadiums shouldn't be laying off public relations staffers.

Since then, the teams that inhabit those sold-out stadiums and benefit from that billion-dollar contract have joined the fun.

And now, this week, the owners will chat all about how their current collective bargaining agreement has done them wrong, how they just can't go on like this for much longer -- all while lounging around at the St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point, Calif., and while the Cowboys, Jets and Giants are ready to move into spanking-new stadiums.

(Fact I did not know -- I swear! -- before suggesting this blog headline: AIG's much-maligned retreat was held at the same resort. Karma's gonna get ya, NFL.)

I'm not the only one not buying the owners' ploy, it seems; this FoxSports.com column author is pretty riled up, as well.

The reason? Easy: There's been no baseball-like discretion exercised in player contracts, mainly because there doesn't need to be. The NFL's salary cap keeps climbing, to $123 million.

"Nonetheless, the likelihood is that all those former employees -- 150 removed from the league headquarters payroll, hundreds more from teams -- are simply pawns in the larger struggle between the owners and the players.

"The players feel no pinch; Albert Haynesworth ... recently got a $41 million guarantee from the Washington Redskins, who also gave a ridiculous contract to a cornerback, DeAngelo Hall, who was let go by the woebegone Oakland Raiders after less than a year.

"The Jets, co-tenants of that palace rising in New Jersey, announced two-week furloughs for a significant number of their office employees right after they signed Bart Scott, a linebacker, to a $48 million deal, about half of it guaranteed."

Meanwhile, the owners swear they'll let the current CBA lapse, meaning there will be a non-salary-cap year in 2011, giving small-market owners -- finally! -- the opportunity to complain about unfairness as their baseball brethren. (They'll conveniently ignore, of course, the fact that they had a chance to keep the cap intact!)

The players swear they will never go back to a cap after that, knowing how deep the pockets of the aforementioned Cowboys, Jets and Giants are.

Hilarity will ensue, and I will enjoy every last minute of it.

Some thoughts as I watch my bracket, in a yearly tradition, goes to hell ...

As I wrote last week, I'm really starting to like former NFLer Ross Tucker's stuff on SI.com.

This week in his mailbag, he's spot on: Josh McDaniels' botching of the Jay Cutler situation -- no matter how poorly you think Cutler also has acted -- places McDaniels squarely at the top of the "Coach on the hot seat" list.

"I think McDaniels knew he needed to win now in Denver and believed his best chance to make the playoffs in 2009 or 2010 was with Cassel running the offense," Tucker writes.

"Cassel may not possess Cutler's natural ability, but his time working with McDaniels the past four years in New England would have allowed him to hit the ground running and potentially have more success than Cutler in his first year with a new offensive scheme in place."

Tucker's opinion got me thinking: Who are some other candidates for the 2009 hot seat list?

Mike McCarthy, Packers: McCarthy fired nearly all of the Packers' defensive coaches, and hired Dom Capers - who subsequently overhauled the entire defensive system by implementing a 3-4 approach.

The potential and personnel are there for Green Bay to have instant success, but as Tucker wrote, coaches' life spans these days are quite short. After the Aaron Rodgers/Brett Favre situation -- as everyone knows, I agreed with the Packers' moves -- and the defensive overhaul, McCarthy needs to win now.

Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals: You wouldn't think a guy who just took his team to the Super Bowl would be on this list, but the Cards' boss fired defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast after Super Bowl XLIII, despite late-season improvements, including forcing Jake Delhomme into six interceptions and holding the Panthers to just 13 points in an NFC divisional playoff game.

Wade Phillips, Cowboys: Jerry Jones picked Phillips and the current administration over Terrell Owens to open the ''Boys' new stadium, intensifying already-intense pressure on Phillips & Co.

Sean Payton, Saints: All the potential in the world, yet very little to show for it. The defense has to improve.

Jack Del Rio, Jaguars: Jacksonville took a major step forward two seasons ago, as David Garrard led them the Jags on a nice playoff run. Last year's 5-11 mark was 1,000 steps backward, complicated by the huge contract given to Garrard, who regressed. This is a big year in North Florida.

After taking a look at the best matchups of the first week of the 2009 college football season last Monday, let's keep on rolling in this 13-week series.

It's on to Week 2, Sept. 10-12.

Thurs., Sept. 10

Clemson at Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets are a team to watch in 2009. Paul Johnson introduced a whole new offense to the Ramblin' Wreck in his first season in 2008, and managed to go 9-4 with a victory over archrival Georgia. The Chick-fil-A Bowl, a 38-3 drubbing at the hands of LSU, was a disaster, but you'd still have to call Johnson's first season in Atlanta a surprising success.

With quarterback Josh Nesbitt and tailback Jonathan Dwyer returning, there should be an even greater comfort level with Johnson's triple-option attack. Once that attack really gets humming, the Atlantic Coast Conference may never be the same.

Meanwhile, who knows what to make of Clemson? Last season, the Tigers came in as a national championship contender and a no-doubt favorite in the ACC. After a 7-6 season and the replacement of head coach Tommy Bowden, new boss Dabo Swinney will have a chance to fly under the radar in 2009, which may be more suitable for the Tigers given their history with matching expectations. Swinney once again will be able to hand the ball to explosive tailback C.J. Spiller, after the latter decided to return for his senior season, but Clemson will have to replace starting quarterback Cullen Harper and wide receiver Aaron Kelly.

Once-highly touted recruit Willy Korn likely will take over as the signal caller, but keep an eye on another super recruit, Tajh Boyd. The Tigers won a fierce battle for his services, and his dual-threat abilities may make him a factor as a true freshman, much as Terrelle Pryor was for Ohio State. This will be a tough test for the Tigers and their new coach and it's unlikely they will pull out the win in Atlanta, but betting on what Clemson will do is not an easy proposition.

Sat., Sept. 12

Houston at Oklahoma State: I talked last week about Cowboys' potential, but this could be a trap game against an explosive Houston squad. The Cougars will return quarterback Case Keenum, who threw for 5,020 yards and 44 touchdowns during his sophomore season, 1,000-yard receiver Tyron Carrier and 1,000-yard rusher Bryce Beall.

Houston ended its season with a 34-28 victory over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Given the problems Oklahoma State may have on defense, this could be a serious offensive explosion in Stillwater. These two teams did play last season, with the Cowboys winning 56-37 at home; but because Keenum and the rest of the Cougars have another year of experience under their belt and they will go against perhaps a much weaker Oklahoma State defense, this could be a chance for Houston to pull off the upset.

UCLA at Tennessee: This is a rematch of a thrilling battle last year in Los Angeles, a 27-24 Bruin overtime victory. Unfortunately, for coach Rick Neuheisel, it was one of the few highlights of a 4-8 debut. Quarterback Kevin Craft will return, and he'll look to improve on a seven-touchdown, 20-interception performance. The good news for Neuheisel is cornerback Alterraun Verner, who led the nation in passes defended in 2008, and linebacker Reggie Carter, who led the Bruins in tackles, both bypassed the draft to return to Los Angeles.

Given Neuheisel's track record, it's not if but when the Bruins will get on track (although given his track record, UCLA also may be in some kind of scandal). Neuheisel will face off against the current lightning rod for college coaches, in Lane Kiffin. While Kiffin is seemingly making more enemies by the minute across the country, his aggressive approach to recruiting and turning around a stale Volunteers program certainly has everyone's attention. There will be a lot of people rooting for Kiffin to fail, and it will be interesting to see if he can make Tennessee a threat in the Southeastern Conference once again.

Don't expect Kiffin to be able to make much headway in 2009, however, as the Vols are coming off a 5-7 season and still need major help at the skill positions. So while this contest may not even remotely contribute anything significant to the 2009 college football season, it's worth watching because of the storylines. And, as mentioned earlier, these two squads played a great game at the beginning of 2008 as they both went on to mediocre seasons.

USC at Ohio State: The Trojans travel to Columbus for the first time since 1990, and they will look to humiliate the Buckeyes in their own house after destroying Ohio State in Los Angeles last season, 35-3. While the Buckeyes lose a lot of seniors on defense, their top running back in Chris Wells and their top two receivers in Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline, there seems to be this prevailing belief that Ohio State will be on to bigger and better things with Pryor at the helm and a number or talented recruits on the way.

But while Ohio State will certainly continue to be near the top of the Big Ten for, can they play with the elite teams in the country after losing three straight BCS bowl games and the blowout loss to the Trojans last season? A win over USC at the Horseshoe would be at least a start, although the Trojans still may be finding themselves at this point in the season, as they are replacing their fearsome linebacking corps as well as starting quarterback Mark Sanchez.

But don't cry for USC, as it has plenty of talent waiting on the sidelines to take over, such as top-rated recruit Matt Barkley and Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain at quarterback. This is going to be one of the most electric atmospheres in Ohio Stadium history, and the Trojans can make a major statement and deliver a major blow to the Buckeyes and the Big Ten with a victory. After all, there are still those in Big Ten country who believe USC dominates those Rose Bowls because they play them on their home field. I guess we'll find out, won't we?

Other games worth watching: East Carolina at West Virginia, Fresno State at Wisconsin, Notre Dame at Michigan, Purdue at Oregon, South Carolina at Georgia.

By Joel Hammond
JHammond@pigskinpodcast.com

Each year, players break out to make fans and fantasy players alike drool all over themselves.

In 2008, James Harrison of the Steelers led the way, winning the NFL's defensive player of the year honors, a Super Bowl title and is about to get a fat new contract.

For fantasy players, it was Michael Turner and Deangelo Williams, Roddy White and Greg Jennings.

The Bleacher Report takes an early look at 10 possible breakout players for 2009:

10. Matt Roth, OLB, Dolphins
9. Byron Leftwich, QB, unsigned
8. Troy Smith, QB, Ravens
7. Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs
6. Vernon Gholston, DL, Jets
5. Tyrell Johnson, S, Vikings
4. Vernon Davis, TE, 49ers
3. Trent Edwards, QB, Bills
2. Felix Jones, RB, Cowboys
1. Michael Bush, RB, Raiders

I suppose I could go along with Bowe, Davis and Jones, but mith doesn't belong here (and his inclusion is based on rumors of a trade to the Jets being true).

Here are five more from The Pigskin Podcast:

Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders: There's certainly a glut of backs in Oakland, but McFadden struggled mightily with injuries last year -- trust me, I know, as I placed way too much stock in him in fantasy leagues. He's explosive, and if he's healthy, expect him to become the feature back.

Bart Scott, LB, Jets: Not that he's underrated, but Scott's value will be better appreciated out of the shadow of Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs in Baltimore.

Derrick Ward, RB, Buccaneers: Speaking of guys stepping out of the shadows, Ward will be the every-down back in Tampa Bay with Earnest Graham spelling him. Ward was explosive in limited action last year, and should be popular among fantasy owners, with a better chance of major production.

Pierre Thomas, RB, Saints: Deuce McAllister is gone, and few, if any, folks in New Orleans and around the league expect Reggie Bush to be able to carry the load. He'll need help, and Thomas will take over the role after carrying only 129 times last season.

Steve Breaston, WR, Cardinals: A known quantity already, sure, but with Anquan Boldin extremely unlikely to return, Breaston will be the primary player to take pressure off Larry Fitzgerald.

Do you have more candidates? E-mail us and we'll get your thoughts on the show.

Be sure to tune in!

Direct download [4.3 MB]

There's no question that a player like Julius Peppers could make a pretty big impact in New England's 3-4 defense.

A few days ago, NFL.com's Vic Carucci reported that the Panthers and Patriots were close to striking a deal that would send the Pro Bowler to Gillette Stadium in exchange for a second-round pick. If you are a Panthers fan, you're probably thinking that there's no way you'd settle for anything less than a first-rounder, but here are a few things to think about, when discussing that potential deal.

The second-round pick is the pick the Patriots received from the Chiefs in the Mike Vrabel/Matt Cassel deal; therefore, the pick is in the mid-30s, which really isn't that bad. Most draft experts will tell you that there really isn't much of a dropoff between the end of the first and the beginning of the second round.

Currently, the Panthers do not have any first-round picks this year because they traded it to the Eagles during last year's draft to select Jeff Otah. The Panthers were incredible last season, but they do have some needs they must address through the draft, and this pick would help them do that.

For a lot of fans in Carolina, nothing would make them happier than to see the former Tar Heel head to another team and fail miserably, especially since he's made it very clear that he'd rather not play in Carolina next season, -- despite getting the franchise tag from the organization that drafted him.

Take a look at the last few big-name linebackers that have gone to New England: Adalius Thomas, Roosevelt Colvin and Junior Seau. Colvin was signed after a big season in Chicago, and was never the same player in New England because he was always hurt. Thomas, signed away from Buffalo after the 2006 season, was supposed to rejuvenate the Pats' linebacking corps but failed. Seau has been a little more effective, but in New England, he's not been anywhere near as successful as he was in San Diego.

Peppers is obviously a little different than the aforementioned group. He's huge, athletic and quick. He's also relatively young (won't turn 30 until next January) and he's still in the prime of his career. Thomas was the same age as Peppers when he signed with the Patriots, and Colvin was 26 years old in the prime of his career. Seau is a special exception, as he was signed out of retirement. The question still remains: If Peppers is a 3-4 linebacker, will he be as effective on every down as he was with a hand on the ground in Carolina's 4-3 system?

Finally, the economics make A LOT of sense (or cents, depending on how you view it) for the Panthers. Right now, they've got the franchise tag on the stud defensive end, and they'll have to pay him 16 million dollars this season - unless they trade him. Based on what he's mentioned publicly, he doesn't plan on returning when his contract expires after the '09 season. So you either get something for the guy right now, and save $16 million this season, or you get him for that large chunk of change during the '09 season and let him walk away, while getting nothing in return.

There's an old saying: Be careful what you wish you for, because you just might get it. Peppers wants out of Carolina, and he hasn't been shy about it. If he's not careful, he'll get what he wants, and he'll end up in a New England uniform -- which may sound like a great thing for him.

As I referenced above, though, we thought the same would be true for both Thomas and Colvin. The thoughts of him in a Bill Belichick defense are scary. Peppers has registered double-digit sacks in six of his first eight seasons with the Panthers, but who knows what kind of changes will be made in a different system?

Only time will tell.

A month ago, I wrote that I would be overjoyed to have malcontented Panther Julius Peppers as an anchor in the Packers' new 3-4 defense.

It doesn't appear Green Bay is on his short list.

Who is? Who knows, but at least there's someone debunking the rumor that Peppers would be a Patriot.

NFL Network columnist Vic Carucci reported that Peppers was on the Patriots' radar, but colleague Adam Schefter has debunked that possibility, for a couple reasons:

"The Carolina Panthers right now are not allowed to trade Peppers because he has yet to sign his franchise tender. When Matt Cassel signed his franchise tender, that gave the Patriots the right to trade him anyplace they wanted without his authority ... Peppers has not signed his tender. The only trade rights that can be brokered right now are between his agent and a team.

"And his agent would not be talking about trade compensation, his agent would be talking about a new contract. So clearly there can't be anything in place to trade him to New England. And even if there were, it is not a trade that I believe the Patriots would make."

And: "You're talking about an enormous sum of money you're going to have to invest in Julius Peppers for starters," Schefter continued. "You're talking about a deal that basically changes the dynamics of the salary structure within the locker room when you've got pending deals coming up with Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork."

Can you imagine, though? Peppers would replace the departed Mike Vrabel and team with super-rookie Jerod Mayo to again give the Patriots a menacing defense, the Patriots could use their first-rounder on another running back (to replace disappointing Laurence Maroney) and if Tom Brady is ready and rarin' to go, the Pats are right back where they've spent much of this century: the top.

It's a scary proposition.

I took a week off, yes, but I'm now back to continue the Pigskin Podcast's draft redos, in which we're looking at each draft this century and attempting to redo the first round - with the benefit, of course, of some time to reflect.

This one is the deepest draft I've done so far; with 19 players left in the first round, there's not much room for folks to fill in.

Here's a quick archive: 2000; 2001; 2002.

And here is the hindsight-is-20/20 version of the 2003 NFL Draft (players listed with college attended and original draft position):

1. Carson Palmer, QB, USC (1)
2. Andre Johnson, WR, Miami (3)
3. Jordan Gross, T, Utah (8)
4. Larry Johnson, RB, Penn State (27)
5. Terrell Suggs, OLB, Arizona State (10)
6. Troy Polamalu, DB, USC (16)
7. Nnamdi Asomugha, CB, Cal (31)
8. Nick Barnett, LB, Oregon State (29)
9. Osi Umenyiora, DE, Troy State (56)
10. Anquan Boldin, WR, Florida State (54)
11. Lance Briggs, OLB, Arizona (68)
12. Eric Steinbach, G, Iowa (33)
13. Jeff Faine, C, Notre Dame (21)
14. Derrick Dockery, G, Texas (81)
15. Willis McGahee, RB, Miami (23)
16. Jason Witten, TE, Tennessee (69)
17. Kevin Williams, DE, Oklahoma State (9)
18. Byron Leftwich, QB, Marshall (7)
19. Asante Samuel, CB, Central Florida (120)
20. Dallas Clark, TE, Iowa (24)
21. Terence Newman, CB, Kansas State (5)
22. Marcus Trufant, CB, Washington State (11)
23. Dewayne Robertson, DT, Kentucky (4)
24. Ty Warren, DE, Texas A&M (13)
25. Calvin Pace, DE, Wake Forest (18)
26. Ike Taylor, La.-Lafayette (125)
27. Dave Diehl, G, Illinois (160)
28. Kawika Mitchell, MLB, South Florida (47)
29. L.J. Smith, TE, Rutgers (61)
30. Bradie James, LB, Louisiana State (103)
31. Cato June, DB, Michigan (198)
32. Kevin Walter, WR, Eastern Michigan (255)

Other candidates:

34. Boss Bailey, OLB, Georgia
40. E.J. Henderson, LB, Maryland
42. Ken Hamlin, FS, Arkansas

Dropped out of first round:

2. Charles Rogers, WR, Michigan State
6. Johnathan Sullivan, DT, Georgia
12. Jimmy Kennedy, DT, Penn State
14. Michael Haynes, DE, Penn State
15. Jerome McDougle, DE, Miami
17. Bryant Johnson, WR, Penn State
19. Kyle Boller, QB, Cal
20. George Foster, T, Georgia
22. Rex Grossman, QB, Florida
25. William Joseph, DT, Miami
26. Kwame Harris, T, Stanford
28. Andre Woolfolk, CB, Oklahoma
30. Sammy Davis, Texas A&M
32. Tyler Brayton, DE, Colorado

Former NFL player Ross Tucker's work with SI.com is usually pretty darn good, and he asks an interesting question in his weekly mailbag: Why aren't the likes of Jeff Garcia, Byron Leftwich, Rex Grossman, Kyle Boller and J.P. Losman on an NFL roster, while J.T. O'Sullivan (Bengals), Ryan Fitzpatrick (Bills) and Dan Orlovsky (Texans) are?

Easy, he says: Members of the first group, wisely or unwisely, are likely looking for a place at which they can start, and won't settle for being a backup without competition.

That battles with teams' views that, with a young quarterback in the fold, it's simply not worth it to have a veteran in camp, which would offer a constant reminder that that veteran can start and likely still wants to.

What good does that do for a team's young, No. 1 quarterback?

Good points, all. But what he doesn't tell you is where the former group will end up. Here's my best guess.

Garcia: Washington. Jason Campbell has had plenty of time to win, and, with Daniel Snyder's signings of Albert Haynesworth and Deangelo Hall, the young quarterback might not get another full season to prove himself. The 'Skins want to win now, and Garcia would plug the gap if Campbell falters again.

Leftwich: Jets. I don't see New York making a bold move for Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez, and while a big trade for disgruntled Denver quarterback Jay Cutler might be in the offing, I'd lean more toward bringing in Leftwich as competition for Brett Ratliff and Kellen Clemens. The Jets, like the Redskins, are hungry to win now.

Grossman: Buccaneers. Luke McCown is the top quarterback in the league, according to Kellen Winslow, but McCown and Brian Griese aren't the answer. Second-year pro Josh Johnson from San Diego State might be, but for a team that typically loves quarterbacks, what would offering Grossman a chance to compete hurt?

Boller: Browns? Cleveland will need a veteran backup once they make the inevitable move of trading either Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn (or both, the way Eric Mangini is going). The Browns have seen Boller plenty, and while he hasn't had tons of success, they know he has a great arm. Maybe Mangini takes him under his wing.

J.P. Losman: Broncos? Where Cutler ends up is anyone's guess, but Losman has played in cold-weather, windy conditions in Buffalo his entire career and has proven he can win games.

Comments? Beefs? E-mail me and we'll discuss.

When a team completes a Cinderella run through the playoffs, or undergoes a massive one-season turnaround, it offers hope to other teams around that respective league: They think, "If so-and-so did it, why can't we?"

It's apropos, at NCAA Tournament time, to conjure up memories of North Carolina State and Jim Valvano, of Villanova beating Georgetown, of George Mason advancing to the Final Four, of Kent State advancing to the Elite Eight.

And in July, when NFL training camps kick off, fans all over the country will be wondering, "is our squad the next Arizona Cardinals?"

Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports tackles the top five most likely candidates, and offers what still needs to be done for each:

Houston: Safety, linebacker, running back

Green Bay: Depth for its new 3-4 defense

Washington: Pass rusher, offensive line depth and developing their young wide receivers

Buffalo: Getting Trent Edwards, Lee Evans and Terrell Owens to jell

Kansas City: Find a defensive coordinator; settle on a pick at No. 3; make a move on Larry Johnson

Those are Robinson's five. I've got five more, though:

New York Jets: Rob Ryan, Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard will make the Jets' defense infinitely better, but the Jets, as I wrote last week, must find a quarterback.

Denver: Sure, Jay Cutler and Josh McDaniels aren't speaking, but have you ever heard the adage that an angry player is a good player? Cutler will want to prove his worth to McDaniels -- and the rest of the league -- and has the weapons to do it. The Broncos must figure out a plan for defense, but they're dangerous.

Seattle: Injuries plagued the Seahawks in 2008, but Matt Hasselbeck likely will be 100 percent again and he's got a new favorite target in T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Seattle will benefit from that 4-12 record - in the form of the fourth pick in every round of April's draft. The Seahawks could be very, very dangerous.

Other potentials: San Francisco, Oakland