Lions No. 3 WR Kevin Johnson will be on the field a lot in the Detroit offense, ahead of first-round pick Mike Williams. Johnson catches everything within reach and has the savvy and experience to embarrass most nickel cornerbacks. Head coach Steve Mariucci sees Johnson as a lifeline for QB Joey Harrington, saying that Johnson always looks open and doesn’t drop passes.

Broncos rookie Maurice Clarett didn't make a positive early training camp impression when his fellow running backs were making a habit of finishing runs at full speed while he was coming in at a pace noticeably slower.

Word from New England is that Doug Flutie has looked the worst of the four quarterbacks in camp. He has underthrown receivers and been inaccurate in his passing. The QB surprise has been seventh-round rookie Matt Cassel, who saw limited playing time behind Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC.

The Panthers likely won't use DE Julius Peppers as a wide receiver in goal line sets this season because head coach John Fox doesn’t think his offense needs a gimmick in order to score.

Though Bill Parcells hasn't given up on ORT Torrin Tucker, who started 13 games last season but then was benched, it's possible that Tucker could be released if he doesn't beat out Jacob Rogers or Kurt Vollers for the starting spot. Rogers and Vollers can play both OT spots, but Tucker has worked exclusively on the right side. That lack of versatility could hurt him.

The Cowboys have Lynn Scott working with the first team at free safety, but Bill Parcells referred to Scott as a "journeyman special-teams" type of player. Parcells said Keith Davis, who many thought was the leading candidate for the job, is more of a strong safety; same with rookie Justin Beriault, who has impressed nonetheless. Don’t be shocked if the starter isn’t on the roster right now. Sources say the team had its eye on Browns FS Chris Crocker.

He's considered an extreme long shot to make the team, but Cowboys rookie RB Tyson Thompson could be in the mix as the team’s kick returner. Though he has been super in camp and the fastest of the running backs, the Cowboys might try to hide him in the preseason games and stash him on the practice squad.

Giants OG Rich Seubert has looked as if he's back to his old self nearly two years after shattering his leg and undergoing major reconstruction. He's battling David Diehl for the starting OLG spot, but don't be shocked if both make the team.

One guy who has turned heads in Giants camp is PR/WR Mark Jones, who handled the punt-return job last season but was underwhelming. He’s catching everything in sight at receiver and should have the edge over Willie Ponder to win the PR job.

Team observers have been impressed with the Giants' LB corps, namely new MLB Antonio Pierce. Known as a good run stuffer, Pierce also has snagged the most interceptions early in camp -- more than any of the DBs. Pierce also has established his leadership on the "D" and has impressed teammates with his preparation.

Though Eagles seventh-round DT Keyonta Marshall impressed people with an interception and runback in practice, he still faces long odds to make the roster. Coordinator Jim Johnson said Marshall still needs to shed weight. He's a practice-squad candidate, though, because he is bulkier than any of the Eagles’ D-linemen.

Don't be shocked if rookie Andy Groom beats out 17-year vet Tom Tupa, in a battle of former Ohio State punters, for the Redskins' job. Groom has been booming kicks in camp and could come as a slightly cheaper option.

One guy to watch in Titans camp is sixth round pick TE Bo Scaife, who never reached his potential at Texas. With Ben Troupe recovering from a foot injury, Scaife has been working with the first-team offense and has looked good.

We hear that relations between the Patriots and All Pro DE Richard Seymour never got contentious because the team and the front office really like Seymour -- they were just skeptical of the advice he was getting from his new agent, Eugene Parker. The Patriots were able to free up an extra $1.2 million under the salary cap, which they will give to Seymour this season.

While Jets rookie CB Justin Miller has looked like a real playmaker, making three interceptions in the first five days of camp and being around the ball a lot, we hear that the Jets have been talking him up a bit as part of their negotiating tactics with ex Patriots veteran CB Ty Law.

Jets QB Chad Pennington surprised many observers when he practiced the first five days of camp, throwing each day, before taking the sixth day off. For a guy coming off surgery on the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder and who hadn’t thrown on consecutive days since the surgery in February, Pennington's workload has been tremendously encouraging to the Jets.

By listing Yeremiah Bell instead of free-agent signee Tra­vares Tillman as the starter at the FS spot, head coach Nick Saban has sent the message to his team that he is not afraid to demote a guy who is earning more money than his backup and that there is a level playing field for all players.

While speedy rookie WR Roscoe Parrish will likely play out of the slot most of the time for the Bills this season, we hear that they are also looking at lining him out wide on occasion and moving Eric Moulds into the slot. That alignment would give the Bills two blazers (Parrish and Lee Evans) outside, with the big, strong Moulds hoping to exploit a mismatch inside.

Colts Pro Bowl OLT Tarik Glenn reported at just over 350 pounds -- 18 over his playing weight in January, but well under the estimated 375 pounds Glenn was carrying entering training camp in 2004. Glenn said he's learned how to manage his weight. Observers of Colts camp in Terre Haute, Ind., say Glenn appears lighter than his first-day weight of 350. He has always been light on his feet, but he worked on his strength this offseason, which could help the Colts' erratic short-yardage running game.

Bears WRs Mark Bradley and Bernard Berrian might be going in opposite directions. Berrian starred during offseason team activities, during which time Bradley looked like a rookie and caught as if he were wearing skillets over his hands. Early in camp, however, Bradley has drawn praise from teammates and coaches alike for catching everything in sight while Berrian is struggling to get off of the line of scrimmage cleanly.

The Bears have new starters at three positions on the offensive line, including OLT John Tait, who moved from right tackle, but the group has become cohesive almost instantly. The group almost always is together after practices, even if it means pushing curfew limits. Tait and OLG Terrence Metcalf (6-3, 318), who has been the most impressive player of the bunch because of his heightened level of play, could become a very good tandem. That’s great news for a team that allowed 66 sacks in 2004 and finds it essential to protect third year QB Rex Grossman.

The Jaguars' RCB competition continues, but third round pick Scott Starks has been hard to ignore. Starks, 5-9, 177, is playing physical and looks to be better than advertised against the run. Starks made a tackle that had first-round pick Matt Jones seeing stars during a practice the first week of camp. Starks' aggressive nature might be enough to put him over the top for the starting spot.

The Lions think their running game can be the best in the league. The key is ORG Damien Woody. Woody hired a personal chef and reported in decent shape for the first time since his rookie season with the Patriots. Woody said he weighed more than 360 pounds most of 2004 and was fined every week by team president and CEO Matt Millen. His girth forced the Lions to run right regularly -- Woody didn’t have the agility or stamina to pull to his left. With his weight under control, Woody will make a big difference in the Lions’ running game. He’ll also be vital to the development of a first-year starter, ORT Kelly Butler.

Rookie OLT Khalif Barnes isn't listed as the starter at his position, but we hear Barnes is making a real push. Knocked at the Scouting Combine for being too reserved, Barnes fell out of the first round and to the Jaguars as the 52nd overall pick. The coaching staff is using the "soft" label to motivate Barnes to go all out on every play.

One reason Buccaneers RB Michael Pittman has been so accepting of rookie Cadillac Williams getting the bulk of the work with the first unit is that Pittman knows he will still get plenty of work as a receiver out of the backfield. Williams hasn’t exactly impressed the coaching staff with his shaky hands, which will create more opportunities for Pittman.

We hear the Buccaneers learned their lesson when they held on to PK Martin Gramatica a year too long and will be more proactive when it comes to waiving kickers who aren't getting the job done.

We hear Panthers rookies Eric Shelton and Stephen LeFors both have looked nervous early in training camp, which has led to mental mistakes in workouts.

Prior to the Falcons' trip to Tokyo to take on the Colts in the first preseason game of 2005, head coach Jim Mora consulted with track and field athletes who have experience in international competition to find out what, if anything, the team could do from a nutritional standpoint to help it overcome the fatigue of flying 14 hours each way to and from Japan.

Although Saints DT Johnathan Sullivan has slimmed down a bit to the 325-pound range, we’re told he hasn't looked all that good in workouts and might not be all that helpful to the team this season.

New Orleans is thrilled with the play of QB Aaron Brooks in workouts, but the same can't be said of backups Todd Bouman, Adrian McPherson and Kliff Kingsbury. Bouman has been shaky at best, and McPherson and Kingsbury seem to be in over their heads in their battle for the No. 3 QB spot.

Besides extensive weight room work this offseason, Broncos WR Ashley Lelie spent a fair bit of time critiquing video of his play from last year and came to the conclusion that he wasn't nearly as physical as he needed to be when fighting off defenders at the line and positioning himself for the catch over the middle.

Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan is among those impressed by RB Ron Dayne, who was picked up off the scrap heap in free agency and is making the most of his opportunities in practice. Some 10 pounds lighter and visibly quicker, he is a good fit for the offense but still faces an uphill climb to make the roster because of the plethora of backs in front of him in Denver.

Dick Vermeil reiterated his plans to retire after his contract with the Chiefs is up after this season, but he also left the door open to return if he's confident things are headed in the right direction. "If the team plays real well and it looks like the way we do things is capable of producing a good football team, then I might stay," Vermeil said in early August. "I'm just going to play it out and see what happens."

Kansas City’s new strong safety, Sammy Knight, on hearing people say that the defense only needs to be average for K.C. to get back to the playoffs: "When I hear that, it makes me sick to my stomach, it makes me want to throw up. These guys are out here busting their (butts), expecting to be the top defense in the league. That’s what we shoot for. Just like our offense is expected to be the top offense in the league, we expect to be the top defense. Anything less is uncivilized."

Oakland's quick signing of former Cowboy speedster Randal Williams indicated the team was preparing itself in case Jerry Porter’s return from a hamstring strain is delayed beyond the anticipated two weeks.

The Broncos were busy experimenting with their QB depth chart at the outset of camp, giving Bradlee Van Pelt significant reps with the second team in hopes his increased maturity will translate into supplanting Danny Kanell as the backup to Jake Plummer. Van Pelt, the former Colorado State star who spent last year on the practice squad, has athleticism similar to Plummer's, which would bode well for the offensive play-calling should he be forced into action.

Talented rookie WR Vincent Jackson, who suffered some lapses in concentration in a summer minicamp, made visible strides during the first week of Chargers camp.

Although nearly everyone in Kansas City's training camp expects first round pick Derrick Johnson to be in the starting lineup at LOLB when the season opens, second year LB Keyaron Fox looked solid during the first five days of camp, which Johnson missed during contract negotiations, and could be ready to provide solid depth at both OLB spots.

Undrafted rookie Chris Carr is holding his own vs. first round pick Fabian Washington in the hotly contested battle for punt-return duties in Oakland.

The way we hear it, Steelers NT Casey Hampton looks to be in good shape. A source close to the team says Hampton has been weighed at 310 pounds, a decrease of 15 pounds from his listed weight in the '04 Steelers media guide.

Texans rookie DL Travis Johnson has quickly become one of the team's most interesting players to watch. The first-round pick has been aggressive and pugnacious. He engaged rookie free-agent OT Tim Brown in a pair of fights early in camp. Both players were fined. That's probably not a big deal for a No. 1 pick like Johnson, but it’s another matter altogether for an undrafted rookie.

Texans OLB Antwan Peek has impressed at camp with his speed and intensity. We're told the team hopes he can become a three-down linebacker.

Bengals WR Kelley Washington has been one of the team's success stories early in camp, and it no longer appears that his roster spot is in jeopardy.

We’re hearing there is a feeling among some in league circles that the Bengals' inability to strike a deal with rookie SLB David Pollack earlier in training camp doesn't reflect particularly well on the team. Pollack remained unsigned as of Aug. 7. We're hearing the dispute is about guaranteed money and that the sides aren't that far apart.

There’s a chance Ravens reserve RB Musa Smith (leg) could start the season on the physically unable to perform list. Tellis Redmon has been one back who has gotten more reps with Smith missing the early part of training camp.

We're told Cardinals second-year WR Larry Fitzgerald seems much more mature and comfortable this season after taking awhile to adapt to the NFL lifestyle. Word is Fitzgerald has also spent a lot more time working on perfecting his routes and technique.

We hear Cardinals veteran free-agent addition Robert Griffith wasted no time making his presence felt, registering big hits that could be heard around camp and setting a physical pace. Griffith also reportedly has been going out of his way to offer advice to fellow S Adrian Wilson, who he believes could be a special player with a bit more consistency.

For someone who played middle linebacker in Seattle, word is new Cardinals LB Orlando Huff has looked surprisingly good on the weak side early in camp.

Our Arizona sources continue to believe it would be a major surprise if RB Troy Hambrick remains on the roster through training camp. Hambrick did not attend offseason workouts and was on the team's unable-to-perform list early in camp with a foot injury, and the team’s recent free-agent signings of J.R. Redmond and James Jackson don’t bode well for his future.

Rams first round pick Alex Barron, a contract holdout as of Aug. 7, will be a real long shot to begin the regular season as the team's right tackle because of the considerable catching up he must do learning one of the league's more complicated systems. Natural OG Rex Tucker was starting at right tackle during his absence, but don't be surprised if Blaine Saipaia ends up starting there in Week One.

Word is Rams second year QB Jeff Smoker is making huge strides and could challenge Jamie Martin for the backup role behind Marc Bulger.

We hear Rams second year DE Anthony Hargrove, who finished with a flourish down the stretch last season, has picked up where he left off and has more than held his own going one-on-one against Pro Bowl OLT Orlando Pace in training-camp drills.

The evidence suggesting that Niners 2004 first-round pick Rashaun Woods could be one of the great all-time busts keeps mounting. Our Niners sources tell us Woods, who was sidelined early in camp with a groin injury, seems almost disinterested with what's going on around him and continues to take two steps back every time he shows a smidgen of promise.

With Niners CB Shawntae Spencer continuing to battle a nagging hamstring injury, we hear newly acquired Willie Middlebrooks could be pulling away in the battle for the starting CB job opposite Ahmed Plummer.