Vikings tell Williamson to seek a trade

Vikings tell Williamson to seek a trade

The Minnesota Vikings have given receiver Troy Williamson, the seventh selection in the 2005 draft, permission to shop himself in a trade the Boston Globe reported.

Williamson, who is coming off an 18-catch season, has been a disappointment

No restrictions will be placed on timeouts

Remember the games in which coaches were waiting until the last possible moment to call a timeout on last-second field goals?

At the time, there was talk that the league may consider instituting a rule that restricted such calls, but the issue, after lengthy discussion, is not being pursued the Boston Globe reported.

"We can't legislate when you can call timeouts and when you cannot call timeouts," said Titans coach Jeff Fisher, co-chair of the Competition Committee. "I don't think it's going to be an ongoing issue. I think it was just an early-season trend and I don't think we'll see much more of it."

Browns want to upgrade front seven

When Cleveland Browns coach Romeo Crennel pinpoints his team's greatest need, he looks to the front seven on defense, noting, "That's an area we're going to try to concentrate on through free agency and through the draft."

Specifically, the Browns weren't strong enough against the run, ranking 29th in yards allowed per carry (4.5) and 31st in first downs surrendered per game the Boston Globe reported.

The Browns are without a first-round pick this year — they traded it to Dallas to select Brady Quinn — so look for them to be aggressive in free agency.

Burress make come looking for more money
Plaxico Burress just finished a remarkable season in which he battled a painful injury and finished with a Super Bowl-winning catch. Now he may be looking to cash in the New York Daily News reported.

Burress' agent declined to shoot down speculation on Saturday that the Giants' top receiver is looking to renegotiate his deal. Burress has three years and $10.5 million left on the six-year, $25 million deal he signed in 2005, but there have been rumors that he's looking for more.

"That is going to be between myself and the Giants," agent Drew Rosenhaus said. "I can't comment on that publicly."

NFL considering changes in seeding process

The NFL's Competition Committee continues to explore the possibility of reseeding playoff teams, with the idea of putting more of an emphasis on overall record instead of winning the division according to the Boston Globe.

As it stands, division winners get the top four seeds; but this past season, two wild-card teams had better records than division winners. Part of the motivation for a potential change is to make late-season games more meaningful.

Opinion has been varied among league officials at the combine, with Colts coach Tony Dungy sounding happy with the status quo. "I've probably been old school and think the division champs should get some type of award," he said, "but I'm certainly open to listening and seeing if they could help out maybe those last three weeks in the regular season."

Free agency not always a quick fix, just ask the Niners
At this time last year, San Francisco blitzed the market by signing cornerback Nate Clements to a massive deal, highlighting a shopping spree that included defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin, safety Michael Lewis, outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, and receiver Ashley Lelie.

The liberal spending in free agency, coupled with the team's strong finishing kick from 2006, created a buzz across the NFL. The 49ers were fingered by many as a team on the rise the Boston Globe reported.

But as is often the case, March's headlines had little to do with wins and losses come September. In what has seemingly become an annual reminder of how the importance of free agency can be overstated, the 49ers went in the opposite direction, finishing 5-11.

Zorn leaves no doubt that Campbell is No.1 QB
In one of his first major decisions as coach of the Washington Redskins, Jim Zorn emphatically stated that there will be no quarterback controversy according to the Boston Globe.

Todd Collins came on late in the season and led the Redskins to a playoff berth in place of injured starter Jason Campbell, but Zorn left no doubt that Campbell is his guy.

Collins is a free agent, and while the Redskins are interested in retaining him, the naming of Campbell as the starter could sway his thinking. Collins presumably would like to land in a situation where he has a chance to contend for a No. 1 job

Bruschi could make decision on playing status soon
Brad Blank, the agent for Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, said today that Bruschi will make it known soon whether he plans to return for a 13th season the Boston Globe reported.

"He's taking inventory right now — that's his term," said Blank, who is at the combine. His wife [Heidi] is a part of it and he'll make his intentions known soon."

Bruschi, who turns 35 in June, led the Patriots in tackles last year with 99, according to coaches' film review. The Patriots have some questions at linebacker as they build toward 2008, as veteran inside linebacker Junior Seau is also a free agent.