Chicago Bears's big problems

Doing his very best Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig in "Pride Of The Yankees," Beckham made the same promise to another sick boy before Wednesday's game. Then went out and his hit ninth homer of the year.

? If you're dizzy from the daily drama with the White Sox, here's a nice little story that doesn't involve strained relationships, social networking or comedy clubs. Gordon Beckham's eighth home run of the season Tuesday night, a three-run blast that gave the Sox a 5-2 lead, was a make-good on a promise Beckham made to a very ill child.

This is exactly why it's best to keep a lame-duck manager on board whenever possible. Judge a guy on what he does during play-out-the-string time when rosters expand in September and it clouds the waters.

Let's say the Cubs reel off 12 wins in their next 15 games and a rejuvenated Carlos Zambrano is a big part of it. You don't think there will be a groundswell of support for Quade? Cubs fans who've grown tired of their team's celebrity manager syndrome will line up on sports talk radio to campaign for the interim skipper.

? I wouldn't want to be in Bob Brenly's headsets this weekend. If the Cubs stay hot and jump on the division-leading Reds, the Cubs television analyst will find himself in the awkward position of singing the praises of Mike Quade, who is auditioning for the job Brenly covets.

We've just been reminded of what we already knew. Gentleman Jerry's big fellas aren't very good. They haven't been for a long time.

We haven't learned a lot about these cheap Bears jersey 29 days into their season.

Lance Louis has a mean streak, but is raw. Is Josh Beekman going to be a player? Kevin Shaffer? Has Angelo prepared for the eventual retirement of Kreutz?

Enter more castoffs like Orlando Pace and Frank Omiyale, who is almost as shaky at right tackle as Williams is at left.

So he built around center Olin Kreutz, whom he inherited, and found serviceable but aging players like Ruben Brown and John Tait. Those careers expired.

Offensive lines may not be sexy, but you don't win without a good one, invariably a product of the draft and smart, calculated free agent moves . Angelo's O-lines have been put together in piece meal. I think he got gun shy about drafting beefcakes after 2002 first-rounder Marc Colombo couldn't stay on the field.

Tice has to make a player out of left tackle Chris Williams if the Bears have a shot at keeping Cutler vertical. Or get him help. Now. All eyes should be on Williams Saturday night when the Bears host Arizona.

Ever. And he hasn't drafted enough of them, especially in the first three rounds.

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Drafting and developing the big uglies isn't easy. There isn't a GM in the NFL who hasn't whiffed on offensive linemen. Thing is, Angelo has never put the ball in play with an offensive lineman he's drafted.

Then I saw the Raiders wearing out Jay Cutler in the first half of last weekend's loss to Oakland at Soldier Field. Mercy. Maybe it's best if Cutler wears only civilian clothes until Mike Tice magically heals Jerry Angelo's mess of an offensive line.

Two weeks ago, I was among those pleading for the wholesale Bears jersey to step on the gas pedal like never before in preseason  games. In a must-win season, it just didn't make sense to coast through dress rehearsals and save all the rude intentions for the Lions on Sept. 12.

Other 49ers will require closer watching

Caught a snippet of the taped Mike Singletary interview that the TV crew ran during the game, and yes, he definitely doesn't seem thrilled with all the attention focused on his physical training camp.

From us, from fans, and from his players.

He's right to point out that this camp is probably nothing compared to camps in the past and he said he wished he could bring his current players back to some of his old Chicago Bears practices.

But Singletary also smiled and said he knows this is a different time. (Though maybe not in some other camps, as highlighted by the smack-up NY Jets drills and practices featured in the first episode of "Hard Knocks.")

He also doesn't love it when he believes it's suggested–by me, at least once or twice–there might be a correlation between the intensity of Camp Singletary and an increase in summer injuries or possible dead legs in December.

That's his right. He wants his team tough. He has gotten them tougher Patrick Willis since he took over, no doubt.

He believes he's practicing his players hard, but not nearly as brutally as teams worked in past eras.  (He also brings some of this attention to himself and his team by talking so much about physicality and smashmouth, but oh well.)

Singletary is not wrong. He's right, but I'll make one additional point that I don't think he'd disagree with, either, generally:

-The length of the offseason, with all the OTAs and the field work that's done now is 10 times more than it was even 10 years ago, which takes a toll on players, too.

It's not the same toll, practice for practice, as training camp, but when players are going through 12 to 16 extra days of on-field team work, that is basically the replacement for extra hitting in the summer time.

He meant the play itself: Smith swooped in to grab a pass that bounced off the hands of Indianapolis Colts receiver Sam Giguere.

But Smith's phrase -- "I saw an opportunity" -- could just as easily apply to the big picture. The free safety enters his third year competing for playing time, and his performance Sunday in a 37-17 exhibition victory made a strong impression on coach Mike Singletary.

Beyond the interception, Smith also provided tight coverage on Anthony Gonzalez in the end zone when Peyton Manning threw to the receiver on third-and-goal from the 3. Smith was so on top of Gonzalez that the pass hit Smith in the back.

"It's not only his performance in this game, it's what he's done from the start of training camp," Singletary said. "He's had a chance to make a move, and he's responded really well."

Smith played in 10 games last season but was slowed by a groin injury. He looked fully healthy as he streaked down the sideline, scoring the 49ers' first touchdown and registering the first of the team's four interceptions.

"I felt like there was pressure going into training camp," Smith said. "Coming into my third year, I really haven't played too much. It was kind of like make-it-or-break-it time for me. So I feel like I have to have a big camp.

Limping off: Tight end Vernon Davis sustained what the team called a knee strain. Davis said a preliminary examination revealed nothing troubling and that the injury seems minor. "So far, it's good," he said. "They checked it out, and it looks good."

Other 49ers will require closer watching. Reserve cornerback Will James was carted off the field after an apparent ankle sprain; return man Kyle Williams suffered a sprained toe; and reserve defensive lineman Derek Walker has a hip contusion.

"We'll just wait and see how it works out after we get some X-rays," Singletary said.

Ratings game: Alex Smith managed only a 7.4 passer rating against the Colts' first-team defense, but his backups fared better against the Indianapolis bench.

David Carr had a 134.1 rating and threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony Curtis. Carr got sacked three times but said some of that is growing pains from learning a new offense.

"I'm getting there," said Carr, who was signed as a free agent in March. "I definitely didn't feel extremely comfortable out there with some things."

Nate Davis finished with a 118.8 rating, completing 5 of his 6 attempts for 84 yards.

For Davis, the afternoon was extra sweet. He played his college ball at nearby Ball State and had lots of family and friends in attendance. Davis, in his second year, acknowledges that he's still learning the nuances of the offense, but game days bring out the best in him.

"On game day, you have to step your level up," he said. "Just go out there and move the ball."

Getting started: Kevin Jurovich, the rookie from San Jose State, caught a 20-yard pass from Davis in the fourth quarter.

Return game: Williams fared the best among the punt-return candidates, taking his only attempt back 36 yards. At the other end of the spectrum was Bobby Guillory, who fumbled his attempt -- a major transgression to Singletary, who wants ball security above all on special teams.

Running back Matt Forte

Early this summer, I was high on Knowshon Moreno  as a possible breakout runner as he showed his big play burst in OTA's. Moreno attributed his lack of big plays in his rookie season to not trusting his instincts and running to a gap he saw open up.

Unfortunately, as many fantasy owners know by now, Moreno suffered a nasty hamstring injury in camp, and that can be a killer for running backs. Just look at Matt Forte last season, he injured his hammy in the summer and didn't play the same in year two.

Now, I will say in Forte's situation, he also suffered a knee injury to begin the regular season, so maybe there's some hope left for Moreno.

Still, just seeing Moreno going in Auction mock drafts at around $20 shows you fantasy owners don't believe he's ready for a breakout season.

If you can purchase Moreno at this price as your flex-play option, I think that could still be a very nice move for your squad. Just make sure you get some decent depth on the bench if he can't bounce back from his injury.

There aren't many national experts picking the Bears for a Super Bowl trip, so it's no surprise the fantasy football folks also don't seem enamored with the team. Running back Matt Forte, once touted as a top-five pick, fell to No. 55 in Pro Football Weekly's recent fantasy football rankings -- 24th at his position.

''I don't play fantasy football,'' said Forte, who nonetheless is aware he disappointed a lot of people who do by following his 2008 rookie season with a sophomore slump. ''I just worry about playing regular football, just going out there and trying to win games.''

One thing Forte isn't worried about these days is his starting job, despite the fact the team paid $7 million in guaranteed money on Chester Taylor's four-year, $12.5 million deal. Forte remains entrenched as the starter, with Taylor expected to get plenty of chances. Coach Lovie Smith knows how well a two-back system can work. Pushed by Cedric Benson, Thomas Jones helped key a trip to the Super Bowl in Smith's contract year of 2006.

''You have to have team players at the running back position who know you need two to make it through a season and the guy who is not starting will get his reps,'' Smith said. ''Matt Forte and Chester Taylor ... are guys who know. It's not like they are wondering what will happen. Both guys will get enough plays.''

There won't be the tension between Forte and Taylor that simmered between Jones and Benson. After all, it was Jones who slugged Benson during a drill in practice that season to encourage the younger player to start paying attention. Benson was furious that the coaching staff let the incident go, to the point he complained bitterly to a friend in the locker room after the comeback victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

The running back position has been one of the more frustrating ones for the Bears during Smith's regime. Jones once was described as ''the heart and soul of the offense'' by former quarterback Rex Grossman, but that didn't stop the team from pushing Benson after he was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in 2005. The Bears shopped Jones before the 2006 season and finally traded him after the Super Bowl. Garrett Wolfe was selected in the third round of the 2007 draft, and Forte was taken in the second round in 2008 after it became obvious that Benson didn't care enough about being a Bear.

Throw in Taylor's big-money deal, and you see the Bears have invested a ton of draft picks and money into a position where they effectively created a problem that didn't exist. Regardless, it was obvious that Forte was a breath of fresh air when he arrived.

He set rookie franchise records for rushing yards (1,238) and yards from scrimmage (1,715), but he might have been overused, finishing with 316 carries and 63 receptions for 379 touches. Twelve of those plays ended in touchdowns, but the majority of the rest ended in violent collisions.

Was Forte's sophomore slump the result of a workhorse rookie season? According to research by Football Outsiders in 2008, running backs who get 370 carries in a season invariably suffer a major injury or a profound loss of effectiveness the next season. The study found that players with 300 to 389 carries in a season will see their yardage decline by 15 percent the next year, and those in the 370 or higher range suffer a 35 percent decline.

Patriots Journal: Farnham catching on quick

 The Patriots spent much of their afternoon practice Wednesday working on their passing game and three receivers, in particular, stood out. The guys who drew rousing applause were Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Buddy Farnham.

Obviously, that is great company for Farnham.

A year ago, as Moss and Welker were returning to form one of the best pass Randy Moss receiving duos in the NFL, Farnham was at Brown University preparing for his senior year. Now, he is running around with Moss and Welker and hauling in passes from Tom Brady, among others.

"Growing up watching him, it's pretty cool," Farnham said of being on the team with Brady.

Farnham is from Andover, Mass. At Brown, he caught 229 passes for 2,895 yards, both in the top seven in Ivy history. He had 1,003 yards in his senior year alone as he was named Ivy League player of the year. Still, the 6-foot, 185-pounder was not drafted and is a major underdog to make the Pats' roster.

If he has more days like the one he had Wednesday, his chances will improve. Twice he made one-handed catches in the passing drills, once as he entered the end zone. Since the stands and hill along side the Patriots' practice field once again were filled, Farnham drew big applause, just as Welker did when he hauled in the first long pass of the day and Moss did when he outfought a defender and pulled into another bomb.

"This is probably more people than we get at an average game (at Brown) just watching us practice," Farnham said. "It's fun."

Farnham, who also is being used as a kick returner, which is something he did all four years at Brown, is determined to give it his best shot.

"Playing in the NFL is something I've wanted to do since Randy Moss I was a kid," he said. "Luckily enough I was able to get this opportunity with the Patriots in my own back yard.

"I really don't pattern myself after anyone. I try to be my own player," Farnham said. "I look at great players and learn from them, but I try to have my own style. I really try not to compare myself to other people because I'm my own person."

But he loves to watch the guys he practices with every day.

"You just watch these guys, Torry Holt (who also had a nice end zone catch Wednesday), Wes Welker, Randy Moss, you learn from then. You watch how professional they are on and off the field. You learn so much from them. That's what I'm trying to do," Farnham said.

Inside job

One of the interesting competitions in camp has been at inside linebacker with Jerod Mayo. Gary Guyton, who started last year, remains out. Tyrone McKenzie, who missed his entire rookie season last year, and rookie Brandon Spikes both drew praise both coach Bill Belichick Wednesday.

"Tyrone is a smart kid. He really understands the defense. He's good with the calls and the communication and adjustments and really understands what we're doing," Belichick said. "He just needs the practice repetitions of actually doing it, taking on blockers, reading keys. Linebacker is a position that's so much dependent on a player's instincts and his ability to figure out where the ball is going, and runs, and play-action passes, and making those kinds of decisions and quick recognition as soon as the play starts."

Spikes, who stands out because he plays with red gloves on, needs to adapt to a new system.

"Our defense is a lot different than what they ran at Florida. Obviously, he's a big, physical player, but I'd like to watch him in our defense a little bit," the coach said. "I think he's got some unique skills. For a tall player, he's got probably more quickness than most guys, probably a little more leverage than a lot of other tall players. He does a lot of things well. It's kind of not by the book but (it's) effective."

That was close

Patriots owner Robert Kraft almost became a bit too involved in the practice. He had to duck to prevent getting clunked with a long pass.

Quarterbacks Brady and Brian Hoyer were working on a drill in which they take a snap, drop back and throw passes to a barrel placed on the goal line 50 yards away. Brady hit the barrel twice, once going around the rim.

As the drill was finishing, Kraft was walking onto the otherwise empty field, the one farthest away from the practice bubble. Nick Caserio, the team's director of player personnel, decided he would try to make the pass, too. He heaved the long pass down field, a bit too far. It went over the barrel.

Kraft barely caught sight of it at the last second and had to hit the ground to avoid the ball. The fans laughed once they realized Kraft was fine. Kraft playfully pointed a finger at Caserio.

Odds and ends

The Pats had only one practice. The morning session was canceled, with an announcement made just before 7 a.m.

Thirteen players missed the afternoon practice, which did not include pads. One is defensive lineman Ron Brace, who is out with non-football related issues. Brace did some conditioning work with others not on the field.

"He's day-to-day. Hopefully (he'll) be out there as soon as he possibly can. He's working hard to get back and we'd love to have him out there. We'll just take it day to day," Belichick said.

Myron Pryor, Mike Wright and Jonathan Wilhite were among the others who were present but did only conditioning work.

Bears were living off the backs of their defense

Our Chicago Bears are just that, our Chicago Bears. It's because of this feeling of ownership that we rightly or wrongly often give too much credit where credit is undue, or allow the sands of time to embellish a bit too much. The highlights become brighter, the lowlights are all but forgotten, and we're left more often than not with an idyllic look at who players were, and who they weren't.

Charles Tillman is a ball-hawk after the catch, and is an acceptable Cover 2 CB, however he'd struggle in a lot of his years to be considered a top 10 overall CB in the league. Nathan Vasher was the very definition of a flash in the pan, and due to injuries, loss of confidence, and quite frankly a low ceiling as far as talent goes, his prowess was over-exaggerated and over before it started. Mike Brown compares fairly well to Darren Sharper, but he falls just short of being known as one of the best through the league, mostly because of his nagging injury concerns that eventually ended his stay in Chicago. The rest of the motley crew is a lot of the same, flashes of brilliance from guys like Tommie Harris, or the player's best play coming after they left the team, like in the case of Chris Harris. Meanwhile, the Ravens had respected names like Chris McAlister, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, and even Rod Woodson there for a few years in his twilight.

The only player that can be called a legitimate partner in crime for Brian Urlacher is Lance Briggs. This would be perfect if the rest of the defense had been just a small bit better. Briggs could have readily played the Bart Scott role to Brian Urlacher 's Lewis, but too often the defense as a whole was good, but not great. It rarely ever got that feeling of being the impenetrable wall that the Ravens defense had, that aura of greatness. It was much too often seen for what it was, a bend but don't break system that bent a whole lot during Urlachers' prime.

Meanwhile, while the Bears were living off the backs of their defense just as much as the Ravens were, the Ravens had three more post-season appearances to show for it. They also rarely had those defensive failings and those nights where the aura was broken and the defense looked beatable. It almost always was easily seen as the pitiful offense of the Ravens as the problem, so no blame was ever laid upon Lewis' shoulders and he never really developed the tarnish that Urlacher has accumulated over the years.

There is no Mike Singletary to compare Ray Lewis to for the Baltimore Ravens. There isn't a Dick Butkus to contrast against as not only a fellow linebacker, but a linebacker for the same team he plays for. They didn't wear the same colors, and as such aren't compared against each other under such harsh lights. Due to the fact that Brian plays for a team that has had some of the best linebackers for the last 50 years, every nuance of his game is put under much greater scrutiny. It the eyes of Hall voters there almost always seems to be a large amount of compare and contrast. Were you the best player on your team? Were you the best player in the league? Were you the best Lance Briggs your team has seen? What is your place in your team's history? All of these seem to play a large role in how the voters view you as a player, as seen glaringly by the large number of players both for the Bears and for other teams that have had dominating defenses such as the Pittsburgh Steelers' Steel Curtain, or the Denver Broncos' Orange Crush. Ask fans of both teams and they'll tell you there are guys to this day that should without a doubt be in a Hall for what they meant to their respective defenses, but more often than not, only the best few players from such marquee groups find their way into the Hall.

Ray Lewis doesn't have this problem in the slightest, as he is quite literally the alpha and the omega when it comes to the Baltimore Ravens. The team has only existed since 1996, so not only is there not a comparable player at the position, there isn't a comparable name in the entire history of the franchise. It's also this focus that makes his hardware that much more impressive on a resume, because as of right now and likely for the foreseeable future he can lay claim to basically being responsible for the Ravens' only Super Bowl win. That brings us to our last point.

Now whenever the current generation of linebackers are discussed one guy is always mentioned as a stone cold lock for the Hall of Fame, and that's Ray Lewis. It's pretty much guaranteed that Lewis will gain entrance on his first ballot, and will go down as the name amongst names when linebackers of the mid-90's-00's are talked about. The question then is: what makes Lewis and Urlacher different? What makes Lewis a guaranteed first ballot guy, and Brian Urlacher a possible never will be? That answer all comes down to the specifics of each situation, and of the teams they played for.

When it comes to Brett Favre's future, let's just say Lance Briggs isn't tripping over it.

Keeping a brisk pace out of the dining hall as reporters quizzed him about Favre's rumored retirement, Briggs didn't break stride as he found out the news of the day: Favre is most likely, probably going to retire again.

The news came out early Tuesday afternoon that Favre was contacting teammates that he was "retiring," though nothing was definite as of this writing.

Then again, by the time I write my last paragraph, Favre might have changed his mind a dozen times. It's a fluid story, Vikings coach Brad Childress said sagely.

Briggs certainly wasn't in the mood to wax poetic on Favre's career, his longtime rivalry against the Bears or his importance to the NFL. Not even after a nice lunch.

"When is the cutoff date when he can't play anymore?" Briggs said flatly.

One reporter didn't get the joke and said the first game is on Sept. 9.

"The first game, if he's not there, Lance Briggs can't play at all this season?" Briggs asked, disbelieving.

"I think it's Week 15," I joked.

"Week 15. All right," Briggs said, now laughing a bit. "Let's ask this question again in Week 15."

See, NFL players are just like us. They think Favre is "The Old Dude Who Plays Like a Boy Who Cried Retirement," too.

"I won't believe it until I see Tarvaris Jackson starting against us," Briggs said. "It'll be Tarvaris Jackson. If he's starting, we'll go from there."

I'm sure scenes like this one were replayed all over the NFL as reporters tried to interrupt the early training camp malaise with an easy story. At Olivet Nazarene University, the Bears' collective reaction ranged between indifference and disgust that their post-lunch meditation was interrupted.

Players respect Favre, and he still gets his proper reverence in NFL circles. How can you not pay homage to a guy who played 19 seasons, has a 285-start streak going and is 23-7 against the Bears? Yes, they respect him, but they don't really care to talk about him, or publicly revere him.

Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey has decided to protect his offensive linemen

The Bills began competitive play in...". I've went ahead and italicized the word that doesn't belong here. The Bills competitive? Since when? You've gotta be yankin' my crank. Even further reading drew up some obvious Wikipedia vandalism as, according to our graffiti-esque miscreant, the Bills won two titles in the AFL in the years 1964 and 1965. I've since deduced that the AFL was on break those years and the Bills simply went out and did a couple scrimmages with themselves or the local high school teams and then claimed themselves champions. They all went out for pizza and ice cream and felt like right good players.

Star-divide

But the truth soon revealed itself as I read that the team has not won a Donte Whitner championship since the merger. This is fantastic news. They have had relative success, that is, relative to climbing the stairs all the way to the top, thinking there is another step and realizing that there isn't panicking, and falling back down the stairs. The Bills are the only team to win four consecutive AFC championships, and as such, the only team to play in four consecutive Super Bowls. And as such again, the only team to lose four consecutive Super Bowls.

I am one who loves the notion of putting your best foot forward - so long as when you step there is nothing below and you fall flat on your face. Such is the case with the Buffalo Bills and their Super Bowl wins. I do feel bad for their fans, but there's something almost poetic about it. The rising of the hopes of the fans, the calling for success and guaranteed wins, the merchandise that was bought, and then the meteoric failure as the football is just outside the uprights. Just outside. He missed it. HE MISSED IT!

So now we come to the present day Bills. They have a quarterback who exudes Marshawn Lynch that same mediocrity. Upon having a good season, he remembered he played for the Bills and opted to force a concussion upon himself. When he came back, he was throwing passes in an area that can be considered to be not entirely unlike near a wide receiver. That is to say, he isn't very accurate. The worst part about him is that he's made of glass. I could literally launch tiny little Fooch at him and I'm sure Trent Edwards would collapse into a pile of glass and dust.

Perhaps one of the most damning aspects about the Bills is that their best player - literally the best player on their team is likely a player who has yet to play a snap in the NFL. And the best thing is? He wasn't even the player they should have taken with that pick! The player I'm referring to, of course, is CJ Spiller.

Spiller is a great player, it's unfortunate that he's going to that franchise to die in mediocrity. The Bills, however, had a plethora of options at that pick that would have been better, considering the fact that the Bills are actually strong at running back. Who knows though? I bet he'll win them three or four games, which of course means the Bills are going 4-12 at best this coming season.

Do I even need to mention what's going on with Aaron Schobel? I really don't think I do. Schobel would rather play for the Houston Texans than the Buffalo Bills. That's right, a franchise that is barely remembered by 90% of all football fans is a better team to play for than the Bills. Surreal.

I need to wrap this up. In the coming days I will have probably three more of these before I wrap them up for awhile as the regular season starts. I'd like you to leave some comments telling me what teams you'd like me to write one of these on.

Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey has decided to protect his offensive linemen  a little Paul Posluszny  more by requiring every offensive lineman to wear knee braces. Gailey began this rule 11 years ago even without much evidence that they help prevent knee injuries.

"I believe it because I know it, because I've seen it with my own eyes," he said. "I've seen bent knee braces come off the practice field and the guy's not hurt. So I know it works."

Gailey also recognizes that most players don't enjoy wearing the braces but he believes it's for their own good.

"No, they don't like it, but I think they're smart enough to understand why," said Gailey. "With all the injuries we've had around here, I think that they weren't quite as reluctant."

There are about a dozen or more teams that don't require their offensive linemen to wear knee braces.

One player on the Bills roster that was very vocal about his disagreement with the policy was center Geoff Hangartner. But even after discussing with offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris, Hangartner changed his mind.

"Joe knows there's a reluctance on some of our parts to wear them, but he believes in them," Hangartner said. "And as beat up as we were last year, if it prevents one injury, then it's worth the pain that it is to put them on every day."

The Lions were able to use that pick to draft Best

 "Every running back has a highlight reel -- some a play or two, some 10 plays," Schwartz said Sunday in between Lions practices. "But there was nothing like that steady stream of highlights that [Best] put on tape."

What Best could do was just what the Lions lacked. Last season, Detroit ranked second in the NFL on runs of 4-plus yards, but they ranked dead last on runs of 20-plus yards. So Schwartz headed into the draft knowing the Lions would land defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, but praying they could find a way to get Best.

Schwartz sweated out most of the first round, tried to finagle his way back into it later on, and eventually traded up to the 30th overall pick. The Lions were able to use that pick to draft Best, who had fallen in the draft because of the concussion concerns some teams had about him.

Just like that, the Lions had the player Schwartz had been studying since November, the type of home run hitter that Tennessee got when it drafted Chris Johnson when Schwartz was the Titans' defensive coordinator, and the most dynamic running back in Detroit since Barry Sanders.

"He filled a spot on our team that we were lacking," Schwartz said.

From his days as a defensive coordinator, Schwartz knew defenses could always take one offensive weapon out of a game. The problem came when there were two.

Now Schwartz believes the Lions have two weapons -- Best and wide receiver Calvin Johnson -- to go along with the improvements they've made at tight end with Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler and at wide receiver with Nate Burleson and Bryant Johnson. Schwartz's man-crush on Best has not subsided. He is enamored with how Best catches the ball, not just out of the backfield, but 30 yards downfield. He is fully aware of the 8.1 yards per carry Best averaged in his sophomore season and his 7.3 career average at California. And he raves about Best's speed, which enabled him to run a faster 40-yard dash at the combine than the Bills' C.J. Spiller (the ninth overall pick) and win the California Interscholastic Federation 100-meter state championship as a high school senior.

Ndamukong Suh missed his first Lions practice Saturday because his agents believed that simply being insanely rich wasn't good enough for an NFL rookie who hasn't proved one thing. They want more. They want the Lions' front office stuffed and mounted onto their wall as advertising for prospective future clients.

Any new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL owners and the players Matthew Stafford must obliterate this nonsense.

It wasn't that long ago when many generally sided with the player in these stalemates. Get whatever you could in that first contract because even the brightest of NFL futures is always one blown knee away from going dark.

But it's now more about agents fattening their résumés by creating an inflated rookie wage scale that inexplicably must jump salaries among the top draft picks around 20% each year.

The unsigned now are scorned, used as ammunition in the fight for a more sensible rookie Matthew Stafford salary slotting system in the NFL's next collective bargaining agreement.

The Lions hope that Suh's NFL legacy becomes more than being one of the last holdouts before fiscal sanity arrives in another year.

They were understandably disappointed that Suh didn't stick to his word that he would definitely be in Allen Park for the start of training camp.

They're hopeful that his absence will last no more than a few days, as it was with Calvin Johnson in 2007.

"It is a process that takes some time and it takes both parties having a meeting of the minds," said Lions president Tom Lewand. "It's always our goal to have them here as early as possible, and I think our track record suggests the importance we place on that has been realized in most cases. Our goal is to stop talking about contracts and start talking about football."

St. Louis signed quarterback Sam Bradford, the first overall selection, to a six-year deal guaranteeing the former Heisman Trophy winner $50 million. Tampa Bay inked a five-year deal with No. 3 overall pick defensive tackle Gerald McCoy that includes $35 million in guarantees.