Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Buccaneers guard Jason Whittle broke his right leg during minicamp Friday and will be in a cast for about a month.

"It was a freak accident, really,'' coach Jon Gruden said. "He didn't get stepped on. He just turned and stumbled awkwardly as he was running. It was one of those freak plays.''

Whittle signed a five-year, $8.2 million contract as a free agent in March after spending the first five years of his career with the New York Giants.

The Bucs expect him to recover in time for the start of training camp in July.

Cincinnati Bengals: With coach Marvin Lewis listening from the back of the room, running back Corey Dillon accepted responsibility Friday for skipping a Bengals minicamp.

Dillon was the only Bengals regular who failed to show up last month for the first voluntary minicamp under Lewis, who is trying to remake the franchise's image.

Dillon joined in workouts Friday at the start of another voluntary minicamp, and apologized for what happened at the other one.

"I take full responsibility,'' Dillon said. "It was a mishap on my part. In the future, I will handle it differently. I didn't mean for it to turn into a big situation. It was small, it was minor, but it turned into something major.''

Lewis has been trying to build unity on a team that hasn't had a winning record since 1990. He minimized Dillon's decision to skip last month's minicamp.

When Dillon was asked what he thought about his new coach, Lewis laughed and said, "Maybe I should leave.'' Dillon said, "Great coach. My man. That's my guy.''

Following the afternoon practice, Lewis said it was good to have Dillon working out with his teammates.

"Corey is one of our best players,'' Lewis said. "His presence here is a good thing for our football team. He's got to begin to put himself in the offense again and get around his teammates and get moving forward. He's a good player and a good, positive influence.''

Carolina Panthers: Julius Peppers was quiet as a rookie, but it appears he's even more guarded now that he's back from an NFL suspension that ended his first season four games early.

"I watch everything I do around everybody,'' Peppers said Friday, as he returned to the practice field for the Panthers' first minicamp. "I'm a lot more cautious about everything.''

Peppers took a dietary supplement given to him by someone he considered a friend. The pill was illegal and Peppers was suspended for the last month of the season. The time was humbling for him. But one thing's sure: he's certain he won't be used again.

"It's not paranoid, I'm careful how I choose my friends,'' he said. "The people hanging around, I'm always trying to figure out what their motives are, why are they hanging around, I'm watching their moves.''

He doesn't want sympathy for his mistake, nor does he want to be viewed as a naive kid who was given too much too soon and later exploited.

Instead, he wants to focus on the upcoming season.

"The suspension was my fault, I did do that -- I took that thing,'' he emphasized. "But all that's in the past. I'm back for the 2003 season.''

He had 12 sacks last season, helping to dramatically improve Carolina's defense. He helped the Panthers go from 1-15 the season before he arrived to 7-9 in 2002; the defense went from an open-door policy to a stingy unit that ranked second in the NFL.

Peppers didn't watch any games while he was suspended, catching highlights only after the fact. Instead, he used his free time staying in shape and hitting the weight room.

Carolina coach John Fox said the full year away from the basketball court has probably added to Peppers' 6-foot-6, 283-lb. frame.

Cleveland Browns: Rookie running back Lee Suggs, one of several surprising selections by the Browns in last weekend's draft, said Friday he may be able to play this season following shoulder surgery.

The Browns, whose seven picks were widely panned by most NFL experts, thought Suggs had a torn rotator cuff and would be unable to play until the 2004 season.

However, Cleveland team doctors told the Virginia Tech star he only has a partial tear, which should shorten his recovery time following arthroscopic surgery.

"There's a realistic possibility this could not be as significant a setback as any of us thought,'' Browns coach Butch Davis said.

Suggs doesn't know when he'll be ready, but judging by his ability to quickly bounce back from major knee surgery, it might be sooner than anyone expects.

"I just want to get out on the field and play,'' said Suggs, who rushed for 1,325 yards and 22 touchdowns last season after recovering from a torn knee ligament. "I want to prove a whole lot of people wrong.''

Davis said team physician John Bergfeld was encouraged by MRI results and surgery will likely be scheduled for mid-May.

New York Jets: Just about everyone watched Dewayne Robertson on his first day with the New York Jets.

Cameras clicked, reporters took notes and veterans who weren't participating in the three-day minicamp showed up Friday to gawk at the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft.

The rookie had better get used to it, and the pressure that comes with playing in New York.

"I'm not worried about the pressure,'' Robertson said. "If I do worry about the pressure, I'll buckle under the pressure. I'm just going to do what I've been doing.''

The 6-foot-1, 317-pound defensive tackle should fit right in with the Jets, who lacked depth on the line last season.

Coach Herman Edwards raved after Robertson's first two-hour morning practice.

"You could see the power,'' Edwards said. "He's a big man, thick and athletic, and he really loves football. All he says is, 'No, sir. Yes, sir.' When you draft a guy that high, you're getting the whole package.''

Robertson showed explosiveness off the line Friday and said afterward he wasn't nervous about his debut.

"I'm just out there playing football,'' Robertson said. "I'm not a special guy because I was drafted first. I'm just another football player on the team.''