Arizona Cardinals: Emmitt Smith has made an impact on his new Arizona teammates and coaches after just seven days of minicamp workouts.

"It's just amazing, man,'' wide receiver Bryan Gilmore said, "a Hall of Fame guy coming to work every day and handling his business like he should.''

The Cardinals wrapped up a four-day veterans minicamp Friday after they had a three-day camp with rookies and vets last week. Smith, the NFL's career rushing leader, said he's more convinced than ever that he still has what it takes to succeed.

"It's not really about proving that I've still got it. In my mind, I know I still have it,'' he said. "I can see that every day I'm out here training, working out with these guys, competing with these guys in one-on-one drills and stuff like that. I know I can still play.''

Smith and coach Dave McGinnis have quickly developed a mutual admiration.

"The minute we signed Emmitt he was out here mixing right in with his new teammates, out here running 15 110s in the hot sun, in there in the weight room at 6:30 in the morning,'' McGinnis said. "That's why he is what he is.''

Smith has rushed for 17,162 yards and has three Super Bowl championship rings, but his teammates are impressed with the work ethic and competitiveness he still shows.

"When you have guys of that stature, they normally take days off, and stuff like that, and he hasn't done that,'' Gilmore said. "That's what's impressed me. He's all about winning, whether he's playing dominoes or whatever, he likes to win.''

While many saw Smith's signing with the Cardinals as mostly a public relations move to bolster ticket sales, McGinnis insists the running back figures prominently in the team's plans. Smith will be the No. 1 running back and will get plenty of carries.

Though Smith wants to show the Dallas Cowboys they made a mistake by letting him go, he said any individual goals are secondary to making a winner out of the Cardinals. The team has one playoff victory in the last half-century.

"I feel a sense of being revived,'' he said. "I'm excited, very excited. I'm embracing a new situation versus looking at it as a negative. I look at it as a positive. With every challenge comes a unique opportunity. This team has a unique opportunity as a ball club if we stay healthy and play hard.''

Denver Broncos: Jake Plummer's long pass floated on a high arc into the end zone, where Herb Haygood made a diving catch just behind the outstretched hand of the defender.

A short chorus of cheers rang out.

Sure, it was just one pass during a one-on-one drill in a minicamp, but it's exactly the kind of play the Broncos were looking for when they signed Plummer two months ago.

"I thought he did an excellent job,'' coach Mike Shanahan said. "He's been working extremely hard for last month and a half to feel comfortable with the system, but there's nothing like going out with the guys for the first time and actually running plays. It was nice to get started.''

The Broncos signed Plummer on March 5 to replace Brian Griese, who had fallen out of favor with Shanahan after five seasons in Denver.

The start of a three-day minicamp on Friday was the Broncos' first look at Plummer on the field, and he didn't disappoint.

After a few overthrows and a dropped snap in the first drill, Plummer was sharp despite chilly temperatures that made gripping the ball difficult.

He threw crisp passes on a variety of routes and hit most of his receivers in stride, including the perfectly placed touchdown pass to Haygood.

Houston Texans: First-round draft pick Andre Johnson and the rest of the rookies went through two practices Friday in the first day of a three-day rookie mini-camp for the Texans.

Johnson, a wide receiver from Miami and the third overall pick in the draft, wasn't as happy with his performance as were his coaches.

"I just don't think I performed to my abilities the first practice,'' Johnson said. "I just dropped a few passes. I kind of got upset with myself.

"The second practice was a little better. I caught way more balls. I did OK I guess.''

Coach Dom Capers had no complaints about Johnson or any of the 25 rookies, free agents and first-year players who came into the camp unsigned. All of them did what Capers expected.

"Andre had a good day,'' Capers said. "I understand him being a little unhappy with himself though. Most good players are not ever completely satisfied with the way they perform. They always want to be better.

"But I certainly was pleased with his first day. I liked everything I saw in him. He's a rare talent in terms of size and speed and catching ability. He's going to be a big help for us.''

Indianapolis Colts: Strong safety David Gibson re-signed with the Colts on Friday .

ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reports that the three-year veteran signed a one-year contract for $605,000. A restricted free agent, Gibson was claimed off waivers during the 2002 season and worked his way into the starting lineup.

The Colts made Gibson a qualifying offer in February to retain a right of first refusal.

Gibson, 25, originally entered the NFL with the Tampa Bay Bucs, as a sixth-round pick in the 2000 draft. But the former Southern California standout was released three games into the 2002 season and Colts coach Tony Dungy, who was key to selecting Gibson while with Tampa Bay, quickly claimed him.

Despite having never started a game with the Bucs, where he played primarily on special teams, Gibson worked his way into the Colts lineup. He started nine games and finished as the team's third-leading tackler, with 81 stops. He also had one interception, defended five passes and added one sack.

Gibson figures to face competition in camp for his starting job from rookie Mike Doss, a second-round choice in this year's draft.

New England Patriots: Proven experts at shopping the free-agent bargain basement, the Patriots on Friday signed safety Aric Morris, a three-year veteran who could be a key role player for the club and end up being worth far more than a modest investment.

Morris, 25, is only two years removed from being a starter with the Tennessee Titans and, while he doesn't conform to the recent trend for finding safeties with good pass coverage range, is a solid hitter who likes contact. The former Michigan State star was a restricted free agent at the outset of the signing period, with the Titans having retained right of first refusal in February, by making him a $605,000 qualifying offer.

But with the Titans in desperate need of salary cap room, the club rescinded its qualifying offer and Morris immediately became an unrestricted free agent. Details of the contract he signed with the Patriots were not yet available. He is the third veteran safety signed by the Patriots this spring, joining Rodney Harrison and Chris Akins.

Those three join incumbent starter Lawyer Milloy.

A fifth-round pick in the 2000 draft, Morris should be a good fit with the Patriots, a team known for creating roles for solid players, and at worst he figures to upgrade the special teams coverage units. In three years with the Titans, he had 45 special teams tackles, with 16 of them in 2002.

Morris started 10 games in 2001, then lost the No. 1 job last summer, when second-round pick Tank Williams stepped into the lineup. In 47 games, Morris has posted 57 tackles, 1 ½ sacks, and five passes defensed.

New England also signed rookie undrafted free agent Scott Farley of Williams College, a two-way player who will be tried at safety.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Receivers Onome Ojo and Jermaine White were released by the Buccaneers on Friday.

Ojo spent most of last season on Tampa Bay's practice squad. He entered the NFL in 2001 as a fifth-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints.

White signed with the Bucs in January. He spent time in training camp with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes and NFL Europe's Berlin Thunder.

Former Rams wideout Allen dies at 65
Former Los Angeles Rams receiver Duane Allen has died. He was 65.

Allen died Wednesday of a heart attack at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. He had a stroke last month.

Allen had 10 receptions for 227 yards and five TDs in seven seasons with the Rams, Pittsburgh and Chicago from 1961-67.

He went into coaching after his playing days and helped the football and track programs at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra from the late 1960s through the early 1990s.

He's survived by wife Kazon and son Duane Allen Jr.