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Here are the latest NFL rumors from the folks at Pro Football Weekly:
Don't be surprised if the Jaguars add a few new wrinkles to their defense in the playoffs. There is a feeling that they have been holding some things back in anticipation of the postseason.
Browns GM Dwight Clark is pointing to the 2000 season as the target date when Cleveland will be in the playoffs.
While Giants coach Jim Fassel has been promised a contract extension after the season, considering the team's collapse down the stretch, it would not be surprising if he gets just one or two years added to his current deal.
There have been rumblings that if wide receiver Jerry Rice doesn't return to the 49ers because of salary-cap problems in San Francisco, the Redskins would consider signing him. However, owner Daniel Snyder has already indicated he would like to see Irving Fryar return. It doesn't seem likely the Redskins would want two wide receivers who are in their late 30s.
Giants center Brian Williams, who sat out the last two seasons with an eye injury, says that he didn't think coming back to the NFL would be this physically demanding. He has missed some games with a knee injury, has had a broken thumb, and now says he will likely need surgery on his wrist in the offseason. Still, he expects to return to the Giants next season.
There are some members of the Cardinals who aren't too thrilled that defensive tackle Eric Swann has again been sidelined with knee injuries down the stretch. Swann last played against Washington, when the team was 6-6. Some teammates are sorely disappointed that Swann, again, wasn't available when the Cardinals were in the thick of a late-season turnaround that kept the team in the playoff hunt. Swann says that the biggest problem has been that the muscles around his surgically repaired knee still aren't strong enough, and that he wasn't ready to become an every-down player. Swann vowed to get the strength in the knee back to 100 percent in the offseason. "When I step on the field next season, I will be 100 percent," Swann said. "I will be a first-down guy, no doubt about it."
Eagles coach Andy Reid, in the week leading up to his team's game against the Rams, said he remembers when St. Louis quarterback Kurt Warner tried out for the Packers in 1994. Warner, then a free-agent rookie, came to training camp as the fourth QB behind Brett Favre, Mark Brunell and Ty Detmer. Reid recalls that the trio ahead of Warner was filled with pranksters, and that Warner was so nervous at times (because of the practical jokes played on him) that he couldn't even call the plays in the huddle.
David Ware, the agent for currently retired Lions running back Barry Sanders, said his client would consider playing for the Dolphins, among other teams, if he returns next season. Said Ware: "I've tried to avoid dealing in hypotheticals. But if we put him in a position where he can go to another team, certainly Miami would be high on his list of places where he would like to play." Sanders and the Lions are scheduled to go before an arbitrator Jan. 11 on the team's demand that he repay $5.5 million in signing-bonus money because of his unexpected retirement. Ware said Sanders is willing to repay the Lions but, in return, wants the club to relinquish its right to him, making him a free agent.
According to a published report, the NFL's salary cap is expected to go up to $62.2 million next season from $57.3 million this season. If that scenario plays out, the report states, the top three teams with the most room under the salary cap would be Chicago ($24.94 million), Baltimore ($24.06 million) and Arizona ($20.73 million).
Though Buccaneers quarterback Trent Dilfer might be available for the second week of the postseason, it is very unlikely that he will regain his starting job. Dilfer has been out since breaking his right clavicle Nov. 28 and is just to the point where he can resume lifting weights.
Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse briefly lost his rookie sack record when Falcons coach Dan Reeves informed the league that the play on which Kearse broke the mark in Week 15 was a running play, even though QB Tony Graziani was dropped nine yards behind the line of scrimmage on third-and-11 with three wide receivers on the field. Privately, the Titans believed Reeves' action was payback for what he thought was a cheap shot directed at starter Danny Kanell, who subsequently left the game with an injury. Kearse broke the record for real the following week against Jacksonville.
The Ravens could be exchanging offers with unrestricted free agents QB Tony Banks and DE Rob Burnett in the next few weeks. Coach Brian Billick has said he intends to bring Banks back as well as backup Stoney Case but plans on releasing Scott Mitchell.
Panthers linebacker Kevin Greene is not saying whether he plans to return next season. He is an unrestricted free agent and might end up following former Panthers coach and current Jaguars defensive coordinator Dom Capers to Jacksonvlle or elsewhere if Capers is offered a head-coaching position in the next few weeks.
The big three in San Francisco -- chief executive John York, GM Bill Walsh and coach Steve Mariucci -- all sat down in a meeting at the end of the season, and the thinking is that it was decided that everyone will return next season with Mariucci getting more input on personnel decisions.
Dolphins running back J.J. Johnson plans to spend extensive time in the offseason strengthening the hamstrings that gave him so much trouble in '99. Despite his injuries, the Dolphins do not question Johnson's durability.
We hear Jets wide receiver Wayne Chrebet's injured hand, which he hurt against the Cardinals in Week 9, might have been worse than he was letting on. Chrebet gutted it out for the rest of the regular season but might need offseason surgery to repair the damage.
The Steelers have been impressed by the toughness and mean streak of offensive lineman Shar Pourdanesh, who will have a chance to win the starting right-tackle job next season.
The Chiefs' special teams have been such a problem all season that it would not be a surprise to see significant personnel changes in that area before next season.
The Raiders might look for two new starting safeties for next year. Free safety Eric Turner, while talented, has missed 16 games the past two years combined, and strong safety Anthony Newman is nearing the end of his career.
Broncos guard Mark Schlereth, an 11-year vet, has not decided whether to play next season. The team is very happy with his play and leadership this season and would like to have him back in the lineup in 2000.
There is not expected to be much long-term fallout from wide receiver Carl Pickens' comments blasting the Bengals' decision to retain coach Bruce Coslet. The team strong-armed Pickens into an apology the same day he ripped the decision, and Coslet wrote the criticism off as Pickens speaking out of the frustration of losing.
The Chargers will ask running back Natrone Means and cornerback Terrance Shaw to restructure their contracts to make them more salary-cap-friendly next season. Means' cap number is scheduled to be around $2.5 million, Shaw's around $3 million.
Chargers cornerback Charles Dimry, who has one year left on his contract, says he would like to play one more season but that he would retire if San Diego didn't want him back. Dimry played surprisingly well as a starter in '98 but did not play much in the second half of the '99 season.
Material from Pro Football Weekly.
Visit PFW's web site at http://www.profootballweekly.com
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