As a Missouri graduate, I am collegiately bound to root for Justin Smith. At a school where football historically has ranked about as high as the student-living conditions on campus -- somewhere, to borrow an old Missourism, between fair and middling -- Smith was a beam of light. He played well against good teams. He played well despite being on mostly bad teams. He was the biggest recruit to come along in years. And he ended up as a top-five draft pick in the NFL. This is rare air for a fellow Tiger.

I spent a little time around Smith when I was in school, just as he was turning into a dominant defender. Good guy. Worked hard. Shot straight with the media. Seemed to be a good teammate. And he has turned into a very respectable pro. We know now what I suspected when the Bengals made him the fourth pick in the draft: Smith was never going to be a 12-sack guy, but he plays the run well, gives maximum effort and almost always is on the field. You can do a lot worse in a starting, three-down defensive end.

That said, I think the 49ers gave him too much money. To me, he's Grant Wistrom -- again, a very nice player who led his teams to three Super Bowls -- and that might not be what the 49ers need in 2-3 years. Yes, they need as many impact players as they can get their hands on, but if they are sticking with a 3-4 defensive scheme, Smith is a misfit. He's simply not big enough to play as a 5-technique on every down (or kicking down to a 3-technique in "over" fronts) and likewise not swift enough to be a full-time linebacker.

Even if they use a 4-3, which I think their personnel best fits, Smith won't put up the sack numbers to match the dollars he has earned. As Seattle folks found out, defensive linemen like Wistrom can fall off precipitously. They lose the "juice" fairly quickly.

If this is a quick fix, and the team runs schemes to fit his skills, it might be a fair move. If this is meant to be a long-term solution, or if the team sticks with a 34 front, Smith just doesn't seem to be what they need.

I love ya, Justin, but I have to call it like I see it. 

Passed on from the Falcons' PR staff. Here's a quick thought: Wouldn't Dunn make a nice backup in Indy for Joseph Addai? There he could team up with former head coach Tony Dungy, give the Colts a nice, experienced reserve and provide the fans with a "name" free agent in what could be a slow offseason.

Think about it. The official release:

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA – The Atlanta Falcons today released 11-year veteran running back Warrick Dunn.
 
Dunn spent six seasons in a Falcons uniform and finished his tenure in Atlanta ranked third on the franchise’s all-time rushing yards list (5,979) behind Gerald Riggs (6,631) and William Andrews (5,986). He helped the Falcons lead the League in rushing for three consecutive seasons (2004-2006) while reaching the 1,000-yard plateau in each campaign.
 
“Warrick Dunn holds himself to the highest standards of the National Football League,” said Falcons Owner & CEO Arthur Blank. “His contributions, not only to the Falcons but to the entire NFL both on and off the field, have been well documented. The legacy he leaves in Atlanta will be long-remembered and appreciated by his fellow players, fans and the community. In my mind, Warrick will always be part of the Falcons family. At times like this our hearts are heavy, but the nature of the game sometimes requires making these kinds of decisions, however difficult they are for all of us. I wish Warrick continued great success in his future endeavors.”
 
In 2005, Dunn logged his best season with the Falcons when he registered a career-high 1,416 rushing yards on 280 carries (5.1) to earn his third-career Pro Bowl selection. The Florida State graduate also owns six of Atlanta’s top 10 longest rushes in team history, which includes a 90-yard touchdown scamper in 2006.
 
“Warrick Dunn epitomizes all that is good about the National Football League and professional sports,” said Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff. “What he has done on the field is remarkable.  What he has done off the field with his well publicized “Homes For the Holidays” program has changed and impacted lives. We wish him all the best as he moves forward in his NFL career.”
 
Dunn’s performance last season was highlighted when he eclipsed the 10,000-yard rushing total against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12, becoming the 22nd running back in the NFL to accomplish the feat. He is currently the only active running back in the League to reach 10,000 yards rushing and 4,000 yards receiving and ranks seventh all-time in the category.
 
Dunn’s career rushing totals include 2,484 carries for 10,179 yards, a 4.1 yards per carry average and 47 touchdowns. He has also tallied 463 receptions for 4,009 yards and 15 scores.
 
“Warrick has performed at an extremely high level for a very long time,” said Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith.  “Making moves like this one is never easy. It’s tough. But we have to do what we feel is in the best long term interest of the Falcons. Everyone here in our organization wishes Warrick success in all of his future endeavors.”
 
As one of the most recognized community leaders in the NFL, Dunn was honored as the 2004 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, which is the highest honor bestowed upon a player for his outstanding community service and on-field performance. Through his Homes for the Holidays program, Dunn helps single parents and dependants become first-time homeowners by making the down payments on new, fully-furnished homes. As of December 2007, his program has assisted 74 parents and 192 dependants. Dunn also received the 2004 Jessie Tuggle Humanitarian Award, which is a team award given to a player’s community service.
 
Throughout his career, Dunn also captured the “No. 1 Good Guy” Award from the Sporting News, made the list as one of the 101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports by Sports Illustrated, was selected as one of Oprah Winfrey’s “Angels,” and earned the NFL’s Extra Effort Award.

He's at the team's facility now and will be made available to the media here in a couple hours. As the past few days have shown us, when a team makes a "free agent" available he usually is signing with the team that day. Expect a deal to get done here in a matter of moments. You draftniks might want to rethink that 11th pick, though I suppose I could see them still going Malcolm Kelly or Limas Sweed.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the Dallas Morning News' Albert Breer and NFL Network's Adam Schefter were the first ones to get the story late last night, so we'll give them a tip of the cap. ESPN's John Clayton also has done some nice work on this story, tracking it despite both sides staying mostly quiet. I made a call on Randy Moss last night and didn't hear back until this morning, but it appears that all signs now point to Randy returning to the Patriots.

Maybe he had a change of heart. Maybe he was just doing his due diligence. Maybe Tom Brady made a few phone calls.

Whatever it was, various media reports are suggesting, as I have heard too, that Moss and the Patriots soon will annouce they have come to terms. It could happen in the next 12 hours, or perhaps tomorrow. Either way, Moss should be catching balls from Brady for at least the next few seasons. It's a pairing that could ensure the Hall of Fame will call both men for bust sizings one day.

I'll pass along more as it comes across my desk.

I guess the most interesting thing that has happened over the past few days was that no team -- at least publicly -- made a big run with Moss twisting in the wind. Perhaps he never was serious about leaving, but you would expect that one team in need of another weapon might have come calling, just to inquire. We heard Green Bay and we heard Dallas, but there was not strong indications that either team was willing to go big to get him. There even was the cute Culpepper rumor about them teaming up once more to "finish what they started," whatever that was. Heck, the Jets should have called, and maybe they did, just to be their Belichick-irritating selves. And of course, it had to be the perfect situation for Moss to leave; it would have gone beyond money.

And yeah, nothing is done -- at least neither side has confirmed anything -- so this could all blow up. But it appears that Moss is coming back to Foxboro. Feels like the right move for him. 

It requires a little patience -- at least on my computer -- but if you head to Randy Moss' Web site, you can read the following message:

"I want to take time out to thank all of the fans for their support and for wishing me well in my return to New England. I'm ready to get back. We have some unfinished business to take care of."

That, to me, would suggest he's coming back. 

Anyone remember Brett's first win? Bengals, ring a bell? No? Even if you do, you must check out this link: Who better to break down the action than Bob Costas, O.J. Simpson and Buddy Ryan?

Wow. I would say you have to sit through Costas and Ryan yakking about Buddy's career, plus a few technical difficulties, and pontificating on the prevent defense, but that just adds to the fun.

And, of course, who knew at that point what a ride Favre's career would be? Not O.J., even if he is a guy who knows a thing or two about up-and-down careers. And rides. I'll stop before I get censored here. 

I'll come back later with, oh, one or two more Favre-related items. After all, the guy probably led to PFW selling a couple hundred thousand copies of this magazine.

My bosses have asked me to share with you a new link in the PFW world:

http://www.pfwfanshop.com

It should be your one-stop shopping network for all things college and pro sports gear, and you should learn to love it. Bookmark it. Buy something every day. Help keep me having a job and providing you nifty blog items!

Seriously, though, I fiddled around the site this morning and found some pretty cool stuff there. You will too, I hope. 

Back to your regular programming. 

Brett Favre might be perfectly flawed. No one liked the guy because he was the perfect QB -- we liked him because we felt like we could relate to him on some level. In a way, he was larger than life as a player, but as a person, he was always humble, blemished and down to earth. We loved that humility and vulnerability. We struggled as he struggled. We felt that his problems could be our problems.

Maybe his story reached a point of overdoneness for some before this season, but 2007 was a beautiful way to cap his career. Yeah, the playoff failure against the Giants was a brutal coda, but if we looked back to the start of the season and said Favre would lead his team to the NFC title game, that would have been welcomed by nearly all.

I remember a lot of his great football moments, and we'll list them below. But I also remember him best after he stepped off the podeum or after he spoke to the media. He was a big enough figure that you tended to watch him walk away from you. You knew you were in the presence of greatness, and I mean that without a drop of facetiousness. It was in those moments that you could see the whimsy of him, usually tormenting a rookie teammate or PR director Lee Remmel.

There's a famous clip of him asking team staff members for "buckets of steam" and "left-handed footballs." Favre knew that his presence commanded attention, and ie he raised his voice just a hair when he asked these young kids, ballboys, etc., for these ridiculous reuqests, he knew they would stop and listen, intent on finding these un-findable items, because Brett Favre was asking for them. The quarterback, in essence, was mocking his own fame. That made him human.

You want flawed? The man's first completed pass as a Packer was to himself ... for minus-7 yards. As a rookie the season before with the Falcons, he threw five passes. Two were picked out. I'm guessing that was a pretty poor passer rating for that season. He played in Green Bay, the smallest of NFL cities, but also perhaps the mightiest in terms of lore and strength. You can't play up there unless you possess a little something extra special.

The first time I really took notice of the guy was in the playoff game against the Lions, his second season with the Packers. It was that against-the-grain, last-minute TD pass across his body while scrambling that dropped right into Sterling Sharpe's arms ... well, that was enough for me to like the guy.

The Super Bowl game against the Patriots, you just knew he'd win the game, and there was the sight of him running with his helmet off and in his hand with a look of utter joy. You can't beat those moments. After all he'd benn through, he had earned that sprint.

There were the Monday night games. The games against the Vikings. And the Bears. Yeah, he never won at Texas Stadium, but he almost always found a way to torment his opponents, much like he did off the field, with guys like the ballboys and Remmel and the wide-eyed rookie from UTEP.

And we'll always remember Favre at Oakland, the night after his father died. We knew Brett and ew knew his father, and we rooted for the guy to fight through the pain and what had been a tough season to have a big game. He was better than imagined. Even the Raiders fans showed respect that night. If nothing else, that is the sign of godliness -- silencing the enemy in the most unholy of environments.

Enjoy fishing and hunting, Brett. Maybe we'll follow your second career, too. 

Monday night some kids from two local Boys and Girls Clubs, from the Kanoon School (where I mentor) and the Holy Angels School, and mentors attended a Chicago Rush game. The Rush (partially owned by Mike Ditka, whose cigar-chomping visage is painted over every inch of the arena, the game tickets and the programs, natch) are the highly successful local Arena Football team, and the tickets were donated courtesy of Rush WR/LB DeJuan Alphonzo.

It was a very nice gesture, I thought. Donate about 40 tickets for the season opener to some local kids who almost never get to a sporting event. Last summer, we took the Kanoon kids to the beach -- a trip they still talk about. So for them to get to take a bus trip, go to a packed AllState Arena and watch a fun game like Arena football, well, that's a night they'll remember all year.

But there's more: Mr. Alphonzo -- who played collegiately at Indiana State, where he was an All-American in 1999 -- donated all of his tickets for the entire season to the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, a terrific organization with a great mentoring program. On Monday night, he made sure all the kids had t-shirts and meal tickets, getting them each a hot dog and a soda. The kids were giddy. They cheered every score by the hometowners (the final was 70-47, Rush) and got especially loud everytime he got the ball or made a play.

Alphonzo won the weekly AFL "Ironman Award" for his play in the game, too. Get this: He rushed once for two yards; he recovered a fumble of a teammate in the end zone for a touchdown; on defense, as the "Jack" linebacker, he made five tackles, had one interception and one fumble recovery for a touchdown; and he even got some snaps in as a fullback.

He also wins my admiration as a terrific guy. I have never met him, but if I do get the pleasure, I will tell him how happy he made a good group of kids, most of them between 10 and 14 years old and many of them having never gone to a sporting event before. Pretty sure he made a couple fans this week.

Thanks, 'Zo. 

The first wave of the free-agency period has come to an end, and it proved to be more interesting than I expected.

Typically, this signals a new shift in the process: This is when many teams start investigating restricted free agents.

Restricted guys, if they are tendered by their clubs, are as follows: third-year players that require draft-pick compensation for another team to sign. Teams can tender their RFAs at one of four levels:

First and third round — $2.56 million salary for 2008 season
First round — $2.01 million
Second round — $1.41 million
Low — 927,000

In the case of the “low” tender, teams that want to sign the restricted free agent must be prepared to forfeit a draft pick in the corresponding round they were picked. So for instance, Jaguars DE Jeremy Mincey — who was given a low tender — was drafted in the sixth round by the Patriots in 2006, and if another team wants to sign him it will surrender a sixth-rounder this year, provided the Jags don’t match the offer. They have seven days to consider it.

This is also where teams often consider putting a poison-pill clause in a contract that would make it difficult or nearly impossible for the current team to match the offer. The Patriots were rumored to be ready to do this with Wes Welker before the Patriots and Dolphins worked out a trade offer of a little higher than the second-rounder New England would have had to give up to sign Welker to an offer sheet.

Several restricted guys are making visits. Panthers LB Adam Seward is in New England. The Packers are talking to WR Tab Perry. The Lions already signed Bucs S Kalvin Pearson, to an offer sheet worth $3.5 milion over three years, but with Pearson, he entered the league as an undrafted free agent, so the Bucs would get nada in return if they fail to match.

There are some big-name restricted guys out there, such as Dallas RB Marion Barber (PFW’s No. 9 free agent), Ravens OG Jason Brown (No. 15), Rams S A.J. Atogwe (No. 20), Cowboys DE Chris Canty (No. 22) and Browns QB Derek Anderson (No. 23). Barber and Anderson were tendered at the first-and-third level and are not expected to go anywhere. Neither are the other guys, who were given the first-round marker.

The second wave of free agency might be upon us, and though the restricted market is not that exciting, there will be some important deals to be worked out from now until April 18, when teams no longer can make offers to other teams’ RFAs.