LOS ANGELES — For the second straight year, Eric Edholm and I attended the Rookie Premiere football-card photo shoot at the L.A. Coliseum. More than 30 rookies donned their jerseys and posed for the cameras.

Eric and I doned sunscreen and white polo shirts and tried to stay out of the shots.

Some news, notes and observations from the Coliseum:

• Chatted with the Bengals’ rookie wideouts for a piece I’m working on for PFW’s next issue. Jerome Simpson, the second-rounder from Coastal Carolina, said he’s going to work at the ‘X’ receiver spot (split end) in Cincinnati’s offense. Andre Caldwell, the swift third-round pick from Florida, is working at the ‘Z’ (flanker) and also at slot receiver. Both will get a chance to contribute immediately, considering the Bengals’ lack of depth at the position. And, quite obviously, their learning curves would be accelerated were Chad Johnson to be traded. But I would be stunned if that happened. I’ll only be surprised, frankly, if he isn’t in the Bengals’ starting lineup in Week One. The Bengals don’t want to deal him, and were he to sit out, he would be walking away from a lot of money. And that is not going to happen.
• Buccaneers WR Dexter Jackson’s favorite football card: the 1986 Topps Jerry Rice rookie. Love that one, too. Jackson will get every chance to solve a long-standing problem for Tampa: a lack of punch in the return game.
• Rams WR Torry Holt wants rookie Donnie Avery to show less “emotion,” as Avery put it, in his route-running. Holt became one of the best receivers of his generation in part because of his superb routes. Avery has rare speed, the best of any pass-catcher in his draft class, but whether he succeeds or fails may come down to whether he takes a page from Holt when it comes to never letting DBs know what is coming. Avery’s hands — drops caught the attention of scouts, and not in a good way — also need to become more consistent.