In Pittsburgh, another Dungy protégé, Tomlin, is getting raves for the calm way in which he has reacted to the emotional outburst of star guard and team captain Alan Faneca, who is so upset with his contract situation that he has asked for a trade and mentioned he would have rather seen former Steelers offensive coordinator Pete Whisenhunt or line coach Russ Grimm get Tomlin's job.

Whisenhunt and Grimm are now in Arizona, but it is doubtful the Steelers will trade him there.

Tomlin also has loosened up the Steeler ship a bit, allowing players to wear funny hats instead of helmets at practice. Depending on whether it works, Tomlin will wear either a Super Bowl crown or a dunce hat.

Terrell Owens has given Phillips his stamp of approval so far, even if it's no more than a parting shot at Parcells.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is excited to be working with quarterback guru Turner instead of the defensive-minded Schottenheimer.

In Atlanta, nobody is sure yet what age is best suited to dealing with Michael Vick and friends. Petrino has turned 46 since he was hired. By season's end, he might think he's 64.

Q: Do you think the possibility exists that [Bill] Belichick, [Tom] Brady, [Randy] Moss and company could find themselves in the midst of a chemistry explosion (sooner or later) and out of the playoffs lickity split? I do.
— Jim Bolda, Fall River, Wis.
A: I don't. The Patriots have done too good a job establishing, cultivating and promoting their culture of winning to allow for the possibility of chemistry explosions. As soon as egos threaten to get in the way of the common goal, there are simply too many voices of reason inside the locker room and on the coaching staff to derail the operation. Moss will get on board and stay there. I'd be surprised if he doesn't contribute, provided of course that he still has the physical skill to contribute. If not, the Patriots will be the first to notice and dump him before he can start to pout.

Q: I have been a tried and true Redskins fan every since I saw a football. I'm a huge Jason Campbell fan. Do you think that he has what it takes to get the Redskins back to anything close to their glory days?
— Shaun Hall, Boise, Idaho
A: The Redskins certainly hope and think so. Campbell drew raves at recent mini-camp practices. His personality and eagerness to learn give him a chance to develop fast. Although spring and summer practices are difficult to assess because nobody wears pads, it's all we have to go on now. By all accounts, Campbell has exceeded expectations and appears on track to make a difference. In the NFC East, where Donovan McNabb is coming off an injury and Eli Manning and Tony Romo are still trying to establish themselves, Campbell has a chance to catch up quickly if his game experience suddenly begins to click with his physical ability. Coach Joe Gibbs ordinarily doesn't like to turn over the keys to young quarterbacks, but he likes Campbell.

Q: What kind of year do you expect the Cleveland Browns to have in the ’07-’08 season? Will Quinn see any playing time?
— Justin, Saint Albans, W.V.
A: When you say ’07-’08 season, I'm afraid you're too optimistic. That assumes a playoff berth,  and that would be too ambitious. Although their draft of Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn was exciting and their offseason acquisitions helped, the Browns have the disadvantage of playing in the tough AFC North Division, where the Ravens, Steelers and Bengals all are too far ahead of them and have urgent playoff aspirations of their own. For the Browns to break through in the next couple years would be an accomplishment of major proportions. Quinn definitely will play. If he doesn't, it means Charlie Frye is playing so unexpectedly well that the team might actually be in playoff contention. Unless Frye starts out 4-0, it would be counterproductive in my opinion to delay Quinn's debut. He obviously is the quarterback of the future, and in Cleveland, the future needs to be as soon as possible. The Denver Broncos should have thrown Jay Cutler into the fire earlier last year. There's little reason to hold back.

Q: Who was the last NFL kicker to use the straight-on style of approach rather than the soccer style?
— Ray Pearce, Selinsgrove, Pa.
A: The last was Washington's Mark Moseley, who was the NFL MVP in 1982 after hitting 20 of 21 field goals and setting a consecutive field goal record of 23, including his last three in 1981. He lasted into the late ’80s before leaving nothing but soccer-style kickers in his wake.

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