What about Bob?

Gentlemen, start your calculators.

The NFL's free agency period begins on Friday, and the money will be huge, as usual. This year, it might be bigger than ever, because more teams are flush with salary cap space than ever before, thanks to the extension of the collective bargaining agreement last year.

It's a relatively weak field of free agents, so the class players figure to get a boatload of money. And that may not sit well with some guys whose contracts don't expire. The financial disparity will widen significantly this year, and the spillover into locker room chemistry will be a major factor during the season.

One general manager told me he has genuine worries about what one player will be thinking when he realizes the guy lining up next to him is making twice as much dough - or more - when there's no way he's twice as good a player.

Here's a look at my top free agents:

Nate Clements, CB, Bills.
Dewayne White, DE, Buccaneers.
Adalius Thomas, LB, Ravens.
Shaun O'Hara, C, Giants.
Patrick Kerney, DE, Falcons.
Michael Turner, RB, Chargers (restricted).
Matt Schaub, QB, Falcons (restricted)
Jeff Garcia, QB, Eagles.
Jay Feely, K, Giants.
Ahman Green, RB, Packers.
Cato June, LB, Colts

We're still months away from training camp, but Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio wasted no time in heading off a potential quarterback controversy. Del Rio told reporters today at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that Byron Leftwich heads into camp as the undisputed No. 1 quarterback.

To which we say: Good move.

Not that Leftwich is on the verge of breaking through as one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks. But he is still good enough to be a winning quarterback, and based on what Del Rio saw from backup David Garrard last year in extended playing time due to Leftwich's ankle injury, the coach's call was a no-brainer.

The more complicated issue: what to do with Leftwich long term.

What Del Rio is hoping for is that Leftwich shows further growth in 2007 to make it sensible to extend his contract, which expires after the season. It makes little sense to extend the deal now, since Leftwich's true value is still uncertain based on his sometimes uneven performance. But if he has a breakout season in 2007, or even if he shows modest improvement that bodes well for the future, then Leftwich's on-field performance will dictate the finances.

But first things first. With few viable alternatives in the free agent market, and the Jaguars clearly not interested in trading for Texans quarterback David Carr, naming Leftwich the starter now is an entirely logical move.

Odd story out of Indianapolis today, where the Colts website reports that Tony Dungy has announced he'll return next season. He said it was a difficult decision to make, but that it was the right one.

What it says to me is that Dungy's vague responses to questions about his future immediately after the Colts beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI were indicative of his ambivalence about coming back next season. Dungy doused that speculation the next day, saying he had plenty of energy and was looking forward to the challenge of defending his title.

But when you hear him say that it was a difficult decision to come back, that tells me that we might be seeing the last of Dungy. He's always said he won't be a lifer - he and Herman Edwards both talk about walking away well before they're 60 - and the end might come sooner rather than later for Dungy.

It's a similar situation to Bill Cowher, who walked away a year after he won the Super Bowl.

Don't be suprised if Dungy is next.

First, let me say this: We should not be having this conversation. Marty Schottenheimer should still be the head coach of the Chargers, not Norv Turner.

Be that as it may, the Chargers are actually in decent shape with the hiring of Norv Turner.

I know, I know, the guy isn't even a .500 coach in the regular season, and he's never come close to winning a Super Bowl. Then again, Schottenheimer hasn't come close to winning a Super Bowl either, although he's one of the best regular season coaches in NFL history.

But Turner is actually a decent fit for the Chargers, all things considered. He is a terrific offense coach, one of the best in the game, and with a ready-made offense featuring the best running back of our era in LaDainian Tomlinson and a rising young talent at quarterback in Philip Rivers, Turner's offense should be just as productive as Cam Cameron's was last year. In fact, Cameron essentially ran Turner's offense with the Chargers in 2006.

And with Ted Cottrell, one of the better coaches running the 3-4 defense, taking over for Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator, there should be minimal adjustments for a unit that was among the best in the NFL last year.

Again, Schottenheimer didn't deserve to be fired, and was a victim of a power struggle with general manager A.J. Smith. But with team president Dean Spanos choosing Smith as the victor, it allowed the general manager to hire a coach who can at least get the Chargers back to the playoffs and in position for a meaningful postseason run.

Turner never got it done on a consistent basis in Washington and he couldn't overcome the myriad problems with the Raiders' franchise. But he now gets to operate in an environment where the owners are not front and center. He was constantly harrassed by meddlesome owner Daniel Snyder in Washington, and Al Davis was always lurking in Oakland.

Turner doesn't have the ownership issue to worry about in San Diego, so it's all about coaching. Is he as good a head coach as Schottenheimer? No way. But what the Chargers need now is a brilliant offensive mind, and Turner has that.

It just might be good enough.

I am still flabbergasted that we're talking about a coach who went 14-2 and was fired. Marty Schottenheimer is still scratching his head, too.

And why shouldn't he? The guy took his team on a magical regular season ride with a first-time starting quarterback. Sure, that playoff loss to the Patriots was a deep, haunting disappointment, but think about how much this team has to play for down the line.

Three days after the season ended, Schottenheimer was told he'd be the coach in 2007. Last night, he was told he was no longer wanted, mostly because of lingering friction with general manager A.J. Smith.

Both of these men have a huge stubborn streak, and both have battled over what they've believed in over the years. But like other strained coach-GM relationships of the past - see: Bill Parcells and George Young with the Giants - it worked out in the end.

No, there is no Super Bowl trophy to show for it, but the Chargers have been a terrific regular season team under Schottenheimer, and even though there have been playoff failures, it still didn't warrant his ouster.

The latest squabbles occurred as a result of the assistant coaching staff being decimated with the loss of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to the Dolphins and Wade Phillips to the Cowboys. But Schottenheimer has been through coaching changes before, and there was no reason he couldn't have worked this one out, too. The fact that he wanted to bring in brother Kurt Schottenheimer for the defensive staff infuriated Smith, but Schottenheimer had the right to form the coaching staff of his choice.

In the end, team president Dean Spanos couldn't take the friction, so he cut the cord with Schottenheimer. And now a team that was considered a Super Bowl favorite in 2007 is without a coach.

The search will be quick, according to Smith, and you might see USC coach Pete Carroll in the mix. Or possibly Norv Turner, the 49ers' assistant who tutored Cameron in the finer points of the offense.

But it should never have come to this. Schottenheimer deserved 2007.

Eagles president Joe Banner said head coach Andy Reid, who is taking a leave of absence, will definitely be back by the middle of next month. Banner said so at an afternoon press briefing about Reid’s absence in the wake of the recent problems encountered by his two sons.

“He's not going to come into the office, but he will be available for calls and to collaborate and he will be here if we have free agents in for a visit,” Banner said. “He will retain final say over whatever we do.”

Reid, who is also the team's head of football operations, will miss the NFL scouting combine and the start of free agency. Teams may begin voluntary offseason workouts March 19. Reid plans to attend the NFL owners' meetings in Arizona in late March, and will be back for the NFL draft April 28-29.

As for free agency, Reid’s situation probably won’t have a major impact. The team has 11 unrestricted free agents, including wide receiver Donte Stallworth and quarterback Jeff Garcia.

“Before any of this happened, we had finalized our own plans on our free agents and we had put together our preliminary plans on players we would be interested in,” Banner said.

General manager Tom Heckert and the team's assistant coaches will handle the interviewing of players at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, but players typically meet individually with teams after the combine, so Reid will get a look-see at the players the Eagles have interest in.

Just got word from the Eagles that head coach Andy Reid is taking a leave of absence until mid-March to address problems associated with his two sons, Garrett, 23, and Britt, 21.

Garrett Reid was involved in a car accident two weeks ago when his SUV allegedly ran a red light and crashed into a woman’s car in Plymouth Township, Pa. He has acknowledged using heroin in a written statement to police. Britt Reid was accused of waving a handgun at another motorist earlier that day in West Conshohocken, Pa.

According to published reports, police obtained search warrants that led them to a handgun, ammunition, suspected drugs and other items in two vehicles owned by the Eagles head coach. A second gun and more ammunition were found in the Reids' Villanova house.

Eagles team president Joe Banner will brief the media at a 1:30 p.m. news conference.

Andy Reid has not commented publicly on the situation. By taking a leave of absence, he will not attend next week’s Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where all teams gather to study draft-eligible players. Reid is not expected to retire as a result of his sons’ problems.

You've got to respect Reid for taking time off at this point. What's a few weeks of the off-season, compared to making sure you take care of your family business. It's pretty obvious these problems with his sons did not simply materialize overnight, so the Reid family has some serious issues to address over the coming weeks and months. But better to get off the NFL merry-go-round for a bit, step away and get your house in order before the far less important issues of winning and losing come into play.

Talk about settling for the ordinary.

By all indications, the Cowboys are about to name Wade Phillips the successor to Bill Parcells. To which we respond: whoop-de-do.

Not that Phillips hasn’t been a solid head coach in his two previous full-time stints in Denver and Buffalo, but that’s as far as it goes. Solid. Not spectacular. Not terrible. Solid. As in his 48-42 career regular season record as a head coach, including three years in Buffalo, two in Denver and season-ending interim gigs with the Saints and Falcons.

But Phillips has never won a playoff game, and perhaps his biggest post-season gaffe was losing to the Titans in the “Music City Miracle,” when the Titans used a trick play on a kick return to win the game in the final seconds.

He inherits a Cowboys team that even Bill Parcells couldn’t get to win a playoff game in his four seasons on the job. And he also inherits the biggest headache in the world in Terrell Owens, who will surely find something wrong with Phillips, just as he’s found something wrong with every single NFL head coach he’s ever played for.

Perhaps the biggest advantage that Phillips offers is his familiarity with the 3-4 defense. Phillips is one of the best defensive coordinators out there, and his most recent work in San Diego was exemplary. But is Phillips a championship caliber coach capable of delivering the Cowboys a Super Bowl ring? Don’t think so.

Too bad Parcells didn’t wait another year, then Jones could have gone after the biggest prize out there: Bill Cowher. The former Steelers head coach is taking a year off to decompress, and he’ll go onto the market next year as the hottest guy available. Instead, Jones has to settle for a recycled coach, who beat out Norv Turner, yet another recycled coach who didn’t get it done in Washington or Oakland.

In a word: whoop-de-do.

On my way back from Miami, two guys were talking in the airport about the game, and one of them said in no uncertain terms that all future Super Bowls should be held exclusively in domed stadiums.

"It's not fair to the teams," he said. "You get a rainstorm like that, and it throws everything out of whack."

Throws everything out of whack? Are you kidding me?

I thought it was an isolated conversation, that it really didn't represent any groundswell of support, until I got home and a friend called and complained what a shame it was the game had to be played in the rain. And then my dad called and said the same thing.

Have we lost our marbles here? It's football, people. It sometimes rains, sometimes snows and sometimes get yucky and slippery and muddy out there. Which is all part of the charm of the sport itself. In fact, weather has always been a part of the game, and it should continue to be that way. Even if it's in the Super Bowl. One of the most famous games in the history of the NFL - the 1967 NFC Championship - was nicknamed the "Ice Bowl" because the game was played in such brutal conditions.

After Sunday's 29-17 Colts win over the Bears, it has now rained heavily in exactly one Super Bowl in the 41-year history of the game. Once in nearly half a century, for goodness sake. The idea of mandating a domed stadium Super Bowl is therefore just plain silly. Remember this, too: If you'd known it would rain the entire game on Sunday, which team would you have thought would benefit most? The Bears, of course. They played in lousy conditions all the time at home, while the Colts play in a dome. Well, the Colts were by far the better team in terms of handling the ball, so there goes that theory.

Fortunately, the folks over at the NFL have no plans - nor will there be any discussions - about making sure the game is played indoors. To which we say - good.

Agree? Disagree?

Lemme know.

Just so you don’t think I’m as big a dork as Arthur “Mr. Football” Staple would have you believe, I did attend a pretty cool party last night, and did see some pretty cool people. And no, Usher wasn’t there.

The Nike party was at the Paris Theatre, and the NFL A-listers included Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway and Jim Kelly, as well as former Broncos running back Terrell Davis and director Spike Lee, who was wearing a Yankees hat. (Please note, I feel a little lame reporting this nonsense to you, because I could give a hoot about who shows up where; but for some reason, people think that sportswriters are non-stop partiers at the Super Bowl, and that we’re out-and-about at all hours – maybe Staple, but not me.) ...

Anyway, the highlight of the party was watching former Jets guard Randy Thomas, now with the Redskins, get up on the stage and do a slow dance to the pounding music. Very entertaining, especially when you know that Thomas is one of the quietest guys in the locker room ...

Ran into former Giants running back Rodney Hampton on the way to the party, and Hamp looks pretty good, although he’s put on quite a bit of weight since his playing days. Also bumped into Falcons safety Lance Schulters, who I’m sure Staple has never heard of ...

Speaking of which, the real sin I committed down here was failing to recognize Queen Latifah in a Cuban diner I stopped in for an egg sandwich. Three women were talking at the counter, and yukking it up, and it was a little on the early side, and the Starbuck’s hadn’t fully kicked in. The ladies left, and someone else at the counter said to the waitress, “That was Queen Latifah.” I’m like, you’ve got to be kidding me. I admit I didn’t know who Usher was – although I did hear he was the lead in Chicago on Broadway a few months back. But Queen Latifah is terrific, and I wish I’d realized the company I was in. So if you want to get me on that one, Mr. "Jay-Z" Staple, go ahead.

South Beach is completely mobbed now. Lots of beer-bellied Colts and Bears fans roaming the streets, a sure sign that game day is approaching. Rather eclectic group now on hand: middle-aged men in Peyton Manning and Brian Urlacher jerseys, young women in dental floss bikinis, and just about everything else in between ...

Biggest weather news of the day is that it could rain on game day, which would be a first, if it’s a steady rain. There was some rain in Supe XXXIX, but not all game. There’s a chance for significant rain tomorrow, but we’ll see.

... entertainment highlight of the week was most definitely Prince's "press conference," which was actually a mini-concert. This guy is just spectacular and will give a dynamite halftime show. Let's just hope it stays PG and we don't have to write about some Janet Jackson-like escapade ...

glad to see Staple finally put up a blog entry after threatening to do so all week. kinda weak that his best material was goofing on me, but hey, at least he spelled the name right ... come to think of it, he didn't even do that.

:)

I'm sure there are those Brett Favre detractors out there who are skeptical about his decision to come back for another season in 2007. I'm not one of them.

I love what Favre has done for the NFL, and even though he can't play at the level that turned him into a Hall of Fame quarterback in the '90s, he still does enough on the football field to warrant a return. He is not another pathetic figure just hanging on. He's still better than 70 percent of the quartebacks in the game.

Favre has a very solid offensive line to work behind, thanks to some good drafting by GM Ted Thompson, and while he could use some help at receiver and some depth at running back, he is still plenty good enough to give the Packers a chance in '07.

A Super Bowl run? That might be asking a bit much. But in an NFC that has been watered down in recent years, you can't totally dismiss the Packers.

Agree or disagree? Would love to hear your thoughts.

BG

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to announce tomorrow at his first State of the NFL news conference that the Giants and Dolphins will play a regular season game in London, England during the 2007 season. It would be the first NFL game ever played in Europe. The league has staged exhibition games there before, but never a regular season contest.

The game would be likely be played in late October, and would be a Dolphins’ home game.

There had been talk of a Giants-Dolphins matchup in Europe when it was announced several months ago that the league was exploring the idea of playing regular season games overseas.

Goodell has been steadfast in his belief that marketing the NFL overseas is critical to the league’s long-term success, and a Giants-Dolphins matchup in London makes sense as far as that plan is concerned. There are some logistical issues to deal with, including how early the teams must arrive, and whether the game will be followed by a bye week, since the long travel will certainly be burdensome to the players and coaches.