• CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman thinks "a handshake agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement will happen next week, not on Thursday or Friday." Either way, that's welcome news.  
  
  
• ESPN.com's Matt Williamson thinks Shawne Merriman "is done." In that sense, he should complement former Bills first-rounder Aaron Maybin nicely.

• Redskins QB update via CSNWashington.com blogger Rich Tandler: "I would say there is zero chance that the Redskins are interested in [Jimmy] Clausen. Think they would rather go with who they have." Washington should subscribe to the addition-by-subtraction personnel philosophy more often.

• Ricky Williams' chances of returning to the Dolphins are only slightly better than Clausen's chances of ending up in DC.

• Steelers beat reporter Ed Bouchette thinks Ike Taylor will re-sign with Pittsburgh but isn't "100 percent" sure.

• We thought this went without saying since the Broncos spent a first-round pick on Tim Tebow a year ago, but the team has no interest in a poor man's Tebow, aka Terrelle Pryor.

• Like most fans, Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo has given up following the day-to-day goings-on of the lockout. We don't blame him.

• It took a while, but Joe Flacco finally admitted that he would've said the exact same thing Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley said about him last month.

• Former Broncos third-rounder Maurice Clarett and former Jags first-rounder Reggie Williams have been added to UFL rosters.

• In case you missed it, the latest edition of the Eye on Football podcast. We talk the latest labor news, Terrell Owens and Tiki Barber, and the upcoming free agency free-for-all.

• Carson Palmer has sold his Cinncinati-area home. Make of this what you will.

• Dolphins running back Ricky Williams would like you all to forget the not-so-nice things he said about Tony Sparano after the season.

• First the Bills get new uniforms and now Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly says that the team was wise to pass on a QB early in the April draft. Turns out, Kelly thinks incumbent Ryan Fitzpatrick is more than capable.

• The Bengals haven't officially parted ways with Chad Ochocinco but the Cincinnati Enquirer's Paul Daugherty has already written his "How will Chad be remembered" column.

• How old is the Steelers starting lineup compared to the rest of the league? Steelers Lounge investigates.

• This ain't Matt Millen's Detroit Lions. Free agent wide receiver Donte' Stallworth tweeted that he'd like to sign with the Lions this summer.

• Michael Crabtree might not know who the 49ers' starting quarterback is, but Vernon Davis praised Alex Smith's leadership during the player-organized practices. It's not much, but it's something.

• This should come as no surprise, but Tarvaris Jackson doesn't feel like he "was really welcome" in Minnesota "since Day 1." Clearly, this is Brett Favre's fault.

• An interesting look at what it’s like to work on a book with Chad Ochocinco (full disclosure: the first book I wrote was with Orange Frazer Press. It was not on Ochocinco. Or Chad Johnson, for that matter).

• Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin was dealing with a mono-like sickness that he battled from mid-February to late March. It caused him to lose about 15 pounds.

• We don’t normally think of Bengals coach Marvin Lewis as a stand-up comic, but in a recent roast of Cincinnati restaurant legend Jeff Ruby, Lewis summoned his inner-Jeff Ross. Naturally, that includes a joke at Ochocinco’s expense. Also, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly just kills Lewis and Bearcats coach Butch Jones.

• CBSSports.com’s own Mike Freeman thinks there’s a 30-40 percent chance mediation this time around will work.

• The three finalists for the Patriots 2011 HOF induction class are coach Bill Parcells, QB Drew Bledsoe and DL Houston Antwine. Fans can vote at patriots.com through May 15.

• Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune doesn’t think that agreeing to a home game in London vs. the Bears is such a good idea for the Buccaneers.

• RB Ricky Williams hasn’t closed the door on possibly returning to Miami (if, of course, the Dolphins really want him).

• Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio gave an interesting look into how New England preps for the draft and what happens in the war room during draft day.

• The Ravens’ record on drafting first-round picks? Pretty good. Their record on drafting second-round picks? Not quite as impressive.

• Lions DT Ndamukong Suh will try to set the world record for the largest tweet-up ever. The record is 1,149 – which, frankly, is lower than I would have expected.

Posted by Andy Benoit

The drama is laying on pretty thick in Miami. Earlier this week, Dolphins player rep Ricky Williams (who, it’s worth noting, is headed for unrestricted free agency), criticized head coach Tony Sparano for being a micromanager and taking the fun out of football.

Via ESPN.com’s Tim Graham, in a radio with WQAM (the same station where Williams made his comments), Jets defensive end/outside linebacker Jason Taylor, who played for Sparano last season, essentially seconded the running back’s sentiments.

"The people want to get on players sometimes of speaking their minds and for saying things or being truthful," Taylor said. "People don't always want to hear that. But sometimes you've got to look at it and say 'Where there's smoke there's probably fire.'

"I think it's something you have to take a step back and look at and say 'Well, this isn't Ricky just being a cancer in the locker room.' ... Sometimes guys talk and you tend [to dismiss] them as just blowing a horn. But when someone like Ricky talks, I think you can understand that maybe there is something there for real."

Taylor was not trashing his former coach – he was merely speaking candidly.

"I played under Tony one year in that system and atmosphere, and it's tough," Taylor said. "What Ricky was saying is true in a lot of senses. It's a tough work environment.

"I think Tony does a good job of trying to touch every situation you may see in a game. But the micromanaging and things like that is exhausting , particularly when you're not winning."

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