FanHouse DwightSmith

After initially denying Keith Rivers the ability to change jersey numbers without forking over $11,000, Rivers is going to have the ability to wear the number that he wanted. Kevin Smith? We're still not sure.

The league originally told Smith that he couldn't change from no. 34 to 24, which he wore in college, because he wore "34" in the rookie photo shoot, and the number appears on all of Smith's trading cards.

Typically, when a player wants a number that's taken, he simply has to work out some sort of arrangement with the player who wears it. In Smith's case, he got safety Dwight Smith, the current wearer of the "24," to agree to switch. But the league has been a different story.

It's unknown whether Rivers paid the money to get the jersey change, so perhaps Smith will have to pay both the league and Dwight for the privilege, but the league will probably keep consistent with its decisions (unlike with the Personal Conduct Policy), and afford Smith the same opportunity as Rivers, no matter what that might be.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Jon Kitna -- man of God, man of many passing yards, man of many lapses in judgement. With Kitna, Mike Martz found a quarterback who could air it out appropriately in his offense. Appropriately, in this instance, means bombing away with little regard to risk, and the interception and sack totals with Kitna under center reflect that. Martz is gone and the Lions are shifting to a more conservative offense. Kitna isn't the right man to helm it, and, turning 36 early this season, should be on his last tour in Detroit. The problem is that the Lions aren't sure if they have anyone behind him to take over, with Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton possessing exactly zero starts and only 17 passing attempts between them, all Orlovsky's. Heat Index: 5

Running back: That conservative offense will put more work at the feet of the team's tailbacks. The Lions' running game in 2007 was 31st in the league and lost their best runner in Kevin Jones. Still, they're going about improving in the right way. They kept Tatum Bell and Brian Calhoun from last year and tailored their attack to a one-cut zone blocking system that suits their skills. Bell had almost 2,000 yards and 10 touchdowns running in that system in 2005 and 2006. Assuming he stays healthy, he should bring a big-play punch. But the biggest impact will be made by the biggest unknown -- rookie Kevin Smith. He also excels in a zone system, and the wildly productive college back is one of the players I think is going to absolutely turn heads this year. Heat Index: 7

Rod Marinelli has accepted the torch from Bill Parcells and now can officially be referred to as Mr. "My Guy." Meaning, he likes players he knows and who he knows he can trust in the locker room and in his system. That's why you've seen so many ex-Bucs -- Jon Bradley, Chuck Darby, Brian Kelly, Kalvin Pearson, Corey Smith, Dwight Smith, and Dewayne White -- migrate north to join the coach in Detroit. It certainly wasn't for the city's majestic scenery.

So the natural question, when you see John Lynch -- who played the prime of a very good career with Marinelli watching from the sideline -- being freed from Denver, is whether he'll join that list.

Whether Lynch decides he wants to play again in the NFL or not, it seems as if he has a soft spot in his heart for Marinelli. Which isn't to say Lynch has interest in playing in Detroit. Which is good, because the Lions aren't interested in him.

Marinelli cites the team's depth at safety for staying away, which is sort of a valid excuse; the Lions actually do look good at that position. But if Lynch was still the even half of the Lynch that Marinelli used to watch everyday (or even half the Lynch of two years ago), the Lions would do whatever they could to find a way to get him on the field.

The truth is, Marinelli has turned away a couple of ex-Bucs (SEE: Rice, Simeon), so he's not sporting pewter blinders. At 36 and with an almost completely diminished skillset, Lynch simply has nothing of on-field value to offer the Lions.

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...
Adam Sandler movie of the NFL: always entertaining, yet never really winning anything notable. Whether it's drafting a WR in three consecutive first rounds (slapstick/unrealistic comedy like Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore), putting together a highly productive offense in terms of fantasy football (funny, yet quasi-legit Big Daddy or Wedding Singer? Maybe?), or guaranteeing ten wins ("I'm gonna go legit with Spanglish!"); you'll always be entertained and they'll always avoid the playoffs. This year is no different. The former laughingstock of a division is now somewhat of a powerhouse, and the Lions are still a step behind even the obviously third-best Bears. If you want entertainment, though, they won't disappoint.

The Breakout
Calvin Johnson is ready to take the next step after becoming acclimated to the NFL in his rookie season. I love it when people proclaim a rookie to have freaky mad skills and then if he doesn't perform to expectations he's an afterthought one year later. That's a year of experience, man. Never a bad thing. He's ready to make the leap into fantasy stud-dom. You'll see.

It's hard to say the Lions' secondary was the weakest link on the team last year -- the offensive line might have something to say about that -- but it left quite a bit to be desired. But it appears that they're going to make a concerted effort to get it up to speed very early in free agency.

They've already signed safety/nickel Dwight Smith, who has connections with Rod Marinelli and Joe Barry from Tampa. Then there's the soon-to-be former Charger Drayton Florence. Though free agency doesn't start until, oh, about four hours from now as I write, I think we all know where Florence plans on going.

Florence said Thursday in a telephone interview he heard through the grapevine the Lions were interested in him. He knows the Lions need corners and thinks he could be a good fit.

Asked about Dwight Smith, Florence said: "Let him know I'm trying to come over there and help him out and lock it down in Detroit, man. I'm trying to get that Super Bowl ring.

That's pretty direct. If that weren't enough, the Lions could be getting a good corner in Domonique Foxworth from the Broncos, who are hot to trot for ecstatic Shaun Rogers.

These moves would appear to make the Lions' secondary much better, but with Lions seeing truly is believing. Still, give them an "A" for effort.

The stairwells around Minnesota are a little bit safer today.

Dwight Smith, a starting safety for the Vikings for the past two seasons, was cut loose by the Vikings on Wednesday. He leaves having pulled down eight interception, but it appears that in the mind of Vikings coach Brad Childress those INTs were outweighed by his two arrests (one for being caught in the act with a woman in a stairwell) and a somewhat rocky relationship with the head coach.

You have to think that the relationship between Smith and Childress had gotten pretty bad to lead to an outright release. The list of free agent safeties is pretty ugly, with Ken Hamlin, Gibril Wilson and Madieu Williams among the best of a pretty weak crop. It's weak enough that Smith will immediately become one of the top free agents available. Of course, the Vikings have gobs of money available, so if there is a safety out there they want, cost shouldn't be an issue.

But the Vikings will most likely try to fill the spot in the draft while also bringing in a solid, if relatively inexpensive backup safety to compete for the job. They were rumored to be interested in Laron Landry last year (the Redskins snapped him up first, forcing the Vikings to "settle" for Adrian Peterson. While it might not be a first-round pick, it's likely the Vikings will be taking a first-day safety with the idea of getting him into the lineup soon.

The good news for Dwight Smith is this time he kept his pants on.

The last time the Vikings safety got in trouble with the police it was last year's indecent conduct with a woman in a nightclub's stairwell. This time he was fully clothed at all times, but he could end up in more trouble with the NFL after police cited him for marijuana possession and obstructing traffic on Thursday night.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could fine or suspend Smith for the pot possession, although any decision will likely not be made until well after this season is over. The last time Smith got in trouble coach Brad Childress benched him for one game, but with the Vikings banged up at safety and a playoff spot on the line, there's a lot of reasons to overlook this arrest until the NFL rules.

The biggest effect for Smith would be if the NFL decides to enter him into the NFL's substance abuse testing program because of the pot charge. Generally an arrest for use of an illegal drug is enough to get a player into the program. If the NFL decides to make Smith take further drug tests a further positive test could result in a four-game suspension.

There is an interesting addendum to the story as well--nose tackle Pat Williams is apparently taking classes to become a police officer. He helped settle down the situation with Smith and showed the cops his badge. Although I don't know if he'd fit into a police car, it's hard to imagine many criminals giving Williams problems. He might not be much of a help in a foot chase however.

Every week, NFL FanHouse hits the lowlights from Sunday's action, looking at those players who did the most to move their head coaches that much closer to returning to the Bed and Breakfast business.

Herm Edwards, Chiefs
Two weeks ago, Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs was highlighted in this space because of his inability manage timeouts and the clock. I have no recollection of Gibbs struggling with such problems during his first coaching run back in the '80s and '90s, but I'm convinced that Edwards is, by light years, the league's worst coach when it comes to making in-game decisions.

I don't make that accusation cavalierly, and with the full understanding that in addition to Gibbs, guys like Brian Billick, Marvin Lewis, Mike Holmgren and Norvell Turner make seemingly hair-brained decisions. But none can match Herm's lunacy.

The latest addition to Edwards' legacy came Sunday against AFC West rival, Oakland. With Kansas City trailing 20-17, less than five minutes to go in the game, and the ball on the Raiders' 27, Brodie Croyle completed a four-yard pass on 3rd and 5. Bring in the field goal team, right? Wrong.
Sorry, No Photos

Well, if Vikings head coach Brad Childress does get canned in the coming weeks, this will only make it easier for owner Zygi Wilf:

In the waning moments Sunday, safety Dwight Smith had several of his teammates in stitches, at one point sprinting some 20 yards along the bench in reaction to a joke. Afterward, Smith said football "is just a job" and suggested fans take the outcome of games more seriously than players.

That would be Dwight "I once got busy in a Burger King bathroom public stairwell" Smith. And those waning moments were against division rival Green Bay, who were leading the Vikings 34-0 at the time.

I hesitate to point out guys goofing off at work -- that's about all I'm good for -- but if you have to do it, can you be a little more discreet? Even though the Vikings are 3-6 and in last place in the NFC North, and without their only offensive weapon, there's nothing to worry about, apparently:

"We're still focused on the fact that there are seven more games left," receiver Bobby Wade said. "Not to take anything away from the other teams, but we feel they are games we can win. ... The morale on this team is only as good as the veteran players in this locker room, and they're pretty strong and resilient about the fact that we still have to go out and play."

And they haven't lost their sense of humor either.

Lost in all the excitement of Adrian Peterson's big day is the fact that the Vikings pass defense somehow managed to blow a 14-point lead in the final three minutes of the game.

Just think about that. After waiting for weeks for the Vikings offense to show any signs of life, the Vikings defense couldn't hold on to a 31-17 lead with just three minutes to play. Not only couldn't they hold onto the lead, but they actually gave it up in only a minute and a half, thankfully they were inept enough that the Vikings had time to rally and kick the game-winning field goal.

It took Chicago only five plays to tie the score. You'll hear criticism of teams playing a prevent defense, but in this case, Minnesota stuck with its base pass defenses, only to find that its defensive backs weren't up to what was a pretty easy job. Bernard Berrien caught a 20-yard pass to start the Bears first scoring drive. After a blitz successfully pressured Brian Griese into a wild pass (that cornerback Marcus McCauley should have intercepted), Muhsin Muhhamed turned a simple crossing pattern into a 33-yard touchdown when four different Vikings failed to lay a hand on him as he ran through the middle of their zone coverage.