FanHouse Leonard Little

Steve Spagnuolo is going through a rough season in his first as an NFL head coach. He had the unenviable task of taking over a roster which was left in disarray by the previous administration. No real effort had been done to bridge the gap from The Greatest Show on Turf to the next wave of players, with the notable exception of drafting studly running back Steven Jackson before Marshall Faulk was retired.

The results to this point have hardly been surprising. Poor Spags and his troops endured seven losses, including several blowouts, before finally earning their first victory this past Sunday against the Lions. While he's cherishing this first win, Spagnuolo realizes it's the first step of many.

On Oct. 19, 1998, the St. Louis Rams' Leonard Little drove his Lincoln Navigator through a red light and crashed into a car driven by a 47-year-old mother. Later tests confirmed his blood alcohol level was .19, more than twice the legal limit in the state of Missouri. The next day the mother died.

On Jan. 14, 2003 Dallas Cowboys cornerback Dwayne Goodrich spent a night out with friends at a local strip club. At two in the morning, he hopped on the interstate. That night a car caught on fire on that same interstate and three good Samaritans rushed to aid the motorist caught inside. Goodrich struck all three, killing two.

On March 14, 2009 Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth struck and killed a pedestrian in Miami Beach while driving his Bentley at 7:15 in the morning. Stallworth had been out drinking the night before and blood tests later confirmed he was impaired at the time of the accident.

What do all three of these men share in common besides being NFL players who have killed others while operating vehicles? They all played collegiate football for the University of Tennessee.

Despite what MIchael Vick told a judge in bankruptcy court last week, there's no way he plays another "10 to 12 years" in the NFL. In fact, there's a chance he never plays again if commissioner Roger Goodell chooses not to reinstate him.

That decision won't come till summer, but if Vick, who is nearing the end of a 23-month prison sentence in connection with dog-fighting, is allowed to return to the league, he'll almost certainly have suitors. And the Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald thinks that, under the right circumstances, he could be a good fit for the Raiders.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, 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.

Quarterbacks: Marc Bulger is coming off an injury-riddled, subpar at best, season. For the first time in his career he threw more picks than touchdowns, and his yards per attempt were nearly a yard lower than his previous career-low. Much of this can be attributed to the brutal offensive line play in front of him, but that may not change if Orlando Pace isn't completely healthy. Overall, though, Bulger will have a much better season and Trent Green is a fine backup. Heat Index: 6

Usually the first day of free agency doesn't see such a big kicker story (relatively speaking). The Rams saw their longtime kicker, Jeff Wilkins, retire on Friday. Wilkins informed the team in the morning that he was taking his K-ball and going home.

Wilkins declined to meet with reporters Friday, instead issuing a statement: "Throughout my 11 years with the Rams, everybody in the organization has been fantastic - from the top to the bottom," he said. "But my retirement is best for me, my family, and the Rams."

Wilkins' retirement has as much to do with health issues as anything.

Nagging leg and back injuries, which could be nerve-related, have spread, and treatments have been unsuccessful.

No biggie. The Rams then go out and sign free agent kicker Josh Brown to a five-year deal later in the evening. Brown, who spent his first five seasons with the Seahawks, has been a Rams killer during his career. Last year, he kicked two game winning field goals over St. Louis that directly affected the outcome of the NFC West. So, not only do they find a capable replacement, they hurt a division rival.

With Wilkins retiring and Issac Bruce getting released, there are only three Rams left from their Super Bowl XXXIV championship team: Torry Holt, Leonard Little and Orlando Pace.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Cato June was arrested Sunday on charges of driving under the influence just hours after the Bucs beat the Atlanta Falcons.

In addition to being the day when Tampa Bay essentially clinched the NFC South, Sunday was also June's birthday. And at 3 a.m. he was pulled over in Tampa because police suspected he was driving drunk. He refused to take a breathalyzer test and was booked into the Orient Road Jail.

It's disgraceful that NFL players, all of whom can easily afford a cab or a limo, still haven't learned that if you're going to go out drinking, you need to find a sober person to drive you home. That it happened after June celebrated his birthday is a reminder of Rams defensive end Leonard Little, who got drunk on his birthday in 1998 and killed a woman he crashed into on his drive home. June is lucky the same thing didn't happen last night.