While you do yourself a favor and read this story about Tatum Bell's apparent insanity, here are some notes from around football .
* Shaun Alexander's collapse caused the Seahawks to ditch the running game often last year on the way to ranking second in the NFL behind only the Saints with 37 throws per game, but general manager Tim Ruskell said Tuesday that things will be different this season. "It's too hard to make a living off the pass like we did last year," Ruskell said. "That would just be too hard."
Mike Holmgren has a pass-heavy reputation because he coached quarterbacks in San Francisco and had Brett Favre at his disposal in Green Bay, but Seattle ranked just 22nd, 19th, 27th, 7th, 13th, 14th, 23rd, and 18th in pass attempts in his first eight seasons at the helm. That all changed last season because they simply couldn't run the ball, but the ground game should be improved this year.
Maurice Morris and Julius Jones literally alternated first-team reps at practice Monday, which obviously suggests that they'll begin the season splitting snaps. "It really is going to be a committee thing," fullback Leonard Weaver said. "But that's one thing I can say about all of us, we're unselfish. Whoever gets the start, who cares?"
Gregg Rosenthal & The Gang are constantly updating the Rotoworld Draft Guide projections, which currently predict 189 touches for Jones and 182 touches for Morris. That workload distribution may be best for the Seahawks, but would keep both guys from being more than mediocre RB3 or FLEX options. Beyond that, a return to balance offensively would leave Matt Hasselbeck as a low-level QB1.
* A month ago the Broncos' tight end depth chart had Tony Scheffler behind both Daniel Graham and Nate Jackson, but his stint in the quasi-doghouse now appears to be over. A new version of the depth chart was released Tuesday and Scheffler is back at the top where he belongs, which while perhaps little more than a formality should provide some relief for his fantasy owners.
Graham is essentially a sixth offensive lineman and despite being an ex-wideout even Jackson is a better blocker than Scheffler, which no doubt played a major part in his temporary demotion. However, few tight ends possess more potential in the passing game than Scheffler, who as a sophomore last season emerged as an elite fantasy tight end down the stretch.
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He ranked second on the team in catches (49) and touchdowns (5) while placing third in yards (549), and did so despite not catching his first pass of the year until Week 5. If his numbers over the final dozen games last season are prorated to a full, 16-game workload he'd have 730 yards and seven touchdowns on 65 grabs. If healthy, Scheffler is a clear TE1 capable of matching those prorated stats.
* Mixed in between the usual Brett Favre worship and coffee-related tales, Peter King's recent SI.com column had an interesting note about inflated tackle totals. According to King (by way of Dallas Morning News columnist Rick Gosselin), the Colts' coaching staff credited their defense with a league-high 1,416 tackles last year, which works out to 1.81 tackles per defensive snap that involved a tackle.
My immediate reaction is that perhaps the Colts' typically porous run defense would be a little better if they didn't need 1.81 players to make every tackle. But wait, it gets even more ridiculous. Colts defenders were credited with 891 "solo" tackles on the 781 snaps that involved a tackle, which seems to suggest that not everyone has a firm grasp of what "solo" means.
Indianapolis' tackle-inflating ways are enough to make Deion Sanders ponder a comeback, but they're hardly alone. Ex-teammates and media members criticize Ray Lewis for padding his stops by jumping on piles and each week newspapers are filled with reports about teams "reviewing film" and "discovering" that their big-name linebacker really made 17 tackles instead of his NFL-credited 11.
Two-Minute Drill: Fresh off a one-year contract extension, Ricky Williams took a break from his pre-med studies to announce Tuesday that he wants to finish his career in Miami . 49ers air-traffic controller Mike Martz indicated Tuesday that Bryant Johnson will start over rookie Josh Morgan in Week 1 . John Clayton of ESPN reports that Bills left tackle Jason Peters isn't close to ending his holdout, but that may change once he begins losing weekly game checks in addition to being fined $15,000 per day . After working out Chris Simms, Joey Harrington, and Todd Bouman the Ravens have apparently decided to sign the 36-year-old career backup who hasn't played a game since 2005, which probably isn't great news for the other two guys . Meanwhile, Harrington is reportedly scheduled for a visit with the Saints . Seemingly happy with Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm, general manager Ted Thompson said Tuesday that he's "not even thinking about" adding a veteran backup for Aaron Rodgers . Olindo Mare beat out rookie Brandon Coutu to be Seattle's primary kicker, but both players remain on the Seahawks' roster.
Red Zone: Jaguars reserve offensive lineman Richard Collier was shot outside a nightclub early Tuesday morning and is in critical condition . Tarvaris Jackson (knee) practiced Tuesday and said afterward that he'll be ready to start Monday night against the Packers . Ryan Grant (hamstring) sat out Tuesday's practice after getting zero carries in the Packers' preseason finale, but he's seemingly in no danger of missing Monday night's matchup with the Vikings . D.J. Hackett (toe) is slated to return to practice Wednesday and with Steve Smith suspended figures to start alongside Muhsin Muhammad in Week 1 . Troy Smith has been released from the hospital after losing 20 pounds and the Ravens' starting job while battling a tonsil infection . Donnie Avery (knee) didn't dress for Monday's practice and the rookie sounds unlikely to play Sunday . Chargers left tackle Marcus McNeil (neck) is not expected to play Sunday, which is good news for Julius Peppers and the Panthers . Jason Taylor (knee) returned to practice on a limited basis Tuesday, with coach Jim Zorn guessing afterward that he's "50-50" to play Thursday night and won't get a full workload even if he does suit up.
