What are realistic expectations for controversial Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, who was inactive in 2009?



On one hand, the Bengals recently added a talented former first-round pick at cornerback who’s known for his return skills. But on the other hand, Cincinnati also added a player with a checkered past who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2008.



Welcome to the enigma of Adam “Pacman” Jones.



The Bengals signed the embattled cornerback to a two-year deal. But there is no way to know exactly what Cincinnati is getting next season.



Jones could quickly develop into the athletic, No. 3 cornerback the Bengals are hoping for. If that’s the case, Jones would provide an immediate impact by filling a void in the secondary for the reigning AFC North champs. Cincinnati’s defense struggled covering slot receivers last year.



But Jones’ history also suggests that, potentially, he could become a distraction for the Bengals. Rust also will be an issue. Cincinnati is trying to make the jump to being a legitimate contender in the AFC and can’t afford any problems.



The “Pacman” Jones experiment didn’t work for the Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys. Both franchises tried, then eventually felt he wasn’t worth the headache and moved on.



Now it’s the Bengals’ turn, and they’re hoping for different results.

What will the Colts’ offensive line look like in 2010?



Straight answer: We don’t know and only can speculate. There will be a new left guard, as Ryan Lilja was let go. Beyond that…



The team has added three players: sixth-year tackle Adam Terry, fourth-year guard Andy Alleman and fourth-round draft pick Jacques McClendon. They also added three undrafted tackles (one who was on the practice squads in Cincinnati, San Diego and Philadelphia last season) and an undrafted guard.



Team president Bill Polian recently said the intent is to toss all 15 offensive linemen on the roster into the OTA, minicamp and training camp mix and see what shakes out. That leaves a lot of room for a lot of scenarios including a tackle like Charlie Johnson kicking inside.



It’s my feeling that of the four remaining incumbents, only center Jeff Saturday is a lock to return in the spot he was in last season. But I also wouldn’t be at all surprised if all four — Johnson at left tackle, Saturday at center, Kyle DeVan at right guard, Ryan Diem at right tackle — were in place on opening day in Houston, with only Lilja’s replacement a newcomer. The group, after all, was good enough to get the Colts to a second Super Bowl in four years.



Pass protection is going to remain priority one with Peyton Manning taking the snaps, but more effective run blocking in some crucial scenarios is a factor that can help the Colts.



They need to lock in a left tackle and go from there. Charlie Johnson could remain in the spot, though some think he’s best as the sixth man who can fill in for a few games here and there at tackle or guard. Tony Ugoh needs to make his claim to the job now, and could get a clean slate with Pete Metzelaars taking over for longtime offensive line coach Howard Mudd.



A scout from another team told me recently that he thought Polian wanted to see Ugoh developed at the spot while the decisive Mudd had determined Ugoh couldn’t be effective enough for the Colts last year. We’ll likely never know if that’s the case, thought the results of the competitions could give us some degree of information.



Whoever the tackles are, they and the run game should get a boost from Brody Eldridge. He’s the big blocking tight end the Colts drafted in the fifth round out of Oklahoma. He’s not going to hurt the Colts while getting in the way of an extra pass rusher either.

Could the AFC playoffs feature three teams from the AFC East?



For the past three years, the AFC East hardly deserved to send multiple teams to the playoffs.



The AFC East arguably didn’t warrant extra inclusion in 2009 either. The New York Jets clinched a wild-card bid with massive assistance from their last two opponents, while other contenders withered into pretenders.



But this year is shaping up differently. The AFC East could send three teams into the postseason for the first time since 2001.



Anticipation already is building for what should be an ultra-competitive division shootout. The New England Patriots are defending champs. The Jets reached the AFC Championship Game. The Miami Dolphins won the AFC East in 2008 and were mathematically alive for a wild-card berth heading into Week 17 last year. They beat the Jets twice.



As respectable as those organizations were at the end of 2008, expectations have escalated. All three have improved their playoff chances through free agency, trades and the draft. ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton recently rated the most productive offseasons, and his Nos. 1 through 3 were the Patriots, Dolphins and Jets.



For eight straight seasons, the AFC East hasn’t acquitted itself well. It qualified a lone wild-card team in 2004, 2006 and 2009 (all the Jets), but none in the other seasons. Although it should be pointed out the Patriots had an 11-5 record two years ago, but failed to get in because they lost a tiebreaker to the Dolphins for the division crown and to the Baltimore Ravens for the second wild-card spot.



But in 2010, the AFC East’s strength of schedule is around the middle of the pack. The Patriots have the sixth-toughest schedule, but the Dolphins, Jets and Buffalo Bills are tied for 16th.



The AFC North has been shaky. Can anybody count on the Cincinnati Bengals to repeat as division champs? The Pittsburgh Steelers failed to make the playoffs at all last year and are experiencing serious turbulence with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.



The AFC West has been weak for a few seasons, producing one winning record over the past two seasons combined and two over the past three seasons.



We can pretty much pencil in the Indianapolis Colts to continue their AFC South dominance, but the other clubs have struggled off and on.



What makes the AFC South’s outlook even more daunting is the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans are tied for the most-difficult schedule based on their opponents’ aggregate 2009 records. The Jacksonville Jaguars own the fifth-toughest schedule. The Colts have the 10th.



Odds would appear decent multiple AFC East teams will make the tournament.

Take a look at the background picture of Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews’ Twitter account. It’s a 2009 Sports Illustrated cover featuring Matthews and two of his former USC teammates: Brian Cushing, later drafted by Houston, and Rey Maualuga, who landed in Cincinnati.



Barely a year later, Matthews is the only one of the trio unscathed by controversy. Maualuga was arrested in January for drunken driving and was scheduled to spend 30 days in rehab. Cushing, the 2009 NFL defensive rookie of the year for Houston, was suspended four games Friday after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.



And for those who will start the guilty-by-association discussion between Cushing and Matthews, who gained some 60 pounds between his junior year in high school and the start of his college career, let’s follow the lead of Greg A. Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.



Bedard points out Matthews’ April 2009 response to rumors he had tested positive for steroids himself. Matthews explained how he developed from an unrecruited 161-pound high school junior to a 220-pound college linebacker and expressed frustration at how quickly steroid rumors start when young football players gain weight.



Let’s allow Matthews’ unambiguous words, courtesy the Packers’ website, speak mostly for themselves.

Clay, were you part of an erroneous report?

Clay Matthews: Yeah, the same website actually reported that B.J. [Raji] had tested positive for recreational drugs and me and my other teammate, Brian Cushing, had tested positive for steroids, which is completely false. Unfortunately in years past people have had to just wait it out and let the smoke clear and at that time their name is damaged. No matter if you come out clean, people are going to think less of you as a person. So [we] were fortunate enough to be able to call the head administrator for the drug test and he let us know, no, you didn’t test positive. It was just a matter of shutting a guy down and letting people know the real story. It’s unfortunate, but I guess we’re in this position that we are today and it wouldn’t be happening if we weren’t in this position. You learn from it and you grow from it really.

When you went to SC, were you 161 pounds?

CM: No, that weight has been exaggerated tremendously. I want to set the record straight and say I was 228 coming into SC. After camp, around 220. I just worked hard. I’d love for the writer of that article to come see how I train and live a day in my shoes, and he can see how I put on this weight and what not. It was funny, I just heard the other day Aaron Curry was 195 at Wake Forest when he first checked in. People can put on weight. They work hard. It’s not that hard provided you have a workman’s mentality.

You redshirted and were there a long time, so was it not just the weight room but you hit some growth spurts there too?

CM: Yeah, absolutely. Fortunately and I guess unfortunately, Matthews are just late bloomers. The same with my dad and my Uncle Bruce, we all going into college, we put on a tremendous amount of weight. It was just a little late in the recruiting process so you have to walk on here and there and make a name for yourself. That’s what I had to do. You can talk to anyone at that program and they’ll say I’m one of the hardest workers and I’m going to be in the weight room. Not just in the weight room, but on the practice field, watching film, game film, and they’ll tell you the type of character that I possess.

So what did you weigh your junior year when they wouldn’t recruit you?

CM: 166.

How tall were you?

CM: Probably around 6-foot, 6-1. Probably the only college guy to have actually grown in height too throughout college.

Some of you will suggest that we in the media perpetuate guilt-by-association themes by introducing them in the first place. Writing about it draws a connection readers might not otherwise make, you might say, and extends the damage rather than letting the issue settle.



I strongly disagree. I covered baseball from 1996-99, the years leading up to the steroid revelation era. At the time, writers bent over backward to avoid mentioning steroids, even in the presence of obvious clues, in order to avoid sullying the reputation of players who hadn’t admitted to using them. And since there was no reliable testing at the time, no one admitted it. So for the most part, steroids were not part of the public discussion even though, as we now know, they were being used by some of the best players in the game.



Nowhere am I suggesting that Matthews should come under more scrutiny now that one of his college teammates has tested positive. But we would be naïve to think that ignoring the connection would help diminish its legitimacy. Every American with a computer can publish his or her opinion via the Internet. So in an era of unattributable accusations and connecting of the dots, we need more openness, more public discussion and maximum accountability. I’d rather have someone like Clay Matthews step forward and assert he has never taken steroids than sit back and believe rumors will dissipate if they go unaddressed.

In honor of the Oakland Raiders dumping quarterback JaMarcus Russell three years after they drafted him No. 1 overall, I’ve put together a list of each AFC East team’s biggest busts.



These are my picks, and they’re open for debate. Add your picks in the comments section below.



Buffalo Bills



1. Walt Patulski, defensive end (first overall, 1972): Who? Exactly the point. He played four uninspiring years for the Bills and one more for the St. Louis Cardinals.



2. Mike Williams, tackle (fourth overall, 2002): A good case can be made for Williams to be at the top of this list. He spent four mediocre seasons at right tackle, not even making it over to the blindside.



3. Tony Hunter, tight end (12th overall, 1983): In arguably the greatest first round in NFL draft history, the Bills managed to find a dud two slots ahead of the pick they used on Jim Kelly. Hunter lasted two seasons in Buffalo, starting 12 games and catching 69 passes.



4. Terry Miller, running back (fifth overall, 1978): It’s tough to replace O.J. Simpson, but the Bills thought they had their man with Miller. He rushed for 1,060 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie. Over his next — and final — three seasons combined, he rushed for 523 yards and one touchdown.



5. Perry Tuttle, receiver (19th overall, 1982): In two seasons with the Bills, he managed four starts and 24 receptions. Taken one slot after him was Mike Quick.



Miami Dolphins



1. Eric Kumerow, defensive end (16th overall, 1988): Three seasons, zero starts, five sacks.



2. Billy Milner, tackle (25th overall, 1995): He lasted two NFL seasons, starting nine games at right tackle as a rookie. In his second season, the Dolphins traded him to the St. Louis Rams for Troy Drayton. The Rams cut Milner, who retired.



3. Sammie Smith, running back (ninth overall, 1989): He showed promise here and there, rushing for 831 yards and eight touchdowns in his second season. But he was hated by Dolfans for his costly fumbles.



4. Jason Allen, defensive back (16th overall, 2006): He has made a dozen career starts and contributes most of his time to special teams.



5. Yatil Green, receiver (15th overall, 1997): I nearly listed Ted Ginn here, but he added value as a return specialist and actually won a game for the Dolphins last year. Green’s career lasted eight games.



New England Patriots



1. Kenneth Sims, defensive end (first overall, 1982): Sims played a full season just once in his eight seasons and played three games or fewer three times. He recorded 17 sacks



2. Eugene Chung, offensive lineman (13th overall, 1992): Chung started 14 games as a rookie and all 16 as a sophomore, but that was all. Chung played three games in 1994 and was gone.



3. Chris Singleton, linebacker, and Ray Agnew, defensive tackle (eighth and 10th overall, 1990): I couldn’t pick one without the other. The Pats traded the third overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks for these two. The Seahawks took future Hall of Famer Cortez Kennedy. In between Singleton and Agnew, the Dolphins drafted potential Hall of Fame tackle Richmond Webb.



4. Hart Lee Dykes, receiver (16th overall, 1989): Two seasons, 18 starts, 83 receptions, seven touchdowns, out of football.



5. Andy Katzenmoyer, linebacker (28th overall, 1999): A neck injury was at issue, but he left the team without permission and was cut after his second season. He made 14 starts.



New York Jets



1. Blair Thomas, running back (second overall, 1990): Over four seasons with the Jets, he rushed for five touchdowns.



2. Johnny “Lam” Jones, receiver (second overall, 1980): He finished his career with 138 receptions for 2,322 yards and 13 touchdowns. Art Monk might’ve been the better choice.



3. Dave Cadigan, guard (eighth overall, 1988): He spent six seasons with the Jets, but he totaled 13 starts through his first three seasons. The Minnesota Vikings found Hall of Fame guard Randall McDaniel with the 19th pick.



4. Reggie Rembert, receiver (28th overall, 1990): A triple whiff. The Jets couldn’t sign Rembert and were forced to deal him. They sent him to the Cincinnati Bengals for offensive lineman Scott Jones and linebacker Joe Kelly. Rembert finished his career with 36 catches and one touchdown.



5. Alex Van Dyke, receiver (31st overall, 1996): I considered Vernon Gholston here, but went with Van Dyke based on his 26 career catches and three receivers taken soon after him. Amani Toomer, Muhsin Muhammad and Bobby Engram did OK.

There is little chance JaMarcus Russell will be claimed off waivers because of his large salary. However, I bet some team gives him another chance at some point.



He is only 24 and he has a great arm. NFL coaches are very arrogant. They think they can make players stars. So, some team will likely give Russell the league minimum salary and another chance.



With the help of my fellow bloggers, here is a list of some teams that could take a look at Russell.



Arizona: The Cardinals aren’t exactly set at quarterback.



Buffalo: The Bills have a need for someone who can help now. That’s not Russell.



Chicago: Bears’ offensive coordinator Mike Martz loves big arms. But the Bears would likely want a more experienced backup.



Cincinnati: The Bengals could use a backup and they aren’t afraid of adding anyone.



Minnesota: If Brett Favre doesn’t come back, there could be a need there.



New Orleans: Maybe Sean Payton and a return to Louisiana could spark his career.



Philadelphia: The Eagles aren’t scared of bringing in quarterbacks.



San Francisco: The 49ers could use another arm, but not sure how this would fly in the Bay Area. Raiders’ fans would love it.



Washington: Mike Shanahan would probably love to stick it to Al Davis and make something out of Russell.

This much we know: The Cincinnati Bengals love a good reclamation project — especially when it’s on the cheap.

Jones

That is why it’s no surprise that the Bengals feel Adam “Pacman” Jones is a good fit for their franchise. He reached a two-year deal with Cincinnati on Thursday at the league minimum.



Yes, Cincinnati could use another corner behind starters Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall. More reasonable options such as Dre’ Bly and Ken Lucas were probably too expensive for the team’s liking. But signing a troubled player for pennies on the dollar is a vintage move by Bengals ownership.



Jones’ poor off-field behavior led to his demise with the Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys. But as long as it doesn’t hurt the bottom line, that doesn’t matter to the Bengals.



It’s no secret that football is a rough sport. Show me a team with 53 choirboys and I’ll show you a team that cannot make the playoffs.



But also show me a team that consistently cuts corners and ignores character and I’ll show you the Bengals — a franchise that’s never won a Super Bowl and hasn’t posted back-to-back winning seasons in 28 years. If the goal is winning championships, there’s more than enough evidence Cincinnati’s way of doing business doesn’t work.



The Bengals will say they’re confident Jones has changed his stripes. But Thursday’s controversial and cheap signing is further proof that the Bengals refuse to change theirs.

Whether it’s the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers or even the Cincinnati Bengals, there are quarterback questions all around the AFC North.

Russell

So would anyone be interested in a former No. 1 pick at the position?



The Oakland Raiders released embattled quarterback JaMarcus Russell Thursday. A player taken so high in the draft and thought to have so much talent will almost certainly get a second chance. So let’s explore some of the possibilities within the AFC North.



First, let’s automatically rule Cleveland out of the equation. Despite making a lukewarm signing in veteran starter Jake Delhomme and another lukewarm trade to acquire backup Seneca Wallace, the Browns appear set with their quarterback situation moving forward. Drafting third-round pick Colt McCoy makes him the clear quarterback of the future in Cleveland, and there’s no room to take on any additional projects like Russell.



Second, we can scratch the Steelers off the list, as well. Yes, they need a starting quarterback due to the upcoming suspension of Ben Roethlisberger. But it’s clear that Russell is not an NFL starter at the moment. He doesn’t have the work ethic right now that it takes to be successful. And after dealing with so much quarterback drama this offseason with Roethlisberger, taking on a lazy player at the position wouldn’t appease Pittsburgh’s franchise or its large and rabid fan base.



That leaves Cincinnati, which may be the only shot Russell has to land in this division. The Bengals need a backup quarterback behind starter Carson Palmer, and everyone knows owner Mike Brown is famous (infamous?) for taking on reclamation projects, especially if it comes at pennies on the dollar. If Russell, who already made a lot of money in Oakland, is willing to accept a dirt-cheap deal, there could be a chance in Cincinnati. With the potential signing of controversial free-agent cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, you can’t put anything past the Bengals at this point.

Falling



Pittsburgh Steelers‘ WR depth: Just weeks after trading former starter Santonio Holmes, the Steelers suffered another blow to their depth at receiver when Limas Sweed tore his Achilles last weekend at veteran minicamp. Sweed, a backup who was due to compete for the third or fourth spot at receiver, had surgery as soon as possible. The team hasn’t said for sure whether the former second-round pick will miss the entire 2010 season. But at the very least, Sweed will be absent for a significant portion of the year at a time when it seems the Steelers cannot catch a break. Without Holmes and Sweed, Pittsburgh cannot afford to suffer any additional injuries at wide receiver.



Rising



Adam “Pacman” Jones: Out of work in 2009, Jones has suddenly gained a buzz this offseason to where it appears the controversial free-agent cornerback is very close to making his return to the NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals are the favorites to sign Jones. Reportedly they are in contract negotiations with his representation this week. Cincinnati was the first team to invite Jones to a tryout in February and worked him out again Tuesday. The Bengals are searching for cornerback depth and, because of his off-field track record, Jones would be a cheap option. The Detroit Lions are also interested.

Falling



Minnesota’s bottom line: Vikings officials told state legislators that the team is losing money during testimony for their stadium bill. Many roll their eyes at a statement like that, especially when financial books are closed. But I can tell you this: Owner Zygi Wilf and his investment partners have funneled at least $50 million in personal cash into the team’s coffers in order to pay its bills since buying the team in 2005. From a practical sense, if not accounting rules, that adds up to a negative cash position to me. But the imminent demise of this year’s stadium effort means at least one more year of deficit spending to run the team.



Rising



Character in Detroit’s locker room: Cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones appears on the verge of signing with Cincinnati, a development that by default should help the Lions. Yes, you read that correctly. Although Jones would no doubt be the most-talented cornerback on the Lions’ roster, he would also be the least reliable. I understand the allure of bringing him in to bridge the rebuilding process, but the Lions would have been counting on a player who has never answered the bell consistently in his NFL career. Lions coach Jim Schwartz had a front-row seat to Jones’ act in Tennessee, and to anyone’s knowledge, the Lions didn’t pursue Jones beyond attending a workout in New Orleans. The Lions are better off in the long run looking elsewhere for cornerback help.