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If the New England Patriots decide to cut outside linebacker Adalius Thomas, then he probably won't have to wait long to find employment.

A call to his previous defensive coordinator should be all it takes.

Before the Patriots made Thomas one of their major offseason free-agent acquisitions for 2007, he spent seven years with the Baltimore Ravens. He played under Rex Ryan, now the New York Jets' head coach.

Talkative Jets inside linebacker Bart Scott was a guest Tuesday morning on "Mike & Mike" and discussed his hope for reuniting with Thomas . Scott played seven seasons in Baltimore before following Ryan to the Jets a year ago.

"It's funny," Scott said. "I was hanging with Adalius Thomas for Super Bowl weekend. We're buddies from back in the day. He made it public that he's expressed in interest in joining Rex. I think some of his better years of his career have been a part of the Ravens' defense and under Rex Ryan's tutelage. It'll be exciting."

Thomas' time with the Patriots has been disappointing. He fell out of favor with Patriots coach Bill Belichick and was benched twice last year.

Thomas' sack numbers steadily climbed over his last three seasons with Baltimore. He collected eight, nine and a career-high 11. Since he joined the Patriots he has recorded 6.5, five and three last year.

Ryan playfully shot down a question about Thomas when asked Saturday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. But Ryan did explain why it's important for a new coach to collect former players, as he did last year with Scott, safety Jim Leonhard and defensive end Marques Douglas.

"That's big," Ryan said. "Any coach that gets a job will want to bring people in that he's familiar with. These are guys that the rest of the team is going to look at. You better make sure you bring the right guys in from a work-ethic standpoint, from the type of study habits and all that. They're teammates are going to be watching them."

INDIANAPOLIS -- New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is keeping an eye on the Buffalo Bills' defensive makeover.

The Bills are converting from a 4-3 defense under new head coach Chan Gailey and coordinator George Edwards. That will turn the AFC East into a unanimous 3-4 division.

The Bills ran a Tampa 2 defense under former head coach Dick Jauron and his interim replacement, Perry Fewell.

Ryan, considered one of the finest 3-4 masterminds, noted the transformation can be smooth.

"I guess that depends on 'Are you changing coverages or is it just the front you are changing?'" Ryan said Saturday at the NFL scouting combine in Lucas Oil Stadium. "There are several different versions of a 3-4. But it depends on your style.

"If the coverages are staying the same, it probably is not as big of a change as what you might think."

The problem for Buffalo, however, is that they're missing the centerpiece of a 3-4 defense: a monstrous nose tackle to stuff the run.

"That might be one of the toughest parts of a 3-4," Ryan said.

Ryan went on to explain why.

(Football jargon alert! "Two-gap responsibility" means a defensive lineman is responsible for either opening beside the offensive lineman in front of him. "A-gap" means the area on either side of the center, a location where defensive linemen frequently will get double-teamed by a center and a guard.)

"If you are playing a standard 3-4 defense, then you got a two-gap responsibility, which means you got to be able to play the front-side A-gap and the backside A-gap at the same time," Ryan said.

"You generally need a dominant individual there. And that is what you have like a Kris Jenkins. A Ted Washington many years ago in Buffalo was one of the best two-gappers I have ever seen.

"A guy has to be active, got to be able to stay on his feet, his technique on releasing off of blocks has got to be outstanding. If not, you are really going to struggle at that spot."

The Jets are the only AFC East team that didn't make a change at defensive coordinator.

The Miami Dolphins fired Paul Pasqualoni and snatched Mike Nolan away from the Denver Broncos. Although the New England Patriots' defense belongs to head coach Bill Belichick, coordinator Dean Pees stepped down in January.

Nolan was the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator when Ryan was their defensive line coach. When Nolan left to become head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2005, Ryan was appointed defensive coordinator.

Ryan, never afraid to throw out a challenge, was deferential when asked about facing Nolan twice a year.

"He's outstanding," Ryan said. "He's one of the top coordinators in the league. I learned a ton working under Mike for several years. He's one of my favorite guys. That was a great hire.

"He's always had a well-coached team that really gets after it. I'm sure that's the way it'll be. It's going to be tough."

INDIANAPOLIS -- Teams usually don't disseminate news releases to announce they won't re-sign a free agent, yet the Buffalo Bills want you to know they won't offer contracts to receivers Terrell Owens and Josh Reed and defensive end Ryan Denney.

"We wanted to inform all three players ahead of the start of the free agency period so they could begin making their plans," Bills general manager Buddy Nix said in a statement. "We just felt that was the right thing to do. All three have represented our organization with class and we thank them for their dedication and hard work."

There was no mention of Buffalo's other unrestricted free agents: guards Seth McKinney and Kendall Simmons, linebacker Chris Draft and safety Bryan Scott.

Owens played one season with the Bills. He had a team-high 55 receptions for 829 yards and five touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh suggested he would be interested in bringing Owens aboard.

"I've always said I've got a lot of respect for T.O., and I know Ozzie [Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome] does, too," Harbaugh said at the NFL scouting combine. "He had a good year last year, we watched him on tape and he was very effective."

When pressed on his interest in Owens, Harbaugh added "You cornered me. You got me. We're interested in T.O. We're interested in all the guys that can make our team better."

Reed spent eight seasons with the Bills. The slot receiver caught 27 passes for 291 yards and one touchdown last year. He had his best season in 2008, when he made 56 catches for a career-high 597 yards and a touchdown despite missing three games.

Denney also played eight years in Buffalo, collecting 23.5 sacks mostly as a backup. Of his 31 career starts, 24 of them came in two seasons -- 2003 and 2008.

INDIANAPOLIS -- New York Jets coach Rex Ryan certainly didn't short us on material to write about Saturday.

My series of Ryan posts from the NFL scouting combine resumes with his thoughts about being forced to comply with the "final eight" plan.

The Jets -- and the other seven teams that reached the division playoff round -- are handcuffed by their success because of unusual rules for the uncapped year.

Essentially, they aren't allowed to sign an unrestricted free agent unless they lose one of their own. When that happens, the Jets are limited in paying their new player no more than the player they lost.

"I think it is a penalty for sure," Ryan said. "Maybe you need a tight end or whatever it is and you don't have that ability to go out and get some of the top guys that might be available."

Remember the story of how Ryan and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine pulled a creepy crawly on Bart Scott last year, the moment free agency began at midnight?

Now they have to sit back and wait until Tony Richardson or Jay Feely or Marques Douglas find new jobs.

"Usually, free agency is part of maybe some of your decisions and all that kind of stuff," Ryan said, "but we don't have that opportunity right now until we lose an [unrestricted] free agent. So we don’t have that. We have to find a way."

The Jets do have some options. They're allowed to sign players who have been cut before their contracts have expired and free agents who didn't play in 2009.

The Jets also can make all the trades they want. General manager Mike Tannenbaum has no aversion to that.

"I challenged our players and our coaches to find a way to get better, each guy get a little bit better and maybe that will be the difference," Ryan said. "We have to build from within, that’s what this thing sets up.

"There won't be that much roster turnover for our football team. We've got to find a way to get better, and I think we can. I think we will improve as much or more than any other football team in this league. And that is what I am excited about. I know we can. I know we can get better physically, and I know we will get much better mentally and understanding our defense and our offense."

INDIANAPOLIS -- Arizona Cardinals general manager Rod Graves made some comments at the NFL scouting combine that should catch the attention of Dolfans.

Graves spoke about three Cardinals the Miami Dolphins could use: receiver Anquan Boldin, linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Antrel Rolle.

Boldin is under contract, but the Cardinals could trade him.

Graves fielded offers for Boldin last year, but wasn't motivated to deal him. This offseason should be different. Boldin is entering the final year of his contract and practically has begged the Cardinals to trade him for a year.

"Our approach with Anquan is really the same as it was last year," Graves said. "We will look at all the options and exploring and ultimately doing what is best for the team. From our perspective, nothing has changed. We still view Anquan as a valuable member of our football team, and we will weigh the options through the offseason and do what is best for our team."

As for Rolle, the Cardinals are hoping to work out a new contract. He's due a $4 million roster bonus next week with a base salary of $8.1 million. They might release him instead.

"We're going to try hard to get a contract in place with him before we have to make a decision about his contract," Graves said. "If not, we will continue to work with him and treat him as if he is a free agent we are pursuing.

"We've always been under the impression Antrel wanted to remain an Arizona Cardinal," Graves said. "We have been able to develop him and we have seen him develop into an outstanding player and we want to keep that relationship going.

"We're not looking to lose quality players, but again, all of those decisions have to make sense to us from a team standpoint. Obviously, he is a top priority."

Dansby's situation is much different. He will hit free agency on Friday.

Dansby would fill one of the Dolphins' primary needs at inside linebacker and listed the Dolphins among the handful of teams he would like to play for. He led the Cardinals with 113 tackles and recorded one sack, five tackles for losses, one interception and one forced fumble.

Graves sounded resigned to the fact Dansby would be playing elsewhere in 2010.

"We'd like to have Karlos back as a member of our football team, but it has to be a situation that makes sense for us," Graves said. "We have a lot of areas to address, and it has to be a situation that fits for us. We can't keep them all.

"Obviously we will come in with 53 players. I don't mean to be short about that, but we hope to replace him with equal quality or better."

INDIANAPOLIS -- Rex Ryan didn't pull any punches while he navigated the New York Jets way beyond expectation, getting within 30 minutes of the Super Bowl.

Ryan knows he coaches a marked team.

Now that the Jets have established themselves as a team to beat, some might expect Ryan to tone down his act a little. Maybe he would comport himself more like Bill Belichick and be sure not to make any bold proclamations.

So much for that.

Ryan once again announced the Jets' presence at the NFL scouting combine on Saturday

"Unfortunately, we can't jump right back into that AFC Championship Game," Ryan said. "We are at 0-0 like everybody else. You have to earn your right to get back to where we were."

Ryan then rattled off much of the Jets' schedule, which includes cross-division games against the AFC North and NFC North.

"This is going to be one tough schedule, but I can promise you one thing: We are coming after each and every one of those teams with guns a blazing," Ryan said. "So get ready and strap it up tight because here we come. That is the way we play football and that is the way we will continue to play football."

In a more intimate meeting with reporters after his news conference, Ryan spoke about wearing the target.

"We're not going to sneak up on anybody," Ryan said. "They know with that ground-and-pound philosophy we have, it's hard not to take that personal. But that's OK because we're targeting you also. Regardless of who that team is, they know we're coming after them; we know they're coming after us. But we're OK with that."

INDIANAPOLIS -- Lots of newsy items and sexy chitchat being reported from the NFL scouting combine:

Buffalo Bills

• Buffalo News reporter Mark Gaughan writes the Bills probably won't draft a quarterback in the first round because of too many other needs.

Miami Dolphins

• Edgar Thompson of the Palm Beach Post provides a clarification on running back Ronnie Brown's contract and some other tidbits.
• South Florida Sun-Sentinel reporter Mike Berardino muses on the possibility of the Dolphins landing Arizona Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby.

New England Patriots

• Boston Herald reporter Karen Guregian catches up with free-agent outside linebacker Mike Vrabel, who says he'd love to return to the Patriots.
• Guregian then stumbles upon Indianapolis Colts middle linebacker Gary Brackett, who tells her he wouldn't mind being a Patriot either.

New York Jets

• New York Daily News reporter Rich Cimini declares the Dolphins will not re-sign Chad Pennington and the Jets aren't interested.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen has met with only two teams so far at the NFL scouting combine: Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins.

That list is sure to grow. Clausen and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford consistently are rated the best two quarterbacks in this year's draft class.

But at least we know the Bills are interested enough to formally interview Clausen, who said he has spoken to Bills coach Chan Gailey previously.

"I've met Coach before and he's a great guy," Clausen said Saturday afternoon in Lucas Oil Stadium. "We were just talking ball and having a lot of fun. Like I've said, I've met him before and it was good to see him again."

Gailey and general manager Buddy Nix have been vague in speaking publicly about the Bills' quarterback situation. The depth chart consists of Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm, each of whom started last year.

Bradford declined to reveal the teams he has met with.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The New York Jets are giving Vernon Gholston one more season to prove he was worth the sixth overall pick they used on him 2008.

Two years after Gholston dazzled scouts here at the NFL scouting combine and soared up the Jets' draft board, head coach Rex Ryan agreed that this would be a make-or-break season for the invisible outside linebacker.

A reporter asked Ryan if 2010 would be a "make or break for [Gholston]. The third year, if he's not doing then, you pretty much have to move on?"

"That's an accurate statement," Ryan said. "Generally, by the third year, you've got to see a guy really making strides. I expect Vernon to really make strides this year."

Then again, Ryan made similar statements from the same podium last year in Lucas Oil Stadium. Ryan, new to the job, declared he would make Gholston his pet project.

Of the 23 Jets to record a tackle in Gholston's rookie season, he had the fewest with six total and one solo. He didn't record a sack.

Under Ryan's command, Gholston improved nominally despite starting three games. Gholston made 14 tackles, nine of them solos. He has yet to record his first NFL sack despite his reputation as a pass-rush specialist at Ohio State.

"That's still a work in progress," Ryan said. "But I will say this: When we're going back and looking at our [film], this young man deserves a better chance than we're giving him. We need to give him more playing time. ... We've got to get him in a rotation, playing more in our nickel packages and things like that."

Last year, Ryan compared Gholston to Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs. Ryan mentioned another former Raven's name Saturday.

"You're waiting to see him come around," Ryan said. "I have Aubrayo Franklin ... I've had players that take a little time. You know he's got it in him. You've got to be patient.

"He is entering his third year right now, so I think it's more incomplete right now. I can't say that I was right about thinking that he'd make an impact [in 2009] because the impact wasn't there last year. But I think it's a matter of time before we start seeing this young man do some things for us."

INDIANAPOLIS -- New York Jets coach Rex Ryan just concluded an entertaining news conference at the NFL scouting combine in Lucas Oil Stadium.

I will be posting items from the Q&A session throughout the day. Topics that elicited interesting comments included the futures of running back Thomas Jones and outside linebacker Vernon Gholston, the headaches associated with being a final eight team in an uncapped year, the defensive changes with the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, his public missteps this offseason and how the Jets need to cope with being a marked team in the AFC East.

Gregg Rosenthal of Pro Football Talk also asked Ryan if there was any chance the Jets are trying to acquire Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who told me at the Pro Bowl he would love to team up with Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.

"Ah, there we go," Ryan said with a grin. "Trying to get me. I get myself in enough trouble. I really don't need your help to get me in trouble.

"I think I'll pass on talking about any player that's under contract."

Ryan later made an almost identical comment when asked about New England Patriots outside linebacker Adalius Thomas.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Typical New England Patriots, working the system.

Most drafts are supposed to level the playing field and create better competition through parity. The worse a team is, the better their draft position is supposed to be the following year.

Not so for the reigning division champs, whose maneuverings have set them up handsomely for the 2010 draft.

NFC West mathematician Mike Sando applied each team's picks through the first two rounds to the widely accepted trade-value chart for draft picks.

Turns out, the Patriots have the most firepower in the division.

The Patriots rank eighth on the list, with the Buffalo Bills 11th, the Miami Dolphins 13th and the New York Jets 26th.

The Patriots were assigned the 22nd selection, but they also have three picks in the second round. They acquired the 44th choice from the Jacksonville Jaguars and the 48th choice from the Tennessee Titans. The Patriots were given the 53rd pick naturally.

Add those up, and you get 2,030 points on the draft-value chart.

The other three AFC East clubs have only two picks apiece and are ranked relative to how they finished the season. Sando's chart of the entire league is posted below.

INDIANAPOLIS -- I doubt Bill Belichick will be too impressed with this declaration.

Nevertheless, NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly made a bold statement Friday about this year's draft class.

The former Washington Redskins and Houston Texans executive asserted the players taken in this year's first round will be the greatest collection of talent since the most celebrated class turned pro nearly three decades ago.

"This is the best first round I've seen since 1983," Casserly said at the NFL scouting combine in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Of the 28 players selected in the first round in 1983, six have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They went to 77 Pro Bowls and won nine Super Bowls.

The 1983 quarterback class is legendary. All five AFC East clubs selected quarterbacks.

The Baltimore Colts took John Elway first overall. The Buffalo Bills drafted Jim Kelly 14th. One spot later, the New England Patriots chose Tony Eason. The New York Jets got Ken O'Brien 24th, and the Miami Dolphins used the 27th pick on Dan Marino.

Other first-round stars included running backs Eric Dickerson and Curt Warner, offensive linemen Chris Hinton, Jimbo Covert and Bruce Matthews and defensive backs Joey Browner, Gil Byrd and Darrell Green.

Casserly claimed only that crew will surpass the one that comes together in April.

With a rookie salary cap expected to be part of the next collective bargaining agreement, 53 underclassmen declared for this year's draft so they can sign under the current CBA, which allows rookies to get whatever they can.

"In talking to general managers throughout the league, decision-makers," Casserly said, "I think it's the result of two things. Last year, there was a concentrated effort to keep players in school. Conversely, both sides in the labor negotiations have talked about a rookie wage scale.

"So when you have those two things working, players without a motivation to stay in school will say 'The players who stayed in last year, you have a perfect storm to have the best junior crop you've had since all the way back to '83.' So I think this is the best first round I've seen going into a draft since 1983."

INDIANAPOLIS -- It was fitting that Nick Caserio, on the lookout for a remote place to speak with reporters Friday on the Lucas Oil Stadium concourse, gravitated to an ATM alcove.

The New England Patriots' player personnel director occasionally leaned on the cash machine while discussing Vince Wilfork's contract status, negotiations with unrestricted free agents and ramifications of an uncapped year.

Caserio didn't deliver much news, but he spoke at length about issues facing the Patriots. And you have to admire the man's ability to speak into a microphone for 20 minutes and not reveal anything.

He did say the Patriots will be operating within a self-imposed budget during an uncapped season. But who knows how fat that budget will be? The Patriots are one of the league's wealthier clubs.

"In terms of our process, we go through the same process this year as we did in years past," Caserio said. "We have a budget in place like we do every year. It doesn't really change for us in terms of what we do in terms of spending and player acquisition.

"As far as what the situation is moving forward, I mean, I don't have a crystal ball. You don't have a crystal ball. We're operating under the terms that we have in place and that haven't really changed all that much since I've been here."

For effect, Caserio could've whipped an ATM card from his back pocket, swiped it through the machine and got Julius Peppers' agent on the phone to ask how much the Patriots should withdraw. Unfortunately for the gathered reporters, Caserio declined to give us a story.

He also declined to give any meaningful updates on negotiations with Wilfork for a long-term deal, only saying "the communication has been good. It's been ongoing." He declined to put a timetable on when a contract might be finalized.

Caserio touched on New England's other unrestricted free agents and how much communication there's been from him or senior advisor Floyd Reese. Their UFA group most notably includes running back Kevin Faulk, outside linebackers Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess and cornerback Leigh Bodden.

"I think you have levels of communication with all your free agents," Caserio said. "You are at different stages. Obviously, all the agents are here [at the combine]. So I would say there is continuous communication amongst all parties. Obviously once we get into free agency [March 5], it goes a little bit further."

On the recent re-signing of receiver David Patten, Caserio said the Patriots aren't living in the past.

"David has been great for us," Caserio said. "He’s great off the field. He has an unquestionable work ethic. So we want competitive, tough-minded, hungry football players looking for an opportunity, and I think David Patten kind of falls into that category.

"He has to come and earn his role on the team. Here is an opportunity for him, and whatever he makes of it, that’s entirely up to him, but we’re certainly happy to have him."

INDIANAPOLIS -- The New York Jets have downsized their drafts in recent years, dealing picks to trade up and procure players they wanted especially.

They selected a grand total of three players a year ago and 13 players over the past three years.

At some point, don't they need to have a healthy draft class to fortify the team's depth?

General manager Mike Tannenbaum doesn't think so.

"That would be the case, but we have such a talented scouting department," Tannenbaum said Friday at the NFL scouting combine in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Vice president of college scouting Joey Clinkscales and senior personnel executive have identified contributors who were overlooked by other teams.

"We've added guys who are maybe not household names like [defensive tackle] Mike DeVito and [linebacker] Jamaal Westerman," Tannenbaum said. "We have a lot of young guys who we really like, who have really helped us."

Tannenbaum also pointed to the acquisition of receiver David Clowney and running back Chauncey Washington from the Green Bay Packers' and Dallas Cowboys' practice squads, respectively.

Tannenbaum certainly would've preferred to mention more significant names than those. Clowney had 14 catches for 191 yards and one touchdown. Washington joined the team last year with three games left and was deactivated for each one.

Tannenbaum contended the Jets aren't forced to amass picks, or have a bloated class like they did in 2006, his first year as GM. They selected 10 players, three of whom have made a Pro Bowl. Seven started at least one game last year.

"Because of those other avenues to improve the team," Tannenbaum said, "that has complemented the fact we haven't had a lot of picks."

When the Jets have dealt draft picks to move up in the order, their decisions have worked out. They traded up last year to get quarterback Mark Sanchez and running back Shonn Greene. In their four-man class of 2007, they twice traded three picks for two picks to move up and select cornerback Darrelle Revis and linebacker David Harris.

"When you trade up, you trade away valuable resources, and there is no guarantee on any of these guys," Tannenbaum said. "But you'd better be as close to pretty darn sure as you can. Fortunately for us, we had real organizational conviction in those situations be it Mark or Shonn last year or Revis or David Harris. We felt really strong.

"You have to make those value judgments of 'Is this price reasonable?' because to give up picks in our system is a heavy lift. Every situation is unique. We actually have traded back a few times, but no one ever seems to talk about that. Every situation is unique, but I fall back to we have a great college scouting staff that gives me good information."

INDIANAPOLIS -- Rough day for the Graham stamping grounds.

Of course, I have a lot of thumbtacks pushed into my personal roadmap, so it's not tough to encounter references. But a couple of my home bases absorbed shots Thursday at the NFL scouting combine.

Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, in explaining why he didn't take the Buffalo Bills' job, mentioned that aside from the team, Buffalo otherwise was an undesirable destination.

"There was strong consideration," Shanahan said. "I think it's an excellent organization, very well run. Enjoyed my conversation with them.

"But at the end of the day, it was not something that ... I want to put it in the right words: If I went to Buffalo to live there, from my family perspective, I think I'd be the only one that'd go. My wife and kids wouldn't go."

Shanahan then seemed to realize how poorly his words would go over in Western New York, where I live.

"Strictly from a weather standpoint," he added. "Now in Washington we get 40 inches of snow this winter."

New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum then took a shot at Berea, Ohio, the home of my alma mater, Baldwin-Wallace College, and the Cleveland Browns' training facility.

Tannenbaum had some give and take with a Browns reporter who asked why the Jets believe receiver Braylon Edwards will buy into the offseason conditioning program after years of not bothering much with the Browns.

"Have you ever been to Florham Park in March?" Tannebaum asked, referring to the Jets' complex in New Jersey. "It's a wonderful place to be. I've been there. I've been to Berea.

"Florham Park is a really nice place. We've got a lot to offer, a lot to do."