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The Washington Redskins signed 38-year-old receiver Joey Galloway, while former Buffalo Bills receiver Terrell Owens still can't find a job. ESPN's Adam Schefter takes a look at what's going on with T.O.

Based on the patience Bill Belichick showed with Joey Galloway last summer, we can assume Torry Holt won't ruin his chances of dressing for the New England Patriots on opening day.

When that happens, the Patriots will field the most prolific receiving duo in NFL history that didn't include Jerry Rice.

Holt and Patriots receiver Randy Moss will be only the second pair of teammates to enter a season with at least 900 receptions, the Elias Sports Bureau found. The only others to do it were Rice and Tim Brown for the Oakland Raiders in 2002 and 2003.

To further illustrate how rare it is for a team to have two receivers with such gaudy numbers, no other duo has opened a season with at least 800 catches apiece.

Moss ranks 10th on the NFL's all-time receptions list with 926. Holt is one place and six catches behind him, giving them a total of 1,846.

"You’re talking about playing with some of the most prolific offensive football players that the National Football League has," Holt said upon joining the Patriots. "To have the opportunity to fit in with those guys, to learn the offense, I think the sky’s the limit."

But they would have to stick together several more seasons to break the record. Rice and Brown started 2003 with 2,474 receptions.

As reader LFR2010 pointed out in the comments section, Moss and Holt will be a combined 67 years old when the season starts.

While that might sound ancient to some, Rice and Brown totaled 76 years at the start of 2002. That year, Rice went to the Pro Bowl with 92 catches for 1,211 yards, while Brown had 81 receptions for 930 yards. The Raiders won the AFC West and went to the Super Bowl.

Jason Taylor knows he has some fences to mend with New York Jets fans.

The former Miami Dolphins star ragged on the Jets for years. He ridiculed their organization, their chant and their stadium.

But at Taylor's introductory news conference Wednesday, he said "I'm one of you guys now."

Taylor is a Jet, and they're going to need to forgive him.

"I think the number one currency in the NFL is what you do on the football field," Taylor said. "If you want to get results, if you want to get something done, if you want to get a new contract, the best way to go about doing that is by your play. That's what I plan to do: Come over here and play my butt off like I have for 13 years in the league and give this organization and these fans everything that I have.

Dolfans still were stung by Taylor's departure. One faction views him as a traitor for jumping to the hated Jets, but most seem to be upset with the Dolphins' front office for mishandling Taylor.

The Dolphins insisted upon waiting until after the draft to address Taylor's future. But there were no promises they would re-sign him, especially if they picked up a blue-chip outside linebacker. And there were no assurances the Jets wouldn't do the same.

Taylor had almost no choice but to take the only offer on the table.

"It is pretty ironic where we find ourselves right now," Taylor said, "but I think God lets things happen in life for a reason, and this is where I'm supposed to be right now. I'm here for one reason, and I'm here to play football as best as I can to help this team win a Super Bowl.

"People in Hollywood spend a lot of time trying to figure out a way to end a movie or people try to find a way to end a book. What better ending is it than to win a Super Bowl? To do it here would be pretty ironic, but it would be awesome."

Jets reporter Rich Cimini caught up with the Jets' most famous fan, Fireman Ed Anzalone, to get his take on the Taylor signing for ESPNNewYork.com.

"I don't like the way he talked about Jets fans, but you have to move on," Anzalone told Cimini. "The bottom line is, Jason Taylor is a competitive maniac. If he plays with the same anger and passion with the Jets as he did with the Dolphins, it could be a marriage made in heaven."

Zach Thomas is infuriated over the way the Miami Dolphins handled Jason Taylor's departure.

Thomas and Taylor combined for 13 Pro Bowls in the 11 years they starred together for the Dolphins defense. They're also brothers-in-law. Taylor married Thomas' sister, Katina.

So you better believe Thomas had a well-informed and passionate opinion about how the Dolphins handled Taylor's situation and his decision to join the New York Jets.

"Everybody hates the Jets," Thomas told Sid Rosenberg of Miami sports-radio station WQAM. "I hate the Jets. But he has to do what he has to do and get respect. You're driven by respect as a player, especially the good ones. And he's got it from Rex Ryan."

Thomas' comments will resonate with Dolfans. While they ran hot and cold with Taylor over the years because he sometimes was viewed as a pretty boy who made too many commercials and dared to participate in "Dancing With the Stars" and not Bill Parcells' first offseason conditioning program in 2008, Thomas is revered.

Thomas is a Dolphins icon, an everyman overachiever who was drafted in the fifth round and selected first-team All-Pro five times. When I asked readers to select their Dolphins Mount Rushmore as part of an ESPN.com project last year, Thomas received the fourth-most votes behind Dan Marino, Don Shula and Larry Csonka.

Thomas, his decibel level rising throughout the interview, said he's "a Dolphin for life," but alleged Taylor deserved better treatment from general manager Jeff Ireland.

"I mean, all-time sack leader right now as an active player, and you're going to talk about him when you're asked in the media like he's a first- or second-year player?" Thomas said. "[Ireland] should know how to respect guys that's been great to the game. That's fine if you don't have a need for him, but you tell him up front."

The Dolphins insisted upon waiting until after the draft to address Taylor's future with the club. Even then, there were no guarantees they'd have Taylor back.

The move was bittersweet for Thomas, who predicted Taylor will thrive with the Jets.

"He's sad," Thomas said. "He waited as long as he could. Everybody wants to feel wanted. The Jets, they wanted him. They're a team on the rise, and I hate to say it, but they got the No. 1 defense and are going to be even stronger, and you don't think Rex Ryan has a game plan for Jason Taylor?

"It's going to be better than the game plan they used with him [in 2009] because I hated watching it. When they were taking him out on third down, it was like taking Bruce Smith out on third down. That was frustrating for me. I'm a fan now. You don't take one of the greatest pass-rushers of all-time out on third down."

Thomas didn't appreciate the way the Dolphins handled his exit after the 2007 season, either.

Shortly after Bill Parcells took over football operations and hired Ireland and head coach Tony Sparano, they released Thomas after a dozen highly decorated seasons.

Thomas said he had only one request as he cleaned out his locker, to say goodbye to Dolfans with a news conference at the team's facility. The request was denied.

"You've got to respect players that's been good to the game," Thomas said. "I don't like the organization to look bad that way."

Jason Taylor got sick of waiting around for the Miami Dolphins.

No wonder he would gravitate to a team that showed him so much love.

Taylor agreed to terms on a contract to chase quarterbacks for Rex Ryan and the New York Jets.

The Dolphins wanted to wait until after the draft to decide what they wanted to do with Taylor. With no guarantees, Taylor jumped to a division rival.

At a Tuesday night news conference at his foundation's South Florida headquarters, Taylor explained his controversial decision.

He mentioned the Dolphins offered him a one-year contract extension in November -- when he was playing with a shoulder injury -- for the same money he was making in 2009. Taylor told them he wanted to negotiate after March 5, and the Dolphins pulled their offer. Taylor and agent Gary Wichard said the Dolphins didn't make another one.

"If I was important enough that you wanted me in November, why wouldn't you want me now?" Taylor said. "I'm better now. I promise you I'm better now than I was in November because my shoulder works. I got it fixed. It works. I can do everything. I can shake hands, throw a football. We can play. If I was good enough then, I just don't understand why I wasn't good enough now.

"But you know what? That's their prerogative to make. They're allowed to make that decision. There is a business side to football, and if they feel that it's better for their team to not have me, that's fine. I have no problem with that. That's part of the game."

Taylor, who will turn 36 before the season begins, probably is embarking on his last legitimate shot at a Super Bowl ring.

His signing is the latest in a series of flashy offseason transactions the Jets have made for the uncapped season.

"I've seen this plenty of times where teams load up, and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't," Taylor said. "All 32 teams will go in with the same optimistic outlook, wanting to win the Super Bowl and injuries, personalities, pieces, leadership, quarterback play, defensive play, all of those things will come into play down the road.

"So do they have a good football team? Yeah, they have a pretty good football team. They got really hot at the end of the season last year and came within a half of a game of going to the Super Bowl, and they added some good pieces.

"We'll see what I have. I think I have a lot to offer, but I think there's only two of us that think that -- me and Rex. But we’ll see. There are no guarantees in this game."

Some refused to believe Jason Taylor actually would join forces with the New York Jets.

Taylor harbored a professed disdain for the Jets from his many years with the Miami Dolphins. In fact, skeptics theorized he visited the Jets two weeks ago as a ploy to get the Dolphins to spend a little more to re-sign him.

So much for that assumption.

Taylor agreed to terms with the Jets on Tuesday afternoon.

The NFL active sacks leader will join Rex Ryan's defense, which ranked No. 1 last year in several major categories. As a complementary piece, Taylor is expected to be used exclusively on passing downs to get after opposing quarterbacks, including Chad Henne twice this year.

The Dolphins wanted to wait until after this week's draft to address Taylor's contract, but there would be no guarantee they'd be interested if they were to draft enough pass-rushing help to marginalize their need to bring Taylor back.

ESPN's John Clayton reports Taylor's contract is for two years but is heavily weighted for 2010. Taylor's base salary is $1.75 million, but he can make as much as $3.75 million with incentives.

The contract was tricky because of limitations placed on the Jets through the "final eight" plan. In basic terms, clubs that reached the second round of the playoffs aren't allowed to sign an unrestricted free agent until they lose one. When kicker Jay Feely signed with the Arizona Cardinals, the Jets were able to pick up Taylor.

The New England Patriots have two receivers who rank within the top 11 in career receptions after signing free agent Torry Holt to a one-year contract Tuesday.

The Patriots added depth to a position they failed to bolster last year by trading for Greg Lewis and signing Joey Galloway. Neither worked out. The Patriots cut Lewis at the end of training camp and cut Galloway after six games.

Adding help at receiver is even more critical for New England this summer with Wes Welker rehabbing from reconstructive knee surgery. The Patriots previously signed old friend David Patten. Sophomores Julian Edelman and Brandon Tate also will need to step into greater roles.

Holt, who will turn 34 years old in June, has more left in the tank than Galloway did. Holt caught 51 passes for 722 yards for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He didn't have a touchdown for the first time in his 11 seasons.

Holt has 920 receptions, six behind new teammate Randy Moss on the all-time list.

That speck in the AFC East's rearview mirror is the Buffalo Bills.

And, no, objects are not closer than they appear.

Given the circumstances within the division and looming labor uncertainty, it's possible the Bills will have to wait until 2012 to have a reasonable shot at the playoffs.

The Bills went into the 2010 offseason a distant fourth to their three divisional opponents. The New England Patriots are defending champs. The New York Jets reached the AFC Championship game. The Miami Dolphins won the division in 2008.

Those were the facts before offseason maneuverings commenced. After the various signings and trades, Buffalo is lagging even more.

The Bills clearly are rebuilding, and that's OK. They should have embraced that concept years ago. Instead, they treaded below mediocrity, failing to reach the playoffs 10 straight seasons.

As it shapes up now, the Bills would be a miracle playoff team. They not only would need to drastically improve, they'd also have to pray at least two proven AFC East teams crash.

Then there's the serious possibility of a lockout in 2011. Some predict the labor battle could wipe out the season.

The Bills have made some prudent decisions in revamping their front office. They promoted Buddy Nix to general manager and brought in Pittsburgh Steelers pro personnel coordinator Doug Whaley to be assistant GM. Nix hired Chan Gailey as head coach, perhaps not an inspirational choice, but a solid one.

Nix stated from the outset his approach to improving the team would be through the draft. That's the plan he has followed. Their biggest free-agent signings were defensive lineman Dwan Edwards and offensive tackle Cornell Green. They've made no trades. Buffalo is the only AFC East team that does not know who its quarterback will be.

Other AFC East teams have done the opposite, acquiring star veterans that make them better immediately and widening the gap between them and Buffalo enough to make it a three-team division in April.

The Jets have improved on both defense and offense: adding back LaDainian Tomlinson, receiver Santonio Holmes, cornerback Antonio Cromartie and perhaps outside linebacker Jason Taylor.

Miami traded for receiver Brandon Marshall and signed inside linebacker Karlos Dansby.

New England has done little more than re-sign its own players, who happen to be pretty good: nose tackle Vince Wilfork, running back Kevin Faulk and right guard Stephen Neal among them.

Buffalo fans should be optimistic about the new leadership. Nix and Gailey have done nothing yet that contradicts their master plan. They've given no reason to be disheartened about their long-range vision.

But the rest of the AFC East sure has made it tough to expect any Bills thrills for a while.

ESPN's Adam Schefter and New York Daily News reporter Rich Cimini are reporting Jason Taylor is on the verge of deciding he'll sign with the New York Jets.

Cimini, citing a source close to Taylor, blogs that the longtime Miami Dolphins pass-rusher is "leaning heavily toward accepting the Jets' offer, believed to be a two-year contract."

ESPNNewYork.com's Jane McManus also touched on the Taylor situation, among other Jets items on her blog.

It has been a week since Taylor and his wife made a two-day visit with the Jets. Agent Gary Wichard previously said he expected Taylor to take at least until the middle of the week to mull his options.

The Jets need Taylor to act quickly because they're limited by the "final eight" plan that essentially prohibits teams that reached the second round of the playoffs from signing unrestricted free agents until one departs. The Jets finally lost one when kicker Jay Feely went to the Arizona Cardinals. So if Taylor doesn't want to be the incoming player, the Jets would like to pursue someone else.

The Dolphins have told Taylor they want to wait until after the draft to address his future with the club he starred for a dozen seasons.

The "NFL Live" gang takes a look at how the New York Jets will cope with all of the iffy characters they've added to their roster in the past six months.

The latest is receiver Santonio Holmes, already suspended the first four games because of substance-abuse problems.

The Jets also have taken chances on receiver Braylon Edwards and cornerback Antonio Cromartie, players who also were dumped by previous employers weary of recurring troubles.

ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi suggested similarities with what his New England Patriots navigated.

"The players will welcome them in because these are quality football players, and they will help them win football games," Bruschi said. "But I think a message has to be sent.

"We had players in New England also come in these situations -- Corey Dillon, Randy Moss -- and we just made sure 'Hey, we don't care what you did in the past. You'll be judged by what you do from this point on,' and if the New York Jets can get all of these characters on the same page, they're going to be making a serious one-year run for a championship."

Bruschi explained his usage of the phrase "one-year run." He was referring to the fact so many notable players, including Edwards, Holmes and Cromartie, have one year left on their contracts.

The Jets don't have to worry about a salary cap in 2010, but they almost certainly must bid farewell to some big names to be in compliance under the next collective bargaining agreement.

"This may be a do-or-die year for the New York Jets," Bruschi said. "They're loading up pretty good."

All his plays are there. Each throw, touchdown, interception, drop, sack, scramble, stumble and fumble of Daunte Culpepper's season with the Detroit Lions is on the playlist. He's not hiding from any of it.

In fact, he wants every play to be seen twice, burning DVDs that show the 50-yard-line and end-zone angles from the unbiased coaching tape.

"I put every play that I had on the DVD," Culpepper said. "It answers if I'm hurt. It answers if I can throw. It answers if I can make the plays.

"It's not a highlight film. It's every play -- good and bad -- just to show what I can do."

Culpepper doesn't need the whole world to review the footage. He would settle for a majority of the NFL's general managers to take a look and see for themselves whether he deserves a spot on the roster.

"The perception versus reality is the main thing I'm battling," Culpepper said. "I'm ready to go."

Last month, the free-agent quarterback dropped by the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla., to remind everybody he's out there. Culpepper doesn't have an agent, so it was up to him to work the room.

Culpepper stated the Buffalo Bills were the team with which he most wanted to play. He also mentioned he would be open to serving as a primary backup for a team such as the New England Patriots or even returning to the Miami Dolphins to make good on what he considers the worst season of his career.

Since then, I have obtained the promotional kit Culpepper has put together in hopes of convincing a front office he's worth an opportunity. He has hand-delivered the kit to at least five general managers so far.

The packet includes the DVD, testimonials, an outline of his negotiating protocol and a year-by-year breakdown of his career with a synopsis of each season, injuries and circumstances.

It's an interesting look at finding a job in the NFL. He realizes that with the draft about a week away, any team in need of a quarterback will wait to see what happens before signing a veteran, but he's eager to occupy a locker stall.

"The main vibe I'm getting from everybody is that they're posturing to see what goes on in the draft," Culpepper said. "I'm hoping somebody steps outside of the box and says 'I'm not going to wait to pull the trigger on a guy we can win with.' "

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Those big moves the New York Jets keep making certainly have caught the attention of New England Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork.

"Those guys they brought there are pretty good players, probably some elite players at their position," Wilfork told reporters Tuesday at Gillette Stadium. "That's something we're going to have to deal with on the field."

The Jets have had a relentlessly aggressive offseason when it comes to transactions. They traded a fifth-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Super Bowl MVP receiver Santonio Holmes on Sunday night. The Patriots, meanwhile, have concentrated on re-signing their own players and haven't made any attention-grabbing moves.

But Wilfork isn't about to crown the Jets favorites in the AFC East.

The Patriots are the defending champs, and head coach Bill Belichick still has those rings Rex Ryan refuses to kiss.

"On paper, you can look great," Wilfork said. "I'm pretty sure a lot of teams look great on paper. Putting it together is another thing. We can't focus on what they're going to do. We can only focus on our strengths and how we can get better, day by day, each week.

"When that time comes, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a big deal -- the Jets and the Patriots."

Defensive lineman Damione Lewis obviously was confident he could make the transition from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4. Otherwise, he wouldn't have signed a contract to play for the New England Patriots after nine seasons as a defensive tackle.

But it's always good to hear what a new player has to say, and Boston Herald reporter Karen Guregian caught up with Lewis to get his thoughts about learning the Patriots' defense and picking up the nuances of the defensive end role Jarvis Green played for eight years. Green signed a free-agent contract with the Denver Broncos.

"At the end of the day, it's still football," Lewis said.

Lewis, 32, spent the past four years with the Carolina Panthers after five with the St. Louis Rams. He had been a reserve for most of his career before starting 31 games at right defensive tackle over the past two seasons

"I talked to some guys I played with over the years who have made the transition from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense," Lewis told Guregian. "I asked about the differences. They told me what they felt was the difference. They actually said it would be an easier transition going from a 4-3 to a 3-4 than vice versa.

"The game is so much faster in a 4-3 as a lineman than it is in a 3-4. They just said it's a matter of being patient, and I'd be fine."

Jason Taylor's agent is certain the longtime Miami Dolphins defender would thrive under New York Jets coach Rex Ryan.

Gary Wichard was a guest on Sirius NFL Radio on Monday. He didn't drop any significant hints about which way Taylor was leaning. But Wichard sounded thrilled with the idea of Taylor joining Ryan's defense. Ryan coached one of Wichard's other clients, Terrell Suggs, with the Baltimore Ravens.

"Terrell Suggs told me once that every defensive player should be able to play one year with Rex Ryan," Wichard told hosts Pat Kirwan and Howard David. "So that's kind of what I said to Jason, I think, when I finally convinced him to go up there [for a visit].

"He's just got an unbelievable way of motivating guys, and I know sometimes he speaks kind of unfiltered and gets himself in trouble. But he embraces his guys, and his guys embrace him. I watched him all through [his] Baltimore days, and, boy, he's just dynamic when it comes to getting these guys to play."

Taylor spent two days with the Jets last week and could either sign with them or wait until after the draft to see if the Dolphins have any use for him.

Wichard said they expected to talk to the Jets again "a bit later in the week," but he also indicated the Dolphins remain very much in play, saying if Taylor is still unsigned after the draft "that's probably where he'll end up."

This was inevitable.

ESPNNewYork.com and ESPNBoston.com are about to come to blows.

We tried to keep them separated for as long as possible, but like two children sitting in the backseat on an interstate road trip, sniping was impossible to avoid.

The quarrel began Monday morning, when ESPNNewYork.com columnist Johnette Howard, in a wickedly funny piece, proclaimed the Patriots' divisional reign was over. The Jets, having made yet another substantial acquisition by trading for Santonio Holmes, had accumulated too much talent.

Good night, New England. It was a nice run while it lasted, right? Tom Brady likely got a Hall of Fame plaque and got Gisele Bundchen. Bill Belichick cemented his genius label and perfected the dead-fish handshake. The Patriots got a few championships. But it's over now. Done. Thanks for the memories. What the Giants started with their Super Bowl XLII upset of the Patriots' 18-0 team, another New York club -- the Jets -- is about to finish.

Howard added the Patriots are in a rebuilding mode already.

ESPNBoston.com reporter Mike Reiss begged to differ with Howard's stance and fired back with a levelheaded and methodical counterpoint column to declare the Patriots aren't dead yet.

Reiss remembers a conversations he had with former Patriots personnel chief Scott Piloi about the media being too easily smitten with springtime transactions.

Pioli once challenged me to match the newspaper headlines from March and April with results in December and January. It wasn't pretty, and my work was right there at the top of the underperforming list. If my opinions were evaluated as harshly as Pioli himself was, I would have been looking for a new job.

That's one reason conceding the AFC East to anyone on April 12 is a dubious proposition, especially when Tom Brady is the quarterback of the Patriots and Mark Sanchez is entering his second season with the Jets.

Reiss, preaching cautiousness, pointed out the Patriots will open the season with players who aren't on their roster right now. Others will have their nameplates removed from locker stalls in Gillette Stadium.

Normally, I hate when family members fight.

But when they're debating the Jets and the Patriots, I'd rather just let them go at it. Hopefully for several months.