ESPN NFL

Denver Broncos

Cornerback Tracy Porter, whose pick-six sealed the New Orleans Saints' Super Bowl XLIV victory over the Indianapolis Colts, hasn't gotten around to talking trash to new Denver teammate Peyton Manning, the man who threw that ball. "I think once we finally get settled in we'll have enough time to shoot that little joke in," Porter told USA Today. "As of right now, we're both still learning."

The Broncos' trade of backup cornerback Cassius Vaughn to Indianapolis for little-used fullback Chris Gronkowski is most significant for the fact that it's Matt Russell's first trade since taking over as director of player personnel, Mike Klis notes.

Defensive end Elvis Dumervil is "more in shape" than at this point last year, he tells the Broncos' official site, and credits the team's strength coach and a new nutrition plan.

After a Pro Bowl rookie season, Broncos linebacker Von Miller landed the Denver Athletic Club's Colorado Athlete of the Year award.

Kansas City Chiefs

Coach Romeo Crennel, who grew up in a military family, and linebacker Caleb Campbell, a West Point grad who holds the rank of lieutenant in the U.S. Army, were among a Chiefs contingent that visited a junior high school at nearby Fort Leavenworth.

Oakland Raiders

With more talent on his side of the ball than on defense, new Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Knapp is going to need to keep the unit humming and take some pressure off Dennis Allen's defense, Mark Purdy writes in the San Jose Mercury News.

Mike Goodson, an offseason trade acquisition from Carolina, is making an impression with coaches in his quest to win the backup running back job.

San Diego Chargers

General manager A.J. Smith laughed off Las Vegas picking the Chargers to finish second in the division, behind Denver. "I couldn't care less about predictions," Smith told U-T San Diego on Wednesday. "It's fun to do, and it stimulates conversation."

Coach Norv Turner told season-ticket holders during a conference call that he'll lean "heavily" on special-teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia this season after Bisaccia was given the title of assistant head coach.

I know some Oakland Raiders fans are concerned about whether versatile fullback Marcel Reece will be part of the team this season.

Reece, an exclusive rights free agent, has still not signed his tender and he is missing voluntary OTAs. The Raiders signed fullback Owen Schmitt this week and Reece has hired an agent, Joel Segal, who recently had a high-profile player hold out while he worked out a new deal.

My thoughts on the Reece situation? Don’t worry about it. It will work itself out.

Reece will show up at some point and will contribute to Oakland’s offense. There are many, many players who stay away from teams in May. Let’s talk when September starts.

Reece is like every other holdout. He doesn’t have much choice but to play. Ultimately, they all show up.

Plus, Reece is a good player at a position that isn’t overly valued financially by teams. He doesn’t have a ton of leverage. He is a player who is still establishing himself. He will get paid and maybe it will be before this season. If not, he will have to continue to earn his new deal.

Yes, Reece is important to Oakland's offense. I’m not discounting that. He can help at fullback, running back, tight end and in virtually every down situation.

And just because Segal had a holdout in the past doesn’t mean every new client will hold out.

As for Schmitt, Oakland can’t be blamed for bringing him in. But I don’t think it was a power play against Reece. It was just a move to strengthen the offense. If Reece is in Oakland for the entire training camp, Schmitt may have a hard time making the team. But perhaps the coaching staff (Schmitt played for Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp in Seattle) will figure out a way to keep both players. Either way, Oakland is just giving a good player a chance.

The reality is that Reece is a Raider and I expect him to continue to be a Raider in 2012.

According to the fine folks who took our AFC West poll this week, new Oakland backup quarterback Matt Leinart is the best backup in the AFC West.

We asked readers this week who they think is the best backup quarterback in the division. All four backups are new in 2012. In addition to Leinart in Oakland, Caleb Hanie is in Denver, Brady Quinn is in Kansas City and Charlie Whitehurst is the backup in San Diego.

Overall, it is not a good group that backs up a good group of starters in the division. Still, in our poll, Leinart received 38 percent of the vote as of 2:05 p.m. ET Wednesday. Quinn received 35 percent of the vote, Whitehurst received 15 percent and Hanie received 11 percent. Yes, that adds up to 99 percent. That means the final percent was split too evenly to be assigned to one player.

I can see why Leinart won the vote. He fits the West Coast offense and he has history with Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and starter Carson Palmer. Still, like any of these backups, I don’t see Leinart having long-term success if he has to spell Palmer for an extended period.

This is how I listed the group in a recent post: Quinn, Leinart, Hanie and Whitehurst. But they are closely bunched so I can’t argue too much with these poll results. Thanks to everyone who played along.

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Carson Palmer gave himself a refresher course this offseason in what watching football without the modern convenience of high definition is like.

It brought him back to the late 1980s, when he watched football just because he liked what he saw without knowing the complications of the game.

This time around, it was for the benefit of his NFL career.

As part of his indoctrination into the West Coast offense, Palmer, 32, watched as much of the scheme as he could. He went all the way back to the Bill Walsh-coached San Francisco 49ers.

“It was pretty cool going back to those days,” said Palmer this week during a break in the Raiders’ organized team activities. “There were no HD films back then, so it was kind of gritty. It brought me back to when I was 8 years old and I just wanted to see (49ers running back) Roger Craig score a touchdown. You look at the game so differently now, but it was a good learning experience.”

Palmer’s West Coast cram sessions included several incarnations of the scheme. However, a primary focus was the 2010 and 2011 Houston Texans. Palmer watched every game the team played the past two seasons.

New Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp was Houston’s quarterbacks coach in those seasons, and Knapp is bringing a version of the West Coast offense to Oakland. He is a disciple of the 49ers’ West Coast offense and has used versions of it as a coordinator in San Francisco, Atlanta, Oakland (in 2007-08) and Seattle.

Palmer was in a West Coast offense in his first year at USC, at age 18. In a season during which he will turn 33, Palmer must adjust to the offense in what will be a crucial year for him personally. The previous Oakland regime traded two premium draft picks for Palmer last season in a desperate attempt to stay in the playoff hunt when starter Jason Campbell went down for the season with a broken collarbone.

Oakland was 4-2 when Campbell went down. It was 4-6 after acquiring Palmer from the Bengals. Thrown into the Oakland system after holding out in Cincinnati, Palmer’s rust showed as he threw 16 interceptions and 13 touchdown passes for the Raiders.

Palmer is now comfortable in Oakland, and though he is still adjusting to Knapp’s system, he says he is thrilled with the playbook because Knapp’s offense has so many variations. There are some classic West Coast schemes, but there is also zone-blocking running and other modifications. Palmer said he believes it is the most varied offense he has been in.

He thinks it will blend nicely with Oakland’s speed at receiver. Mostly, Palmer is confident his transition to the offense will be easy because of Knapp himself.

“He’s been fantastic with me,” Palmer said. “He’s amazing. He is a teacher in addition to a coach. It will really help me get this offense down.”

New Oakland coach Dennis Allen said Palmer was a major reason why he chose to hire Knapp as his offensive coordinator. He said Palmer’s ability to adjust to Knapp’s offense made the Palmer-Knapp pairing a “great fit” in Allen’s mind.

Allen scoffs at concern that Palmer might not be athletic enough to run Knapp’s offense. He has repeatedly said he thinks that Palmer is athletic as Matt Schaub, who flourished under Knapp in Houston. Palmer often ran around the field freely on Tuesday in addition to participating in a multitude of plays, including several deep passes, which mesh with his big arm.

“He moved around today,” Allen said Tuesday. “He’s plenty athletic.”

Allen also said the key is to be flexible -- not only on offense, but on defense, where the 4-3-based Raiders will use multiple front-seven sets. Allen -- who was Denver’s defensive coordinator last season -- saw the benefit of in-season coaching when the Broncos went to an option offense for Tim Tebow midway through the season. He said Tuesday he learned from that experience.

“We are running the West Coast offense, but we’re going to do a lot of things,” Allen said. “We are going to take advantage of what Carson does best.”

While hopes are high in Oakland that Palmer will show he was worth the high price, some worry about the fit. Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. is in that camp.

“I have a lot of concerns with Palmer adjusting to the Raiders’ new offense,” Williamson said. “First off, it was the former staff/philosophy that wanted Palmer. He doesn’t anticipate routes well. When the receiver becomes open, Palmer throws it. Therefore, defensive backs get a better break on the ball and run-after-the-catch potential is more limited. Also, he has heavy feet and not a movement-based quarterback, which is ideally what they now want in Oakland. I do think Knapp will adapt his system to fit Palmer -- he will have to.”

To help Palmer adjust to playing for Knapp, Oakland signed Matt Leinart to be his backup. Leinart backed up Palmer at USC and the two Heisman Trophy winners have a close bond. Leinart was in Houston the past two seasons.

Leinart said this week he is happy to help Palmer with any nuances of Knapp’s offense. He said keys for Palmer will be to use bootlegs and rely on what should be a strong running game.

"I'm here for Carson, to help him with reads, to let him know that certain things are very good, just to stay on it," Leinart said. "Because when you're taught a new offense, there's things that you're not used to; you're used to doing it a certain way. Sometimes the reads are a little different. I told him today, 'Just stick with this route because it's a great route for us. It's going to be a great route for us.'"

And if he needs any reassurance, all Palmer has to do is flip on that gritty, grainy game film from yesteryear.

The agent for free-agent fullback Owen Schmitt confirmed that his client will work out for the Oakland Raiders this week in their organized team activities.

Schmitt, who has been on the market all offseason, is a rugged blocker and played for new Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp in Seattle.

Oakland fullback Marcel Reece has not signed his restricted free agency tender. He will eventually sign it because he really doesn’t have any other choice.

I could see Oakland signing Schmitt and figuring out whether to keep him on the 53-man roster after the preseason.

Now that Matt Leinart has signed with the Oakland Raiders, each teams in the AFC West has a new backup quarterback.

After looking at the list, here is my advice to the starters in the division: stay healthy.

The AFC West’s group of backups is not very strong. I ranked the group and asked Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. for his opinion of my list. Williamson agreed with my rankings and that this is a weak class. He said the separation between all four quarterbacks is not big.

Let’s look at our rankings:

1. Brady Quinn, Kansas City Chiefs: Quinn is probably the best equipped of this group to help his team win on a short-term basis.

2. Matt Leinart, Oakland: Leinart is a good fit in Oakland because of familiarity with offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and starter Carson Palmer. But he has shown he can’t be trusted as a starter.

3. Caleb Hanie, Denver Broncos: The Broncos like the fit though he is warming the backup chair for second-round pick Brock Osweiler.

4. Charlie Whitehurst, San Diego Chargers: The Chargers like their former No. 3 quarterback, but I think they would have been better off keeping Billy Volek as Philip Rivers' backup. Volek, in my mind, would have been the best backup in this division.

Apparently, Matt Leinart is not a slam-dunk to sign with the Oakland Raiders as their backup quarterback.

The Associated Press is reporting Jim Sorgi will have a workout with the Raiders on Tuesday. Leinart is considered a favorite to land the job because he played for Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp last year in Houston and he backed up Oakland quarterback Carson Palmer at USC.

Sorgi hasn’t played in the NFL since 2009. He backed up new Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning for six seasons in Indianapolis. It is not out of the question that Oakland will look at other backups.

I’d be surprised if Sorgi was signed over Leinart if they are the only two options Oakland is looking at.

A long-expected pairing is likely to occur.

Oakland will visit with and is expected to sign Matt Leinart to be Carson Palmer’s backup quarterback, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

This is no surprise. Leinart played for Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and as soon as Leinart was cut this offseason, we’ve been expecting a reunion. Plus, Leinart was Palmer’s backup at USC and they remain close. Both share a bond as Heisman Trophy winners.

I am not surprised at all that Leinart and not Terrelle Pryor will be the backup. Pryor is still very much a developmental quarterback. Plus, he wasn’t taken by this regime. They must watch and work with Pryor before putting him one play from becoming a starter.

In Leinart, Oakland has an experienced player who you can count on in a pinch. Most importantly, he is a player who is comfortable in Oakland’s system.

In other AFC West notes:

• Oakland third-round pick Tony Bergstrom is married to the sister of Baltimore linebacker Paul Kruger.
• Ronnie Hillman played for Snoop Dogg’s traveling youth team in Southern California as a youngster.
• San Diego second-round pick, defensive lineman Kendall Reyes, was a receiver in high school. He is now 295 pounds.
• Kansas City third round pick, tackle Donald Stephenson, is from Kansas City. His reaction to getting chosen by the Chiefs? “I’m speechless,” the Oklahoma product said. “I love the Chiefs. I’ve always loved them. To have a chance to play in my hometown is huge.”

Every team in the AFC West will likely have a new backup quarterback in 2012.

With the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs making their moves the past two days, the focus is now on the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders.

Friday night, the Chargers signed former No. 3 quarterback Charlie Whitehurst (the Chargers traded him to the Seattle Seahawks two years ago) and cut quarterback Billy Volek. Whitehurst will backup starter Philip Rivers. Saturday, Denver free agent Brady Quinn signed with Kansas City where he will back up Matt Cassel.

With Quinn gone, the Broncos will have a new backup regardless if Peyton Manning or Tim Tebow is the starter.

Oakland is expected to move on from Kyle Boller, who had a connection with former head coach Hue Jackson. Matt Leinart is a likely target. He played for new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp in Houston and Leinart is close with Oakland starter Carson Palmer. Leinart was a backup to Palmer early in his career at USC.

Denver’s search for a backup quarterback will be more difficult to peg. In addition to Volek, Vince Young and David Garrard are also options.

We have our first reported visit by the Oakland Raiders as they clear cap room to pursue free agents.

The Houston Chronicle reports Texans’ guard Mike Brisiel is visiting Oakland. It makes total sense. Former Houston offensive line coach Frank Pollack has taken over as the Raiders’ offensive line coach and former Houston quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp is Oakland’s offensive coordinator.

The Raiders will move back to a zone-blocking scheme, and Brisiel is skilled in that area. Brisiel has started 47 games in six NFL seasons. He’s been a part-time starter the past three seasons after starting all 16 games in 2008.

He would be a candidate to start in Oakland. The Raiders cut Cooper Carlisle in a salary-cap move Wednesday. He could potentially come back at a lesser price, but he will look at other options.

Another name to keep on eye an in Oakland is St. Louis cornerback Ronald Bartell. The Raiders badly need cornerbacks and he is on the team’s list.

Would Jason Campbell rather back up Jay Cutler or Carson Palmer?

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Campbell, Oakland’s former starter, is set to visit with the Bears.

He’d back up Cutler there.

Like Kansas City’s Kyle Orton (Schefter is reporting he will visit Dallas, where he’d backup Tony Romo), Campbell is clearly having trouble finding a place where he’d compete to start. I’m a bit surprised by that.

Campbell has been the victim of terrible luck. He broke his collarbone in October and the Raiders then traded two premium picks for Palmer. The Raiders are now married to Palmer. If Campbell leaves Oakland, it is clear he is looking for change of scenery rather than being open to signing with the Raiders to back up Palmer.

The Bears likely would be willing to give Campbell more than Oakland. A potential backup quarterback in Oakland is Matt Leinart. He was just cut by Houston. Oakland’s new offensive coordinator is Greg Knapp. He was previously Leinart’s quarterbacks coach in Houston.

Here’s another indication that the Raiders will soon cut pass-rusher Kamerion Wimbley. NFL.com reports that it will be done Tuesday. Wimbley’s release has appeared to be a foregone conclusion for days; expect San Diego to be in play once he becomes free.

Matt Leinart has been cut in Houston. He could be a candidate to join the Raiders. He played in Houston under new Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. The Raiders will very likely be in the market for a backup quarterback, so it is very plausible that Leinart could back up Carson Palmer — just as he did when both were at USC.

The Chiefs gave inside linebacker Jovan Belcher a second-round tender. Thus, the restricted free agent will likely be with the team in 2012 and it could preclude Kansas City from being interested in Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly with the No. 11 pick in April's draft.

With the Raiders suddenly in the market for a reliable veteran tight end, one option could be Houston’s Joel Dreessen. He played for Knapp in Houston.

NFL.com thinks former Denver receiver Brandon Lloyd could be in play in San Diego. If Vincent Jackson leaves, Lloyd could be an interesting fit. The Chargers will have a need.

The Chargers are holding onto two key exclusive-rights free agents.

A Denver columnist thinks Peyton Manning has slayed Tebow-mania in Denver.

New England could be a possible landing spot for Denver free agent tight end Daniel Fells.

Our blog network looked at the possibilities for where Peyton Manning can land after the legendary Indianapolis quarterback is cut.

Each divisional blogger was in charge of forecasting the chances of each team in their division signing Manning. We put Kansas City, Miami and Washington as the teams with the best chances of signing Manning.

I’m not confident the Chiefs will be the team that ends up signing Manning, but I do believe they will show interest once he is available. I put Denver as having “medium” interest in Manning. The Broncos are probably a dark horse, but I can’t see a scenario where Manning is on the market and John Elway doesn't at least consider signing a fellow legendary quarterback.

In other AFC West news:

In an Insider piece, ESPN analyst Todd McShay believes Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe might have put himself in position to be taken by the Chiefs with the No. 11 overall pick. Poe is emerging in a fairly strong group of defensive tackles. The Chiefs and the Broncos (who pick No. 25) are in the market for a defensive tackle early in the draft.

New Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp believes quarterback Carson Palmer and running back Darren McFadden are perfect fits for his offense.

Luis Castillo’s days are numbered in San Diego. The Chargers have long decided to move on from him. Expect the Chargers to add to the defensive line in free agency and in the draft. If Castillo doesn’t get another deal and the Chargers don’t upgrade, they could try to bring him back down the road.

The Denver Post links Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler and Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden,

The Raiders' offensive coordinator, Greg Knapp, has an advantage when it comes to looking at quarterback talent at the combine.

In an Insider piece, Adam Schefter’s mailbag looks at the Chiefs’ chances of landing RG3 and Denver’s plans at quarterback.

Here’s another indication Michael Bush will not be in Oakland any longer.

The Oakland Raiders continue to go back to their recent -- and unsuccessful -- past to fill out their offensive coaching staff all the while keeping an experienced hand.

NFL.com is reporting that 2011 Oakland offensive coordinator Al Saunders is staying with the team as a senior assistant. The report said Saunders had a year added to his contract that will run through 2013. Saunders won’t be offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach, two roles he covered last year. His specific role is unknown.

Still, I think it is good that he is being retained in some role. This is a young staff. Saunders is an NFL veteran. His experience will help even if it is not in a major role.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the team has hired John Defilippo as its quarterbacks coach. He was Oakland’s quarterback coach in 2007-08, which were JaMarcus Russell’s first two seasons. Defilippo has been the quarterbacks coach at San Jose State the past two years.

He reunites with offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. He was the offensive coordinator in Oakland in 2007-08. Yes, Oakland’s offense was anemic those years, but the talent was depleted. The two coaches are inheriting much better talent now.

New Oakland coach Dennis Allen (who worked with Knapp in Atlanta) is clearly comfortable with Knapp and Knapp is comfortable with Defilippo.

Meanwhile, the Raiders reportedly hired USC receivers coach Ted Gilmore for the same position. He worked for former Oakland coach Lane Kiffin at USC.

UPDATE: Ole Miss secondary coach Keith Burns has reportedly been added to Oakland’s staff. He has a long history with Allen. His role has been specified, but it could be as an assistant secondary coach. The word is former Kansas City assistant Tim Krumrie is a candidate to be Oakland’s defensive line coach.

UPDATE: The Raiders just formally announced Saunders will be retained as a senior offensive assistant.