ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch lays out the ways in which the Rams have changed during the offseason. The overhaul has been massive. Thomas: "In fact, this housecleaning has been so complete that even the house-cleaners are gone. That's right, the Rams have hired a new janitorial service for Rams Park."

Also from Thomas: Five things to watch at Rams camp. Thomas: "Over the past two offseasons, the Rams have invested lots of money and draft picks on linemen, from defensive end Chris Long, to offensive tackle Jason Smith, above, to free-agent pickups Jason Brown at center and Jacob Bell at guard. One of the best ways to gauge line play in late July and early August is the one-on-one pass-blocking drills in full pads." Totally agree. It's my favorite part of camp practices.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic analyzes the Cardinals' offensive line. Somers: "The Cardinals yielded only 28 sacks all last season, and according to Stats Inc., gave up just six sacks in 218 blitz situations. Quarterback Kurt Warner had a lot to do with that, of course. There was no one better at standing tough against the blitz and delivering the ball. But the offensive line deserves credit, too." Warner frequently took hard hits after delivering the ball, particularly against the Cowboys, Vikings and Steelers, as memory serves.

Bob Young of the Arizona Republic walks the lighter side in identifying storylines at Cardinals camp. 

Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic looks at the Cardinals' post-Super Bowl prospects. General manager Rod Graves: "Our leadership, starting with Coach [Ken] Whisenhunt, will ensure that our focus is where it needs to be. I believe he will start with our first goal of winning the division. Great locker-room leadership has emerged on our team. We have it in a way that we've never had before."

John Crumpacker of the San Francisco Chronicle previews training camp for the 49ers. Quarterback Shaun Hill: "I think we brought in some guys that are going to help us. The guys who were here are better than they were a year ago. I think we're a much improved offense."

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says Hill falls short on the respect meter thanks to relatively poor arm strength, a subject former longtime NFL scout Dick Haley addressed in the most recent NFC West mailbag (fifth item).

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News outlines issues facing the 49ers and Raiders heading into camp. Kawakami: "Safety Dashon Goldson, taking over for Mark Roman, has to show right away that he can run the secondary and also get his hands on passes."

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times says the Seahawks' negotiations with first-round choice Aaron Curry are expected to intensify Monday. O'Neil: "The challenge Seattle will face in negotiations with Curry is the deal signed by Mark Sanchez, the quarterback chosen fifth overall." Quarterbacks command more money. How is Curry's arm?

Also from O'Neil: a closer look at Jim Mora and family. Mora preferred the NFL to college coaching because he feared recruiting would pull him away from his family.

Chris Sullivan of Seahawk Addicts looks at how teams fare with new head coaches. They generally improve. Seems like someone also looked at how new coaches fare relative to holdover coaches, previous seasons' records being equal. Extra credit if you can find it.

Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune examines T.J. Houshmandzadeh's potential contributions for Seattle this season, noting that ESPN's fantasy projections called for 90 receptions.

John Morgan of Field Gulls is now an international radio star. Solid effort, John.