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Brock Huard, Mike Salk and I discussed Kellen Winslow during our most recent conversation on 710ESPN Seattle.

One of the questions -- what risk might Winslow carry for the Seahawks? -- reminded me to start with the money when analyzing how a veteran player fits into a new environment.

With that in mind, I've sketched out a few thoughts on deals for Winslow and a few other notable NFC West newcomers this offseason (one per team):

• Cortland Finnegan, St. Louis Rams: Finnegan signed a five-year deal that could be worth $50 million, with guaranteed salaries in each of the first two seasons. This deal identifies Finnegan as a starter, team leader and a core player for new coach Jeff Fisher. The risk should be low because Fisher knows Finnegan well. But the investment is high. The Rams are counting on Finnegan to produce and set a high standard.
• Randy Moss, San Francisco 49ers: Moss signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal. There was no bonus. Moss must be on the roster during the regular season to collect. Concerns over Moss becoming a negative influence, if valid, would be premature at this point. The organization hasn't invested enough in Moss to make this an issue now. The 49ers can release Moss before the season at no cost.
• Winslow, Seahawks: The Seahawks inherit the long-term deal Winslow signed in 2009, but without being on the hook for guaranteed money. At most, Winslow will cost Seattle a sixth-round choice and $4.8 million in 2012. But if the Seahawks released Winslow before the season, they would avoid paying any money. That puts Winslow in the low-risk category, at least until the season.
• Adam Snyder, Arizona Cardinals: Arizona didn't really make any high-profile additions this offseason. Deals for veteran guards generally don't make waves. But ignoring the Cardinals wasn't an option, either. So, here goes. The $5 million bonus Arizona paid to Snyder identifies him as a starter for the 2012 season. It identifies him as a projected starter for the future. But with 2013-and-beyond salaries at less than $3 million annually, Snyder's deal is not a cap killer.

Note: My usual Tuesday conversations with 101ESPN St. Louis' Bernie Miklasz will continue as we get closer to football season. In the meantime, follow Bernie's work through stltoday.com and on Twitter.

The St. Louis Rams' stadium situation dominated my weekly discussion with Bernie Miklasz on Tuesday.

We're both taking a big-picture view of the proceedings with an emphasis on process. Neither of us sees reason for panic among Rams fans at this early stage of the proceedings. Much can happen between now and March 2015, which is the earliest point at which the Rams could seek to leave St. Louis in a worst-case scenario.

I do think Rams owner Stan Kroenke could allay fears to some degree by expressing a heartfelt desire to keep the team in St. Louis. "Heartfelt" isn't really his style in public, unfortunately. He's more apt to come off as shrewd and calculating. Some of that could be by design. He doesn't want to get trapped into making promises when he's not certain what will happen in the future. And, to be fair, the city of St. Louis also could do more to indicate a heartfelt desire to keep the Rams. That was one of the points Bernie made.

"If you get a dialogue going, I'm reasonably confident that the NFL would chip into this, Stan Kroenke would chip into this," Miklasz said. "But if you're not willing to have that dialogue, you've left the NFL and you've left Stan Kroenke with no way to open the door."

The St. Louis Rams hired Jeff Fisher as coach for quite a few reasons.

They valued his experience, for sure.

"He's a great coach, he's a great teacher, he's a great leader," team owner Stan Kroenke said when the Rams introduced Fisher as their new head coach this offseason.

Bernie Miklasz asked specifically about Fisher's reputation as a teacher and developer of talent during our latest conversation on 101ESPN St. Louis.

The answer I provided could use some strengthening. After my mostly fruitless run through various online archives, Paul Kuharsky came through with a strong take based on first-hand observations. Paul covered the NFL and Fisher's Tennessee Titans for the Tennessean newspaper before becoming our AFC South blogger.

Paul's quick take on Fisher as a teacher:

"He is a good teacher and can be hands-on, particularly with punt returners and defensive backs. He didn't wander into individual periods or even special-teams periods very much. He worked with returners once in a while post-practice, but less frequently in his later years. I think he's a good teacher. He would talk about how 'we teach this when we talk about a penalty call' or 'we teach that the guy has to get his head across before he makes contact.'

"He had very specific things from the top down as far as their philosophy for doing this or that. He let his position coaches do most of that hands-on teaching stuff. He'll be far more hands-on with Janoris Jenkins than with anyone else. He'll talk about treating him the same as everyone else, and he'll baby him. The two most predictable picks in the draft after Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III were Jenkins and the Montana kid, Trumaine Johnson, who went to school with Fisher's son."

Fisher played defensive back and returned punts during his own career. That would explain his particular interest in those roles. He has been a defensive coordinator as well, and with Gregg Williams serving a suspension, it's possible Fisher could become more directly involved on that side of the ball. It might also be plausible, in my view, for Fisher to take more of a hands-on approach in his first year with the Rams. A coach might feel more comfortable stepping back after his program has been established.

St. Louis Rams fans should know that Bob Mcginn, who recently finished first among 60 analysts projecting which players teams would draft among the top 100 picks, also forecast Trumaine Johnson as a first-rounder in his 2012 mock.

The Rams drafted Johnson in the third round, with the 65th overall choice. Johnson downplayed any concerns stemming from an arrest following a party he hosted.

"I just decided to throw a party after a win," Johnson told reporters during a conference call following his selection Friday. "It got loud. The cops came and shut it down. As we were shutting it down, one of my buddies got tased, so I went over there to try to see what was going on and I got tased. We both got booked and arrested."

Authorities accused Johnson of disorderly conduct, obstructing an officer and resisting arrest.

"I believe everybody throws parties and has fun in college," Johnson said. "I feel like I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, so I shouldn’t have thrown the party in the first place just because we were in the season. I learned from it and it’s behind me now."

Johnson was among the subjects Bernie Miklasz and I discussed during our weekly conversation Tuesday on 101ESPN St. Louis. Johnson was the sixth of 34 cornerbacks drafted. The Rams previously used the 39th choice, a second-rounder, for cornerback Janoris Jenkins, a player carrying greater concerns off the field.

The Rams will lean on their veteran defensive coaching staff and newly signed cornerback Cortland Finnegan to assist Johnson and Jenkins.

OK, St. Louis Rams fans, here's the plan:

"Maybe if you do Justin Blackmon in the first round, maybe your second-round picks, if it falls need with value, maybe you get a real athletic outside linebacker who starts for you and maybe you get a defensive tackle."

That's what I told Bernie Miklasz during our latest conversation on 101ESPN St. Louis, anyway.

"(The defensive tackle) maybe has some questions about him -- you’re not going to get that perfect guy -- but look, the Rams know there are questions with defensive tackles when you taken them in the first round," my thinking went, with visions of Jimmy Kennedy and Adam Carriker.

The most talented defensive linemen tend to disappear in the first round, although some have projected Michigan State's Jerel Worthy to the Rams at No. 33 overall.

"You're using a lower-round pick, still getting some guys with question marks," I offered. "With the big guys, it's usually about effort and motor and those things, but that's why you have coaches. That's why you have Jeff Fisher, who got something out of Albert Haynesworth."

OK, then. Using my logic, the Rams would draft Blackmon in the first round, Worthy atop the second and, say, Nebraska's Lavonte David with the 39th overall choice.

On a side note, the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans never used a second-round choice for a linebacker when Fisher was their head coach. They took one in the first round (Keith Bullock at No. 30), three in the third, five in the fourth, three in the fifth, two in the sixth and five in the seventh.

Perhaps Fisher breaks that trend in 2012. The Rams' general manager, Les Snead, was with Atlanta when the Falcons made Curtis Loftin the 37th overall choice in 2008.

An Arizona Cardinals fan or two has noted in the comments of recent items an apparent shortage of "positive" blog entries regarding the team.

We've had this conversation before, leading to the list of things to like (and dislike) about the Cardinals heading toward the 2012 season.

The subject came to mind again Wednesday when discussing with XTRA Sports 910 AM's Mike Jurecki various NFC West subjects, including the Cardinals' offseason trajectory, during our latest conversation.

XTRA has posted the audio featuring thoughts on all NFC West teams. I've pulled out one part of the discussion for consideration below, knowing we can pick it up from there in the comments of this item.

Jurecki: "Did the Cardinals do enough so far in free agency and the offseason?"

My response: "There is a two-part answer to his. No, they didn't do much. I don't think they made themselves better, really, in the offseason. But it's OK, because it's all coming down to the quarterback anyway. They showed last season that there's enough good things to be an 8-8 team even when it wasn't ideal at quarterback. To take the next step is only going to happen with improved play at that position.

"That is what they were banking on all along. That is going to be what determines their season. Had they made a signing here or there that made a splash and made people feel good about it, I don't think that was going to be the key for them. They did that last year. They brought in Daryn Colledge, they signed some guys. This year, it's all about what the quarterback does in either taking 8-8 to 6-10 or maybe taking it to 9-7 or 10-6."

The St. Louis Rams' options with the sixth pick in the 2012 NFL draft provided one discussion point for my latest conversation with 101ESPN St. Louis' Bernie Miklasz.

Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon has been a popular projected pick for the Rams, reflecting their obvious need for a starting-caliber wide receiver.

I'm beginning to question whether St. Louis will head in that direction and wondering more whether the Rams would even favor Michael Floyd over Blackmon among the available receivers. That is a departure from earlier thinking, based upon recent conversations with NFL people trying to get a feel for the top picks.

This could be over-thinking things. Then again, who over-thinks the NFL draft besides everyone?

The San Francisco 49ers were exceptional last season in the strict sense of the word.

Teams with new coaching staffs were supposed to struggle following a lockout-shortened offseason. Not the 49ers. They were an exception.

Coaches with backgrounds in the college ranks have often struggled making the transition to the NFL. Not the 49ers' Jim Harbaugh. He was an exception, having played in the NFL recently.

Teams without prolific quarterbacks weren't supposed to win postseason shootouts against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints' record-setting offense. The 49ers did, and spectacularly.

West Coast teams are supposed to fall flat in games kicking off at 10 a.m. PT, especially from the Eastern time zone. The 49ers were again an exception last season, going 4-0 in these games before winning a fifth early kickoff in the Central time zone (at St. Louis).

Some of these exceptions came to mind Monday when discussing with KNBR's @DamonBruce (audio here) what the 49ers should want from their 2012 schedule.

Conventional wisdom says the 49ers should resist back-to-back games on the East Coast -- at New England and the New York Jets, in this case. But after the 49ers went 2-0 in road matchups against Cincinnati and Philadelphia last season, remaining in Ohio between games, perhaps conventional wisdom does not apply to them so much.

NFL teams rarely select offensive guards among the top overall choices in a given draft.

Mike Pouncey (15th 2011) and Mike Iupati (17th in 2010) were the only projected guards drafted among the top 17 overall selections in the last 10 drafts.

Before that, Steve Hutchinson was on a short list of highly drafted guards as the 17th player chosen in 2001.

So, how seriously would the Seahawks consider selecting a guard, David DeCastro, with the 12th overall choice this year?

Kevin Calabro, Jim Moore and I spent about 10 minutes Monday discussing that and other issues relating to the Seahawks on 710ESPN Seattle (audio here).

History says 12th overall is earlier than teams select guards, but I would not rule out the possibility.

The Seahawks did not value guards at a high level, in theory, when Mike Holmgren and Ted Thompson decided to select Hutchinson. But they obviously thought Hutchinson was good enough to warrant an exception. On a side note, current Seahawks general manager John Schneider was the Seahawks' player personnel director at the time.

Note: The chart shows guards drafted among the top-17 overall picks since 1995. Robert Gallery and other tackles have moved to guard during their NFL careers. The chart shows only those players drafted as guards. Damien Woody, chosen 17th overall by New England in 1999, was a candidate for inclusion. He was drafted as a center, however.

Highlights and interpretations from St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher's conversation Friday with "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio:

• Bounty impact: Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' indefinite suspension affected the Rams as they began their voluntary offseason program April 2. Fisher: "We were behind a little bit as we began to install with our players because the offseason program started a couple weeks ago, but we're caught up now." Wait, coaches can install their schemes during Phase One of the offseason program? Yes, they can, but only in meetings, not on the field. More here.
• Taking back Williams: Fisher expects Williams to make a positive impact off the field before the league considers whether to let him coach again. Fisher was non-committal about Williams returning to the Rams, if cleared, but he did not discourage the notion. Fisher said the team would have to consider the possibility in concert with whatever the league decides.
• Challenging league report: The NFL's punishment report regarding the Saints' bounty program suggested opposing players indeed suffered injuries as a result. "A review of the game films confirms that opposing players were injured on the plays identified in the documents," it read. Fisher, while agreeing with the push to eliminate bounty-type systems, took a different view Friday: "I don't believe there was an injury associated with those type of things that was said in a meeting, but the point is, you just don't say it and that is where we have the problem."
• Player safety in general: Players are adjusting to new NFL rules to a degree that probably escapes most fans, Fisher said. "They are not launching any more through a defenseless receiver. Players are trying to stay away from the legs of the quarterback." We've pointed to penalty tendencies for Fisher's former teams in Tennessee. Most of information predates the NFL's emphasis on player safety. I'll be interested in seeing whether those tendencies change.
• High praise for Bradford: Fisher affirmed his commitment to Sam Bradford and said others in the league told him the quarterback has the potential to be the NFL's best at the position, a factor in Fisher's decision to take the job.

Those are a few of the highlights. The Rams got a two-week jump on their NFC West rivals' offseason programs because they have a new head coach.

My latest NFC West conversation with Bernie Miklasz focused on the St. Louis Rams' draft outlook, including the likelihood of trading down from the sixth overall pick.

My general feel: Don't do it. Get quality at the top of the draft.

101ESPN St. Louis has posted the audio.

Gregg Williams' prospects for an eventual return to the NFL was another subject we discussed.

One note: We referenced the upcoming NFC West chat, which has since been moved up 24 hours to Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET.

There's more to the NFC West blog than uniform reviews, I'm happy to say.

We can thank Bernie Miklasz of 101ESPN St. Louis for interrupting the NFL's ongoing fashion show with some actual NFC West football talk.

Bernie and I discussed Torry Holt's Hall of Fame credentials, and also whether the St. Louis Rams should consider trading down again from the sixth pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

The case for Holt should emphasize the quality of his career, not just numbers accumulated over time. Holt's six consecutive seasons with at least 1,300 yards were an NFL record, matching the career total for Jerry Rice in 20 seasons.

Audio here.

Brock Huard, Mike Salk and I spent 13-14 minutes Thursday discussing where the Seattle Seahawks stand heading toward the 2012 NFL draft.

One question: Should the team focus on adding a front-line receiver to help new quarterback Matt Flynn, or should finding pass-rush help (and possibly linebacker help) stand as top priority?

I lean toward making pass-rush help a higher priority while the team finds out whether Flynn has the ability to maximize the existing weapons and make full use of additional ones.

The chart shows which players accounted for the Seahawks' 33 sacks last season.

Five of the players with at least 3.0 sacks are unsigned and/or will not return.

Anthony Hargrove has agreed to terms with Green Bay, Leroy Hill is unsigned and Raheem Brock is not expected back. Jason Jones, signed from Tennessee, should help pump up the numbers to a degree. But there's definitely room for another contributor.

Audio here.

Among the points from ESPN's Adam Schefter during his Monday morning appearance on Mike & Mike:

• Alex Smith is waiting on Peyton Manning. Schefter does not think Smith would sign with Miami without knowing whether the San Francisco 49ers remained an option for him.
• Dolphins could have had Matt Flynn. Schefter bases this contention on the relatively modest money Flynn commanded from Seattle. In his view, Flynn was "there for the taking" if the Dolphins valued him highly enough. He thinks Miami had a price limit for Flynn and wasn't interested to the degree the Dolphins were when chasing Jim Harbaugh, Jeff Fisher or Manning.
• No idea on Manning timetable. Schefter wouldn't be surprised if Manning made a decision Monday or several days from now. There is no indication anything is imminent on that front.

Cue the audio.

Matt Flynn's visit with the Seattle Seahawks kicked off my Saturday conversation with John Clayton on 710ESPN Seattle.

We discussed the tension between needing a quarterback and not acting out of desperation to find one.

The market for Flynn has yet to gain much momentum. The quarterback market in general hinges on what happens with Peyton Manning. If Manning lands in Tennessee, Matt Hasselbeck would hit the market. If Manning signs with San Francisco, Alex Smith might become a more viable candidate elsewhere.

Rushing into a deal with Flynn might not make sense &#151 for Seattle, for Miami, for anyone &#151 if potentially superior options appeared likely to become available in the near future.

Flynn left the Seahawks to visit with the Dolphins. His roots with Green Bay give him connections to Seahawks general manager John Schneider and new Dolphins coach Joe Philbin.

Seattle did not make an initial contract offer to Flynn. It's unclear whether the Dolphins will make a hard push for him now that Manning isn't an option for them.

Note: 710ESPN Seattle has posted the audio. My segment begins at about the 18:30 mark.