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ESPN fantasy guru Matthew Berry is all over Frank Gore specifically and the 2010 San Francisco 49ers in general.

"Gore, (Michael) Crabtree, (Vernon) Davis, Josh Morgan and (Alex) Smith are all on my love list this year," Berry proclaims. "I think Davis might regress a little bit, but he'll still be an elite tight end."

Berry ranks Gore fourth overall among all NFL fantasy prospects. He likes the other San Francisco players largely in relation to where he thinks others will value them in fantasy drafts. Berry likes the Seattle Seahawks' Justin Forsett in the later rounds, but he doesn't like the team in general from a fantasy standpoint because too much remains unknown.

One thing I'm not sure about regarding the 49ers is to what degree Crabtree will get into the touchdown mix. Gore and Davis were the primary scorers for San Francisco last season. Crabtree scored only two receiving touchdowns. That number should climb, but by how much?

I'll be organizing a fantasy league on the blog again this season. It'll likely be a Gridiron Challenge league again. We'll have a hard salary cap and the ability to change rosters from week to week, with players' prices changing based on how they perform.

Back to Gore. He was a solid producer last season in terms of final numbers, but his week-to-week production was sporadic. The chart shows the top 30 touchdown scorers in the NFL -- make that the NFC -- last season. Three of the top four were in the mighty NFC West.

Signing restricted free agents to offer sheets can require patience and discipline.

The Saints could choose to make the Eagles wait a full week before matching or not matching the offer sheet Philadelphia signed with New Orleans running back Mike Bell. Seattle had also shown interest in Bell.

Bell was an easy target because the Saints retained only right of first refusal. Philadelphia will not have to part with a draft choice if New Orleans declines to match.

Compensation is only part of the equation. The time element can also be central in these situations.

If the Cardinals signed Chargers RFA Charlie Whitehurst to an offer sheet, for example, the other quarterback on their radar, Derek Anderson, might sign elsewhere before Arizona even knew if San Diego would match the Whitehurst offer.

Teams signing players to offer sheets can become a double losers under those circumstances.

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com says the Cardinals appear to be a good fit for Joey Porter, although nothing is imminent. Urban: "The combination of a) the right type of defense, b) an opening at his position, c) a city near his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif. and d) a coaching staff with which he is comfortable just seems to smart for the two sides not to eventually come together. And until there is another team that brings him in for a visit, I’m not sure of Porter’s options anyway."

Also from Urban: a photo showing Derek Anderson and Paris Lenon visiting Cardinals headquarters. Anderson and Charlie Whitehurst remain options at quarterback. Matt Leinart and the retiring Kurt Warner are the only quarterbacks on the Cardinals' roster. Warner will presumably wind up on the reserve/retired list at some point.

Dan Brown of the San Jose Mercury News passes along a transcript from David Carr's first media interview since signing with the 49ers. Carr on getting a chance to compete for the starting job: "Specifically, those words haven’t been said, but they have said that competition is what they love around here. It makes you feel better. One of Singletary’s things is, 'Iron sharpens iron.' The thing that I wanted to hear, from all those guys, was I'll have a chance to be on the field if I play the way I know I can play and they said, 'Yes.' Once I get on the field, I feel confident that we are going to play well."

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says 49ers coach Mike Singletary will not attend a workout for Pacman Jones, contrary to some reports. Barrows: "In fact, the 49ers are holding their premiere fundraising event, the Celebrity Winter & Wine Fest, at Lake Tahoe this weekend, and Singletary will attend that."

Also from Barrows: Carr hasn't run the digit system since playing for Jeff Tedford at Fresno State.

Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat says Shaun Hill takes pride in the 49ers' 10-6 record when he started. Hill: "Yeah, no question. I feel like every time I was on the field, everybody around me really stepped up and played well. And we were able to put together a pretty decent record. I had a lot of fun doing it. It's just unfortunate that it wasn't enough. Like I said, I'm excited to get a fresh start."

Also from Maiocco: audio from an alarming interview with Carr (alarming as in, a car alarm was going off in the background).

Clare Farnsworth of seahawks.com says the Seahawks began their offseason program with meetings Monday. Coach Pete Carroll is already looking forward to practices down the line.

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times says Seahawks safety Deon Grant knew about his impending release for a few days. Grant: "I don't have anything bad to say about them. They gave me the opportunity to come and continue my career."

Also from O'Neil: The Seahawks have scheduled a visit with running back Quinton Ganther after watching Mike Bell leave without a contract.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Democrat says the Rams could target former Panthers linebacker Na'il Diggs to replace Lenon after Lenon signed with the Cardinals. Diggs played for Rams defensive coordinator Ken Flajole in Carolina. Thomas: "Diggs came to Carolina as a weakside linebacker from Green Bay in '06, only to switch to the strongside spot a couple of years ago to make room for Thomas Davis on the weak side. Diggs is considered a solid veteran who's good against the run."

Howard Balzer of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat says Marc Bulger was at Rams headquarters for the start of the offseason program despite expectations that his salary and other issues could make him vulnerable to release. A year ago, the Rams asked Orlando Pace and Torry Holt to stay away from offseason workouts, a prelude to their release.

Also from Balzer: Receiver Danny Amendola was the largest earner among Rams players tapping into the bonus pool for players exceeding expectations for playing time. Balzer also lists league leaders, including Dashon Goldson and Josh Morgan from the Rams and David Hawthorne from the Seahawks.

Dave Boling of the Tacoma News Tribune takes an in-depth look at Seahawks coach Pete Carroll through the eyes of policemen and others outside the NFL. Boling: "Carroll used his position and visibility to create a nonprofit organization, A Better L.A., that helped involve corporate and monied entities. It brought together government and law-enforcement agencies, and helped support and fund the critical liaisons with the community. He began showing up in the neighborhoods in the middle of the night for face-to-face talks with gang members. And the most important thing … he didn’t make a splash and run. He committed."

Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune says the Seahawks' courtship of Brandon Marshall could take time.

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times passes along a quote from a Bengals beat reporter shooting down Cincinnati's alleged interest in Marshall as a smokescreen. Agreed.

Also from O'Neil: a look at players who have visited, are scheduled to visit or are reportedly scheduled to visit the Seahawks. Marshall, Dwan Edwards, Tyler Brayton, Ben Watson, Ben Hamilton, Chris Baker, Mike Bell and William James make the list.

John Morgan of Field Gulls says the Seahawks should play it cool on the Marshall front in an effort to drive down the price. That is exactly what will happen, in my view.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Rams could complete a deal with free-agent defensive tackle Fred Robbins by Monday, according to Robbins' agent.

Also from Thomas: Former Rams cornerback Jonathan Wade is scheduled to visit the Lions.

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Rams' methodical approach to free agency is a tough sell for a skeptical fan base. Miklasz: "The Rams are stuck in a strange and unenviable spot right now. The franchise doesn't have an owner. Oh, Chip Rosenbloom and sister Lucia Rodriguez technically maintain ownership, but they're on the way out after having sold majority control to Shahid Khan. But Khan still must gain league approval before taking over and the process might take two months or more. So the team is in transition, in between bosses. And it's awkward."

Howard Balzer of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat quotes Rams general manager Billy Devaney on Marc Bulger, Richie Incognito and Matt Ware. The Rams have no plans to sign Incognito or Ware, contrary to rumors. Devaney on Bulger: "I don't care what anybody says [about Bulger]. This is a helluva kid. He’s a pro’s pro and understands everything. We told him as soon as there’s clarity and we have a feel for how this will play out, he’ll be the first person to know. It could be anything, and he understands that. Our position right now is that he’s still a member of the Rams and if that ever changes we’ll be up front with Marc."

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill is "considering his options" after the team signed David Carr. Those options are limited because the 49ers control his rights.

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News says Alex Smith has lost every quarterback competition in which he has participated since joining the 49ers. What does that mean now that Carr is on board? Kawakami: "I would also guess that Scot McCloughan, Mike Singletary and Jimmy Raye are looking to add a little spice to the QB spot in training camp, with Carr getting a shot to unseat Alex Smith if possible. (Carr might not have come here unless he thought he had a real shot at the No. 1 spot.) But remember, Smith isn’t too good in summer-camp battles."

Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News says 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, initially critical of the team's interest in Carr, tweeted nice things about the quarterback once Carr signed. Damage control.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic recaps Anquan Boldin's career with the Cardinals. Larry Fitzgerald: "I'm going to miss him. Understatement of the day. Big part of what we were able to accomplish here, a dear friend, but I'm happy for him and his family."

Also from Somers: a look at a wild few days for the Cardinals, with thoughts on the contract clauses that have given the team trouble recently. Somers: "Owner Bill Bidwill was against voidable clauses, a commonly used contract element throughout the NFL. Bidwill has since dropped his objections to voidable years, and the trade for (Kerry) Rhodes brought some fans in off the ledge. But the Cardinals could face the same problem next year. Quarterback Matt Leinart, now the starter, was drafted a year after (Antrel) Rolle. Leinart's salary is due to increase nearly $5 million in 2010, to $7.36 million, and he's due a $5.5 million roster bonus. The Cardinals will have to make a decision about his future early in 2011."

More from Somers: Joey Porter and Larry Foote would be interesting additions if Arizona decided to sign either linebacker. Both played with current Cardinals linebacker Clark Haggans in Pittsburgh.