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The 32 crew understands Drew Brees' frustration with Saints ownership, Benjamin Watson answers questions from Facebook, and Mark Schlereth gives his opinion on Ray Edwards' calendar spread.

The crew debates if Cam Newton will have a sophomore slump, Mark Schlereth has the Colts should use Big Ben as the model for developing Andrew Luck, and who is the best offensive lineman in the NFL?

The 32 crew examines the latest Saints scandal, Hugh Douglas remembers his playing days with Brian Dawkins, and Mel and Todd on which quarterback would be a slam dunk in Cleveland.

Random thoughts on Brady Quinn signing with Kansas City:

This seals it. Matt Cassel is the Chiefs’ quarterback for 2012. The team said he will have competition. Quinn is strictly a backup.

Unless the Chiefs pull a stunner and draft a quarterback in the first round (Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill would be the likely target at No. 11 in that case), Cassel will be the starter. That doesn’t mean Kansas City won’t draft someone like Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden or Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins in the second round.

As far as backups go, Quinn is solid. I’d rather see Kyle Orton stay, but he ended up in Dallas as a backup. Orton clearly didn’t want’ to stick around.

Quinn’s transition to Kansas City will not be difficult. He was drafted by Kansas City head coach Romeo Crennel in Cleveland in 2007 and he played one season for new Kansas City offensive coordinator Brian Daboll in Cleveland. Clearly, Crennel and Daboll think highly of Quinn.

The Quinn signing means the Chiefs are not comfortable yet with second-year player Ricky Stanzi taking the next step and becoming the No. 2 quarterback. He will likely be the No. 3 quarterback again. Stanzi needs to make big strides this year.

Quinn and Peyton Hillis are united. Denver traded Hillis to Cleveland for Quinn two years ago. Hillis signed with the Chiefs last week.

Quinn’s departure leaves a hole in Denver. The only quarterback Denver is currently concerning itself with is Peyton Manning. Once that situation is resolved, the Broncos will have to figure out their backup situation.

When discussing possible quarterback additions at the NFL combine last month, Kansas City coach Romeo Crennel was reminded that one of his former quarterbacks, Brady Quinn, was a free agent.

Crennel chuckled and said, “Is that right?”

It was a hint that Quinn, who spent the past two seasons with Denver, could be on the Chiefs’ radar. According to FoxSports.com's Alex Marvez, Crennel is, indeed, interested in reuniting with Quinn. He reports Quinn will visit with the Chiefs. Crennel was the coach of the Browns when they traded up to take Quinn in the first round of the 2007 draft. New Kansas City offensive coordinator Brian Daboll also worked with Quinn in Cleveland.

In another connection, Quinn was traded from the Browns to Denver two years ago in a package for running back Peyton Hillis. Hillis signed with the Chiefs on Wednesday.

Quinn would be the backup to Matt Cassel in Kansas City and Ricky Stanzi, a fifth-round pick last year, would remain the No. 3 quarterback.

The Broncos’ first foray into free agency wasn’t the big hit they were waiting for, but it does fill a hole in Denver.

The Broncos agreed to a two-year deal with Cleveland safety Mike Adams, who fills Denver’s need for a veteran safety.

Adams has a chance to start for Denver. He played 77 percent of the defensive snaps for the Browns last season. With Brian Dawkins likely not returning -- Denver isn't expected to bring him back if he doesn’t retire -- Adams gives the Broncos much-needed experience at safety.

The team drafted Rahim Moore and Quinton Carter last season. Moore began the season as a starter, but he regressed. By the end of the season, Carter was by far the better player. The team still has hopes for Moore, but Adams offers insurance if either youngster struggles.

In other AFC West safety news:

Steve Gregory, formerly of San Diego, agreed to terms with New England. Gregory was an injury replacement for Bob Sanders last year. Gregory is probably a bit underrated, and his departure will have the Chargers looking for a partner for Eric Weddle early in the upcoming NFL draft.

Alabama’s Mark Barron and Notre Dame’s Harrison Smith are possibilities for the Chargers in the draft.

I play fantasy football. I know a lot of you guys do, too. You ever have a trade go down in your league that really ticked you off because you thought you'd made a better offer and the guy just wanted to make a deal with his friend or his brother or his cousin or something like that?

Yeah, that's pretty much what Cleveland Browns team president Mike Holmgren says happened with the trade between the St. Louis Rams and the Washington Redskins that allowed the Redskins to move up to the No. 2 pick in this year's draft. Jamison Hensley has the rundown on the AFC North blog:

In a conference call with Browns season-ticket holders today, Holmgren said "a very close relationship" between the Rams and Redskins prevented Cleveland from moving two spots up in the draft. Holmgren didn't go into specifics about the relationship, but it's well-known that Rams coach Jeff Fisher and Redskins coach Mike Shanahan are close friends.

Click through to that Cleveland.com link, and you'll see Holmgren further explain that he's "not sure any offer was going to be good enough. We were very aggressive and it didn't work. Rest assured, we were aggressively involved in that."

Couple of issues with this. First of all, Holmgren won't elaborate on what his offer was, which is silly if he really thinks it was better. Presumably, it was an offer of picks and not players, so he doesn't have to be worried about any of his players being upset that he tried to trade them. If you really think your offer was better, let's hear what it was and we can judge for ourselves. If you're right, it'll only help make your case.

Second, what are we here? Six years old? You didn't get the deal, Mike. It happens. I can understand that you need to sell the idea to your fans that you tried as hard as you could to solve your glaring quarterback problem by moving up to get Robert Griffin III. But there were other teams interested, and you didn't get it. Sometimes in life, things don't work out the way we want them to. Doesn't do much good to whine about it.

And third, even if what he says is 100 percent accurate, so what? Aren't personal relationships a reasonable and acceptable tool to assist in business transactions? If Shanahan has a close relationship with Fisher and the people who run the Rams, and as a result he knows how to appeal to them or is otherwise more likely to convince them to do a deal, then good for him. It means that, somewhere along the line, he did something that laid the groundwork to allow him to get business done down the road. Happens in sports and any other business in the world, and there's nothing wrong with it.

The Rams got an absolute haul from the Redskins -- three first-round picks and a second-round pick for one first. If Holmgren was going to beat that, it wasn't going to be by much. And even if he did, the Rams got more than fair value for their pick. Good for them, good for the Redskins and too bad for the Browns, who are just going to have to look elsewhere for a quarterback. Because those are the breaks.

The New York Jets continue their search for a backup quarterback behind Mark Sanchez. According to the Denver Post, the Jets will host former Broncos and Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn on Friday.

Quinn, a former first-round pick, was Tim Tebow's backup in Denver last season. He expressed disappointment that he didn't get a chance to play with the Broncos over Tebow recently in a controversial interview with GQ magazine. Quinn later apologized for his comments.

The Jets are looking for a viable No. 2 quarterback, but that became increasingly difficult after New York agreed to a $58.25 million extension with Sanchez. The contract ensures Sanchez is the starter for at least the next two seasons. Borderline starters such as Chad Henne (Jacksonville), Kyle Orton (Dallas) and Jason Campbell (Chicago) all signed with other teams.

Quinn has starting experience. He started 12 games with Cleveland and has thrown 10 career touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The Jets also met with former Detroit Lions backup quarterback Drew Stanton today. Stanton has four career starts in four seasons.

The Kansas City Chiefs are giving Peyton Hillis one season to prove he is more like the 2010 version, who excelled under Brian Daboll, and not the 2011 version who struggled with several issues.

In an attempt to bolster their potentially dangerous offense, Kansas City brought the powerful running back -- who spent his first two NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos -- back to his AFC West roots. Hillis, who was traded from Denver to the Cleveland Browns in a deal for quarterback Brady Quinn two years ago, signed a one-year deal worth $3 million with Kansas City.

Under new offensive coordinator Dabol in 2010 Hillis ran for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns. Hillis will be a complementary back to Jamaal Charles, who is expected to be back after tearing an ACL in Week 2, and provides insurance if Charles is not 100 percent by the start of the season. The Chiefs are also still visiting with San Diego Chargers free agent Mike Tolbert and there is a chance Tolbert could be added to the backfield as well.

The Chiefs are a ground-based team and Hillis is a good fit. Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. loves the addition in Kansas City.

“Hillis runs with extreme aggression and also catches the ball much better than many realize since he is a big power," Williamson said. "I worry about his durability, but with Charles, he should be the complementary piece.”

Last season without Daboll, Hillis struggled in several areas. He had just 587 yards and averaged 3.6 yards a carry during a year where he graced the cover of the Madden video game.

It was a strange season for Hillis. He was questioned for missing a game when he was ill, there was a reported player’s intervention for him because of his unhappiness over his contract, he went through several agents, and he has denied a report that he thought about quitting football last season to join the CIA.

Because the Chiefs are not committing to Hills for the long term, the team is protected if Hillis does not revert to his 2010 days. I expect Hillis to play very hard as he tries to prove to the Chiefs and to the rest of the league he deserves the long-term deal he has long desired.

Hillis is another interesting component to Kansas City’s offense. An offense featuring Charles, Hills, receivers Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston, Jon Baldwin and tight end Tony Moeaki is powerful. It has the potential to both wear down opponents and to score quickly. The Chiefs are trying to make it even better. They are trying to sign Tolbert and former Houston standout right tackle Eric Winston. Plus, the team is bringing in former Oakland tight end Kevin Boss to pair with Moeaki.

Instead of trying to replace quarterback Matt Cassel, it seems that the Chiefs are bent on giving him as much help as possible. Potential Cassel competitors Jason Campbell, Kyle Orton and Chad Henne have all signed elsewhere.

With a defensive-minded head coach in Romeo Crennel, it is clear the Chiefs believe pumping up the offense is the team’s biggest priority and securing Hillis to a team-friendly deal is a solid start.

Is Peyton Hillis headed back to the AFC West?

It may just happen. A report out of Cleveland says the Browns’ running back is going to visit the Chiefs. In Kansas City, Hillis would reunite with former Cleveland offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Hillis had 1,177 yards rushing under Daboll’s guidance

Hillis had 587 yards and averaged 3.6 yards a carry in 2011, in a year he graced the cover of the Madden video game. It was a strange season for Hillis. He was questioned for missing game when he was ill, there was a reported player’s intervention for him because of his unhappiness over his contract, he went through several agents and he has denied a report that he thought about quitting football last season to join the CIA.

Hillis was a fan favorite as a rookie in Denver in 2008. He played a limited role before being hurt. He was buried by new coach Josh McDaniels and was sent to the Browns for backup quarterback Brady Quinn in 2010.

The fact that Daboll and the Chiefs are bringing him in for a visit shows the Chiefs are comfortable with Hillis.

He would be a nice pairing with Jamaal Charles, who is expected to be the Chiefs’ top back. He suffered a torn ACL in Week 2 last season. With Charles’ speed and Hillis’ power, the Chiefs would likely remain a top running game.

If Hillis signs in Kansas City, they would be out of the Trent Richardson talk. The Chiefs pick at No. 11.

Memo to New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski: You may want to reconsider.

In a way that only "Gronk" can, the Pro Bowl tight end is petitioning Patriots fans online to be on the cover of "Madden NFL 13." Gronkowski is currently facing fellow Pro Bowler Wes Welker in the preliminaries to determine who enters the 32-player tournament. Here is the AFC East blog's "Madden" link from earlier this week.

Gronkowski wants Patriots Nation behind him, but there is bound to be some hesitancy. The "Madden Curse" is one of the strongest in all of sports. Last year it claimed Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, who had one of the strangest and injury-riddled seasons in recent memory.

Gronkowski has enough on his plate following offseason ankle surgery. He was still on crutches in the video he posted. If Gronkowski doesn't want further injuries and problems next season, it's better that someone else gets the "Madden" cover.

The AFC North is running a series where every position will be ranked and what could change at that position.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

1. STEELERS: Pittsburgh had the top-ranked pass defense, and it wasn't all about the pass rush this time. Actually, the pass rush was extremely inconsistent this season, so that No. 1 ranking is more of a reflection of the Steelers' secondary. Cornerback Ike Taylor and free safety Ryan Clark had career years. Taylor's season, though, was marred by a late-season decline that ended with him getting stiffed-armed by the Broncos' Demaryius Thomas on the touchdown that ended the Steelers' season. Clark had the best season of any safety in the division, which is saying a lot when Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed are in the AFC North. He finished second in the division with 100 tackles. Polamalu was solid, but didn't play up to his usual spectacular level. William Gay was a pleasant surprise, taking back the starting cornerback job that he lost in 2010. What could change: Gay is an unrestricted free agent, but it shouldn't take much to retain him. Look for rookie cornerbacks Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown to make more of an impact in their second seasons.

2. RAVENS: This group exceeded expectations, and did so in a surprising manner. Instead of starting Domonique Foxworth and Chris Carr at cornerback, the Ravens finished fourth in pass defense with Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams. Webb was the division's top cornerback, recording five interceptions and breaking up 20 passes (and that doesn't include three interceptions in the playoffs). Williams was a physical presence at corner. The biggest disappointment was Reed, who intercepted three passes -- his fewest in a season where he played more than 12 games. The Ravens' other safety, hard-hitting Bernard Pollard, provided more of an impact than Reed. First-round pick Jimmy Smith endured an up-and-down rookie season. What could change: Smith should take over for Williams as a starting cornerback this season. Foxworth is expected to get cut, and the same could happen to Carr. Both backup safeties, Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura, are free agents, but I suspect Nakamura will get re-signed.

3. BROWNS: Joe Haden showed signs of being a shutdown corner, even though he failed to make an interception. He held his own against some of the best receivers in the NFL, from Larry Fitzgerald to Brandon Marshall. His worst games came against Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green. While Haden is among the division's best cornerbacks, Sheldon Brown was the worst starting corner in the AFC North. Brown's biggest asset is the experience he provides to a young secondary. The defensive backfield was hurt by the loss of strong safety T.J. Ward, who missed the final 10 games with a foot injury. Teams took advantage of Ward's replacement, Usama Young. Free safety Mike Adams beat out Young for a starting job in training camp. Dimitri Patterson was a reliable nickelback, breaking up a dozen passes. What could change: The Browns might replace Adams, who is a free agent, and they could give rookie seventh-round pick Eric Hagg a shot at doing so. Cleveland is very interested in bringing Patterson back. It wouldn't be a surprise if Patterson starts in place of Brown.

The Kansas City Chiefs have announced the hiring of Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator.

Here are my thoughts on the hire when it was first reported. Daboll was the offensive coordinator in Miami in 2011, and he had the same job in Cleveland the two previous years. He worked with Kansas City head coach Romeo Crennel and Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli in New England early last decade.

This is what Crennel had to say about the hire in a statement released by the team: "Brian is a fine football coach and offensive mind. I worked with him when he was a young coach in New England, and I am proud of the way his career has developed. We had a very thorough process for this position, and it was clear to me that Brian was the right choice. He was coveted by multiple teams, and I am glad he will be joining our staff.”

Added Daboll: "This is a great opportunity. After meeting with Romeo, it was clear to me Kansas City was a good fit. I have a lot of respect for Romeo, and a strong appreciation for the Kansas City Chiefs franchise. Romeo and I have similar ideas on the direction of the program, and we have a good core group of players to get started with. I’m ready to get in as soon as possible and start working to be a part of something special.”

Daboll worked with Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel for two seasons in New England.

Crennel hasn’t hired a defensive coordinator, and he probably won’t. He will run the defense.

The only major coaching opening remaining in the AFC West is Oakland’s defensive coordinator job. The Raiders might be close to hiring Stanford co-defensive coordinator Jason Tarver for the job.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ long journey for a new offensive coordinator took them back to one of the first names that popped up for the job.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the Chiefs will hire Brian Daboll as coordinator of the potentially dangerous offense. Daboll, 36, was a finalist along with Kansas City quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn and Al Saunders, a former Kansas City offensive coordinator who was just replaced in Oakland.

Daboll emerged as an early candidate. He continues the New England Way in Kansas City. He was in New England with Kansas City general manger Scott Pioli and Kansas City coach Romeo Crennel during the last decade.

There were reports last month that the Chiefs were looking for a dynamic offensive coordinator and Schefter reported that former Green Bay head coach Mike Sherman, who ended up as the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator, was on the Chiefs' radar. While Daboll is considered a promising young coach, it would be inaccurate to describe his previous experience as an NFL offensive coordinator as dynamic.

He was the Browns’ offensive coordinator from 2009-2010 and he was Miami’s offensive coordinator in 2011. Those offenses struggled. However, Miami’s offense made strides in the second half of last season and running back Reggie Bush had his best NFL season under Daboll’s guidance.

Daboll has a reputation for being a hard-edged coach. He was particularly hard on Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy when he was a rookie in 2010.

Daboll’s hiring may be a good sign for Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel. They worked together for two years in New England. Both Pioli and Crennel said this week that Cassel will face competition. It is not known yet if the team will bring in someone to legitimately push Cassel or not.

Daboll is inheriting a potentially strong offense. The team will get star running back Jamaal Charles back after he blew out his knee in Week 2. Promising tight end Tony Moeaki will be back after missing the entire season with a knee injury. The passing game has a chance to be very good, particularly if free agent Dwayne Bowe returns. So, there are plenty of pieces for Daboll to work with.

It will be interesting to see if Zorn stays or if the Chiefs bring in a new quarterbacks coach. The Kansas City Star reported that Zorn may quit if he didn’t get the promotion.

UPDATE: NFL.com reported Saturday that Zorn will stay in Kansas City unless the Steelers approach him for their offensive coordinator job. This decision should serve the Chiefs well. Zorn had a good relationship with the quarterbacks last year and keeping him will ensure continuity.

The idea of getting a second chance has long driven Romeo Crennel.

Getting back in the head-coaching chair he fought so long and hard to get into in the first place, has fueled Crennel -- long respected as one of the NFL’s best defensive minds -- since he was fired as the head coach in Cleveland in 2008 after four seasons.

Now that he has secured that second chance, Crennel said he hasn’t had much time to reflect on the opportunity. He is too busy diving into his role as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. Time spent congratulating himself on achieving his goal would be time wasted.

“I have 1,000 things to do to get this thing going,” Crennel said. “This is an opportunity that I want to take advantage of … I am happy to get that second chance and there were times I didn’t think it would happen.”

Thus, when the door opened for Crennel, his determination to earn a second chance was evident. Crennel, who took a season off after being fired in Cleveland, became the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator in 2010. When he was named the interim coach after the Chiefs fired Todd Haley with three games remaining this season, there was talk Crennel had a chance to become the permanent coach.

In Crennel’s first game as the head coach, the Chiefs knocked off the Packers. It was Green Bay’s only loss of the regular season. After losing in overtime at home to the Raiders in Week 16, the Chiefs won in Denver in a game the Broncos could have clinched the division title outright with a win. Talk about taking advantage of an opportunity.

Kansas City conducted some other interviews after the season, but the inevitable happened Jan. 9 when Crennel officially got his second chance. At the age of 64, Crennel wasn’t exactly counting on being a head coach again. He is now the second-oldest active head coach in the NFL behind the New York Giants’ Tom Coughlin, who is 65.

Now that he has received his second chance, Crennel is determined to prove he isn’t another name in the “good coordinator, bad head coach” bin.

Crennel, who was bypassed by six teams in 2003 after interviewing for head-coaching jobs when he was the Patriots' defensive coordinator, was 24-40 in Cleveland. The Browns did go 10-6 in 2007 under Crennel, but didn’t make the playoffs.

“We had a 10-win season there and I knew we did some good things there,” Crennel said. “I want to prove what we can do given this opportunity.”

Crennel said he has already applied lessons learned in Cleveland in his short time in Kansas City. Crennel’s first act as the interim coach was to replace quarterback Tyler Palko with Kyle Orton. Crennel struggled with a quarterback controversy in Cleveland between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. He was determined to avoid one this time.

Another reason Crennel is fueled for his second chance is he knows he is in a better situation. He acknowledged that the talented Chiefs’ roster is better than the roster he inherited in Cleveland.

“This is a passionate group of players,” Crennel said. ”We want to develop a good team chemistry and we think we have a good nucleus here.”

It starts with Crennel. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt has said one of the reasons he hired Crennel is his competitive nature. Hunt was impressed when Crennel told him he wanted to be the Chiefs’ head coach because he wanted to win the Super Bowl.

If the performance of the Chiefs' players under Crennel in the final three games of the season is any indication, they are ready to make a Super Bowl run under Crennel’s guidance.

“I represent four players on the team,” said Joe Linta, Crennel’s agent. “All four of them are thrilled that Romeo got the job. His players love him.”

Crennel is known for his genial way and his patience. Crennel is a steady hand, who is always there for an encouraging word. His four Super Bowl rings (one with the Giants and three with the Patriots) earned as an assistant coach doesn’t hurt his credibility, either.

“I’ve been very fortune to be around some great players and great coaches like Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick,” Crennel said. “I have had a long history and I wouldn’t change anything as I prepare for this job.”

There is a strong chance this will be Crennel’s final job. It has been an incredible journey for the Lynchburg, Va., native who played offensive and defensive lineman at Western Kentucky. As he begins his second chance, Crennel reflected on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday this week. Crennel was a 20-year-old college student when King was killed.

“It was an emotional time.” Crennel said. “As a minority, I was worried about the progress Dr. King made would be stopped because of his death, but the movement kept going and I’m sure he would be very proud of it. I’m pleased it kept going and I’m very appreciative of every chance I’ve gotten because of his hard work.”