He might not be the best kicker in the NFL, but David Buehler(notes) of the Cowboys is probably the best athlete currently kicking in the NFL.

During a radio interview with KESN, Buehler told a story about last year's training camp, where he beat cornerback DeAngelo Smith in a foot race.

"He was talking a bunch of trash, so I just shut him up. I knew I had the speed. It made me a little bit of capital, as well. So, there was a little bit on the line."

Smith, perhaps not coincidentally, is no longer with the Cowboys. He's a Cleveland Brown now, which is probably a better fit for him, since I doubt he'd lose a race to Phil Dawson(notes).

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Buehler's pretty sure he could leave a few of the current Cowboys in the dust, too. From KESN via the Dallas Morning News:

"You know, I think I could [beat Patrick Crayton(notes)]; I think I could. Nothing against Patrick, you know, but I have confidence in my speed, too, so I think I could beat him. (Since Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips has banned 'challenge races') It probably won't happen at practice, or anything like that; it'll just need to be on the side.

[...]

"I could beat the linebackers; I think I could beat (Keith) Brooking and Bradie (James) pretty easily. (laughter) Uh, maybe T-Choice (running back, Tashard Choice(notes)), you know. I think I could beat T-Choice."

I say bravo to Buehler, who has to be a hero of the kicking community. For far too long, kickers have been regarded as the dorks and dweebs of the league; the most likely to be hung from a hook in the locker room by the waistband of their tight little briefs.

But now, a hero has emerged, and he can outrun receivers and almost out-bench press defensive linemen. It's about time someone restored some athletic dignity and pride to the kicking community.

Until we all remember that Bill Gramatica tore his ACL while leaping in celebration, anyway.

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Earlier this month, former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell was arrested and charged with possession of codeine syrup. He was arrested in his own home during an undercover investigation.

Tuesday, Russell, looking elegant and understated in a suit bearing his initials, pled not guilty to the charge. Here's more from Mike Herndon at al.com:

"We're looking forward to the hearing on Aug. 11," said Russell's attorney, Donald Briskman. "I asked the court to set it early so we could get this behind us."

As for Russell's plans in the meantime, Briskman said he would be "getting prepared to play professional football."

It remains unclear which, if any, NFL teams are preparing to give JaMarcus Russell(notes) a job. He wasn't exactly the belle of the free-agent ball before the arrest, so right now, he's not even on the level of the dirty, toothless girl sitting in the corner, punching imaginary bats.

You'll note, though, that Russell's attorney said "professional football" and not "NFL football." That seems to leave open the possibility of a move to the UFL, even though it's been previously reported that Russell has no interest in the fledgling league. Circumstances have changed.

Oddly, Russell's name appeared briefly on the Omaha Nighthawks roster over the weekend.

With the first rookie camp just around the corner, and the preseason soon after, it's time to start previewing the prospects of each NFL team. We continue with the Detroit Lions, who finished the 2009 NFL season with a 2-14 record.

Offense

The Playbook: Getting past eight years of Matt Millen-induced franchise destruction isn't an easy thing, but head coach Jim Schwartz and general manager Martin Mayhew have put together two very solid drafts and made some interesting free-agent moves since Millen was sent packing. On offense, coordinator Scott Linehan likes to integrate a dynamic, consistent running game with downfield passing.

In theory, the franchise has the tools to do these things effectively, but things aren't quite built yet. Rookie quarterback Matt Stafford (pictured) performed about as you'd expect from a strong-armed 21-year-old quarterback — he mixed astonishing throws with frustrating interceptions. Stafford's heroic performance against the Cleveland Browns in Week 11 rallied his teammates and got them to buy into the idea that the kid was for real. However, the bloom will wear off that rose pretty quickly if Stafford isn't more efficient in 2010. Stafford can literally make any throw you'd want a quarterback to make — he just needs to stop making so many of the ones the Lions don't want. A 53.3 completion percentage, and 20 interceptions to 13 touchdowns, won't get the job done.

This season, he'll have the tools to be better. Receiver Calvin Johnson(notes) is one of the league's best when healthy, and ex-Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson(notes), brought in on a questionable $25 million contract ($11 million guaranteed), is fast enough off the line to do some damage. If his route-running was more disciplined, Burleson would be an elite No. 2 option. Tight ends Brandon Pettigrew(notes) (part of the 2009 draft haul) and Tony Scheffler(notes) (another new acquisition) will help with the hot routes.

In this draft class, the Lions added Cal running back Jahvid Best(notes), who is the kind of back the Lions want — he can get outside from the backfield and catch the ball on screens and swing passes. Combining pass attempts and scrambles, only the Seahawks dropped back more often than the Lions (659 attempts for Detroit), which means that pass-blocking is at a premium. Ex-Seattle guard Rob Sims(notes) should help, but the line is still cause for concern.

Impact Players: Stafford is going to be the franchise, and more will be expected of him this season. Burleson will be asked to take double-teams away from Johnson. With all the tight end talent on the roster, it's possible that Stafford's deep passes will be more intertwined with shorter, more sensible throws until he finds his way through NFL defenses. The Lions were surprisingly efficient on long drives, which bodes well for the future.

Defense

The Playbook: Schwartz brings the defensive theories he learned as the Tennessee Titans' defensive coordinator — he doesn't blitz much at all (though he did bring six or more rushers more often than expected last season) and believes in a front four that can bring pressure with stunts and loops. In Tennessee, he had end Kyle Vanden Bosch(notes) and tackle Albert Haynesworth(notes) making plays around each other, and he'll attempt to replicate that with the signing of Vanden Bosch and the selection of Nebraska tackle Ndamukong Suh(notes) (pictured).

Suh has the potential to be the very best in the NFL at what he does — his combination of speed, power and technique is as elite as elite gets. Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham makes the defense a bit less risk-averse — he calls more blitzes that require more man coverage. Second-year linebackers DeAndre Levy(notes) and Zack Follett(notes) are expected to see more time along with veteran Julian Peterson(notes); again, questions abound.

The secondary may have been Detroit's biggest liability in 2009, but things are looking up. Second-year safety Louis Delmas(notes) was an absolute stud in his rookie season, and another reason that Detroit's 2009 draft may have been the league's best. The Lions acquired former Atlanta Falcons cornerback Chris Houston(notes) in a trade, and Cunningham seems happy with the deal — back when Cunningham was part of Kansas City's staff, he lobbied for the Chiefs to draft Houston in 2007. It is hoped that Houston will improve with a more dynamic pass rush in front of him. Safety C.C. Brown(notes), who was exposed repeatedly in pass coverage with the New York Giants last season, has his own theory about his issues — he's blaming the media. That may not go over so well.

Impact Players: Schwartz and Cunningham will build the defense around Suh as quickly as possible, but Suh recently told me that he's encouraged by all the talent around him. "I don't have to come in and be 'The Man' on my team, especially on the defensive line," he said. "Because I have Kyle, and Corey Williams(notes) from Cleveland, and Jared DeVries(notes) — all veterans that have been in the game for years, and know what's going on. So I just have the luxury to come in and help them out, to help me out. So I'm in a great situation."

New Blood: Suh and Best are the marquee draft picks, but third-round cornerback Amari Spievey(notes) from Iowa is a good-sized player with excellent tackling ability — you may see him early on in nickel defenses.

2010 Projection: There's no question that the Lions are gradually improving, but they're in the wrong division for a rebuild. The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings project as two of the NFC's best teams, and the even the Chicago Bears could put a serious whomping on the Lions' secondary with their new Mike Martz-approved passing attack. If Stafford grows further into his role and the front seven steps up, the Lions should be good for three to five wins and a division upset or two. However, this is a team to keep an eye on — they're rebuilding intelligently, and Schwartz and Mayhew are very much on the same page. Lions fans will soon be rewarded for their near-Biblical patience.

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As we speculated last week

Johnson had refused to take part in any offseason activities after gaining 2,006 yards rushing and 2,509 yards from scrimmage in 2009. Johnson has said that he wants a new deal that would guarantee him $30 million, which the Titans are not willing to do in the face of CBA uncertainty.

Even if they wanted to give Johnson a huge new contract, the 30 Percent Rule would prevent them from doing so. This is a proviso in the post-CBA labor landscape that precludes teams from giving players extensions larger than 30 percent over the previous year's earnings. The San Francisco 49ers circumvented the rule when giving an extension to All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis(notes), giving him stacked signing bonuses and injury-based guarantees.

Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt is known as a hard negotiator, but he had to realize that paying Johnson a little over half a million dollars in a season where he's a good bet to lead the league in rushing for the second straight year would be ridiculous.

Moving Johnson's 2012 bonus doesn't take care of the larger issue, but it deals with the problem in the short term. With quarterback Vince Young(notes) still getting the hang of the NFL offense (though he looked much better last season) and a defense in transition, the Titans desperately need Johnson in camp, in games, and at his best if they hope to compete in what projects to be a brutally competitive AFC South division.

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With the news that Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress has made his pilgrimage to Hattiesburg, Miss., to find out just what Brett Favre's(notes) plans are, we're about to be taken on that same month-long media ride we had last year. The smallest story will be blown out of proportion, other interesting stories will be shelved, and we'll have to start watching Edmonton Eskimos and B.C. Lions highlights on Canadian television if we want to see football coverage without No. 4 draped all over it.

We fear it, we dread it, and yet we know that there is now no getting to the dessert of the NFL season without first digesting the journalistic Brussels sprouts that this Favre gauntlet has become.

However, lest you think that it's just the fans (and various rogue media outposts) who are beyond sick of the whole thing, Favre's agent Bus Cook recently went off to a reporter for Men's Journal magazine when he found out that Favre had told ESPN's Ed Werder that he was still having trouble with his ankle from hits he took in the NFL championship game. Cook:

"I know you're media, but do you know who I hate? The g**damn media! You watch ESPN this morning? Brett talked to g**damned Ed Werder at ESPN, says he needs ankle surgery. Now why did he do that? I've got Childress calling. I've got reporters calling all damn morning. G**dammit, why does he have to be such a g**damned drama queen? Play, don't play, g**damn, people are getting sick of it. I'm getting sick of it! Why does he have to talk to these people? What good does it do? Ed Werder at ESPN! What's he ever done for anybody other than say, ‘Look, look, Mommy, I got this first, ain't I special?' You got problems with surgery, talk to your wife. Why talk to g**damned Ed Werder?"

Oh, dear. The best part of the story was that the reporter was there for Favre's arrival at Cook's office after the outburst.

"Jesus, Brett. You never learn. You guys go talk. I've got g**damn phone calls to make." He pokes a finger at Brett. "Thanks to you."

Of course, Favre was his usual disingenuous self.

"I guess I screwed up. I didn't think it was a big deal. I just told him that I might need surgery. [Werder] made it into a big thing."

To quote myself in eighth grade, "As if!" Favre knows exactly what he's doing. He is a master of divvying out just enough to keep reporters hungry and on the scent — Childress' trip is just another brick in the wall.

We all know that Brett Favre's coming back. We all know that he's delaying the inevitable to get out of training camp. Very few of us would mind if he just said that he was coming back on the condition that he didn't have to participate in training camp, but Favre must either feel that doing so would take the spotlight off him, or tarnish the "Gosh, I'm just a kid having fun out there!" shtick. The Vikings have a right to know what their quarterback is going to do, whether they think so or not. And we have a right to hear and read about things that have nothing to do with Brett Favre. It's just good to know that Bus Cook agrees with us.

H/T: Pro Football Talk

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