WALKER HAS BROKEN JAW
According to the Las Vegas Police Department's arrest report, Javon Walker suffered a broken jaw in addition to a fractured orbital bone and a concussion when he was beaten and robbed on June 16.

Mandel's Take: Who knows if he'll be ready for action any time soon. Walker has managed to disappoint the Raiders without stepping on the field. Not many players can say that. Well done Mr. Walker. Very impressive.

Mancini's Take: To think, he turned down attending a commemorative ceremony honoring the late Darrent Williams to basically make a fool out of himself and spraying unsuspecting patrons with champagne at a nightclub, and getting himself beat up in the process. This man is a clown and the Raiders are a joke. They're a match made in heaven.

J-RUSS EXPECTED TO START
Bill Williamson, of ESPN.com, reports Oakland Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell is expected to be the team's starting quarterback in training camp and once the season starts. Russell has received praise from head coach Lane Kiffin this offseason for having such a good grasp of the offense. However, Russell, who showed off his arm strength during minicamp, had trouble with his midrange passes.

Mandel's Take: He's also having problems with his conditioning which is a real head scratcher. Russell has to realize people are beginning to question his ability and you'd think that would motivate him. The Raiders have to give him a shot as the starter considering what they have invested, but the time for patience is almost up.

Mancini's Take: He's having trouble with his mid-range throws? Wasn't JRuss' strong suit supposed to be his cannon arm? You're hearing conflicting reports about the young passer's development, but what's most disturbing is when you hear HC Lane Kiffin talk about employing a safe passing attack consisting of several short passes. Did you need to draft Russell to spearhead that type of attack? You could've acquired Mark Brunell to do that.

BELL TO START
ESPN.com reports Detroit Lions RB Tatum Bell is expected to be the starting running back. Bell is most familiar with the new zone-blocking scheme the offense is using because that is what the Denver Broncos used when he played for them.

Mandel's Take: Well, Kevin Smith ran under the same setup at UCF so I'm not sure why Bell's starting would be due to his familiarity with the system. Bell has NFL experience and the Lions want Smith to earn his playing time by producing on the field, not by reputation. I expect the electric Smith to make a quick impact and take over as The Man by week three or four...unless Bell gets hurt which isn't a stretch.

Mancini's Take: I'm not buying it. It's a smokescreen. The simple fact is that Bell cannot withstand even three weeks of constant pounding that a feature back regularly endures. It won't be long before the more durable Smith takes over the lion's share of carries in Motown. He might not have great lateral quickness or change-of-direction skills, but Smith is one tough hombre.

DUNN NOT DONE
Pat Yasinskas, of ESPN.com, reports Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Warrick Dunn could be used as the team's feature back. Head coach Jon Gruden was upset that the team let Dunn land with the Atlanta Falcons before re-signing with the Bucs. Dunn has the ability to run inside and outside as well as catch passes out of the backfield.

Mandel's Take: Any starter's carries that Dunn gets at Graham's expense will hurt the Bucs' offense. Dunn's role should be to give the feature back a rest for a couple of series and to be a third down receiving option. To suggest that he may start is a bit daft. With Graham and Bennett in the fold, and Cadillac Williams allegedly on the mend...this is going to be a very crowded and tempestuous backfield situation.

Mancini's Take: I can't disagree with the sagacious one. Dunn is well...done. He no longer has the burst and acceleration he once possessed. I can see him maybe being a nice third down receiving option, but his days of being a workhorse are OVAH!

FREE AGENT RB UPDATES
Adam Schefter, of the NFL Network, reports free-agent RB Kevin Jones (Lions) canceled his workout scheduled for Saturday, June 28. Free agents Shaun Alexander and Travis Henry have received very little interest on the free agent market. Schefter mentions New Orleans, Detroit, and Chicago as possible landing spots for LaMont Jordan after he's cut.

Mandel's Take: Teams are waiting around for these RBs like kids playing musical chairs...each waiting by a chair while trying to look like they're not waiting by a chair so when the music stops, they're right there. Chicago could use some insurance and I'd look for them to eventually sign one of these guys. But there's no reason for anyone to rush--most if not all of these guys will be available when the music stops in August.

Mancini's Take: If you want a player to come in and light a fire under your offense, then the man you want is Travis Henry. In the short term, a motivated Henry is clearly the best back out of this bunch. Benson and Alexander might as well be auditioning for the next installment of Dancing with the Stars because I want guys who love the game playing for my team.

LIONS WR UPDATE
It looks as if Shaun McDonald has solidified the number three wide out position in Detroit behind Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. However, in case of an injury, Mike Furrey is expected to start rather than McDonald due to his size and strength. This, according to MLive.com.

Mandel's Take: Being the #3 in Detroit isn't what it used to be. Since the Lions are planning (at least they say they are) on using more 2-WR sets, the amount of action the #3 and #4 guys will see is going to be dramatically reduced.

Mancini's Take: Our resident clairvoyent is correct. You can forget about either McDonald or Furrey even coming close to putting the numbers they did last season. Look for Roy Williams' stats see a significant increase in a better-balanced attack.

SHOCKEY TO REMAIN
The Bergen Record reports that the Giants have taken tight end Jeremy Shockey off the trading block and he will remain with the team in 2008.

Mandel's Take: Excuse the pun, but this is hardly shocking. Shockey doesn't want to play for the Giants for some reason, and the Giants would love to trade him...but they're not going to sell low. That's not how they won the Super Bowl. Shockey wants his paychecks so he's going to go out there and play. Hopefully he'll take that chip on his shoulder and use it as positive motivation, not as fuel for more attitude that's counterproductive.

Mancini's Take: I can see them not wanting to sell low, but I just wouldn't want this overrated crybaby on my team. Who knows? Maybe, that chip on his shoulder will indeed motivate him, as Rosstradamus is projecting, but in Shockey I see a petulant tight end who not only drops too many passes, but doesn't run nearly as well as he once did. If the Giants want him around, good luck. This man is a cancer. One of these days, I'd love to see Eli put him in his place.

RIVERS SHARP
ESPN.com reports Cincinnati Bengals LB Keith Rivers appears to be playing himself into a starting outside linebacker role.

Mandel's Take: Rivers should fit into the new-new scheme just fine and frankly I'd be concerned if the former Trojan wasn't able to land a starting gig on that defense. How many schemes and coordinators does a team have to go through before more drastic changes are made? Rev, tell me the Bengals know what they're doing.

Mancini's Take: New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer will have his hands full implementing his philosophy on a defense that had the fewest sacks in the league last year. Zimmer will be mixing up some 4-3 and 3-4 looks in trying to make this unit a more physical one. Rivers is a versatile and athletic linebacker that will help Cincy become more aggressive in their schemes, while the additions of Pat Sims, Jason Shirley and Antwan Odom should considerably improve the defensive line, but let's not expect miracles. There are too many new faces who lack experience for the Bengals to have a quality defense right off the bat.

ROOKIE LEGAL WOES
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says Lions LB Jordon Dizon's pre-draft DUI arrest will not be reviewed under the league's personal conduct policy. However, because Lions RT Gosder Cherilus and Chargers CB DeJuan Tribble's cases weren't settled until after they were drafted "it will trigger a review...Definitely," Aiello confirmed.

Mandel's Take: Dizon will probably avoid discipline and should consider himself lucky for that, and for the fact that the Lions probably weren't aware of his transgression before they drafted him. The former Colorado Buff will now have to work that much harder to earn playing time and his reputation...and deservedly so. Cherilus and Tribble are going to be called to the principal's office..woops, I mean the commissioner's office, and are going to be straightened out by the Lord of Discipline. That's not a trip I'd be psyched to make as a rookie.

Mancini's Take: Dizon was reportedly caught driving the wrong way down a one-way road. If that's not a reprehensible act, I don't know what is. Perhaps Dizon can take solace in the fact that fellow genius Brandon Marshall was caught doing the same thing last season. What can we say? These men (and I use that term loosely) aren't being paid for their mental acumen, but rather to hit and run. I hope Dizon gets to pay some sort of price for his trangression, even if it means doing some community service.

SEATTLE KICKER DUAL UPDATE
The Tacoma News Tribune reports that kicker Olindo Mare has thus far out-performed rookie Brandon Coutu this offseason, showing better accuracy and leg strength.

Mandel's Take: Going from Josh Brown to Olindo Mare is a major downgrade, especially since Brown stayed in the division. The Seahawks are going to regret not giving Brown the whopping $3 million a year he wanted and they better hope Coutu gets his act together because if Mare is the answer, I'm not sure what the question is. It certainly isn't, "Who's a reliable kicker?"

Mancini's Take: You're not kidding, Ross. Mare was God awful last season. He only converted 58.8 percent of his attempts. It's a bit shocking that Coutu is struggling since he's known as being a very accurate placekicker. Either way, The 'Hawks will regret letting Brown go to a division rival.