NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Fresno State wide receiver Jamel Hamler ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 and 4.57 seconds today on a grass field at his campus Pro Day workout with 24 NFL teams in attendance, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation. Hamler recorded a 35 1/2 inch vertical leap, a 9-8 broad jump and a 4.17 short shuttle.

Per a source, Hamler ran excellent routes and caught every pass. At the NFL scouting combine, Hamler met with several teams, including the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears.

Jags wide out Mike Sims-Walker isn’t even a free agent as of yet officially, but teams are not being shy about contacting him for the option of joining their team.

Two teams, the Rams and Texans have already contacted Sims-Walker to signal their interest in him, which is going against league rules and any contact with him or his agent clearly violates tampering rules.

Sims-Walker himself has already tweeted that his time in Jacksonville is up, and while he had some issues with the Jags, he still had a decent season in 2010 with 43 grabs for 562 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Adam Schefter and others have said believe the Buccaneers would be one of the most likely places for the re-energized, returning-to-football Tiki Barber.

My hunch is Tiki would like to be – at least – a #2 somewhere. LeGarrette Blount is the undisputed top back for the Bucs now. Once he took the back-up role, Cadillac – someone the coaches really respect – started to see his ypc go up. While Williams finished the season under 4.0 yards per carry for the fifth straight season, he was above 4 in seven of the last eight contests of the season. The Bucs won all three games Cadillac scored in.

Cadillac is a free agent (maybe Tiki could be brought in for leveraging) who knows this system and is a leader. The team is also high on Kareem Huggins as a 3rd-down back with serious afterburners.

After trying to make the transition to TV that had plenty of ups and downs, it looks as if former Giants running back Tiki Barber is getting set to try his hand at the NFL once again.

Barber, who stepped away from the league after the 2006 season, has filed papers with the league to officially come out of retirement, according to his representatives at Maxx Sports and Entertainment.

He played 10 seasons with New York, during which he rushed for 10,449 and made three Pro Bowls. Since hanging up his cleats, Barber has worked in the media, first for NBC on “Football Night in America” and the “Today” show, and currently for Yahoo! Sports as an NFL analyst.

Last month, Barber’s twin brother Ronde signed a new contract with the Buccaneers. The brothers will turn 36 on April 7.

The Giants released a statement on Barber’s return, saying, “We wish Tiki nothing but the best, and when we are able to make the transaction, we will release him from our reserve/retired list.”

We've mocked Giants. Let's do the whole thing. 1 round, of course. It's early. But, here's what I think might happen in April.

1. Carolina

Cam Newton, QB, Auburn. It just makes too much sense. I'm not a fan. But, Carolina will see his earning potential. And they'll fall in love

2. Denver

Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson. Denver needs all the help they can get. Bowers is a good start.

3. Buffalo

Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU. He's the best player in this draft. Who cares if it's too early for a corner. Best player.

4. Cincinnati

Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri. They want Newton. But Gabbert will suffice. They're done with Carson Palmer, and need to start anew. Gabbert is their guy

5. Arizona

Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M. They need a pure pass rusher. Miller might be the best in the class.

6. Cleveland

Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn. An anchor for their new 4-3 front

7. San Francisco

Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama. Best player available.

8. Tennessee

Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas. They fall in love with his arm. And he's going to be the best QB from this class.

9. Dallas

Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska. They need someone to stop DeSean Jackson, Hakeem Nicks, etc

10. Washington

Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, UNC. Their pass rush needs an overhaul

11. Houston

AJ Green, WR, Georgia. They have bigger needs, but he's too good to pass up. He and Andre Johnson will be lethal.

12. Minnesota

Cameron Jordan, DE, Cal. Best player on board.

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Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports that he believes Tim Tebow will be the starting quarterback for the Broncos in 2011. In this scenario, the sooner a new CBA can be decided on the better.

An agreement by, say, March 18 would give Broncos coach John Fox and his staff enough time to work with Tebow during the offseason and gain enough confidence in going forward with him.

If Tebow is the starting quarterback, most observers believe the Broncos will trade Kyle Orton. Elway and Fox have been saying Orton is their starting QB if a game were to be played today but ttaining camp doesn’t start today-it starts four months from now and a lot will change by then.

There is only one scenario where Orton is the Broncos’ starting QB in Game 1 of the 2011 season: Negotiations break down in the next week or two, an extended lockout occurs, and a labor settlement isn’t reached until well after training camp was scheduled to begin.

If a deal is done before the draft, the Broncos would be able to trade Kyle Orton April 28-30. The tentative plan for now seems to be to let Tebow and Orton compete in camp, but if Tebow beats out Orton, it’s not going to make much financial sense to keep the latter on the roster as an $8.879 million backup. Orton would be a hot commodity in a trade as so many teams need to start fresh at QB and the 2011 draft is not really strong at that position.

Chad Ochocinco has never been shy about fighting, over the years challenging his own coach as well as at one point racing a horse. Now though, he may have bitten off a little more than he can chew.

Seems that Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski, who had an amateur record of 75-15, is stepping up and challenging Ocho to a real fight. One that the Ravens safety says wouldn’t last 45 seconds.

Said Zbikowski on Monday's Dan Patrick Show: "I'd let it go for about 45 seconds and then I'd let him know what a real jab feels like."

That was just the start of the back and forth between the two, as Ochocinco went on Twitter and responded: "You wana go nite nite, you want to box me, for 1 your feet are to slow and you've no hand speed to even be competitive."

Zbikowski then laid it out to Ocho on Facebook – throwing out a charity match.

Dear Ocho Cinco (I won't call you Johnson cause you only get one name change in my book), thanks for following my career…You and me at M&T Bank Stadium, charity four-round boxing match. You wear Orange and Black and I will wear Purple and black. If we do it in May, that should give you enough time to get ready…You game?

Stay tuned in this back and forth, as you know that Ocho won’t go down without a fight – that is at least one of words.

NFL’s Best Division Includes “The Champ”

The NFC holds the top two divisions in the NFL; one of the many reasons why the NFC is ultimately better than the AFC.

1. NFC North: “The Champ”, NFC runner-up, and other two teams are serious Wild Card possibilities.  What makes this division so strong is the fact that both Minnesota and Detroit are only a few pieces away from reaching the postseason.  It’s also obvious that the Green Bay Packers are not only the best team in the NFL, but the most talented.  They won the SB without some of their key players; it’s a scary reality.  With Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant healthy, this is hands down the most dynamic offense since the ‘07 Patriots, difference is, these Packers are Vince Lombardi winners.  This said, I also forgot to mention that the best defense resides in this division, too -and it’s the same team that offers the best offense.

2. NFC East: You can make a case for every team other than Washington making it to the Super Bowl in 2012.  Giants are the second most talented team behind Green Bay in not only the NFC, but the entire league.  I would be shocked if they don’t win at 11 games next season.  Cowboys get Romo back and could be the third most talented team.  You can’t underestimate a full year under Jason Garrett.  Eagles have a young core that’s only going to get better.  Keep in mind, a full year under the belt of Michael Vick.  With the ‘Skins, you have a last place team that is still is solid due to their defense and skilled players at each and every position.

3. AFC East: If Cam Newton falls to Buffalo we honestly could have a four-team race within two years.  Still, New England is as dangerous a team as they come and the Jets are fully loaded and stacked everywhere.  With the Dolphins, they are the “x-factor”.  This squad is holding back the division, but could also elevate its status if they find some consistency at the QB position.  Don’t be surprised if they take the #1 spot from the NFC North, seeing a Patriots-Jets AFC Title game next Janaury.

4. NFC South: Three teams with at least 10 wins.  Tampa is the team to keep an eye on because they could take a fall now that everyone has them on their radar.  It’s hard to duplicate two consecutive winning season with such a young team.  No more jumping up on teams, coming up from behind “rear-mirror style”.  Nonetheless, they are one of the best 3rd teams in any division and have a foundation in place to do some damage in this division.  You can expect the Falcons and Saints to do their thing and get to 10 wins.  Carolina’s fortunes could turn around for a complete 360 if they draft Cam Newton.  The thing that held back the NFC South was the pathetic defensive performances of the two heavyweights, Atlanta and New Orleans, yielding a combined 89 points in the Playoffs.

5. AFC North: Cleveland and Cincinnati are just as bad as Pittsburgh and Baltimore are good.  Steelers and Ravens are as consistently good as they come, but the exact opposite can be said for the Browns and Bengals.  We will see a drop-off from Ray Lewis’ gang in 2011-12, but will it be dramatic enough for us to take big-time notice?  As for the bottom-feeders, they need to address their QB problems because they don’t have enough talent to overcome such a big deficiency.

6. AFC South: The Colts have Peyton Manning and make the Playoffs year in and year out.  The other three teams are out-of-this-world unpredictable that they all could be at or under .500 once again this upcoming year.  I don’t see any of them taking a big step forward because of their defensive woes.  With that said, this division could drop lower due to the Colts sputtering ways.

7. AFC West: Chiefs are a team that is in the right direction and should win the division again.  San Diego has the pieces in place but how can you not win your division despite being ranked so high offensively and defensively.  Just like the Chargers, the Silver & Black struggle to close out games and won’t any get better until they finish out games.  Denver has a bright future but it’s going to take some time.  The bottom two teams have roles as sleepers and could sneak up in this division.  The most boom-bust potential for this four team set-up.

8. NFC West: 49ers are going to win this division, count on it.  Remember they were just a few key plays away from being crowned the NFC West’s best.  If their QB (Alex Smith is still the answer, he had a couple of bad fluke performances, and injuries which killed his cause and hurt his chance to be considered “The Man”) doesn’t surrender the ball, watch out.   The Rams have Sam Bradford, so their franchise QB is settled.  Now it’s time to find him some play makers to toss the rock around to.  With Seattle and Arizona you have two teams that are dependent upon so many little things to go right in order to succeed.  You can’t rely on that each and every Sunday in this league because it’s a QB and big play league.  I like San Fran’s and St. Louis’ futures because they possess star players at key positions.  Don’t sleep on the NFC West.  This year’s top team will have at least 10 victories, I guarantee it.

5 Quick Reasons Why NFC Is Better Than AFC – 1. Packers are the most likely to repeat SB champs since Patriots in 2005.  2. You had two teams that had 10 wins and didn’t make the Playoffs.  3. It’s weakest link, the NFC West, will be vastly improved.  4. You have 10 franchise QB’s (11 if Carolina drafts Cam) compared to 7 or 8 in the AFC.  5. Make a bracket between the top six teams in each conference and play them against each other: I got 5 out of the 6 NFC teams winning.

Standing in a room full of Steelers memorabilia, Santonio Holmes said he expects to return to the Jets according to the New York Post.

In a video posted to Facebook on Sunday, Holmes says, “Sorry Jets fans, that not enough Jets stuff is here, but trust me, as soon as I sign back with the Jets, everything will be taken care of.”

He said he was in his mother’s house for a party and his stepfather is a big Steelers fan.

Holmes was given a first- and third-round contract tender by the Jets, meaning any team signing him as a restricted free agent would have to compensate the Jets with two draft picks. It is unlikely a team would sacrifice those picks to sign Holmes away.

1. A.J. Green, Georgia, 6′4 212
- Scouting report available

2. Julio Jones, Alabama, 6′4 220
- Scouting report available

3. Leonard Hankerson, Miami (FL), 6′3 208
- Scouting report available

4. Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh, 6′5 225
Pos: Size, ball tracking Neg: Release quickness, lateral agility Draft Pro: 2nd round
Similar: Braylon Edwards (NYJ)

5. Jerrel Jernigan, Troy, 5′9 190
Pos: Hands, explosiveness Neg: Size, strength Draft Pro: 2nd round
Similar: Percy Harvin (Min)

Speed
Torrey Smith, Maryland
-Very similar to former teammate Darius Heyward-Bey, Smith gets down the field in a hurry. His size gives him the edge over a few other speed receivers available, and Smith has been clocked at under 4.4 in past 40 yard dash runs.

Hands
A.J. Green, Georgia
-Green catches everything around him. He high-points and snatches the ball away from him and frequently made one handed grabs in traffic. Sure handed.

Route Running
A.J. Green, Georgia
- Shows surprisingly good quickness in and out of his breaks considering his size; Green moves much smaller. At Georgia he ran most if not all the routes an NFL system will require, and already looks sharper than some of the better NFL receivers.

Blocking
Julio Jones, Alabama
-Uses long arms and strong upper body to lock on and control smaller defenders, Jones doesn't shy from blocking. He's very physical in run support and blocks to the whistle.