NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Panthers General Manager Marty Hurney insists he’s still undecided and his phone isn’t ringing as he prepares to use the top pick in next week’s NFL draft according to the Associated Press.

In an interview Thursday night, Hurney was quick to praise Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, but stressed they’ve made no final decision and haven’t received an offer from another team to move up to No. 1.

“If the draft was tomorrow we could go ahead and make decisions,” Hurney said, “but we have a week left and we’re going to continue to refine those decisions.”

Newton has become the popular choice for Carolina in various mock drafts. The 6-foot-5 Newton took college football by storm in his only season as a starter in 2010 when he won the Heisman Trophy and led the Tigers to the national championship.

For the 2011 season, the NFL is enacting tougher rules on concussions. According to Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com, a brain-imaging expert warns players might try to subvert concussion testing.

Dr. Daniel Amen, who has treated current and former players for post-concussion symptoms, said some of his clients have confessed to fudging the initial baseline tests administered by NFL teams. By doing so, Amen said those players are seeking quicker clearance to return from any future head injuries they might suffer.

Amen is prevented from disclosing names because of patient-doctor confidentiality.

Baseline testing is the crux of the NFL’s new “go/no-go” concussion policy. Any player who suffers a head injury must now pass a six- to eight-minute test that measures such elements as cognitive thinking, memory, concentration and balance. Those results are then compared to how the player scored in the preseason to determine clearance for an in-game return.

“Players are smart. They know that if they have a concussion and score badly that, ‘I’m going to be taken out. It’s going to affect my livelihood,’ ” Amen said. “I’ve had a number of players tell me they purposely do bad on the testing to start so if they get a concussion it doesn’t affect them.

“We need to educate them that this is a really dumb idea, that it’s the rest of their life that they’re playing with.”

Players could also use Ritalin to pass a concussion test. The drug, which is intended for those suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), changes brain chemistry and may serve as a short-term mask for concussion symptoms.

A story at beyondchron.com anonymously quotes one concussion expert as saying that NFL players are already using Ritalin for this purpose.

“Ritalin will work,” Amen said. “It helps boost activity to the front part of the brain. In my mind, it’s not the first thing I would do to rehabilitate a concussion but it would be on the list of things to do.

“Clearly, it’s not approved by the NFL or a smart thing to do and try to cheat the test.”

Quarterback Colt Brennan, who was seriously injured in a November two-car accident in Hawaii, has a job offer in the UFL. Brennan’s rights have been secured by the Hartford Colonials, coached by Jerry Glanville.

I’ve always felt Brennan was a fearless competitor, great at anticipation throws, passes into small windows and passes on the perimeter. Whether he joins an NFL training camp or dissects UFL defenses – or both -, we haven’t seen the last of him. Glanville was defensive coordinator for Hawaii when Brennan was there for his sophomore and junior seasons of 2005 and 2006.

Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo won’t hesitate to deal the team’s No. 29 overall pick and move out of the first round of the NFL draft according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.

“I know the question will come up: Will you trade up, will you trade down?” Angelo said Thursday at Halas Hall. “We’re always going to be flexible. We always have. Trading down is easier to do and if there’s enough players on the board when it’s our pick [and] it makes sense, then it’s something we would consider very seriously.”

“There are four, five or six guys that, based on our projections and our grades, that would be in the running for the [29th] pick],” Bears director of player personnel Tim Ruskell said. “That’s important because when you start thinking about the possibility of trading down, you want to at least have half as many guys that you would like [compared] to the number of picks you go down. That’s kind of a rule of thumb. It’s not set in stone but Jerry and I have talked about that.”

Said Angelo: “We also have to look at the needs of those teams behind us. We don’t want to go down and find out we’re not really crazy about the guy we’re getting. That doesn’t make sense either. That’s not the theme of the draft, to collect draft picks. You have to feel good about that player you are going to trade down for or you’re not going to do it.”

No one's impacted by that uncertainty more than NFL players themselves, and it just so happened that ESPN's First Take had one on set today – Steelers safety, and players union rep, Ryan Clark.

Clark hasn't been shy about criticizing the NFL in the past, and that continued Wednesday – particularly in his assessment of commissioner Roger Goodell.

Mainly, Clark seemed upset at what he saw as Goodell's propensity to put PR stunts above resolving relevant issues: "Roger Goodell finds some way to show his face to the fans…but it's never with facts about what's going on behind closed doors." He even drew an unfavorable comparison to former commissioner Paul Tagliabue: "Paul Tagliabue was a guy [who's] gonna get people in the room [who] can make decisions, whereas throughout these negotiations…[Goodell] has to leave for hours to make conference calls and call people who can make decisions." Clark even noted that he thought Tagliabue was viewed as a "real man."

"Instead of saying, 'You know what, guys, we're gonna hold the schedule off until we can figure out this situation – until we can make sure that the fans have football this year,' no: 'We're gonna put the schedule out and find another way to put my face on TV.'"

LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson is visiting the 49ers today, meeting with coach Jim Harbaugh. “It’s great meeting with coach Harbaugh,” Peterson told the National Football Post in a telephone interview. “It’s awesome. It’s fun meeting all of these coaches and GMs. I’m enjoying it.”

Peterson said he’s holding out hope about going first overall to the Carolina Panthers even though they appear to be locked in on Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. “I’ve had great talks with Ron Rivera,” Peterson said. “Nobody knows anything until the draft actually starts.

Then, we’ll see what’s what. I know that a cornerback has never gone No. 1, and it would be awesome to be the first if that happens. “I’m not ruling anything out. It’s very exciting. It’s an honor that they think of me that way. If I go even second, it would be a history-making day. It’s a blessing.” Peterson said he’s looking forward to attending the draft at Radio City Music Hall. “I can’t wait,” he said.

“The draft process feels like a marathon. It’s been fun, but I can’t wait to see where I’m going to be playing. I’ll be happy with whichever team picks me.” Peterson said he would like playing for the Broncos. “That would be a great fit for me,” Peterson said. “That’s a great organization. I could gain a whole lot of knowledge from veteran defensive backs like Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. I would love to play for the Broncos. We’ll see what happens.”