Panthers sign second-round pick Brown

DEs Everette Brown has agreed to a four-year, $4.3 million deal that includes $2.7 million in guaranteed money, according to Scout.com. Brown, Tyler Brayton and Charles Johnson will compete for the starting job opposite Julius Peppers. Brayton started last year for the Panthers and did a pretty decent job after coming over from Oakland. But he's not a dominant pass rusher and the Panthers will rely on Johnson and Brown to handle that duty. Johnson, a former third-round pick, had six sacks last season while the Panthers traded away a first-round pick in 2010 to get Brown in the second round of this year's draft. The big question will be who'll start, although you can expect all three to see action opposite Peppers.

Panthers get Duke signed & sealed

OG Duke Robinson has agreed to a four-year deal worth up to $2.663 million that includes a $171,590 signing bonus, according to ProFootballTalk.com. He will earn base salaries of $310,000, $395,000, $480,000 and $565,000. He admitted in May he was a little surprised when the Panthers drafted him in April considering they have all five starters returning from last year's team. 

"I never even had a conversation with the Panthers, so this was the last thing I was thinking," Robinson said. "But I'm just blessed right now. I'm so happy they picked me. It gives me an opportunity to come and prove myself and show them what I can do. I'm just happy; I'm enjoying it right now."

Favre throws in front of Vikings OC Bevell

QB Brett Favre performed a "rigorous" throwing session that included about 100 passes in front of Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell last week, according to ESPN.com. The report said Bevell, a personal friend of Favre's since Bevell was an offensive assistant for six years in Green Bay, traveled to Hattiesburg, Miss. to watch the quarterback throw. Favre apparently indicated that he wants to play for Minnesota this season, but only if his surgically-repaired right shoulder is 100 percent. That means he might not make a final decision until just before the Vikings open training camp July 29.

Hanging Chad

Brett Favre's arrival to New York means Chad Pennington's departure from the Jets. GM Mike Tannenbaum said Pennington will be the odd-man out, so where could the soft-armed and oft-injured veteran land?

He isn't likely to be brought in as anyone's immediate starter, especially not at this point in training camp. But there are several teams who could bring him in at least as quality backup:

Carolina: An insurance policy behind Jake Delhomme certainly wouldn't be a bad idea after the team flopped hard in Delhomme's absence in '07.

Dallas: The Cowboys have been tied to rumors with Tampa Bay's Chris Simms. They're concerned - or should be - with Brad Johnson turning 40 in September.

Detroit: Drew Stanton or Dan Orlovsky aren't enticing options should Jon Kitna go down.

Kansas City: Coach Herm Edwards had Pennington in New York, and Brodie Croyle could use a better push than Damon Huard can provide.

Miami: One of the few places Pennington could compete for the starting job. Veteran Josh McCown, second-year man John Beck and rookie Chad Henne haven't blown anyone's socks off.

Or, if we really want to throw another grenade on the drama, let's envision him swapping spots with Favre in Green Bay and looking over Aaron Rodgers' shoulder.

Panthers' Smith brawls with another teammate

For the second time in his career, Panthers WR Steve Smith has gotten into an altercation that left a teammate injured. Smith was kicked out of practice Friday after a fight with CB Ken Lucas that finished with Smith being dragged off the cornerback and Lucas leaving the practice field on a cart with an ice bag on his head.

Smith's intensity is part of what makes the mighty-might receiver one of the best in the game. And for the past several years he appeared to have channeled his aggression into his play on the field. But the latest incident has to be a major red flag for a Panthers team that brought in D.J. Hackett during the offseason and appears poised to make noise in the weak NFC South.

Smith was suspended for a game in 2002 after a fight with WR Anthony Bright that landed Bright in the hospital with a broken nose.

Think hard before coveting Favre

When Brett Favre was at home riding tractors in Hattiesburg, Miss., most people were more than willing to conveniently forget that his final pass in the NFL was an interception that essentially ended the Packers' dream season.

We wanted to focus on the 38-year-old finding the fountain of youth, and carrying -- sometime literally -- his teammates around Lambeau Field and to an improbable NFC Championship Game appearance.

Now that he has the "itch" to return, we're forced to debate whether it's a good idea.
And the debate shouldn't be a long one.

It won't be in Green Bay, so Favre will have to learn a new offense and get comfortable with new personnel in training camp.

We know he' not going to Chicago, Detroit or Minnesota. Carolina and Washington would be getting a bigger distraction than the possible upside is worth, considering Favre can't be considered a major upgrade over Jake Delhomme or Jason Campbell.
Kansas City, Miami and the Jets won't be contenders, so there's little point in shipping Favre off to any of those three.

It essentially boils down to Tampa Bay, where coach Jon Gruden has always had an affinity for older players and acquiring as many arms as possible. Favre fits both descriptions, and Gruden's version of the West Coast Offense should be among the easiest for Favre to pick up in a matter of weeks.

But that doesn't make it a good idea for the Bucs, who reached the playoffs last year with Jeff Garcia. Would Favre be much of an upgrade, if any?

Consider that Favre has thrown 100 interceptions over the past five years alone. Garcia threw just four all last season and has a 23-six TD-to-INT ratio the past two years.

For every highlight-reel touchdown, there are still far too many negative plays. The Bucs have a perfectly serviceable aging quarterback who doubles as a team leader. No need to bring the circus to town when the Bucs have an excellent chance to win one of the league's weakest divisions.

4-0 Packers Hardly Perfect

Clearly the feel-good story through the first month of the season, the Green Bay Packers still can't get away from the notion that they're by far the least imposing of the four remaining unbeaten teams.

However, most people don't realize the Packers have an eight-game winning streak after finishing last season with four consecutive wins. And if they can manage to beat Chicago on Sunday, they'll put three games between themselves and their most feared competition in the NFC South (sorry, Detroit).

With two home games leading into their bye week, the Packers have plenty to be excited about. But they also have a lot of work to do to stay on top considering they have the league's worst running attack.

Sooner than later, the Packers must find production somewhere among the group of Vernand Morency, rookies Brandon Jackson and DeShawn Wynn and second-year player Ryan Grant.

Quarterback Brett Favre is playing lights out with a 97.3 passer rating considering the one-dimensional offense he's running. But it's too much to expect Favre to play nearly mistake-free football through a 16-game schedule if his supporting cast doesn't step up in a hurry.

"We're not blind to the things we need to work on, and I think that's just part of keeping the focus of the football team," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.

Other quarterback news:

• Bears coach Lovie Smith is sticking with Brian Griese for at least another week, but one has to wonder how long the leash will be. At 1-3, the Bears are quickly running out of time to let Griese shake off the rust and help the scuffling offense become more consistent.
  
• Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart remains the starter, but he isn't making many fantasy owners happy. With Leinart struggling to find consistency and confidence in the new offense, coach Ken Whisenhunt has not been shy to turn to Kurt Warner, especially when the Cardinals want to run up-tempo.
  
• David Carr is coming off a horrendous first outing with Carolina. The Panthers better hope he rebounds quickly with Jake Delhomme likely out a few more games -- and possibly longer if surgery is required on his ailing elbow.
  
• Trent Dilfer will start the 49ers' next few games in place of injured Alex Smith. San Francisco's offensive line is already struggling mightily, missing several blocking assignments against Seattle, and it's not going to get any easier with an immobile backup quarterback under center.
  
• Bills quarterback J.P. Losman is recovering quickly from his knee injury, but the team won't rush him back for Monday night's game after rookie Trent Edwards' impressive debut.

Minter's Retirement Will Hit Panthers Hard

Sitting with the 25th overall pick in last April's draft, there was widespread belief the Panthers were crossing their fingers Florida FS Reggie Nelson would somehow fall into their laps. Even Miami's Brandon Meriweather would be a strong fall-back option with the front office knowing veteran Mike Minter was on his last legs.

Nelson went No. 21 to Jacksonville and New England scooped up Meriweather with the pick directly in front of Carolina. The Panthers wound up not selecting a safety with any of their first seven picks -- waiting until the seventh round to pick up Baylor DB C.J. Wilson with the 226th overall selection.

Wilson got some reps with the first team last week, and is suddenly in the mix for significant playing time after Minter reportedly decided to retire due to his chronic knee pain. Clearly, the Panthers are in a very precarious situation with their last line of defense. They picked up SS Chris Harris from Chicago last week, but free safety is a major concern.

Nate Salley, a fourth-round pick who was originally cut in training camp last year, is the leading candidate to replace Minter. He also missed practice time last week, and the only other real candidate on the roster is Deke Cooper, a journeyman safety in his second stint with the Panthers.

So now Carolina is left with a strong safety getting a crash course in the defense and a gigantic question mark at free safety. The Panthers better hope they get one heck of a season out of DE Julius Peppers making sure quarterbacks don't have time to attack the secondary deep.