Ten Things I Think I Think

Cleveland signed running back Jamal Lewis after NFC North divisional rival Baltimore released him. Thomas E. Witte/SI

1. I think these are my quick-hit observations of training camps so far:

a. Read my Cleveland postcard about Jamal Lewis. He looks like a man possessed. He's going to be good.

b. If the Giants give Michael Strahan another dime to entice him to come to camp, I'd be stunned.

c. It would be impossible to look more like a football player, on and off the field, than Paul Posluszny, the Buffalo rookie middle linebacker. I saw his second and third practices as a pro. He moves with confidence and aggressiveness before and after the snap.

d. Next big offensive line star in the NFL: Buffalo left tackle Jason Peters.

e. You need to stop whining, Pete Kendall.

f. LaMarr Woodley just looks like a Steelers outside linebacker. Looks like he'll start over the tight end on opening day.

g. Very strange to go to Latrobe and not see Bill Cowher. But here's what I noticed on Saturday afternoon, as Steeler fans packed the place: They just don't care. And they like the new coach, Mike Tomlin, who was getting a hero's welcome from the folks.

h. Friday night at Latrobe High: 12,000 to see the Steelers practice, then fireworks! Football Fever! Catch it!

i. The first thing I noticed about the "two-year contract'' signed by Tim Couch in Jacksonville is that it doesn't contain a dime of guaranteed money. That makes it a "no-year contract.''

j. Scene of the Weekend: Dusk approaching in Latrobe. Joe Greene, the greatest Steeler of them all and now a team scout, smoking a cigar and sitting alone on a bench, overlooking Chuck Noll Field (the field being dedicated this week at St. Vincent College this week).

k. There is no better time of year in football than right here, right now. Greene, with a stogie, overlooking Chuck Noll Field, alone with his thoughts. No minicams, no crowds, no yelling. Just the sound of sprinklers whoosh-whoosh-whooshing the fields below. How do you get better than that?

2. I think in the practices I saw, J.P. Losman looked better in Buffalo than Ben Roethlisberger looked in Pittsburgh. That's not to dog Big Ben either, because he looked fine adjusting to Bruce Arians' new offense. But on successive plays into a stiff breeze at St. John Fisher College on Friday afternoon, Losman completed a 47-yard go route to Roscoe Parrish, then pump-faked to the right and lasered a 32-yarder up the left sideline to Lee Evans. Never thought I'd say this, but the Bills have their quarterback of the future in Losman.

3. I think Daunte Culpepper must have been touched by the sun to have turned down three years and $15 million to play in Jacksonville. Culpepper wants a one-year deal, but what team is going to bring in a guy for one year when there's no way he can learn the offense well enough to start the season and give the team a good read on whether he's the QB of the future? The logical decision for Culpepper should have nothing to do with money right now, only a consideration of where he's the best fit for the future. And that's Jacksonville, because Byron Leftwich is in his last year. The Jags doubt whether Leftwich is the quarterback of the future, and there's no one else on the roster who fits that description. It's the perfect place for Culpepper. Why don't I run the world?

4. I think a lot of people are thinking about you, Bill Walsh, and wishing you well.

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