Snap Judgments (cont.)

Roger Goodell will find out what Matt Walsh knows, or doesn't know, on May 13. AP

• If you're keeping score, it'll wind up taking a wait of 102 days between the time we first heard about the allegations that an ex-Patriots employee secretly taped the Rams' 2002 Super Bowl walk-through practice and when former New England video assistant Matt Walsh gets to tell his much-anticipated story to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. That's Feb. 2 to May 13, which is the day the league will interview Walsh in New York, per its announcement Wednesday.

My hunch remains that we'll all be left asking a version of the "Is that all there is?'' question once Walsh gets his show-and-tell session before the league. If there ever was a video of the Rams' walk-through, put me down as being skeptical of Walsh's chances to produce it. He may tell the NFL one was shot, but I get the sense he has no smoking gun to corroborate his claim. I could be completely wrong, but at least come the second week of May, we should finally know.

On the down side, waiting until then is a bit like finding out the Pennsylvania presidential primary is going to have a do-over in another three weeks. God help us all.

• Draft buzz that I'm hearing includes the following:

• The No. 6 Jets are calibrating every potential move they make with the No. 7 Patriots in mind. These two really don't like each other, and it's not even close to being hype in this case. Under no scenario does New York want to see Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan make it to New England's slot, because Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Eric Mangini know the Patriots will promptly put their draft slot up for auction and reap a bounty of picks from some quarterback-needy team.

The Jets have even gone so far as to talk with the No. 8 Ravens about what it would cost them to trade up to sixth for Ryan. Anything to keep the Patriots from hitting the jackpot. Hearing that, it kind of leads one to believe the Jets have decided to pass on Ryan, even though they reportedly love him. Then again, they could anticipate having multiple options that they like -- Chris Long or Darren McFadden among them -- and wanted to see how much the Ravens would give up to get their franchise quarterback.

• Speaking of quarterback-needy teams that I'm just about to give up trying to figure out, a reliable league source told me Tuesday night that he's hearing No. 3 Atlanta will pass on Matt Ryan even if LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey goes to St. Louis at No. 2.

No Ryan or Dorsey to the Falcons? Huh? Now I'm really confused. The Falcons don't need a running back (McFadden) with Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood around, and they don't need a defensive end (Chris Long or Vernon Gholston) with their recent heavy investments in John Abraham and Jamaal Anderson. Who or what does that leave them with? Either trading downward or taking USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis?

This time of year, the more you hear, the less you know.

• If I had to put a dollar down today, I'm leaning toward giving the No. 2 Rams Chris Long rather than Dorsey. While some coaches in St. Louis are said to be staunchly in favor of Dorsey, the Rams sound convinced it's unfair to label Long as just a maximum-effort, high-motor type who might not have a great upside potential in the NFL.

• There seems to be real debate within the league about the second highest-rated offensive lineman behind Michigan's Jake Long, the first overall pick. Some say it's Boise State tackle Ryan Clady, and some maintain Virginia guard Branden Albert -- who projects to tackle in the NFL -- will wind up being the better pro.

Said one league scout: "I always go with intelligence in a situation like this. Albert is a smart guy, and very dedicated. There's a lot going on at guard, a lot of stuff changing on the fly.''

Some within the league have raised concerns about Clady's low Wonderlic Test score -- said to be a 14 -- and questioned his maturity level in regards to some off-field conduct.

• Tampa Bay was the other team seriously involved in the Jared Allen trade talks with Kansas City. While the Chiefs were steadfastly said to be seeking a first and second-round pick in exchange for Allen, the Bucs never offered anything more than their first-round pick (No. 20), and third-year defensive tackle Jovan Haye, who had a career-high six sacks in 2007.

Jacksonville was also interested, but Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson did not want to deal Allen to a fellow AFC team. The fourth team in the Allen derby was Philadelphia, but the Eagles' interest never progressed very far, largely because of the hefty financial commitment they already made this offseason to free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel.

• So much for the theory that Bill Parcells' history in the first round of the draft is all about defense, defense and more defense. Just shows you that whenever you use history as your guide to discerning what will happen in the draft, you better make sure it includes some present-day realities.

• Ex-Seahawk Shaun Alexander and that big contract he received from Seattle in 2006 will now be folded into the cautionary tale that has long existed in the NFL when it comes to veteran running backs: Never, ever trust anyone over 30. Or even at 30 for that matter.

• I'm sick of listening to Chad Johnson whine myself, so I was kind of glad to hear Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis tell his disgruntled receiver this week to either shut up or have the guts to sit out the season. But I have to admit I'm shocked that in today's NFL trade market Cincinnati saw fit to turn down an offer from Washington that could have wound up costing the Redskins two first-round picks.

It's not like you're guaranteed of getting a Chad Johnson-level player with the No. 21 pick of the draft, which Washington owns this year. Far from it. But the reality is that really good players often get traded for far less than what the Redskins were offering.

I know I'm not breaking this news, but I do believe this little showdown in Cincy has gotten very personal at this point, on both sides. It's a matter of wounded pride now for both Johnson and Lewis.