Dispatches

The NFL is on the hottest streak of commissioner Paul Tagliabue's 12-year reign. In the past month the league has realigned without dissent, won a court battle with Al Davis and extended the labor agreement three more years, through 2007....

Smart move by new Browns coach Butch Davis, spending a third of each minicamp practice this spring on special teams play. He knows his offense and defense aren't good enough yet to carry the team to victory in the tough AFC Central, so he hopes to gain an edge with his kicking and return units....

The Rams are among several teams waiting for 33-year-old free-agent defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy to lower his demand for a $1 million salary next season to about half that....

The Lions are disappointed they did not land Jerry Rice, who signed with the Raiders. Under 49ers offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, Rice caught 75 passes last year. Now Mornhinweg is the coach in Detroit, but Rice didn't want to play on artificial turf or uproot his family from the Bay Area. Detroit hopes Herman Moore, who recently accepted a $1.8 million pay cut, to $1.5 million, can rebound after two subpar seasons....

Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who has completed 60% of his passes in only one of his eight pro seasons, is concentrating on hitting his receivers in stride during off-season workouts. "I need to be more accurate, putting the ball on the right side of the receiver so he's running upfield when he catches it," Bledsoe said at minicamp last week.