Seattle Seahawks

A.J. Feeley — While he's probably an upgrade over the QBs the Rams had last year, he does not have a firm grip on the job. Even if he holds off Sam Bradford, he will eventually yield to the future.

Kenneth Darby & Chris Ogbonnaya — Unless Steven Jackson goes down, you needn't worry about this duo.

Keenan Burton, Mardy Gilyard, Danny Amendola, Laurent Robinson — None of these options excite me, but Burton and Robinson, assuming they have recovered from injuries, are the ones to watch.

Daniel Fells & Michael Hoomanawanui — Neither TE does anything to excite me.

Rams Defense/Special Teams — The Rams' D would have taken a step in the right direction if they took Ndamukong Suh. That said, I see why they wanted a franchise QB instead. There is no reason to think the Rams' D will be fantasy worthy in 2010.
San Diego Chargers safety Kevin Ellison, who was arrested in Redondo Beach last month on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance, was released by the team Monday.

Ellison told the Seattle Seahawks  Union-Tribune that he was not surprised by the team's decision to let him go and he hopes to be signed by another NFL team soon.

"The Chargers felt they needed to move in a different direction, and now I have to move in a different direction," he said in an interview with the San Diego newspaper. "I'll just let things take their course."

The Redondo Union alumnus was pulled over for driving 40 mph in a 25-mph school zone around RUHS on May 24, said Sgt. Peter Grimm of the Redondo Beach Police Department. When an officer searched his vehicle, he found 100 tablets of Vicodin on the center console, Grimm said.

Ellison was booked on one count of possession of a controlled substance at the Redondo Beach Jail, then released two hours later on a $10,000 bail bond.

 

World Anti-Doping Agency Helping NFL Beef Up Testing

The World Anti-Doping Agency has been talking and the NFL has been doing a lot of listening over the last several months.

"We've been trying to work as closely as we can with them," WADA director general David Howman told FanHouse on Tuesday. "We want to see them make their anti-doping program as tough as it possibly can be. We have had several fruitful conversations."

NFL officials traveled to to WADA's headquarters in a high-rise in Montreal last week. Howman said no firm date has been set, but the two will likely meet again later this summer.

And there's no lack of issues to discuss.

The NFL is fighting off a legal challenge to its authority over anti-doping rules that has dragged on for more than a year. Minnesota Vikings linemen Kevin Williams and Pat Williams (pictured) tested positive for a banned diuretic, but a judge blocked the league from enforcing a four-game ban. The court eventually ruled in the league's favor, but the Williamses, who are not related, filed an appeal and a judge recently agreed to stay their suspensions again.

The NFL Players Association supported the Williamses' lawsuit.

Howman said, while WADA may not be able to help in each individual case, it can lay the groundwork for a drug program that could pass legal muster more easily.

"We can give them guidance and background information on similar issues that we've faced around the globe," Howman said.

There's one issue that WADA doesn't have to deal with much as an independent organization tasked with setting doping standards for all Olympic sports: Players' unions. Such associations have long protested the use of blood tests, which is currently the only way to screen for human growth hormone. HGH is a synthetic hormone that can help increase muscle mass and aid in recovery from strenuous workouts.

It's a reality that the pro leagues finally seem to understand.

"We have been explaining that blood is the only way to proceed," Howman said. "We know how big an issue it is for them. We know it's an issue they want to address. HGH won't be detected in urine in my lifetime and I'm not that old. It's pie in the sky stuff."

Officials from the NFL and Major League Baseball have said they'd explore the issue, but each would have to get the approval of the players' union for any changes.

In an indictment unsealed in federal court last month, Toronto physician Anthony Galea allegedly supplied an NFL player with HGH. The Washington Post reported that Washington Redskins receiver Santana Moss was treated with HGH by Galea.

The NFL has also launched a so-called biological passport-testing program, which monitors changes to different markers in urine -- instead of just looking for specific steroids or other banned substances -- that could give an indication a player is doping. NFL vice president of law and policy Adolpho Birch told FanHouse this week that program, which is currently anonymous and can't result in any penalties, is still in its early stages of development.

For an organization that once called out pro sports on a regular basis for lax doping standards, Howman has praised the efforts made by each league in recent years. Part of that is due to the Partnership for Clean Competition, a coalition WADA and all the major sports founded two years ago.

"There have been so many positive changes," Howman said. "The NHL has expressed an interest in working with us. The NBA is working closely with the International Basketball Federation. We've done reasonably well with the PGA Tour and we have been talking with Major League Baseball ... We are not where we were at six years ago."

Joe Flacco and receivers working to build chemistry

The Baltimore Ravens' formal offseason practices have ended until training camp, but QB Joe Flacco and wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Donte Stallworth are still working together to build chemistry and timing. Flacco expects to get together with his receivers, especially new acquisitions Boldin and Stallworth, a couple times a week during the summer. Flacco believes they are growing as an offense right now as a result of Boldin and Stallworth bringing things they've learned in the past from other teams. A good rapport between Flacco and his receievers is not complete, but the building blocks of a good rapport have them on the fast track to complete rapport by the time training camp gets underway in July.

Fantasy Analysis:

News of Flacco and the Ravens' new acquisitions at receiver working together to build chemistry and timing comes at the same time that veteran Ravens WR Derrick Mason said in an interview with The Sporting News that the Ravens have a good shot at scoring 25 - 35 points a game. It does make sense because the Ravens were 9th in the NFL in scoring last season and that was with them relying heavily on Ray Rice and the running game. The Ravens are still a run - first team, so Boldin won't put up as good of numbers with the Ravens as he did with the Cardinals. However, this is the happiest and most motivated he's been with a team in a couple of seasons. He wanted to get out of Arizona even before last season. He wants to be in Baltimore and that motivation and extra time he's putting in will elevate him to become one of the top receivers in the game. Donte Stallworth has been out of the game for a year, so expect him to be a little rusty in the beginning, but I think he will settle in nicely as the Ravens #3 receiver by the end of the season. He's someone I would stay away from though in fantasy football drafts because there is much uncertainty about how much he lost while being away from the game. Joe Flacco started off last season strong, but then struggled down the stretch. Along with the running game and the three wide receiving options he has in Baltimore for the first time in his early career, expect him to have his best season as a pro.