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* I think Peyton Manning is the best player in the NFL and deserves a big new contract, but it would be nice to see him compromise a little to help out his team.

* The Dolphins are desperate for a new quarterback, but I consider Jay Fiedler a pretty average starter. If Trent Dilfer can win a Super Bowl, so can Fiedler.

* Marvin Lewis is making a mistake benching Jon Kitna.

* San Diego's spot at the top of the draft this April has a lot of people referring to the "Michael Vick fiasco," when the Chargers traded away the top pick instead of drafting Vick. But so far, LaDainian Tomlinson (6,166 total yds, 43 TD, 4.5 yds/att) has had a better career than anyone else from the 2001 draft, including Vick (5,643 total yds, 32 TD, 76.3 passer rating).

* Whoever drafts him will be disappointed with Eli Manning. He's Archie, not Peyton.

Joe Gibbs has fallen into a trap. Lured with money, love of football, and promises of glory, he signed a contract with the Wicked Witch of the NFL, Daniel Snyder.

Snyder has humiliated one of the proudest franchises in the NFL, ruined the professional career of one of the most intriguing coaching prospects in years, and charged fans to attend pre-season events that every other team held for free. But if Gibbs' second tenure in Washington goes poorly, Snyder's role in the fiasco will be the greatest of his football sins.

As we've come to expect, Snyder has dominated the headlines and kept NFL front office staff busy this offseason. The man must be biologically incapable of self-restraint. He simply has to make big moves.

I don't know whether Washington's pursuit of Mark Brunell and Clinton Portis began with Snyder or with Gibbs, but either way, it underlines the fundamental mistake Gibbs made when he agreed to rejoin the team. He failed to demand that Snyder hire a GM.

Gibbs has a mediocre record with respect to personnel decisions, but Snyder's is absolutely rotten. What I keep remembering as I hear about the impending trade for Portis, though, is Snyder's admitted desire to make "sexy" picks, like quarterbacks and running backs.

Brunell was the best quarterback available this offseason, and Washington now has two starter-quality quarterbacks. They're paying both of them like starters, too. It looks nice on paper, but that hits the team where it hurts -- in the salary cap -- and Washington will need some room available to upgrade its defense.

Perhaps the worst part of the Brunell deal is the message it sent to young, promising QB Patrick Ramsey, who, according to his agent, feels slighted and wants to be traded. Ramsey is being a little childish, but by going after Brunell rather than a journeyman like A.J. Feeley or Jeff Blake -- or even sticking with Tim Hasselbeck, who looked okay last year -- the team sent a message most players would interpret as a lack of faith in their abilities.

Having embarrassed and offended one of the most promising players on the roster, Snyder and/or Gibbs then put another one, CB Champ Bailey, on the trading block. I think Bailey is a little overrated and I understand that the team needs to free up some space toward the salary cap, so I could at least understand that move.

It's trading Bailey -- and a second-round draft pick -- for Portis that I don't understand. Bailey and Portis are both top-10, but not top-five, at their respective positions. Adding a high draft pick to the deal makes it a no-brainer for Denver. You can't turn down that offer. With Portis demanding a new contract, Washington's offer was a dream come true for the Broncos.

Even if the trade were a little more fair, it still wouldn't make sense for Washington. With all the good -- not great, but good -- running backs available in free agency or through the draft this year, why give up Bailey and one of your three draft picks for a running back?

Washington already has Ladell Betts, Trung Canidate, and Rock Cartwright. Garrison Hearst is available. Antowain Smith is available. Duce Staley probably will become available. Those are all guys a team can sign -- for near the veteran minimum, I suspect -- without giving up any players or draft picks.

Gibbs' willingness to deal draft picks may be a return to a strategy that worked for him in the 1980s. But a lot of people, in D.C. and around the NFL, are taking it as a sign that Gibbs isn't interested in building a team. Maybe he just wants to stick around for a couple seasons, take his shot, and then go back to NASCAR.

Whatever Gibbs' intentions, one thing is clear, and that is that Washington is going to dominate offseason headlines for the fifth year in a row. That doesn't bode well for fans of the team. Or for Gibbs.

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