The Minnesota Vikings made defensive end Jared Allen the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL last month, but also provided themselves plenty of financial protection in the deal. It's the type of protection that could become increasingly popular around the NFL as teams deal with high-risk players in the post-Michael Vick era.

One of the key elements to Allen's six-year, $74 million contract is a provision, pre-approved by the player, that allows the Vikings to convert an $8 million roster bonus Allen is due to receive in 2010 into a signing bonus. In such a case, the team would recoup its money from the player and the signing bonus would count under the salary cap for the remaining years of his contract. Under rules of the collective bargaining agreement, signing bonuses can be recovered by a team when a player violates his contract; a roster bonus can't.

That was a key issue in Vick winning the right to keep approximately $16.25 million in a federal court judgment handed down in

Mike Martz is mad, and Alex Smith couldn’t be much happier as he deals with his own frustration.

Those emotional states are not really related, but the San Francisco 49ers are hoping they mix into something brilliantly successful. Martz is San Francisco’s fourth offensive coordinator in the four years since Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft. The constant change is one of the many reasons Smith has so far dealt with more failure than success as an NFL quarterback.

The 49ers hope to get a glimpse this weekend at how effective their offense might be as they open their first offseason camp since hiring Martz, who was fired after two seasons in Detroit.

For Smith, this will also be a big step in his recovery from a separated shoulder. He suffered the injury in September and ultimately required surgery after he could no longer play in December. It was a situation that caused tension between Smith and head coach Mike Nolan.

That tension, combined with a 16-32 record in three

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Given that there wasn't a lot of great offensive talent at skill positions available this year, most teams in the AFC focused on upgrading their defenses in hopes of chasing down top quarterbacks Tom Brady of New England and Peyton Manning of Indianapolis. Either that or they spent high picks on offensive linemen in hopes of having the type of running attacks to keep the ball away from those quarterbacks.

In that vein, New York added pass rusher Vernon Gholston, an amazing physical specimen from Ohio State, while Jacksonville made two trades up to nab defensive ends Derrick Harvey of Florida and Quentin Groves of Auburn.

Not surprisingly, Miami and Kansas City took big strides toward rebuilding their depleted offensive and defensive lines. New England made key moves to improve their aging linebacking corps and Indianapolis made picks with an eye toward the future.

But the biggest move of the draft was Oakland taking Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, the most

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Vernon Gholston has obvious intelligence. He also has manners to go with an understated way of talking that appeals to anyone with common sensibility.

But in the uncommon world of the NFL, where hyper-macho intensity mixes with manic emotional swings, listening to Gholston talk makes you wonder: Where is the fire?

On the surface, the talented Gholston certainly doesn't appear to burn hot. For a team that has put as much on the line as the New York Jets this offseason, drafting a player like Gholston with the sixth overall pick during the NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday could be the key to narrowing the chasm that currently exists between the archrival New England Patriots and the cross-town rival (not to mention reigning champion) New York Giants.

Or his selection could ultimately be the move that helps seal the fate of a front office that is clearly under pressure to make a drastic improvement. Taking the physically gifted Gholston (he had 37 reps on

The $16 million, $17 million or $18 million (depending on the contract) question that nobody could answer truthfully Thursday at the annual NFL draft luncheon: Which one of you top prospects wants to be a Raider?

Sadly for the once-proud Oakland Raiders, the answer is none of the five yet-to-be signed players in attendance (newly minted Dolphins offensive tackle Jake Long is the exception) at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers really wants to join the franchise.

Or as one agent put: "Sure, somebody is going to want to go fourth overall because of the money, but they're not going to like the prospects once they get there."

There is no greater indictment of a team than the stricken look that comes upon a player's face when he realizes he must go to the Raiders, the NFL's wasteland. Sure, plenty of players, such as safety Gibril Wilson, cornerback DeAngelo Hall, defensive tackle Tommy Kelly and running back Justin Fargas, lined up to take the money. That's why when the Raiders pick at No. 4

Leodis McKelvin doesn't take kindly to stereotyping.

McKelvin, rated as the No. 1 or No. 2 cornerback by most teams heading into this weekend's NFL draft, is offended when it's even hinted that his playing time at Troy University may not have been an adequate proving ground for his transition to the pros.

"To me, that's just people second-guessing themselves, being worried about how the fans will think about them if they take a player from a small school," said McKelvin, a 5-foot-11 defender who is regarded by Rivals as having the coverage skills to take on top-flight wideouts right now. "It's just an excuse. But if you really look at the tape and you watch me, you can see I can play."

McKelvin certainly talks like a top-flight NFL cornerback. Now, the question is whether he'll back it up once he's drafted Saturday, possibly as a top 10 selection. If that happens, McKelvin would rank as one of the highest-selected players from a school outside of the Bowl Championship Series' big 6

Gene Upshaw hears the complaints like clockwork.

"Every year at this time, I hear it again. They don't like how the rookies are paid," the executive director of the NFL Players Association said of owners and front-office personnel. " 'They need some kind of pay scale.' Well, I'm not going to limit how the rookies are paid because it has a huge impact on veterans. I'm not going to agree to it."

With the NFL salary cap continually growing, the pay scale for rookies drafted in the first few picks is increasing as well – at a pace seemingly uncomfortable for a number of franchises.

Last year, quarterback JaMarcus Russell eventually got a record $29 million in guarantees from the Oakland Raiders after being taken No. 1 overall. In order to keep from matching or surpassing that total this year, the Miami Dolphins have already begun negotiations with at least two prospects (offensive tackle Jake Long from Michigan and defensive end Vernon Gholston from Ohio State) and reportedly are close to

It is time for Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga to listen to Jason Taylor.

In October 2007, when the Dolphins were in London for their game against the New York Giants, Huizenga opened the door for Taylor and then-teammate Zach Thomas to leave the team at season's end, if either so chose.

''That's really more up to them,'' Huizenga said at the time about the possibility of either Pro Bowl player being traded. "When the season is over we'll see how they feel about that. The trade deadline has passed so there's no sense discussing something that can't happen. But those guys aren't bashful. If they want to talk about it after the season, we'll talk to them."

Of course, a lot has happened to the Dolphins since then. Huizenga hired Bill Parcells to be the vice president of football operations. The Dolphins finished the season at 1-15 and Parcells went about gutting the coaching and personnel staffs. In addition, Thomas was released by the team after a concussion-filled season and because