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Under league rules, the Baltimore Ravens would be within their rights to not pay linebacker Terrell Suggs for the games he will miss due to his Achilles injury. But, under the rules of the locker room, the players would likely frown upon such a decision against a respected teammate and leader.

League sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Suggs and Eagles offensive tackle Jason Peters are facing a financial reduction in 2012. This would be a bad move for the Ravens. Suggs is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and has been a loyal soldier to the franchise. He's only missed three games in his nine-year career and he's played -- and played well -- through injuries. Suggs had two sacks in the AFC championship game against Pittsburgh four years ago despite wearing a shoulder harness. When a player has given this much to a team, it's poor taste to reach for his wallet when he is injured -- even if it's a business decision.

Still, the Ravens can place him on the Non-Football Injury list because he was hurt while away from the team. It doesn't matter if Suggs tore his Achilles while playing basketball (which were the initial reports) or practicing a conditioning test (which is what Suggs says happened), although saying it happened during the latter makes Suggs looks better.

He was injured outside a team-supervised workout, and under league rules, the team isn't obligated to pay him. Based on his $4.9 million salary in 2012, the Ravens could save $2 million if Suggs missed seven games on the Non-Football Injury list.

While the Ravens have the authority to take money away, it would be surprising for them to actually do it. Baltimore is counting on Suggs to be the foundation of the defense once Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are gone. The Ravens certainly wouldn't take money away from Lewis or Reed. So, don't expect them to do it with Suggs.

In his first comments on Suggs' injury earlier this month, coach John Harbaugh said Suggs "will continue to be a huge part of what we are doing [and] continue to be a leader." This doesn't sound like the Ravens have any intention of reducing Suggs' paycheck. In fact, Suggs is thinking of getting more money. League sources told Mortensen that Suggs is contemplating a restructuring or extension of his contract when he is healthy that would reflect his status among the league's players after he was voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Putting a high-profile player on the Non-Football Injury list wouldn't be unprecedented in the AFC North. It was just last year when the Bengals placed linebacker Keith Rivers on the Non-Football Injury list. Rivers later filed a grievance to recoup his salary, which likely factored in the former first-round pick getting traded to the New York Giants this offseason. This shows how putting a player on the Non-Football Injury list can cause bad feelings.

The Ravens don't have to make a decision on whether to put Suggs on the Non-Football Injury list until the start of training camp. Considering what Suggs has given the franchise for nearly a decade, it would be a bad move for the Ravens to take money away from him.

It comes as no surprise that the Cleveland Browns have the largest rookie pool. With 11 draft picks, including two first-rounders, the Browns were allowed to spend $9.7 million to sign their selections.

The league determines the numbers for the rookie pool by how many picks a team has and where those picks were located in each round.

The rest of the AFC North is in the middle of the NFL in terms of the rookie pool: Cincinnati Bengals ($6.8 million), Pittsburgh Steelers ($5.1 million) and Baltimore Ravens ($4.3 million).

The Ravens were the first team in the NFL to sign all of their draft picks. There's only two unsigned picks for the Steelers (guard David DeCastro and linebacker Sean Spence) and the Browns (running back Trent Richardson and quarterback Brandon Weeden).

The Bengals still need to sign six of their draft picks: cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, guard Kevin Zeitler, wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, defensive tackle Brandon Thompson, tight end Orson Charles and running back Dan Herron.

Willie Colon confirmed what has been speculated since the NFL draft -- the Pittsburgh Steelers intend to have two rookies start on their offensive line this year.

Colon told WDVE in Pittsburgh that he is officially moving from right tackle to left guard. "I like it," Colon said. "It's just a matter of learning the verbiage."

This move allows first-round pick David DeCastro and second-rounder Mike Adams to start immediately. Based on what Colon said, the Steelers' offensive line likely will look like this: Adams at left tackle, Colon at left guard, Maurkice Pouncey at center, DeCastro at right guard and Marcus Gilbert at right tackle.

The end result is the Steelers are much stronger with this lineup as long as Adams shows he's strong enough to start right away. There's no doubt that DeCastro, the best guard in the draft, is ready to start from Week 1. The key to keeping this offensive line this way is the development of Adams. I'm in favor of not waiting to make the switch. The Steelers drafted these linemen to add stability and get away from what happened last season. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Steelers used a league-high 25 different offensive line combinations in 2011.

In making the move, Pittsburgh is bumping two formerly undrafted guards (Doug Legursky and Ramon Foster) in favor of its top two picks in this year's draft (DeCastro and Adams). That's a major upgrade in talent level.

The Steelers showed their commitment to making this move by how long it took for them to make it. The team called Colon right after the draft to inform him of the change. "My only issue would have been don't move me midway through camp," he said.

Colon also revealed more about the scheme with him and DeCastro at the guard positions. "You should expect both of us pulling," Colon said. "I think we're going to be a lot more balanced."

» NFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)
» AFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)

Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Pittsburgh Steelers and why.

The Steelers talked about running the ball more after parting ways with offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. It remains to be seen how the offense will look under Todd Haley, but the responsibility of the running game falls squarely on Isaac Redman.

An undrafted rookie out of Bowie State in 2009, Redman gets the first crack at being the Steelers' featured back this year. Rashard Mendenhall, the team's leading rusher for the past three seasons, is expected to miss at least the first six games of the season after having knee surgery in January, and Pittsburgh didn't draft a running back until the fifth round this year. At this point, the Steelers are saying this is Redman's job to lose.

The pressure is on Redman because this is more than holding onto the job for a season. Mendenhall is in the final year of his contract, so Redman is auditioning to be the primary runner for next year as well. Redman has earned this opportunity by his play after Mendenhall tore his ACL in the regular-season finale. He ran for 92 yards in the final regular-season game and 121 yards in the playoff loss at Denver.

The challenge for Redman is to prove he can handle the workload for a full season. He's had double-digit carries in only four of 36 career games (including the playoffs). Unless the Steelers sign a veteran before the regular season, there's no experienced safety net at running back. The backups behind Redman are Chris Rainey, Jonathan Dwyer, John Clay and Baron Batch. They have a combined 35 NFL carries. That's why the Steelers need Redman to step up and take charge of the position.

Former NFL running back Ricky Williams shares his views on concussions.

» NFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)
» AFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)

Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Detroit Lions and why.

Mikel Leshoure has one week of NFL practice to his name. He hasn't played in a single preseason game, let alone in the regular season, and is still recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered last August.

But if the Lions are going to achieve more offensive balance in 2012, Leshoure will have to play a primary role. That's why he was drafted in 2011, to serve as a big between-the-tackles runner, and it's what the Lions sorely lacked after his injury.

The presumed recovery of fellow running back Jahvid Best (concussion) is really a parallel issue. Best gives the Lions a playmaker in the passing game but is best suited for a modest role as a runner. Leshoure's full-strength return would allow the Lions to use Best the way he should be while also imposing a new power threat on defenses as well.

George Koonce's recent guest column opened eyes to issues NFL players face upon leaving the game.

The former Green Bay and Seattle linebacker used research and personal experience to illustrate costs associated with investing disproportionately in their football identities.

Koonce's column also warned against jumping to conclusions over what role concussions might have played in the suicides that claimed Junior Seau and Dave Duerson. Daniel Engber's piece for Slate.com, published a week ago, drives home the message and is worth a read for those interested in continuing the discussion. Among his points:

"Just a handful of cases so far support the notion that repeated head injuries (concussive or otherwise) can lead to drug abuse, aggression, and self-harm. No one knows the baseline rate of chronic traumatic encephalopathy among athletes, let alone the general population. No one knows whether the pathological signs of CTE -- microscopic spots in the brain, found after death -- relate to behavioral symptoms like dementia and depression. And no one can explain how repeated knocks to the head might produce CTE, or how CTE might produce suicidal thoughts. Yet in spite of our near-total ignorance, a moral panic has taken hold: Elaborate explanations are concocted when simple ones will do. Faced with the regrettable facts -- a troubled man dies a lonely death -- we resort to hocus-pocus theorizing about tau proteins and fibrillary tangles. It's a form of denial: By obsessing over hidden trauma, we ignore what's right in front of us. Many ex-NFL players have sad and difficult lives."

Improving player safety should remain a priority, of course. Erring on the side of safety beats taking undue risks. Concussions remain a serious issue, but how serious are they relative to other risk factors facing NFL players? That is the question. The more we learn from Koonce and others, the better. It is possible the concussion issue is peaking, just as the steroid issue did years before. Engber draws that comparison as well.

» NFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)
» AFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)

Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Green Bay Packers and why.

Today is May 16. That leaves about 2 1/2 months before training camp and almost four months before the start of the regular season for reinforcements to arrive. But for the time being, there is only one player on the Packers' roster who seems suited to be a No. 1 back in the NFL.

It's difficult to know for sure, but from the outside it appears the Packers are clearing the road for James Starks to take over that role in his third NFL season. Veteran starter Ryan Grant has not been re-signed and the Packers did not draft a running back last month. Behind Starks are veteran fullback/short-yardage specialist John Kuhn and two second-year players in Alex Green and Brandon Saine; Green is recovering from a torn ACL in his knee.

Grant could always re-sign at a later date, but if not, the Packers are taking a bit of a leap in hoping that Starks can stay on the field for a full season. He missed the first 13 games of 2010 because of a hamstring injury and was limited during the second half of 2011 because of knee and ankle ailments. Overall, he's missed as many games (16) as he's played. The pressure is on Starks to demonstrate he is not a part-time back.

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Carson Palmer gave himself a refresher course this offseason in what watching football without the modern convenience of high definition is like.

It brought him back to the late 1980s, when he watched football just because he liked what he saw without knowing the complications of the game.

This time around, it was for the benefit of his NFL career.

As part of his indoctrination into the West Coast offense, Palmer, 32, watched as much of the scheme's attack as he could. He went all the way back to the Bill Walsh San Francisco 49ers.

“It was pretty cool going back to those days,” said Palmer this week during a break in the Raiders’ organized team activities. “There were no HD films back then, so it was kind of gritty. … It brought me back to when I was 8 years old and I just wanted to see (San Francisco running back) Roger Craig score a touchdown. … You look at the game so differently now, but it was a good learning experience.”

Palmer’s West Coast cram sessions included several incarnations of the scheme. However, a primary focus was the 2010 and 2011 Houston Texans. Palmer watched every game the team played the past two seasons.

New Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp was Houston’s quarterbacks coach in those seasons. Knapp is bringing a version of the West Coast offense to Oakland. He is a disciple of the 49ers’ West Coast offense and has used versions of it as a coordinator in San Francisco, Atlanta, Oakland (in 2007-08) and in Seattle.

Palmer was in a West Coast offense in his first year at USC, at age 18. In a season during which he will turn 33, Palmer must adjust to the offense in what will be a crucial year for him personally. The previous Oakland regime traded two premium draft picks for Palmer last season in a desperate attempt to stay in the playoff hunt when starter Jason Campbell went down for the season with a broken collarbone.

Oakland was 4-2 when Campbell went down. It was 4-6 after acquiring Palmer from the Bengals. Thrown into the Oakland system after holding out in Cincinnati, Palmer’s rust showed as he threw 16 interceptions and 13 touchdown passes for the Raiders.

Palmer is now comfortable in Oakland, and though he is still adjusting to Knapp’s system, he says he is thrilled with the playbook because Knapp’s offense has so many variations. There are some classic West Coast schemes, but there is also zone-blocking running and other modifications. Palmer said he believes it is the most varied offense he has been in.

He thinks it will blend nicely with Oakland’s speed at receiver. Mostly, Palmer is confident his transition to the offense will be easy because of Knapp himself.

“He’s been fantastic with me,” Palmer said. “He’s amazing. He is a teacher in addition to a coach. … It will really help me get this offense down.”

New Oakland coach Dennis Allen said Palmer was a major reason why he chose to hire Knapp as his offensive coordinator. He said Palmer’s ability to adjust to Knapp’s offense made the Palmer-Knapp pairing a “great fit” in Allen’s mind.

Allen scoffs at concern that Palmer might not be athletic enough to run Knapp’s offense. He has repeatedly said he thinks that Palmer is athletic as Matt Schaub, who flourished under Knapp in Houston. Palmer often ran around the field freely Tuesday in addition to participating in a multitude of plays, including several deep passes, which mesh with his big arm.

“He moved around today,” Allen said Tuesday. “He’s plenty athletic.”

Allen also said the key is to be flexible -- not only on offense, but on defense, where the 4-3-based Raiders will use multiple front-seven sets. Allen -- who was Denver’s defensive coordinator last season -- saw the benefit of in-season coaching when the Broncos went to an option offense for Tim Tebow midway through the season. He said Tuesday he learned from that experience.

“We are running the 'West Coast offense,' but we’re going to do a lot of things,” Allen said. “We are going to take advantage of what Carson does best.”

While hopes are high in Oakland that Palmer will show he was worth the high price, some worry about the fit. Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. is in that camp.

“I have a lot of concerns with Palmer adjusting to the Raiders’ new offense,” Williamson said. “First off, it was the former staff/philosophy that wanted Palmer. He doesn’t anticipate routes well. When the receiver becomes open, Palmer throws it. Therefore, defensive backs get a better break on the ball and run-after-the-catch potential is more limited. Also, he has heavy feet and not a movement-based quarterback, which is ideally what they now want in Oakland. I do think Knapp will adapt his system to fit Palmer -- he will have to.”

To help Palmer adjust to playing for Knapp, Oakland signed Matt Leinart to be his backup. Leinart backed up Palmer at USC and the two Heisman Trophy winners have a close bond. Leinart was in Houston the past two seasons.

Leinart said this week he is happy to help Palmer with any nuances of Knapp’s offense. He said keys for Palmer will be to use bootlegs and rely on what should be a strong running game.

"I'm here for Carson, to help him with reads, to let him know that certain things are very good, just to stay on it," Leinart said. "Because when you're taught a new offense, there's things that you're not used to; you're used to doing it a certain way. Sometimes the reads are a little different. I told him today, 'Just stick with this route because it's a great route for us. It's going to be a great route for us.'"

And if he needs any reassurance, all Palmer has to do is flip on the old, gritty, grainy game film of the West Coast offense of yesteryear.

» NFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)
» AFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)

Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Baltimore Ravens and why.

Four of the the Ravens' five defensive coordinators in their history have gone on to become head coaches. Baltimore's defense has ranked in the top six in eight of the past nine years. So, there's tremendous pressure on new defensive coordinator Dean Pees to uphold the standard of excellence.

His job became much more difficult when linebacker Terrell Suggs, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, tore his Achilles. He also faces the delicate situation of how to handle team leaders Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, both of whom showed their age toward the end of last season. Then, add in the season-ending stretch where Baltimore faces seven Pro Bowl quarterbacks in its final eight games (they also account for five Super Bowl rings).

Pees is familiar with strong defenses. He spent the past two seasons as the Ravens’ linebackers coach after a six-year stint helping run Bill Belichick’s defense in New England. During Pees’ four-year tenure as defensive coordinator (2006-09), the Patriots were the only team in the NFL to finish in the top 10 in scoring defense each season. He now gets the keys to an aggressive Baltimore defense that ranked third in the NFL in sacks (48) and first in forced fumbles (21) last season.

In taking over the Ravens' defense, Pees called it a "humbling" opportunity. It's also a challenging one to follow in the footsteps of Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan, Rex Ryan and Chuck Pagano.

» NFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)
» AFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)

Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Chicago Bears and why.

For months, the Chicago Bears have systematically picked off their roster holes, large and small. They traded for receiver Brandon Marshall, giving quarterback Jay Cutler his long-sought "big target." They signed backups at quarterback (Jason Campbell) and running back (Michael Bush), drafted a pass-rusher (Shea McClellin) to complement Julius Peppers, and added another big receiver in rookie Alshon Jeffery.

But rather than address two years of uneven play along their offensive line with additional personnel upgrades, the Bears instead placed their faith in new offensive coordinator Mike Tice to handle that job. The Bears are confident that Tice's background as an offensive line coach will ensure a scheme that offers his blockers plenty of help and limits the difficulty of the position they find themselves under.

In the end, however, football is about the skills of the players more than it is the schemes of the coaches. If Tice can't help the Bears' incumbent linemen play at a winning level, then the rest of the Bears' upgrades won't matter for much. That's an awful lot of pressure to put on one coach.

» NFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)
» AFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)

Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Cleveland Browns and why.

Hot seats in the NFL are typically reserved for head coaches and general managers. For the Browns, the heat is on team president Mike Holmgren.

The Browns added hope when they hired Holmgren as their top executive after he returned the Packers to prominence and guided the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Rebuilding has been more of a challenge with the Browns, who have won nine games in Holmgren's two seasons. Instead of turning into a winner, the franchise has spun its wheels under Holmgren and the fan base is becoming skeptical.

This is a big year for the Holmgren regime because a potential franchise quarterback (Brandon Weeden) and star running back (Trent Richardson) were drafted in the first round to go with a top-10 defense. Holmgren has promised a "pretty good jump" for the Browns, so another four- or five-win season isn't going to cut it. It's time for Holmgren to erase past mistakes like keeping Eric Mangini around as head coach for a year and failing to trade up for quarterback Robert Griffin III in this year's draft.

Holmgren had a more immediate impact at his other stops. In Green Bay, he inherited a four-win team and led the Packers to the playoffs by his second season. In Seattle, he took over a team that hadn't been to the playoffs in 10 years and guided the Seahawks to the playoffs in his first season. The pressure is on Holmgren to show signs of a similar turnaround in Cleveland.

» NFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)
» AFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)

Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Cincinnati Bengals and why.

It would be easy to say Marvin Lewis faces a pivotal season because the Bengals coach is in the final year of a two-year extension. But, by all accounts, owner Mike Brown has approached Lewis a handful of times about a new deal, and it's Lewis who hasn't found time for a sitdown.

While it looks like there is no fear with job security, there is still a great amount of pressure on Lewis to take the Bengals to the next level. In his nine years as Bengals coach, Lewis has yet to win a playoff game or guide the team to consecutive winning seasons. If the Bengals want to elevate themselves to the ranks of the Steelers and the Ravens, Lewis has to get the Bengals to make noise in the postseason. During Lewis' tenure in Cincinnati, he has watched the Steelers win two Super Bowls and the Ravens reach the AFC Championship Game twice.

There's no question that Lewis is a good coach. He's done what others have failed to do in Cincinnati. Lewis has become the franchise's winningest coach, holding the team together through the death of a player (wide receiver Chris Henry), an extended holdout by his franchise quarterback (Carson Palmer) and numerous arrests. But Lewis' track record is his team wins when expectations are low but disappoints when the anticipation is high. And the buzz has never been higher in recent years than the 2012 season.

The Bengals surprisingly went to the playoffs last season and improved in most areas this offseason. Cincinnati upgraded at running back (BenJarvus Green-Ellis), guard (Travelle Wharton and Kevin Zeitler) and cornerback (Dre Kirkpatrick, Terence Newman and Jason Allen). The Bengals' top two offensive players from a year ago, quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green, are having their first full offseason with the team after last year's lockout.

What hangs over the franchise is the NFL's longest playoff win drought (21 seasons). It's up to Lewis to get this team to end that.

» NFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)
» AFC pressure points: West | North | South (5/17) | East (5/18)

Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Minnesota Vikings and why.

As the Vikings' interim coach in 2010, Leslie Frazier won three games and lost three games. Promoted to the permanent job shortly thereafter, Frazier was part of a 3-13 disaster in 2011 that prompted an organizational shift in power to general manager Rick Spielman and a significant overhaul of the roster.

So in sum, Frazier has a 6-16 record, is entering the second year of a three-year contract and will be asked to compete with a roster that is at least a year away from legitimate contention. Playing in arguably the NFL's toughest division, he'll have a second-year quarterback in Christian Ponder, three new starters on the offensive line, a rookie place-kicker and first-time starters down the middle of his defense -- at nose tackle, middle linebacker and possibly both safety positions.

Oh, and Frazier's best player -- tailback Adrian Peterson -- is recovering from a serious knee injury suffered last December. Peterson insists he will be ready for the opening of the season, but the Vikings' medical staff has refused to confirm that timetable.

Frazier is a good person and a good coach, but that's a challenging series of obstacles for someone hoping to make it to a third season. At 6-16, the honeymoon period of his tenure is over. If nothing else, he'll be undermanned as he attempts to steer the team toward more victories.