The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the Steelers are calling Mendenhall a “bigger, faster Edgerrin James” and that they plan to use him in some packages in tandem with Willie Parker. Full story here.

Monster Take: High praise for an uproven rookie, but this is a situation to take note of. Parker saw his production drop off last year, and the addition of the highly regarded Mendenhall could further erode the number of carries that go to Parker.

The Dallas News reports that Dallas owner Jerry Jones said, “there’s a 50-50 chance that Terry Glenn will start in 2008.” Full story here.

Monster Take: Whoever starts in this potent passing attack with Tony Romo, T.O., and Jason Witten, will provide fantasy football value. However, we’re not buying that it will be Glenn. He turns 34 this summer and is coming off a serious injury. We’ll have to see him show something this summer before we’d even think about taking him in our drafts.

NFL.com is reporting that Johnson is willing to sit out the 2008 season. He said in an interview with Solomon Wilcots, “I will stick by my guns, and I will not be there.” Full article here.

Monster Take: If you have Chad Johnson in your keeper league, I’m feeling your pain. Both sides are stubbornly sticking to their respective position. Even though it would seem to be in the Bengals best interest to rid themselves of Johnson while he still has some trade value, they haven’t shown any interest in doing that to this point. Let’s hope they move him to another team so we don’t have to miss out on 85’s on-the-field and off-the-field exploits this year.

The AP reports that, “just a few years removed from an MVP season and also helping lead the way to a berth in the Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks are moving on without Shaun Alexander.” Full story here.

Monster Take: Alexander at age 30 is clearly on the decline. His last two seasons in Seattle have been injury laden and unproductive. However, Alexander indicates that he is not retiring and hopes to land a spot with another team. Some team will almost certainly take a chance on Alexander if he is realistic with his compensation demands. It will be interesting to see where he lands and whether he can regain a semblance of his MVP form.

The AP reports, “tired of the receiver’s posturing for a trade, coach Marvin Lewis said Tuesday that Johnson should keep his word and sit out the season — the strongest comment yet from an organization that is reluctant to let him go.” Full story here.

Monster Take: The Bengals continue to maintain their stance that Johnson will honor his contract with the Bengals or not play at all this year. They have a history of sticking to their guns in a similar situation with Corey Dillon in 2003. Johnson’s public comments are creating division in the team. If a pre-draft trade doesn’t happen, this situation will likely drag into the season.

The AP reports that the Baltimore Ravens QB, Steve McNair, “announced his retirement Thursday, ending a 13-year run in which he was selected co-MVP, led the Tennessee Titans to the Super Bowl and orchestrated the most successful regular season in the history of the Baltimore Ravens.” Full article here.

Monster Take: McNair’s retirement has little fantasy impact as his days of meaningful fantasy production were well behind him. Congratulations, however, to McNair on a fantastic career. 

The AP reports that “Saints running back Deuce McAllister, coming off the second knee surgery of his career, will remain with New Orleans for at least one more season.” Full article here.

Monster Take: McAllister went down during the third game of the ‘07 season with a left ACL tear after suffering a similar injury to his right knee in ‘05. He returned from the 2005 injury to be productive in 2006 and has shown that he has the toughness to rehab this injury. Terms of the new deal have not been made public, but our guess is that he restructured the $1 million roster bonus he was due April 15th. The Saints likely have little to lose in this deal and McAllister will have tons of incentive to work his way back from this.

The AP reports, “Quarterback David Garrard has signed a contract extension with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Full article here.

Monster Take: Garrard is coming off a productive 2007. It’s always a good thing when you can get contract issues resolved before camp. The fewer distractions the better.

The AP reports, “the Bengals today released troubled wide receiver Chris Henry on the heels of his most recent legal troubles.” Full article here.

Monster Take: Well, the “could be in real trouble” from our post earlier today has become “is in real trouble.” The Bengals have apparently had enough. Henry is talented enough that someone will likely take a chance on him. However, he’s leaving a situation where he had a real chance to produce, especially if Chad Johnson sits out the season or gets traded to another team. Stay tuned.

The AP reports “tight end L.J. Smith signed the one-year contract he was tendered by the Philadelphia Eagles when they placed the franchise tag on him two months ago.” Full article here.

Monster Take: Coming off a very sub-par, injury riddled 2007 season, Smith could be one to watch this year. He should be healthy with the off-season rest and his QB, McNabb, should be healthy as well. He should also be motivated to prove himself fully healthy to get a new multi-year contract with the Eagles or to position himself to move to another team.