LIONS NOTEBOOK - Detroit Free Press
...Lions coach Rod Marinelli did most of the talking. His friend, former Southern Cal and Los Angeles Rams coach John Robinson, did most of the listening and drinking.

Marinelli spent the night before his first training camp as a head coach chatting with Robinson.

"They're so busy, it's hard to sit and talk," Robinson said. "I just listened. They had a bottle of wine in the room. I drank the whole ... bottle just about. We talked about, he talked about this -- this opportunity that he has."

Marinelli was a defensive line coach on Robinson's USC staff in 1995. Marinelli said it meant "a lot" to have Robinson in Allen Park...

Jarrett will practice pending ruling - LA Daily News
Dwayne Jarrett will be allowed to practice while waiting to hear about his reinstatement petition to the NCAA, according to USC spokesman Tim Tessalone.

The NCAA is reviewing USC's request, which it received July 11. Fall practice begins Thursday...

...Running back Kenny Ashley is the first official academic casualty from the incoming recruiting class, failing to qualify for admission in the fall...

Tings leave USC team - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
Twins Ryan and Brandon Ting will not play this year, in what would have been their fourth football season at USC. Instead, they will concentrate on medical school...

...Ryan was listed as the No. 1 punt returner on the depth chart, Brandon as the No. 2 strong safety.

Both have graduated. Ryan led the team with a 3.93 GPA last year...

One Saint missing at check-in - Jackson Clarion-Ledger
...Running back Reggie Bush, the Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick in April's draft, was a no-show Thursday and will likely begin what might be a lengthy holdout today when the team holds its first practice.

Neither Bush's agents nor Saints general manager Mickey Loomis would comment Thursday on the negotiations.

A team spokesman said Loomis and first-year coach Sean Payton will address the media after today's practice...

Also, Bush absent as camp begins - Biloxi Sun-Herald
Bush Won't Be Defined by Company He Keeps - LA Times
Bush remains unsigned - San Diego Union-Tribune

Voila! Fargas has a role - Oakland Tribune
...No one knows whether Fargas, in his fourth year with the Raiders, will become a viable option in what coach Art Shell promises will be a much-improved running game.

It is clear the Raiders intend on finding out.

"It's important that we have more than just LaMont Jordan carrying the ball," Shell said Thursday. "Justin is a guy we're looking at to see if he can carry the load."

So far, so good. Fargas is healthy, with no sign of knee, hamstring or toe injuries...He is running hard...

Also, FARGAS HOPES HE'S A SMASH - SF Chron

Personnel losses don't faze Trojans - Arizona Republic
...And so begins a new era of Trojans football - not much glitz, not much glamour, but plenty of confidence behind a smirk that reads, "We're not going anywhere."

For the fourth year in a row, the media crowned USC as the Pac-10 favorite. That makes three consecutive years the conference scribes have gotten it right, not that it qualifies them for a Pulitzer.

This year's selection was different, which is to say it required a moment's contemplation...

Also, USC reloads for another run - Daily Breeze
[Dilbeck] Obstacles? USC is set to fight on - LA Daily News
Trojans expected in familiar perch - LA Daily News
[Chavez] It's a new season, but Pac-10 has old favorite - San Gabriel Valley Tribune
USC's Rivals Hold Out Hope - LA Times
Closing the Gap - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
[Bisheff] USC rivals champing at the bit - OC Register
USC's the pick - VC Star
[Heater] Despite key departures, USC still talk of the Pac-10 - Contra Costa Times
[Davidson] USC big mystery in Pac-10 - Sac Bee
USC still picked 1st, but no longer revered - East Valley Tribune
Target still on USC's chest - Tucson Citizen
USC's dominance slips (just a little) - Portland Oregonian
[Withers] With Oregon's help, Tedford and Cal try to catch USC - Seattle Times
First, USC expects to be good - Tacoma news-Tribune

Lions need Rogers, Mike Williams to come through - Grand Rapids Press
..."Mike's a young player who is trying to figure it out and that's not uncommon, it really isn't," Millen said. "We have high expectations for him because his talent is so high.

"There are a couple of bumps but we have a tendency to try to make it sound worse than it is at times because there's an urgency, you want to have it right now. But you take a step back and say `OK' and you give him a little bit of understanding -- but not too much because they're all in the same boat now. They're all going to define themselves."...

..."It's all on him," Millen said of Williams. "Mike's got a ton of talent and we're a thousand percent behind him...

Also, Receivers will be in spotlight - Detroit News

[Schefter] Brees, Palmer seem to be on track for Week 1 - NFL News
...In Cincinnati, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is admitting that quarterback Carson Palmer is months ahead of schedule, and will be on the field this summer more than most anybody would have expected...

...Lewis said Palmer was doing things in mid-June that the Bengals didn't think he would be able to do until mid-August. Because of this, the Bengals plan to work him more this summer than they thought they would.

All along, the Bengals insisted they would be as patient as they had to be; and they will continue to do so. But Palmer has made their decisions easy for them. Starting the regular-season opener now seems like a foregone conclusion. Starting the preseason opener now seems well within reason...

McCutcheon up for newest challenge - Canton Repository
Don’t expect old man McCutcheon to shrivel up and blow into Lake Erie.

Yes, Daylon McCutcheon and Phil Dawson are the last of the Mohicans, the only 2006 roster survivors from the original 1999 Browns...

...But you ask McCutcheon if he is motivated to start for the Browns for an eighth straight season, and he says:

“Shoot. I’ve been playing ball since I was 8 years old. It’s all I know how to do.

“I’m just as excited and motivated as I was when I started playing Pop Warner ball.”...

Also, Optimism runs deep as Browns open camp - Columbus Dispatch

Hervey challenges CFL to stop flag parade - Edmonton Journal
Ed Hervey believes he's found a cure for insomnia: Watch a CFL game dominated by the men in black and white throwing fluorescent orange flags.

The Edmonton Eskimos receiver raged over the radio about the increase in flags after a 25-22 loss last week to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

He ramped up his attack on Tuesday and challenged George Black, the CFL's director of officiating, to cut down on the flags before fans turn over their television sets and stop going to games all together.

"Be upset if you want," he said. "The head of officials can make all the politically-correct comments that he wants, but it's ridiculous...

[Gosselin] Ex-Cowboy Johnson a key for Carolina - Dallas Morning News
..."I've been the guy since 1996 with the big circle on my chest," Johnson said. "Whether it was the New York Jets, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Dallas Cowboys, I've been the main focus of the offense.

"I've already been the No. 1 wide receiver. I've been the highest-paid wide receiver. I received the highest signing bonus ever. I've been to Pro Bowls. I've won a Super Bowl. I set the bar.

"But I'm 33 years old. I'm not at that point in my career where I say, 'I've got to be the man.' I don't have to be the main target here. I can sit back and relax, get my kibbles and bits. I've never had a problem with that."...

Agents Created Frenzy Around USC - LA Times
By the middle of January, Pat Ruel had reached a boiling point. The offensive line coach — normally an affable guy — stepped out of the USC football offices and, scanning the lobby below, counted more than a dozen unfamiliar faces...

...Everyone expected Bush to leave school, but the USC staff remains upset about losing some of the other juniors. White and offensive tackle Winston Justice were taken in the second round, safety Bing in the fourth, and offensive guard Fred Matua in the seventh. The coaches believe all could have benefited from another season and gone higher in next year's draft. They blame agents for giving bad advice...

Bush watch tells no time - Biloxi Sun-Herald
...The clock ticks toward training camp and it's unlikely that the team's first-round pick will report by today's 6 p.m. arrival time for players...The Saints will hold their first practice Friday afternoon.

Negotiations between general manager Mickey Loomis and Bush's agent, Joel Segal, continue but the deal has no timetable.

The 2005 Heisman Trophy winner repeatedly said he wanted to reach an agreement by training camp and didn't want to hold out. That possibility appears eminent. Mike Ornstein, Bush's marketing agent, said last week he didn't think Bush would be in camp on time.

Last week, Yahoo.com reported Bush may contemplate sitting out the 2006 season if he doesn't receive the contract he thinks he deserves...

Also, New Saints era opens today - Baton Rouge Advocate
Bush likely not to report today - New Orleans Times-Picayune
For some NFL players, charity begins at school - USA Today
[Wright] Bush could make Texans fans live the torture again - Sporting News

Heisman hopefuls - Detroit News
...Dwayne Jarrett, WR, Southern California

Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White are gone, but the Trojans still have some pop.

Jarrett, at 6-5 and 210 pounds, is a big, athletic playmaker with great hands. He had 91 receptions and 16 touchdowns last year as a sophomore (29 touchdowns overall, three off the Pac-10 record).

Jarrett, 12th nationally in receptions and 13th in receiving yards, has received kudos for his route-running and ability to get physical. It will just be a question of how often, post-Leinart, he gets the ball...

Jack Del Rio Tackles Little League Baseball - First Coast News
You know him as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but did you know that Jack Del Rio is also the head coach of a Little League Baseball All-Star team from the San Jose Athletic Association?

While most coaches in the NFL would most likely try to find time to get away from football during the summer months, Jack Del Rio spent a good portion of that time coaching his son Luke's team.

Coaching youth baseball gave Del Rio the chance to spend quality time with his family, and opportunities like that will be limited now that the season is right around the corner...

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Ranking the pac-10 offenses - Arizona Daily Star
...1. USC...

QB...USC did more than survive when Carson Palmer left. They will do the same now that Leinart is gone.

RB...Pete Carroll has three of the top 10 running back recruits in the country coming in.

WR/TE - What’s the best way to give a young QB confidence? How about give him the best receivers in the country to throw to...Add four wide receivers and three tight ends which were all top-10 recruits at their position and well, that’s just scary.

O-Line – They lose three starters but return top recruits at every O-Line position...

Commissioner meeting has 'inside' info - NFL News
...All the talk about Saints first-round pick Reggie Bush holding out of training camp...is a bit premature for now. The Saints do not hold their first practice until July 28, and the NFL is a last-minute deal. Events transpire at the last moment that didn't seem possible before it...

...anybody who thinks Bush could hold out this season should consider this: Bush's agent, Joel Segal, would be engaging a dangerous move that other agents would hold against him while he vied for new clients.

If Bush were to miss a considerable amount of time this season, other agents would quickly point out that Segal's client failed to turn up as the No. 1 overall pick in a year when everyone was expecting him to be, and that a contract agreement did not materialize quickly...

Both sides have incentive to get a deal done...

Also, Bush can’t elude this one - Thomasville Times-Enterprise
[Doom] Holdouts highlight need for NFL rookie salary scale - CNNSI
[Prisco] Wanna know who'll skip an entire season? Nobody - CBS Sportsline
[Freeman] Bush pushes luck by playing contract hardball in Big Easy - CBS Sportsline

Trojan dynasty continues in Pac-10 - Lindy's Sports
...1) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA...

...OFFENSE:
QB: A healthy QB battle will ensue in August...

...WR: Dwayne Jarrett could be the best wide out in America...

...DEFENSE:
DL: DE Lawrence Jackson is the centerpiece of this deep unit...

...LB: Easily the deepest unit on the defense...

...PROJECTION: (12-0, 9-0)...

SEC issues not tackled by coaches - The Tennessean
Comments you will not hear from coaches during the SEC Media Days that run through Friday:...

...Houston Nutt, Arkansas: "We're in negotiations with Southern Cal to extend our series for another two or four years. I love playing those guys."

Once was enough for Nutt, whose Razorbacks gave up 736 yards and were gutted 70-17 at Southern Cal last year. Entering his ninth season at Arkansas squarely on the hot seat, Nutt opens '06 against — you guessed it — Southern Cal...

Pac-10 Primer - Tucson Citizen
...USC has lost 11 starters, including the past two Heisman Trophy winners, so it has plenty of reloading to do after its last-minute loss to Texas in the national championship Rose Bowl. This might be the time for the rest of the league to catch the Trojans.

But there is also little doubt that USC will be the anointed team to beat tomorrow when the Pac-10 conducts its annual media day...The race for the Pac-10 remains for second...

...Offensive player of the year...USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett scares the heck out of every defensive coach in the business, and rightly so...

...Defensive player of the year...USC junior defensive end Lawrence Jackson better prepare for double and triple teams...Won't matter...

The Smell of War - Popular Science
...The idea of using odor to help train soldiers may seem asinine, or ingenious, or maybe both. That’s par for the course at the oddball outfit where the project was born, the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), a joint operation of the University of Southern California, Hollywood, theme-park designers and the U.S. military. If anyone can find a way to use smell to make VR feel more real...it’s probably the people here...

...The prototype simulation I’m blundering through is called DarkCon; the aroma-emitting device is known as the Scent Collar. Both were the vision of ICT researcher Jacki Morie, revered out-of-the-box thinker and resident crazy aunt...

Felix on rise with God at her side - The Daily Telegraph
The new face of American female sprinting is on display in Britain for the first time at Gateshead this weekend. After another drugs allegation enveloped the now diminished former champion Marion Jones last week, it is an appearance that, for those trying to sell the sport as something more than a mobile medicine cabinet, could not have come quickly enough.

Following a series of minor injuries and illness, the world 200 metres champion Allyson Felix is competing in only her second meeting of the season...

..."There's a good balance in my life." That balance involves studying at the University of Southern California to become a teacher. During the close season, a typical day involves arriving at USC by 8.15am, studying until 3pm, then off to the track...then back home to lift weights for an hour or so, before finishing the day with homework and bible studies...

Ten Greatest Defensive Players of All-Time - College Football News
...Fiutak...Ronnie Lott, DB USC - You think of Lott and you think of the devastating hits and peerless toughness. While he could pop, he could also pick off passes finishing his career with 14 interceptions and lead the nation with eight in his senior year. He could return them as well averaging 20.8 yards per interception and scored two touchdowns...

...Cirminiello...S Ronnie Lott, USC (1977-1980) – Ever since he arrived at USC, Lott became the standard by which all safeties would be judged. He was one of the most intimidating forces to ever patrol a secondary, and had uncanny football instincts and leadership skills. Lott was a rare defensive player capable of changing the tenor of a game with a single hit or turnover...

SNAP JUDGMENT - New Orleans Times-Picayune
Before he took his first snap at Southern California, John David Booty had made history.

After completing his requirements to graduate from Evangel in summer school, Booty became the first known prep player to skip his senior year in high school to start his college career early.

Now, Booty has the chance to again make history. He will follow not one, but two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks when the Trojans open the season Sept. 2 at Arkansas. No school has had three consecutive quarterbacks to win a Heisman.

"I keep falling into some crazy stuff somehow, don't I?" Booty said...

South Dakota Names Theeler, Drahota, Hultgren to Athletics Staff - Official USD Website
...Jill Theeler, originally of Mitchell, S.D., has been named the assistant athletic director/compliance officer/senior woman administrator...

...At USD, Theeler will provide oversight for compliance/eligibility, serve as the athletic representative to the NCAA, NCC and University events, and provide supervision of assigned staff. She will also oversee all aspects of the development and implementation of departmental gender and minority equity plans. Theeler will begin her duties at USD on August 14.

Theeler has served as compliance coordinator at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, Calif.) since July of 2005...

10 questions as Dolphins' camp opens - Orlando Sentinel
...8. That's a lot of names. Who is one returning guy to watch?

Will Poole. A favorite of veteran teammates, the cornerback is returning from reconstructive knee surgery. The former fourth-round pick has starting ability, but he must regain his quickness and confidence...

Bengals' Palmer Eager to Return - LA Times
...Now, as Palmer glides along in what has been a remarkably smooth recovery, there's a question on the lips of every Bengals fan: When will he be back? He looked so sharp running seven-on-seven drills at a recent mini-camp that there is speculation he could return during the first month of the regular season. But Palmer isn't making promises...

...Palmer's rehabilitation has been a full-time job and then some. His routine includes running on an underwater treadmill, riding a stationary bike, lifting weights, balance and agility drills, and, of course, throwing practice. In his downtime, he studies game footage.

"I'm very greedy and I want to be able to do everything now," he said. "I want to be 100%, and I wanted to be 100% four months ago...

Also, Training camp offers respite for Bengals - Cincy Post
Palmer holds the key - Cincy Enquirer
Palmer taught to master mind game - Cincy Enquirer
Bengals have team to make playoff run - Cincy Enquirer
Top 10 issues facing the Bengals in 2006 - Dayton Daily News

Justice deals with heat in his own way - Easton Express-Times
Eagles rookies traditionally struggle with the learning curve in training camp, and offensive tackle Winston Justice is no exception.

But the second-round draft pick at least prepared himself in the best possible way for the heat here at Lehigh University.

"I train in Jacksonville (Fla.)," he said. "I wanted to stay on the East Coast and I wanted to be used to the humidity because if I went back to California, I'd be behind three hours and the dry air is different. So I think I got used to it."

..."It felt like my first practice at (Southern Cal), he said. "I felt good. And the second practice here today, I want to get better."...

Robert Cornthwaite, 89; Veteran TV, Film, Stage Character Actor - LA Times
Robert Cornthwaite, a character actor whose more than 50-year career in theater, films and television included roles in classic thrillers and thrilling classics, has died. He was 89...

...Although he expressed a preference for live theater, which he said was "far more liberating for the actor," Cornthwaite was best-known for his work in films and television. He appeared in more than 250 television shows and as many as 50 feature films...

...He worked in radio in Southern California while attending Long Beach City College in the late 1930s. After serving in the Army Air Forces during World War II, he completed his degree at USC in 1947...

INTRASQUAD DEBATE - Miami Herald
...FSU's Lorenzo Booker and Buster Davis had a rapt audience as they broke from interviews to spar about whether Florida or California produces more football talent.

''Florida, hands down,'' said Davis, a Daytona Beach native.

Booker, from Ventura, Calif., quickly pointed to the 2002 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, in which they squared off on opposing sides in a 26-6 West victory.

''And it was 26-0 at halftime,'' Booker said. `` We had Herschel Dennis, Dominique Byrd. . .''

''Oh sure, name everyone on USC's national champions,'' Davis said...

Dorothea T. Church, Pioneering Model, Dies - NY Times
Dorothea Towles Church, the first successful black model in Paris, who discovered personal liberation on the runways of Christian Dior and Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1950’s, died on July 7 in Manhattan. She was 83...

...Ms. Church’s success was a historic achievement in an industry that had been especially resistant to using any but white models to represent beauty on magazine covers, advertisements and runways. Ms. Church was responsible for breaking down some of those barriers and was revered in France during the five years she modeled there...

...when her mother died, she accepted the invitation of a wealthy uncle to live with him in Los Angeles. She completed a master’s degree in education there at the University of Southern California...