July 13, 2008

 Sources say Harvey Dahl, a practice-squad player for much of his career, has overtaken Kynan Forney for the Falcons’ starting ORG spot. We hear Dahl’s nasty temperament has been the secret to his recent success in Atlanta. Head coach Mike Smith’s staff is looking for guys with a mean streak, and Dahl has stood out as someone who can set an example for the rest of the O-line.

 Bucs rookie CB Aqib Talib should probably expect a stern talking to from a few veterans on Tampa’s defense when he arrives at training camp. Sources expect Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber to rein in the first-round pick, who brought the team some bad P.R. recently when he got into a fight with teammate and fellow rookie RB Cory Boyd at the NFL’s rookie symposium.

 It’s too early to give either Martin Gramatica or rookie Taylor Mehlhaff an edge in the battle to become the Saints’ placekicker, but we hear there’s a real chance that both could end up on the roster. If that were to happen, it’s likely that Mehlhaff, a sixth-round pick, would handle kickoffs while Gramatica kicked field goals. The Saints are frustrated by the lack of success they’ve had with kickers in recent years and will be relieved if one of the two kickers emerges as a reliable option.