DANA POINT, Calif. — There’s no mistaking that the NFL circus is in town.

The circular lobby of the St. Regis Hotel, the ultra-swank setting for the league meetings, has been buzzing with all sorts of talk from a wide variety of football people. It is somewhat surreal to be standing on a beautiful marble floor, around several perfectly trimmed, potted juniper plants and talking about the trade value of Jay Cutler, Anquan Boldin and Julius Peppers.

Team owners, executives, head coaches and their families are pouring in from all over the map. For wives and children, this represents a traditional offseason vacation. The wife of a general manager from a Midwest team was heard complaining that the temperatures were “only in the 50s,” clearly not what she was expecting for Southern California.

Numerous media types are scattered around the lobby, positioning themselves to see everyone who enters through the front door. Watching Redskins owner Daniel Snyder arrive, I couldn’t help but wonder if he might have been lighter on his feet — now that there is a whole lot less cash in his wallet after the record-breaking free-agent contract he gave to DT Albert Haynesworth.

The three media headliners in the lobby: John Madden, Troy Aikman and Keyshawn Johnson. Johnson has seemingly been the man of the hour, drawing the biggest crowd of football people and reporters. He received a big hug from Madden and later was trading stories with Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.

– Vic Carucci

L.J. Smith

Free agent tight end L.J. Smith signed with the Baltimore Ravens Friday morning, consummating the expected reunion of the former Eagles tight end with coach John Harbaugh, the Eagles’ former special teams coach.

Terms of the contract are unavailable, but it has been reported Smith had agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. Smith, who at one point during free agency had visited both Detroit and Atlanta, spent the past two days with the Ravens taking a physical and meeting with coaches and front-office staff.

The acquisition of Smith gives the Ravens another big receiving target, which offensive coordinator Cam Cameron desired to provide more options in the red zone and short-yardage situations. Smith will pair with fellow tight end Todd Heap and allow Baltimore to expand on its two-tight end schemes because of Smith’s receiving skills.

Smith is not known as a dominant blocker, which is a reason the Eagles let him leave via free agency, a year after making him their franchise player. The six-year veteran has been bothered by injuries the past two seasons, but in his four prior seasons with Philadelphia, he was a durable and reliable player who had back-to-back seasons (2005-2006) with at least 50 receptions.

– Steve Wyche

Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers. (Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)

A whole lot has been said and written about a story I posted on this site Monday regarding a likely trade that would send Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers to New England in exchange for a second-round draft pick. On Thursday, two prominent voices joined the conversation: Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Peppers’ agent, Carl Carey.

After hearing Belichick during an interview on Boston radio station WEEI and reading comments from Carey posted a short while later on the Boston Herald’s website, I got the impression that if anything does happen between the Patriots and Panthers, it will take every bit of the month-plus time frame I mentioned in the piece: at some point between the league meetings, which begin Sunday, and the April 25 draft.

After giving WEEI’s Glenn Ordway the technical explanation of why there couldn’t be any trade talks between the Patriots and Panthers — because Peppers has yet to sign his franchise-tender agreement with Carolina and, therefore, the Panthers aren’t allowed to discuss a deal with any team — Belichick did say, “There’s a lot of moving parts in a situation like this. There’s a lot of things that have to be worked out and, in all honesty, when you’re talking about that level of player, that level of contract, those different levels of commitment, it’s usually not the kind of thing that happens in 10 or 15 minutes. Those things can take a long time and they can tie up a lot of time, money and resources and they may or may not ever get done.”

Carey told the Herald’s Karen Guregian, “We’re not in a position where we have to act hastily.”

Although the teams can’t talk trade until Peppers signs the one-year tender with Carolina, his agent can broker a contract with another team that he then could take back to the Panthers. Belichick never mentioned on WEEI whether he or anyone else from the Patriots has spoken with Carey about Peppers. However, Carey told Guregian that he has not heard from the Pats, even though he has had “preliminary discussions with GMs from other clubs in the league.”

Either way, Belichick made it pretty clear that he’d prefer to avoid that path to a trade. In fact, you got the distinct feeling Belichick was trying to send a message to Peppers and his agent to sign the $16.68 million tender with the Panthers because it would actually help the trade process along . That logic makes sense, because the Pats would then be in the position to communicate directly with the Panthers about the terms of the trade. I continue to hear from league sources that Carolina would accept trading Peppers for the second-round pick New England acquired for Matt Cassel (34th overall). That is all the Pats would be willing to give up for a player with a one-year contract, while also having discussions with Carey about working out a longer-term deal that would satisfy his client and fit New England’s pay structure.

“I don’t think that’s a good way to do business,” Belichick said to WEEI about an agent-brokered transaction. “I personally would not do it that way. I think if a player wants to be traded or wants to be in a position where he could be traded, then the best thing for that player to do is do what Matt Cassel did — sign the tender, be under contract, and then go to the team and say, ’Okay, I don’t want to be here, trade me, this is where I want to go.’”

If Peppers wants to go to New England, there is every reason to believe he’d be welcome (Belichick said Peppers would have no problem converting from a 4-3 end to an outside linebacker in the Patriots’ 3-4 scheme). But given the complexities of working out a contract that is acceptable to him and fits the Pats’ pay structure and also working out the actual trade agreement with the Panthers, it is clearly going to take a while for him to get there … if he ever does.

–Vic Carucci

All 32 NFL teams had representatives on hand in Athens, Ga., today to watch QB Matthew Stafford throw during Georgia's pro day. (John Bazemore / Associated Press)

I’ve been to a few other pro days — even some at the University of Georgia — but I haven’t experienced anything like I did today.

All 32 NFL teams had representatives in Athens, Ga., and some, including the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks, had multiple people on hand. Including coaches, players, agents, relatives, university staff and NFL Network’s Mike Mayock and Deion Sanders, over 200 people had to be in attendance.

Of course, the star of the show was quarterback Matthew Stafford, the potential No. 1 overall draft pick by the Lions next month. Stafford piqued so much interest because he didn’t throw at the draft combine, and people wanted to see if the strong arm they witnessed on film is as legit in person. It is.

Helping Stafford prove his point, he threw in breezy conditions, frequently piercing Mother Nature’s attempt to take some starch or aim off some of his passes. Stafford was mostly accurate on the 50 scripted throws. He sailed a few passes over the heads of some of his receivers, but he didn’t do anything to hurt himself on draft boards.

Stafford had the benefit of throwing to Georgia wide receivers Mohamed Massaquoi, Kenneth Harris and Demiko Goodman and tight end Tripp Chandler, who also were working out for NFL scouts. His familiarity with those receivers and the structured environment clearly benefited Stafford. It also showed why some quarterbacks would rather not throw at the combine to receivers with whom they aren’t familiar and under the guidance of coaches they don’t know.

Stafford told me before he threw today that he would continue to train in Athens because the Lions plan to put him through a private workout March 31. Detroit is doing its homework on several players, but Stafford clearly is on the radar.

Tailback Knowshon Moreno, a likely first-round pick, also went through most of his drills, even though he said he lost about seven pounds (he weighed in at 210) after being sick the past few days. He ran about a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, which was consistent with what he did at the combine.

During the workout, Moreno’s agents received a call for him to finalize a private workout for the San Diego Chargers on March 30. The Chargers own the 16th overall pick in the draft.

– Steve Wyche

The Baltimore Ravens finally held the long-awaited press conference for Ray Lewis on Thursday, giving the media a chance to get their questions answered about the seven-year, incentive-laden contract that was officially signed more than a week ago.

Thursday’s 30-minute press conference was scheduled to coincide with halftime of the Maryland-California NCAA men’s basketball tournament game. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti is a big Terrapins fan and a close friend of head coach Gary Williams.

Back to Lewis. The legacy of the 10-time Pro Bowl linebacker will now start and end with the Ravens.

“When I’m done, I’m going to be proud to say that there’s only one, only one color jersey I ever put on in my life,” Lewis said. “There’s only one color I ever put on. That, for me, is why I play this game. That, for me, that’s the legacy I’ve always chased. Always.”

One of the most interesting facts that came out of Thursday’s press conference was that Lewis didn’t make any visits to other teams. In his mind, he was never going to leave Baltimore. As for some of the rumors that connected him to other teams, Lewis countered that they were just that — rumors.

“I would call everything that was out there a rumor if I’m sitting here,” Lewis said. “Just being realistic. If there was some substance, there would have been something done. I would have took a trip or flirted some different type of way. But it wasn’t. That’s just how flat it was. The bottom line, to be brutally honest, I had more contact with my own organization than I had with anybody.”

Bisciotti acknowledged that the Ravens made Lewis “a legitimate” contract offer before the start of free agency, but the team also granted his request to see what was available on the open market. After about a week, Lewis and his side came back, agreeing to terms with Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome. The contract — which The Associated Press reports includes options in the second and third seasons — pays Lewis $10 million next season and runs through 2015.

Lewis, who said he was satisfied with the deal and that he hasn’t taken less to stay, said he was “not even close” to thinking about how much football he has left. At one point, he also was reminded of his comments on NFL Network at the Pro Bowl when he said: “I don’t play less. So if you don’t play less, you don’t take less.” He shook off the question rather effortlessly.

“Take money and throw it out the window,” Lewis said. “This organization made sure I was OK on that side of the ball. That’s whatever it is. … At the Pro Bowl, you just have a couple of Mai Tais and just have a great time. They ask you a question, and you answer the question. That’s all. That wasn’t directed toward anybody.”

Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch held what amounted to a very short news conference on Wednesday — it lasted 9 minutes in duration — in which he said he is expecting a suspension on the heels of his meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday.

“For me I honestly see a suspension coming,” Lynch said. “But that comes with the consequences.”

We’ve got a two-minute video for you of the best portions of the news conference. You’ll notice Lynch is sans the gold grill he usually wears across his teeth.

Lynch said he believes he’ll be hearing from the league in about 10 days. The consequences are a result of his recent guilty plea to a misdemeanor gun possession charge, which resulted in Lynch being sentenced to community service and probation.

The Bills’ official site has a more extensive story on the repentant Lynch, while The AP gets into some of details behind the Feb. 11 arrest. And, for those of you with fantasy football implications on your mind in March, Michael Fabiano has already chimed in with his spin in the fantasy blog.

Former West Virginia QB Pat White is proving to be one of the most intruiging prospects in the draft. Is he projected as a quarterback, or receiver? What about both? Based on those evaluations, how long will he last in the draft?

The intrigue continues.

White worked out with the New England Patriots on Wednesday, spending the majority of the workout on wide receiver drills, and worked out with the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, according to league sources.

As NFL.com senior writer Steve Wyche wrote last week, White drew 25 NFL teams to West Virginia’s pro day workout. White said he would run pass routes and go through receiver drills upon request, but no teams requested. Now it looks like teams were waiting for their own priviate individual workouts to see White in other capacities.

White has been on the record as saying he prefers to remain at quarterback, but estimated that only two of 32 teams are giving him serious consideration as a signal-caller. It’s a good bet White — who is not refusing to switch positions — had a clear understanding of who those two teams are. In an NFL.com live chat with White two weeks ago, he said if there was one team he was hoping would take him, it was the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While it’s a popular consensus White belongs in the NFL, exactly at what position — and where he’ll be picked at — is what the talent evaluators will have to figure out. One, NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, has White rated as the fifth-best QB available in the draft.

“I think, especially at the Senior Bowl and Combine, he really impressed people with how well the threw the football,” NFL Network host Paul Burmeister said during a recent live chat. “He has a natural rhythm, nice touch, and better velocity and arm strength than people gave him credit for at West Virginia. Having said that, there are some legit concerns with him being a full-time QB — he is under six feet and less than 200 pounds. There are no starting QBs in the NFL at that height and weight.”

Four days after he was involved in an auto accident that killed a pedestrian, wide receiver Donte Stallworth issued a statement through the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday.

“My family and I are grief stricken over the tragic accident which occurred Saturday on Miami Beach where Mario Reyes sadly lost his life,” the statement read. “My thoughts and prayers are with the Reyes family during this incredibly difficult time. Unfortunately, since this accident is still under police investigation, I cannot comment further on the matter at this time.”

No charges have been filed against Stallworth, who hit 59-year-old Mario Reyes on Saturday morning on a busy causeway linking Miami and Miami Beach. According to The AP, Miami Beach police are awaiting the results of the toxicology report, which are expected to be released by the end of the week.

Until they take the field again, the Rams will be forced to live with a bit of an identity crisis. Everywhere, there are changes.

The Rams will enter next season with a staff of new faces on the sidelines — led by head coach Steve Spagnuolo and coordinators Pat Shurmur and Ken Flajole — and without several key faces off it — including longtime veterans Orlando Pace and Torry Holt. Veteran QB Marc Bulger will be working with his fifth QB coach and his sixth play-caller or offensive coordinator next season. Fellow veteran DE Leonard Little is the last remaining holdover from the 1999 and 2001 Super Bowl teams.

“I’m so used to having Torry out there and Orlando in the huddle, but with salary cap issues and a coaching change you know those things are going to happen,” Bulger said Tuesday. “The team’s turned over completely in the last eight or nine years, so it’s one of the parts of the business that you don’t like, but that’s the reality.”

The release of Pace cleared $6 million in cap space. Parting ways with Holt cleared an additional $8 million. Rams executive vice president Billy Devaney acknowledged many factors played into their release.

“When you make a move like that to release two players who really have Hall of Fame credentials, and are just really, really good people and true professionals, there’s always more than one reason,” Devaney told the NFL Network. “There were a lot of reasons that went into it. We just thought at the end of the day, where we are as an organization right now, we thought it was best that we part ways right now and let some of these younger guys establish themselves on and off the field. There’s been a lot of changes taking place.”

So what type of identity can Rams fans expect under Spagnuolo?

Devaney pointed out the signs, which started with the Rams making Jason Brown the league’s highest-paid center and continued with the signing of FB Mike Karney to clear the way for RB Steven Jackson.

“There isn’t any secret — our best player on the team is Steven Jackson,” Devaney said. “We’re going to build our offense around Steven Jackson. There isn’t any secret about that. … First and foremost, we’re going to try to run the ball and try to establish ourselves as a strong running team.”

Tight end L.J. Smith will visit with the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday to see if both sides are interested enough to agree on a contract. No terms have been agreed upon heading into the meeting, according to two sources, as Smith continues his offseason push to find a new team.

Smith already has visited the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions. The Falcons reportedly are no longer pursuing Smith.

The Ravens are looking for a bigger target in the receiving game, especially in the red zone, where offensive coordinator Cam Cameron would like to have more options. At 6-foot-3 and 258 pounds, Smith could pair with standout tight end Todd Heap to improve the flexibility of Baltimore’s passing game.

Smith’s strength is as a receiver, and he has 231 receptions for 2,525 yards and 18 touchdowns in his six-year NFL career, spent entirely with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Smith fell out of favor with the Eagles last season after injuries limited his effectiveness.

Smith still caught 37 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games, but by the end of the regular season and in the playoffs, Brent Celek had become the Eagles’ favored tight end.

WR Bobby Engram agreed to terms with the Chiefs on Tuesday. (Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images)

A notable transaction crossed the NFL.com news desk moments ago, as the Kansas City Chiefs announced they have agreed to terms with three veteran players, most notably WR Bobby Engram.

Engram, a 13-year veteran, played his last eight years with the Seahawks but was fully expected to depart Seattle as an unrestricted free agent. The signing of Engram, who visited the Chiefs two weeks ago, gives the Chiefs a veteran presence alongside top receiver Dwayne Bowe. Outside of fellow veteran receivers Mark Bradley (eight starts last season) and Devard Darling (nine starts), the Chiefs were devoid of starting experience at receiver — second-year players Will Franklin, C.J. Jones and Kevin Robinson are the only other receivers on the roster.

Engram, 36, was beset by injuries in 2008 but had a career season with 94 receptions for 1,147 yards and six touchdowns in 2007.

Engram later held a conference call with reporters.

“I’m going into my 14th year, and I want a Super Bowl,” Engram said. “I just want to prove to my new teammates and my new coaches and everybody that I can still play and make plays. I’m coming in for one goal, and that’s to help the Chiefs win games. We’ll see where it goes from there.”

As it turns out, Engram said QB Matt Cassel was one of the factors that led him to sign with the Chiefs.

“I think that he has all the potential in the world, and his future is very bright,” Engram said. “[He is] one of the big reasons why I really chose to sign with Kansas City, among the other reasons that I mentioned. Watching him, my first impression was just how poised he was, how much he really seemed to understand the offense and how he knew where he wanted to go with the football.”

The Chiefs also agreed to terms with LB Monty Beisel and WR Terrance Copper on Tuesday. Beisel returns to the Chiefs after spending the last four seasons in New England (2005) and Arizona (2006-08). Cooper split last season between the Saints and Ravens, and played two seasons under then wide receivers coach Todd Haley in Dallas during the 2004-05 seasons.

Give the Lions and general manager Martin Mayhew credit on two fronts — they’re giving their due diligence to owning the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, and they’re not tipping their hand as to who they will take in a class that many agree has no consensus No. 1.

The Lions have hosted visits with three prospective top picks. Georgia QB Matthew Stafford and former Baylor OT Jason Smith visited Motown last week, and former Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry visited yesterday.

Next up is former Boston College DT B.J. Raji. The 6-foot-2, 337-pounder is scheduled to visit the Lions on Wednesday.

Raji is a consensus pick among the NFL.com mock drafts at the top of the first round. Charles Davis has Raji going at No. 12 to the Broncos. So does Pat Kirwan in the third edition of his mock draft, and Steve Wyche in his latest mock. Jamie Dukes has him slated at No. 8 to the Jaguars.

Maybe the visit is a smoke screen. Maybe the Lions — who own three of the top 33 picks in the draft (Nos. 1, 20 and 33) — are really considering Raji with the first pick or interested enough that they would put themselves in position to take him later. The Lions acquired former Pro Bowl LB Julian Peterson from the Seattle Seahawks for DT Cory Redding and a 2009 fifth-round draft choice late last week, fueling speculation that Curry wouldn’t be Detroit’s choice with the top pick.

Maybe we’ll have to wait and see.

When Tony Dungy retired from the NFL, many people suspected there would always be a “pull” from outside or within to try to keep him close to the game.

A little more than three months after Dungy coached his final game for the Colts, he could return to the league in a different role.

Dungy has been approached by new NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, who’s interested in having the retired coach assume a role of liaison between the players and the NFL office.

Dungy tells me there has been initial contact between him and Smith, although “nothing substantive” has happened yet. More talks are expected.

– Scott Hanson

DeMaurice Smith walked into the NFLPA meetings in Maui over the weekend and spoke boldly about his litigating background, presented an infectious energy and a comprehensive plan to move the group forward.

He struck a uniting chord with membership across the board.

There was an originality with Smith that swung the vote for executive director his way.

“His energy is impressive and he was very prepared in a way that you could see why he has been such a successful attorney,” Buffalo Bills player representative and defensive back George Wilson said via telephone on Monday morning from Maui. “He impressed us all with the fact that he was under consideration recently to become U.S. attorney general. Right now, he is the right fit at the right time.”

The multitude of NFLPA issues — improved benefits for current and (especially) retired players, an improved free agency plan, player safety concerns and much more — appeared to be dwarfed in this vote by two primary issues: Which of the candidates can best represent the players and battle toe-to-toe with the league in an effort to create a new collective bargaining agreement and avoid a 2011 lockout? And, which candidate could best mend and untie a body of men splintered during this process?

Smith, 45, a Washington, D.C., partner at Patton Boggs, was the answer.

It became clear in Maui that the other three finalist — former players and NFLPA presidents Troy Vincent and Trace Armstrong, and attorney David Cornwell – had strong, segmented camps of support and that electing any of them would have resulted in a more difficult task of coalescing the entire group.

“I would say that all issues were taken into account,” Wilson said. “Of course, the CBA is definitely a hot topic right now. But I think getting us all on the same page and setting the right tone across the body is the central issue. It was good to see everyone here put all of their differences aside and come together on one accord. It has been a long, tough process. This is about getting the entire ship going in the right direction. You cannot enter where we are about to enter and all be on different pages.”

Thus, Smith helped create a bond in a field of candidates where players’ passions were so divisively split.

“He’s the man,” Wilson said. “It’s a new day in the `PA.’”

– Thomas George

Owens and Manning could face off in Toronto. (Getty Images)

The Buffalo Bills added a major drawing card for their series of games in Toronto by signing Terrell Owens. Now, the NFL could take a big step toward doing the same by lining up an attractive opponent for this year’s game.

Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts are the NFL’s leading choice to be the Bills’ opponent, according to a league source.

An announcement could come during the March 22-25 owners’ meetings in Dana Point, Calif.

The NFL, and especially Toronto promoters paying $74 million over five years for five Bills regular-season and three preseason games at Rogers Centre, were disappointed last year by sluggish ticket sales for a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and especially for a regular-season game against the Miami Dolphins.

The hope is that the addition of Owens, who appeared on a major Toronto sports radio show after his March 7 signing, will help change that. And the league believes a marquee player such as Manning will spark more interest among Toronto fans paying as much as $200-plus for a ticket.

Before and after the Dolphins’ 16-3 victory, many Bills fans complained about the retractable roof on the Rogers Centre being closed and taking away home-field advantage for the cold-weather game played on Dec. 7. Similar complaints are likely to be heard again if, as expected, the roof remains closed for a Bills-Colts game, which also is expected to be played in December so as to not conflict with the Canadian Football League season.

The Colts play their home games in Lucas Oil Stadium, which also has a retractable roof.

– Vic Carucci