NFL quick hits: Peppers will pay off

Carolina fans shouldn’t worry about the production of defensive end Julius Peppers this season because, despite the monster tender he signed that will pay him more than $16 million this season, he’s still playing for a long-term deal — and that should lead to an increase in his production.

We all know that some players tend to “shut it down” after scoring a big payday, but Peppers refused to sign his tender at first in hopes he would get that big deal this offseason. I think he puts up big numbers in ’09 and gets an extension during the season.

APThe immediate returns from Boley are lacking in New York.

If I’m the New York Giants, I’m starting to worry about the return I’m getting from linebacker Michael Boley, who signed a five-year, $25-million deal in free agency this offseason. First, there was the surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip that will probably force him to miss time in training camp, and just today, the league handed a one-game suspension to the former Falcon for violating the NFL personal conduct policy.

There is no doubt that this team is scratching its head right now. What was supposed to be a deal that brought in a starting weakside linebacker has been met with road bumps and now a suspension that will keep Boley out of action against the Redskins — and divisional games carry monumental weight in the NFC East. More opportunities for players on the Giants’ depth chart to make a name for themselves in camp and the season opener.

The Packers have a ton of weapons on offense, and our own Michael Lombardi is hopping on that bandwagon, but where does receiver James Jones fit in? Reports say that he’s bounced back from 2008 when he battled a knee injury that derailed his development last year, but he might have to battle just to get on the field, and that speaks volumes of the depth at WR for the Pack.

The sign of a great passing offense is the number of weapons it has on the outside. We all know that Greg Jennings is, without question, the No. 1 option in Green Bay, and that Donald Driver still has enough gas left in the tank to make plays. But after that, there’s no guarantee that Jones will beat out Jordy Nelson when the Packers use their three-wide-receiver sets on offense. Camp battles are great, and if you’re a Packers’ fan, they’re even better when you have good competition for the No. 3 role. Maybe Lombardi is on to something, folks.

I’m anxious to see how Fred Smoot responds to the competition in Washington under defensive coordinator Greg Blache. I am not a huge fan of starting cornerback DeAngelo Hall, but Smoot might not even get a chance to compete with him due to the massive contract Hall received this offseason. I still think there’s a place for him to make an impact on this defense — just not sure where yet.

APExpect Williams to put up big numbers under Bill Kolar in Houston.

The Texans’ defensive line will be far better than the national media is giving them credit for this season, thanks to the addition of defensive line coach Bill Kolar, who came over from Buffalo. I was on two different teams with Kolar during my career (St. Louis and Buffalo), and despite the fact he can strike absolute fear into grown men when it comes to performing on Sundays, the guy gets his players to work — extremely hard. You haven’t seen defensive linemen practice hard until you watch a practice with Kolar chasing them down the field.

Amobi Okoye will be better, and Mario Williams could have his best season yet as a pro. Take that, Lombardi.

If I’m the Rams, I start preparing to bring in wide receivers who get cut early in August for workouts — because outside of Donnie Avery, I don’t see many reasons to think that Marc Bulger will have a productive season with the lack of weapons they have on the outside. The Rams need to bring in as much competition as they can during training camp.

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