Welcome to the first in a series of NFL player interviews, in which we'll cover issues on and off the field. Subject No. 1 is Houston Texans right tackle Eric Winston(notes). The Miami grad, taken as part of a 2006 Texans draft that also produced Mario Williams(notes), DeMeco Ryans(notes) and Owen Daniels(notes), has developed into one of the more underrated linemen in the NFL today. He's started 55 straight games for the team and didn't incur a single penalty in 2009. In Part 1 of my interview with Eric, we talk about media futures, former Texans line coach Alex Gibbs (who's now in Seattle), zone blocking, and the team's recent red zone woes. Stay tuned for the interview's conclusion later Thursday.

Shutdown Corner: You have a great website, you do radio ... basically you're pretty active in traditional and social media. Plus, you're filling in for Peter King with an MMQB column while he's in South Africa. Do you have specific media/broadcasting goals after football?

Eric Winston: You

Talk of an 18-game regular season can be found in several statements by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell; that is, the NFL is looking into the possibility of expanding the regular season and compressing the preseason. Goodell sees the expanded season as a key point in the current CBA negotiations because more games means more television revenue, and revenue is at the heart of what the league and the union are fighting over these days.

At Wednesday's CBA negotiations, which were devoted almost entirely to talk of an expanded season, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady(notes) and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis(notes) sounded off about the issue via the NFL Players Association website.

These two aren't always on the same side (as evidenced by the accompanying photo), but they were in lock-step this time. "Don't get me wrong, I love the game of football," Lewis said. "If fans want to show their love, they should let everyone know that we are not machines. I've been blessed to

Here we go again. The always unhappy Albert Haynesworth(notes), apparently feeling betrayed because the Washington Redskins had the nerve to switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense in the offseason, has now decided that he will not attend the team's mandatory minicamp that begins Wednesday.

On top of that, he is now demanding a trade through his agent — after accepting a $21 million guaranteed option bonus from the Redskins in April. Chad Speck, Haynesworth's agent, gave Jason Reid of the Washington Post the scoop on his client:

"The Redskins are trying to establish a new regime with new schemes at Redskins Park, and it is not an organization that Albert would have ever been attracted to just a short year ago - regardless of the money," Speck said in a phone interview. "He has made it clear to me that he does not want to play for the Washington Redskins.

"This situation will be a distraction to the Redskins and to Albert and his teammates. I am certain [head coach] Mike [Shanahan] and

As of the June 15 deadline to do so, 12 players have not signed their restricted free agent tenders and are thus in interesting states of purgatory. According to NFLLabor.com and updated reports we're receiving, there are two New Orleans Saints (T Jammal Brown(notes) and WR Lance Moore(notes)), two Green Bay Packers (SS Atari Bigby(notes) and CB Tramon Williams(notes)); three San Diego Chargers (WR Vincent Jackson(notes), T Marcus McNeill(notes), and OLB Shawne Merriman(notes)); one Kansas City Chief (FS Jarrad Page(notes)); one Tampa Bay Buccaneer (T Donald Penn(notes)); one Miami Dolphin (Ronnie Brown(notes)); one New England Patriot (G Logan Mankins(notes), pictured); and one Washington Redskin (CB Carlos Rogers(notes)). Saints running back Pierre Thomas(notes) signed his near the last minute (as, it turns out, did safety Roman Harper(notes), which takes our number down to 12), but will continue to hold out of OTAs as he seeks a new contract.

Of these players, Jackson, McNeill, and

MJD has already detailed the New York Jets' ridiculous offer of no guaranteed money to star cornerback Darrelle Revis(notes). It's safe to say that Revis isn't happy, and it's safe to say he deserves better. And from the "unhappy, but deserves better" department, I give you Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson.

Last season, Johnson put up the fifth-highest, single-season rushing-yardage total in NFL history (2,006 yards) and led his team in receptions with 50 catches. And for those deeds, Johnson will earn the princely sum of $550,000 in base salary in 2010. Johnson did receive a $3.86 million roster bonus in 2009, but the numbers still don't add up. The Titans are holding back from raising Johnson's salary with three years left on his contract, because they don't want to set a precedent for their other players. And it's easy to see their point, but how many of their current players are going to run for over 2,000 yards in a single season and set every highlight film afire?

Editor's note: Yahoo! Sports will examine the biggest weakness of the 2009 season for every team and explain how the franchise can address the issues. The series continues with the Falcons, who finished second in the NFC South (9-7) last season.

Biggest problem in 2009: A problematic pass defense

The Falcons' John Abraham(notes) attempts a tackle against the Saints' Reggie Bush(notes).
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

In 2009, the Atlanta Falcons put together their second straight non-losing season for the first time in franchise history. Quarterback Matt Ryan(notes) had a slight sophomore slump, but the acquisition of tight end Tony Gonzalez(notes) paid great dividends, and running back Michael Turner(notes) appears to be back in fighting shape after an injury-filled season. The offense is up and running, but the pass defense was a major issue last season. The defense ranked 25th in yards allowed

--It appears that Vikings head coach Brad Childress is unhappy with Adrian Peterson's absence from the team's mandatory minicamp so that Peterson could attend a day in his honor in his hometown of Palestine, Texas. "I just know that there's a bunch of guys here," Childress told reporters on Friday. "This has the term mandatory for a reason. The work's here." Of course, Childress has no standing or credibility when it comes to laying down the law; his indulgence of Brett Favre's(notes) ongoing "retire-and-unretire-so-I-can-miss-offseason-activities" leaves him with nothing to say about anything. "I don't think Adrian's batting around retirement in his mind, I don't believe," Childress said when asked about Favre. "Is everything equal? Obviously it's not. That's just the way it is. That's matter of fact. I think everybody understands that part of the equation." Sorry, Chilly - you can't have it both ways. If you want to give Favre a minicamp waiver, fine. But expecting everyone else to

Now that he's the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, people have been intimating for months that Pete Carroll left USC just in the nick of time. As the NCAA investigated the alleged violations that have now led to what amounts to a near-death penalty against one of college football's most storied programs, people in and around Seattle are doing an interesting dance with all of this information. On one hand, the penalties against the USC football team comprise a major advantage to any other competitive Pac-10 team, and the Washington Huskies (currently coached by former SC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian) are one of those teams. And any blight on the hated Trojans will go over well at Montlake. On the other hand, there is absolutely no way that Carroll wasn't aware of what was going on with Reggie Bush(notes) and others during his nine-year tenure with the university. Right?

A quick glance at the Public Infractions Report, which was released Thursday, unveils the following (pg.