US PresswireAt a training camp press conference on Wednesday, Dolphins wide receiver Chad Johnson was in a mood. He says that training camp is going well — "----ing awesome," actually, is how he put it — and I hope that's true, because if he doesn't make the team, his next job will be gross.

Q: What if you don't make the team?

Chad: "I'm always looking to a second job. Thinking about going into porn. It's not funny. I got to earn a living. I'm being serious. I mean, that's what I would do."

I'm sure that's exactly what every new bride wants to hear.

We have all, in the past, been impressed by Chad's explosiveness, but I hope this is something we can keep on the football field. I'm a Chad Johnson fan and all, but I just don't want to know him like that.

I understand that it sounds more appealing to be covered by Lexi Belle and Jenna Haze, as opposed to Darrelle Revis and Devin McCourty, but I'm not sure the lifestyle is as glamorous as it's made out to be. I don't know what it is, but there's something that makes all porno guys look off-putting and ghoulish, and I'm guessing it isn't uncommonly pleasant working conditions.

Also, I know these things because I read them in a magazine. Probably The Atlantic or The Paris Review, because that's how I choose to entertain myself.

Anyway, adult film-making isn't Chad's only off-field activity outside of football. When asked about his black fingernail polish, he mentioned another away-from-football hobby.

Getty ImagesBen Roethlisberger, the oft-hit and oft-hurt quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, confessed to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he does have a tear in his rotator cuff.

He doesn't act as if he's concerned about it, but he wouldn't. Roethlisberger has a reputation as a tough guy, and he thrives on it. His foot could be caught in a bear trap, and he'd show up to practice and say, "What? This? Oh, that's nothing. Just a little new bear trap therapy I'm trying."

Here's what Benjamin said:

"I'm good. It's OK, just sore," he said when asked about his arm injury. "I have a little torn rotator cuff. That doesn't heal. We just have to hope it doesn't tear the rest of the way, according to Doc," he said, laughing.

Haha, said zero Steelers fans.

According to WebMD, small tears in rotator cuffs will heal on their own with rest. That doesn't mean that's the case with Ben — I don't know any details regarding him or his cuff. But he is resting it.

"It's part of getting older, too. If you watch walk-throughs, I used to throw all the time. Now it's just backing off. Now I don't ever throw during walk-throughs. It's less throwing; I think that's smart anyway. As you get older, you just need to take care of yourself whether you're hurt or not."

The big risk with partial tears is that they'll tear completely if they're not rested. That would require surgery and more Byron Leftwich than any of us would care to see. What kind of risk there is of Roethlisberger further tearing his rotator cuff, I haven't a clue.

Ben Roethlisberger can play through injuries. He's a very tough guy — the toughest man in the history of the universe, actually, is the impression I get from Dan Dierdorf.

Anthony Adams is a nine-year NFL veteran who currently finds himself with some time on his hands. Like a lot of free agents this time of year, he really, really just wants the phone to ring.

It hasn't. Not one to waste time, though, he made this video, "Stuff NFL Free Agents Say," resurrecting an internet meme that had been mercilessly beaten into the ground. His is wonderful.

I imagine Plaxico Burress's video would be most similar to the crying shower scenes. I also very much appreciate someone being honest about what it means that they're in "the best shape of their life."

AP

Most rookies struggle out of the gate as they try to adapt to the otherworldly speed and athleticism of the NFL game. They adjust as the season goes on, and by the end of the year, they're a far more effective player than they were at the beginning.

That path is not an option for Vikings rookie tackle Matt Kalil because he's facing Jared Allen in training camp. If he doesn't want to end up face down and crying on the grass after every play, he better get pretty good, pretty quick.

And evidently, he's holding his own. Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com tweeted this on Tuesday:

Matt Kalil just stonewalled Jared Allen two snaps in a row in one on ones. Allen cursed loudly.

APA day after the apparent suicide of Tennessee Titans wide receiver O.J. Murdock, no family or friends have been able to offer a reason as to why he might have taken his own life.

TBO.com reports that there is a suicide note, however. Police consider the investigation ongoing, so they won't reveal what it says, but at least Murdock's loved ones will get some kind of an explanation. It won't be satisfactory, because nothing could be, but it's something.

Murdock did make a few communications before his death. Via the Tampa Bay Times, he texted his receivers coach at Fort Hays State, Al McCray, at 3:30 a.m.

"It was like, 'Coach, I appreciate everything you've done for me and my family.' At the end of the text he said, 'I apologize.' I figured he's apologizing because he texted me so early."

A former high school coach also got a call. From TBO.com:

One of his former coaches at Memorial Middle Schoolreach, Aesha Bailey, spoke to Murdock by phone just before his death. She was the first to find him Monday morning in his car.

On the phone, "He just kept saying 'I'm sorry, coach. I'm sorry,'" said Bailey, a former star athlete in the county before joining the teaching ranks. "That's all he said."

Bill Ward, a local sports writer who covered Murdock in high school, got a text, too, at 6:03 a.m.

"Hey Mr Ward, it's OJ Murdock…. I just want to thank u for everything you've done for me and my family. Can't thank you enough."

Ward replied to Murdock at 9:57 a.m.:

"Hi O.J. Thanks for those kind words. Are you recovered from the Achilles and back in camp with the (Titans)?"

Murdock did not respond.

Getty ImagesAll NFL training camps are open now, and Plaxico Burress isn't at any of them. He's at home, keeping himself in shape, and waiting for the phone to ring.

The only person calling, though, is ESPN's Adam Schefter, and he's saying things like, "Hey, why don't you have a job?"

And Burress really didn't have an answer for him. He assumed he'd have a job by now, and certainly, his numbers and his production would warrant a job offer of some kind. It hasn't happened, though, Plax is flummoxed. Via MDS at Pro Football Talk:

"With some of the things I was able to do after being away for two years, I pretty much thought it spoke for itself. But I guess obviously not." [...]

"Some things you don't have an answer to, but to me it's just a matter of keep working hard, keep training, and keep building myself up to get back to the player I know I can be."

Well, I hope the player you know you can be likes the idea of playing in the UFL. I guess it's still possible that some NFL team will run into injuries and/or red zone struggles and give Plax a call, but it gets less likely with each passing day. The more young guys get a chance to prove themselves in camp, the further Plaxico gets from a job.

Getty ImagesChuck Pagano, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, used to be a Baltimore Raven. The same is true of Colts safety Tom Zbikowski. As ex-Ravens, they've both been through their share of wars with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Neither is ready to let go.

Their Steeler hatred still burns so intensely, in fact, that they won't tolerate the sight of a Steelers jersey at a Colts practice. A 24-year-old Steelers fan found this out on Monday when Pagano approached him personally and made him take off his Steelers jersey. From the AP:

''He (Zbikowski) saw it and said, `Look Coach we got to do something about that,''' Pagano said. ''I went over there. He's a huge (Bruce) Arians fan, obviously, and Mewelde Moore [ed. note: Arians and Moore are former Steelers]. So with a little bit of coaching and a brand new Andrew Luck jersey, I said, `Look, you've got to put this jersey on. If you do it, you get to stay, if not we've got to escort you out of here.'''

The Steelers and Colts have had their battles through the years, but they aren't traditional rivals. The Steelers figure again to be one of the dominant forces in the AFC, though, so if the Colts want to get to the Super Bowl, they'll have to — actually, I guess we can just go ahead and stop that sentence right there.

Getty ImagesWith his face swelling and his breathing restricted, star Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was rushed to the hospital on Monday afternoon. An allergic reaction to seafood caused the health scare, briefly giving everyone in Vikings camp a pretty good scare.

Peterson's fine now, and he's been cleared to resume rehabbing from knee surgery. Here's more from head coach Leslie Frazier, via TwinCities.com:

"He's doing fine," Frazier said Monday, July 30. "He'll pick back up with his rehab (Tuesday). He's been cleared. Everything's back to normal now. Bit of a scare but he's fine now."

The team was unaware of any specific food allergies Peterson had, Frazier said.

"He had mentioned there was a time early in his life where he had an allergic reaction to something, maybe not quite as severe as this," the coach said.

Seafood allergies can develop in adulthood, so it's entirely possible that Peterson spent his whole life enjoying Long John Silvers, and one day out of the blue, a scallop or a calamari ring decided to close down his throat. According to WebMD, 2.3 percent of the population has a seafood allergy, and allergic reactions to seafood account for about 30,000 emergency room visits every year in the United States.