Fantasy Demon

NFL business analyst Andrew Brandt expects the owners’ temporary stay of the lockout injunction to last until at least a June 3 hearing date.

Brandt also expects neither side to offer a concession until that date. In other words, the league would have no movement for the rest of the month and possibly even pass that June 3 date. The lawyers on both sides are meanwhile racking up some serious cash. The Eighth Circuit Court, same one that’s refused to rule on the temporary stay, will hear the June 3 appeal in St. Louis.

After failing to reach a long-term deal prior to the lockout, free agent DT Brandon Mebane no longer believes he’ll be back in Seattle for the 2011 season.

"I feel like I wasn’t in their plans," said Mebane. "And I feel like I have the right to think that because I got a third-round tender. If they really wanted me, they had plenty of time to do what they had to do." Mebane has a good point, and he’s likely to draw plenty of interest at the third-round level. Potential landing spots include Denver, Tennessee, Cleveland, Chicago, and Carolina.

Reggie Bush is now reversing course on his willingness to stay in New Orleans, stating Saturday that he wants "first and foremost" to be a Saint.

Bush regrets his post-draft tweet suggesting the Mark Ingram pick had sealed his fate with the team. "Obviously, sometimes you write things or say things that you wish you shouldn’t have," Bush said. "(Ingram and) I can definitely help each other." Bush acknowledges that he and the Saints still have to "handle the business side of things" and "come to a happy medium" on a restructured contract, but he to play the rest of his career in New Orleans. The odds are now much better than 50-50 that Bush will remain with the Saints.

The 49ers revealed Friday that No. 36 overall pick Colin Kaepernick recently underwent surgery to repair an injury on his lower left leg.

"It’s nothing serious at all," Kaepernick assured. "… I’ll be ready for the season, ready for camp." The 49ers released a statement expressing full confidence that Kaepernick will be fine before the season, and confirming they "were fully aware of the injury at the time of the draft. … The 49ers have no concerns." Kaepernick never missed a game due to injury in college. The 49ers expect him to compete with Alex Smith for their starting quarterback job.

Texans ILB DeMeco Ryans believes he can be "pretty close" to 100 percent recovered from Achilles surgery by the start of the regular season.

Ryans is still rehabbing in Alabama, unable to join informal workouts with teammates. He’ll have to be eased in at training camp, and it’s a good bet that he’ll struggle early in the season. The good news is that linebackers and defensive ends have a better track record than offensive skill-position players of contributing at a high level after Achilles surgery.

Free agent Ronnie Brown is still "very interested" in re-signing with the Dolphins.

The Dolphins traded up to draft Daniel Thomas as the future starter, but there’s no viable backup on the roster. Free agent running backs are going to find a depressed market because most teams filled their holes in the draft. After churning out just 3.0 yards per carry in the second half of 2010, Brown’s best bet is to return to a timeshare with Thomas.

Free agent Ike Taylor suggested Thursday that he will give the Steelers first dibs on re-signing him once the league year begins.

"I’m pretty sure we’re on the same page," said Taylor. "The ball’s in their court … I’ve been in Pittsburgh longer than any other city since I was born. That’s home to me. Steelers Nation is crazy." Beat writer Scott Brown notes that Taylor is "father-son close" to owner Dan Rooney, and the Steelers are "too smart to try and lowball him."

According to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, the Vikings have not even held internal discussions about the possibility of acquiring Vince Young this offseason.

Young was initially connected to the team back in late January after his old QBs coach, Craig Johnson, was hired for the same position in Minnesota. Now that Young is participating in offseason workouts with Adrian Peterson, the dot-connecting has picked up where it left off in February. The Vikes can do better for a veteran influence and potential clip-board holder behind Christian Ponder.

Marques Colston revealed that his post-season right knee surgery was microfracture in nature.

It’s the same knee Colston had scoped in late December. The procedure repaired cartilage around Colston’s right kneecap, similar to the microfracture surgery on his left knee in 2009. Colston recovered in time for training camp two years ago, and he claims to be ahead of that schedule this time around. This is the fifth known knee surgery of Colston’s five-year career, so it’s hard to like his chances of maintaining WR1 production long-term. We expect Jimmy Graham to eat into his red-zone production starting this season, a contract year for Colston.