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Denver Broncos: WR Rod Smith has noticed that during practice he's had a hard time figuring out the defense run by new coordinator Larry Coyer, and that's a good thing. "They say offense sells tickets and puts points on the board, but defense wins championships, bottom line," Smith told the Rocky Mountain News. "Honestly, looking at the way that our defense is structured for this year . . . I'm not knocking Ray (former defensive coordinator Rhodes), but what Larry has going, it's confusing to me. I've been doing this for a long time now. They're throwing wrinkles that have me saying, 'Oh, man.' If I'm out there with those guys every day and I'm having a hard time picking things up, I know other teams are going to have a hard time."

Chicago Bears: The club signed two more picks from the 2003 draft Wednesday. The Chicago Tribune reports fourth-round pick, S Todd Johnson, signed a four-year deal, and OL Bryan Anderson, a seventh-round selection, got a three-year contract. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed. Johnson was a three-time, all-SEC selection from Florida and Anderson, the Bears' final pick in the draft, started all four years at right guard for Pittsburgh.

Miami Dolphins: DE David Bowens underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. The fifth-year veteran, who re-signed with the Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, is expected to miss most of the season, with a mid-November return date considered a best-case scenario. ''Everything went great,'' Bowens' agent, Harold Lewis, told the Miami Herald. "He's at home resting. The doctor is pretty confident he will play this season.''

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