The numbers jump at you like some accountant's spreadsheet. They look intimidating and tough to decipher.

But they are worth millions.

Michigan State's T.J. Duckett shows speed to go with size. (Allsport)

They are the numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine, sheets listing every player who attended and numbers for everything they did that week. It's called the Master Report.

Each player has 29 numbers next to his name if he worked out.

Among those numbers are height, weight, 40-yard dash times and how many times a player bench-pressed 225 pounds. They are numbers that could conceivably mean a gain of millions or a loss of millions for these players.

That's how important they are. NFL coaches, scouts and personnel will use those numbers to help them determine whether they should select one of those players in the college draft.

To the average eye, they may mean little. After all, what does a player finishing the three-cone drill in 7.90 mean? To the scouts and coaches, it means plenty.

There are far too many numbers to print, so here are a few of the highlights:

• Of the 53 offensive linemen who attended, only six weighed less than 300 pounds, and two of those weighed 299. The heaviest offensive lineman was Texas tackle Mike Williams, who weighed in at 375 pounds. The lightest was Air Force center Ben Miller who weighed 263.
• The fastest 40 times were recorded by two receivers -- Auburn's Tim Carter and Aaron Lockett of Kansas State. Both players had 4.32 times. The slowest 40 time was 5.62, with Colorado guard Victor Rogers and Maryland center Melvin Fowler each plodding along at that time.
• The strongest player was BYU defensive end Ryan Denney, who pushed up 225 pounds 36 times. But the most impressive show of strength might have come from Tennessee running back Will Bartholomew. At 5-foot-11, 246 pounds, he did 35 repetitions. The weakest player was Kansas State cornerback Demarcus Faggins. He did three reps.

Many of the top players refused to work out, but with pro-day testing now going on, more and more are getting their chance to shine.

Tennessee wide receiver Donte Stallworth had a sensational workout Wednesday, clocking under 4.3 in the 40. That should make him the first receiver picked.

Michigan State running back T.J. Duckett ran a 4.44 at 260 pounds Wednesday. Boston College running back William Green, who had a disappointing workout at the combine, improved his 40 time to 4.52 at his workout this week. That's still slower than what most scouts thought he'd run.

By late April, when the draft rolls around, all these numbers will mean a lot more.

Millions more.

Around the League

• Under Dennis Green, the Vikings were always a team that would allow players to leave via free agency, ready to replace them with players who they developed. One such player was center Matt Birk, who took over as the starter two years ago when Jeff Christy went to Tampa Bay. Birk is now a two-time Pro Bowl player, while Christy didn't play that well last season. New coach Mike Tice, who had been the offensive line coach under Green, wants to adhere to the same philosophy. That's why when Brad Badger refused to take a pay cut, the Vikings were willing to let him walk. Tice has a couple of inexperienced linemen he thinks have the potential to be solid starters in the league. But they may not be ready until 2003. One player who may be ready in 2002 is center Cory Withrow. He saw time at guard last season, playing well against Chicago's two big defensive tackles, but with Badger gone, it appears that Tice may move Birk to left tackle. If that happens, Withrow would be the center. "He's going to be a good player in this league,'' Tice said. The Vikings also plan to use more two-tight end sets and less I-formation. Tice hopes that will lead to more big plays for Michael Bennett, who is as fast as any back in the league.
• The new contract the Packers gave receiver Terry Glenn, who they traded for two weeks ago, is for five years and $21.5 million. That number includes a $4 million roster bonus due on the first day of the league year in 2004, which means the Packers will have to make decision on his future at that time. The Packers gave him only a $1 million signing bonus, which protects them from Glenn having the same type of problems he had in New England, which led to him missing games and being suspended. The contract also includes $4 million in incentives. If Glenn catches 85 passes for 1,190 yards and makes the Pro Bowl, he will get $800,000 next season, the highest amount he can get.
• The Falcons' signing of Tampa Bay running back Warrick Dunn, which should become official Friday, has some around the league scratching their heads. Dunn is expected to sign a deal that will average about $4.5 million for five years. Although Dunn has nice speed, and should be even more effective on the turf inside the Georgia Dome, many scouts around the league wonder if he can be a feature back. As one personnel director said, "When it gets tough, he folds up.'' Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden wanted to retain Dunn, but the running back has apparently opted to make the move. This might be one that new owner Arthur Blank, who had a major hand in landing Dunn, later regrets. Blank supposedly loved Dunn's character. That's nice and all, but that doesn't win games.
• The Cowboys are excited about the potential of second-year receiver Randal Williams. At 6-3, 214 pounds, Williams is a long strider who has the speed to get deep. The Cowboys claimed Williams off waivers from the Jaguars last year, a move the Jaguars now regret because they were trying to sneak him onto their practice squad. Williams came out of the University of New Hampshire, where he was used little in a run offense, catching just 10 passes. But those passes went for 258 yards and four touchdowns. He showed enough that the Jaguars kept him on their roster last year, despite being deep at the receiver position. But when they needed to make a move for injury reasons, Williams was the one who was waived. Dallas quickly claimed him and now Williams has a chance to be a contributor in 2002.
• There was a lot of speculation before free agency that the Texans would jump all over Chicago center Olin Kreutz. As it turned out, the Texans feel they found their center elsewhere. Steve McKinney, who has played guard the past four seasons for the Colts, will move to center for the Texans. They signed him to a five-year, $16-million deal, which would have been huge money for a guard. But the idea of the signing was that he would move inside, giving the Texans a strong middle to go with tackles Tony Boselli and Ryan Young. Steelers center Jeff Hartings made a similar move last season after being signed away from Detroit and played at a Pro Bowl level.
• Salary cap troubles have made things pretty ugly in Jacksonville. Recently, Pro Bowl wide receiver Jimmy Smith had a heated meeting with team owner Wayne Weaver, according to several sources. Smith wanted to address the topic of a new contract, but the Jaguars have no intention of re-doing his deal with five years remaining on it. That has some of his teammates saying Smith will hold out this summer. A five-time Pro Bowl player, and a potential future Hall of Famer, Smith feels he's due a contract equivalent to the best receivers in the league. Smith isn't the only Jaguars player who could be a problem. Quarterback Mark Brunell will not return calls from team personnel, who hope to get him to restructure his contract in an effort to create cap room. Brunell is angry at the direction the team has taken in the offseason, especially with his friend Tony Boselli being exposed in the expansion draft.
• One of the real risers in the college draft is Alabama-Birmingham defensive end Bryan Thomas. With a shortage of quality pass-rushers on the outside, Thomas has shown a lot of athletic ability the last couple of months. At the scouting combine, Thomas measured just over 6-4, weighed in at 266 pounds, did 33 reps at 225 pounds and ran the 40 in 4.50. Thomas could work his way into the late first round with his impressive workout.