The biggest thing we learned about the NFL this weekend is that not every player learns.
Just look at the headlines. Jets cornerback Justin Miller was arrested Sunday morning for allegedly punching a woman in a nightclub. Further embarrassing matters: The winner of the NFL Fastest Man competition allegedly bolted after the incident, but was tracked down a block away.
No matter how hard commissioner Roger Goodell comes down on crime, players are going to be involved in off-the-field incidents. At current count, the league has 2,867 signed players. Organized practices, those OTAs as the league calls them, kicked into high gear this week, but players have weekends to make their mistakes. Their mistakes will make headlines.
Goodell can offer only a deterrent with his penalties, and this week will define how strong his conduct policy is. He came out of the box strong with an eight-game suspension of Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry and a conditional season-long suspension for Titans cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones. Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson should learn this week how many games he will lose for his gun case and subsequent 60-day jail sentence. The Michael Vick dog-fight case also is looming.
The football public has to understand Goodell is not going to involve himself in every off-the-field incident. He can't. A union is involved and the policies for punishment are pretty well defined. If a player is convicted of an assault or a gun charge or some bad act, he's going to probably get a one-game suspension. That's been the policy for years.
Miller has had some incidents in the past but the new conduct code cleans most of the slate and lets everyone start fresh. The Jets did inform the league about the Miller incident and issued a terse statement Sunday. The team acknowledges players must be held to a higher standard than the general population because it is a privilege to play in the league.
Miller has to worry because the team isn't happy about this charge.
The next player who might face the commissioner is former Bengals linebacker A.J. Nicholson, who was released Monday by Cincinnati. He recently was arrested on a domestic assault case. According to the Associated Press, last March Nicholson pleaded no contest to burglary and grand theft in Tallahassee, Fla., and was sentenced to two months in a work program. He had been charged with stealing electronic equipment and other items from the apartment of a former Florida State teammate.
Nicholson also was placed on two years' probation, which could be jeopardized by his latest arrest.
Players are innocent until proven guilty, but repeat offenders must face the commissioner.
Here are five other things we learned over the weekend from minicamps.
1. The Bears -- believe it or not -- are a faster team than last year.
Devin Hester was converted to wide receiver and he was zipping around the field, doing reverses and making sure-handed catches. Halfback Cedric Benson has a new spring to his step now that he doesn't have to worry about Thomas Jones competing for his playing time. Despite Lance Briggs' holdout, the Bears have some speedy replacements for the future in Jamar Williams and Michael Okwo. Adam Archuleta adds speed at safety. To make matters worse for the rest of the league, the Bears didn't have tight end Greg Olsen and halfback Garrett Wolfe at minicamp because they were attending the Premiere sponsorship affair in Los Angeles. This might be the Bears' most athletic team since the 1985 Super Bowl squad.
2. Despite the losses of starting cornerbacks Nick Harper and Jason David, the Colts might not be bad off at the position.
Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden worked with the first team and Tim Jennings had an excellent minicamp working the slot. Jackson is a former first-round choice and Jennings went in the second round. They are taller and faster than their predecessors, but they lack the battle-tested experience of Harper and David in big games. Because the Colts are an offensive team, general manager Bill Polian keeps drafting defensive players as potential replacements. Fourth-round choice Daymeion Hughes also will be a factor. It's time for Jackson, Hayden and Jennings to step up. Another positive sign was the play of linebacker Freddy Keiaho, who will replace Cato June on the weakside. June was a former college safety and helped in coverage. Keiaho could be a little better in run support, which was one of the Colts' biggest weaknesses last year.
3. Brett Favre feels guilty.
Whether or not Favre asked for a trade right after the draft because of his frustration with the Packers offseason, Favre is acting like a guilty man. He showed up for Packers minicamp and he now plans to stay through most of the organized workouts. Favre obviously is worried that his teammates don't think he believes in them. He's doing the right thing for the team in being there. Still, Favre is in a no-win situation. Last year, he stated the young Packers team was as talented as his Super Bowl teams. Favre was blasted nationally as being unrealistic. It's obvious Favre wanted more veterans on this team. He got criticized for that. His best choice is being with his teammates.
4. The best sign for the Lions is defensive tackle Shaun Rogers might be buying into head coach Rod Marinelli's program.
Marinelli was a popular position coach among Tampa Bay defensive linemen, but for whatever reason, the Lions linemen didn't jump aboard in his first season. Someone from that group filed a complaint with the league for the offseason workouts and the Lions lost OTA time. A fresh start this season is a good sign. Rogers appears to be in better shape. He even spent time with the local media, something he hasn't done in a long time. Marinelli worked on rotations along the line. There was more pop and sizzle to the drills during the minicamp. The defense looks quicker and on the same page. Rogers is the leader because he's the most talented defender on the field for the Lions.
5. The Broncos are trying to totally revamp the defensive line after finishing 14th in total defense and 12th against the run.
Defensive coordinator Jim Bates plans to use Jarvis Moss as a defensive end in a 4-3, joining second-round choice Tim Crowder in the defensive end rotation. The key project is fourth-round choice Marcus Thomas. After being kicked out of Florida, Thomas has said he's rededicating himself. Mike Shanahan believes he has the talent to start at tackle as a rookie. Thomas looked a little lost during the minicamp but that was expected. He missed a lot of time last season. The Denver Post came up with an interesting nugget. Despite being the lowest-paid of the new Broncos as a fourth-round choice, Thomas purchased an $87,000 BMW 750 for his mother. He will drive it around until he gets his first paycheck and then he will buy his own.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.