The Oakland Raiders — whose receiver Javon Walker was seriously injured when he was beaten during a robbery in Las Vegas in June — have not increased their security staff of late. But the team has placed a bigger emphasis on talking to players about the type of situations to avoid and how to handle themselves.

The Raiders have two security people on every road trip, as well as defensive backs coach Willie Brown, who also is in charge of players' off-field behavior.

Eric Vance, a former Buccaneer who is now the team's director of player development, said educating players about the law is crucial.

"You can't control them," he said. "But you try to make sure they know the laws, you try to discourage them from owning weapons and carrying weapons, but if they choose to, make sure they do it legally. Make sure they're informed of the laws and where they can and can't carry them."

No matter what security steps are taken by the league and individual teams, Toomer and other NFL players agreed that responsibility for their safety resides with the athletes themselves.

"The NFL does a great job with security, telling us about the dangers and all that. But ultimately, when you're not at the stadium, when you're not in an NFL area, we're just regular people — we go to the grocery store, we go to the car wash, we do things," Giants running back Derrick Ward said. "So it's a chance that anything can happen to anybody at any time. We just need to be aware of our surroundings and keep living. You can't live in fear."

Said Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels: "We're grown men. We've got to be responsible. Simple as that."