I've been wondering if the issue of Branden Albert's back has been blown out of proportion. I don't know yet whether it has been but there is one new item to report regarding Albert and his impending free agency.

It's been suggested recently that the Chiefs are concerned about Branden Albert's back, which caused him to miss some time last season. Albert, for his part, has consistently indicated on Twitter and elsewhere that he's healthy.

Move forward to today. Mike Garafolo of USA Today has this item:

Re: rumblings Chiefs concerned about Branden Albert's back, I wouldn't put much into that. He had a full physical last week - and passed it.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 12, 2013

Good news, not that I expected anything different. There have been no concrete indications that Albert's back is a concern. That said ... there's a difference between passing a physical and feeling comfortable enough to give a player $50+ million, or whatever the price tag is. The two aren't necessarily directly related.

But regular readers know by now that if I were the GM I would pay Albert. I think it's the best move given the Chiefs current situation. So these next tweets are encouraging:

@j_rome101 Andy likes him and they're still negotiating. I say yes. That's my educated guess at this point. Combine talks will be big.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 12, 2013

There will be a lot of guesses coming over the next few weeks, especially at the NFL Combine where this stuff gets ratcheted to another gear.

And speaking of guesses, can you guess what Albert is referring to here?

Some truth comes out finally .. Bout time

— Branden Albert (@Balbert76) February 12, 2013