Because of traffic around Glendale and the constant security around the University of Phoenix Stadium, Terry Bradshaw was 10 minutes late for his sit down with MVP Tom Brady. But Brady didn’t mind and seemed to enjoy the down time before facing Tuesday’s 2,000-plus reporters and TV crews on Super Bowl media day.
Bradshaw gave Brady a cigar – Tom doesn’t smoke – to give to his father should the Patriots beat the New York Giants and win a fourth title. “I know your dad is probably the only one in your family who really likes me,” Bradshaw joked with Brady. “I know you would rather have Joe Montana here doing this interview than me.”
Brady said no, no while admitting that growing up in the San Francisco area he always idolized Montana while acknowledging that Bradshaw was the first quarterback to win four Super Bowls.
“I can’t (you) tell how much all of us have been thinking about being part of history,” Brady said. “We talked about it just the other day as a team. To always be remembered in the history of sports would be something special.”
On the FOX pre-game show, Brady’s interview should be something special because the New England quarterback spoke about his life on and off the field. He genuinely seemed excited about spending time and talking football with Bradshaw.
“I know everybody is making a big deal that they finally put some great receivers around me,” Brady said, “but people forget that I had Troy Brown, David Givens and Deion Branch in past Super Bowls. Deion was the MVP of our last one. You ought to know that a quarterback is only as good as the people around him.”
On that note, Brady did say that Randy Moss is the most-gifted receiver he has ever played with. “He’s the most graceful runner at the position I have ever seen,” Brady said. “But Randy is more than just physical ability. It’s what he knows and how he thinks out there. Randy has a lot of football knowledge and he knows how to break down defenses and what will actually work and not work. It’s the whole package that makes him so special.”
To Patriots owner Bob Kraft, Fox Sports is sort of like a good-luck charm. Yes, his Patriots lost their first Super Bowl with Kraft as the majority owner on FOX, but the man understands that the Green Bay Packers were better on Jan. 26, 1997. Of course, Kraft hasn’t forgotten that former coach Bill Parcells made Troy Brown inactive for Super Bowl XXXI in favor of special teams player Hason Graham, who couldn’t tackle MVP Desmond Howard, who had a record 244 of punt-kick return yardage in that 35-21 loss.
“I can still see Troy crying on the sidelines about not playing that day,” Kraft said Tuesday when bumping into me and Terry Bradshaw.
But the Patriots run of three Super Bowls in six years started on FOX, when Bill Belichick’s team upset the mighty St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI on Adam Vinatieri’s 46-yard field goal as time expired. That win in New Orleans was almost five months after September 11.
The Patriots won again after the 2003 season, before winning again on FOX in Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville.
The Patriots this Sunday will be going for their fourth Super Bowl in seven years.
“That’s one thing you will always have over us, should we win,” Kraft said to Bradshaw. “Your Steelers won four titles over six years. It’s been a great run, but it’s always great to see you guys when we’re at a Super Bowl.”
Hey, there is a lot of criticism directed at quarterbacks, white and black, but Donovan McNabb is not right. I mean, physically he doesn't look right on the field. OK, he played a little better in the fourth quarter against the Redskins, but if you watch him closely he's not bending his left front leg and it's causing his throws to sail high and wide.
The only conclusion is that maybe his right leg, which suffered a torn ACL, isn't totally healed. Or that McNabb is still very much worried about his legs getting hit in the pocket. As good as McNabb was in the past, he's not playing very well right now and the NFL is a bottom line business. How many losses can the Eagles stand until McNabb is good again?
If they lose this Sunday to the Lions, Eagles coach Andy Reid might be tempted to play rookie Kevin Kolb, the second-round pick that so infuriated McNabb when he was drafted last April.
McNabb can say that he doesn't have a home-run hitter at wide receiver (remember what he and Terrell Owens accomplished during that Super Bowl season?), but that's the way it has always been in Philadelphia. Teams are going to jam his receivers because right now there is no fear of McNabb scrambling and making a lot of plays with his feet.
In two games, McNabb has completed just two passes that have gained more than 20 yards. Both came in Green Bay. He had none against the Redskins Monday night. By comparison, last season at this time, when McNabb was playing like a potential MVP, he had 12 passing plays of 20 yards or more, four of them good for touchdowns.
Evil Ernie
Of the terms being bandied about during Videogate or Spygate, is the "plausible deniability" line that Patriots coach Bill Belichick could invoke with commissioner Roger Goodell. What that means is that Goodell could interview players and coaches on the Patriots and all of them could answer honestly that they had no idea about Belichick's video methods.
However, there is one employee, Ernie Adams, that some rival coaches and general managers are pointing a finger at, claiming that Adams and Belichick cooked up this scheme together and that Adams, a veritable football genius, was the one who broke down the taped coaching signals and ascertained what plays would be beneficial to Belichick and his offensive strategy. Adams has been with Belichick since the two worked for the New York Giants. His title is football research director and his job duties include statistical evaluations and film coordination.
"I've know Ernie most of his career and I don't believe he is G. Gordon Liddy, the Watergate burglar," said a friend who works with another team. "He is an honest guy who I don't think would condone cheating. I just don't see him being a party to any of this."
Better than Curly
This is Brett Favre's 17th season in the NFL and what's impressive about his 149-82 won-lost record in the regular season is that it is a better record than coaches like Washington's Joe Gibbs and the recently retired Bill Cowher and Bill Parcells. Gibbs is a Hall of Famer. Another interesting point is that Favre's winning percentage of .645 is also better than Curly Lambeau, Green Bay's legendary coach. Curly was .631.
Texans in trouble
With the loss of superstar receiver Andre Johnson with a sprained knee, the Houston Texans and Matt Schaub will have to rely heavily on Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels this Sunday against the Colts, who were able to defeat Vince Young while minus two starting linebackers.
Walter and Owens have a total of eight receptions in two games. There is even a chance that Texans coach Gary Kubiak will start Andre Davis, who was inactive last Sunday against the Panthers. Davis, though, has the most NFL experience (104 career receptions) on a relatively young receiving corps. In two games, Johnson had 262 receiving yards, or 212 yards more than the team's other wide receivers combined.
Adam off-target
Last Sunday might have been the worst game of Adam Vinatieri's pro career. He had an extra-point attempt blocked, a field-goal partially blocked and he pulled a 36-yard field goal attempt wide left. This stuff has happened before but not all in the same game. Since the 1999 season, Vinatieri has had only four out of 494 kicks blocked. Colts coach Tony Dungy blamed Vinatieri, too, saying that his kicks were too low and that's why they were blocked.
Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris told his teammates on Monday that he was simply kidding around when he said friend Donovan McNabb would win a Super Bowl if he was playing in Chicago. Harris is probably right; McNabb would make a big difference in the Chicago offense.
When players get caught speaking their mind, like Harris did, they always have to face the music. Harris reportedly explained himself to Rex Grossman, Chicago’s starting quarterback. The bottom line, whether he was kidding around or not, Harris most likely was speaking the truth.
Defensive players are very much like the fans. Harris knows that Brian Urlacher and friends put the Bears in the Super Bowl. McNabb would be an upgrade over Grossman. That’s simply the facts, based on NFL experience and production to this point in their careers.
Pacman can't steer clear of trouble
Strip clubs and friends with guns. Adam “Pacman” Jones can’t seem to steer clear of either.
Pacman’s latest incident, in which DeKalb County police (outside Atlanta) want him to identify who in his group was packing a gun, once again shows his utter recklessness and his total disregard of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s ultimatum to stay clean and off any police blotter while serving his one-year suspension.
I don’t think there’s any doubt that the Tennessee Titans and coach Jeff Fisher have moved on without their talented cornerback. I’d be shocked if we ever see Pacman in Titans’ uniform ever again. And what a waste of talent that is!
I also say one more strike and the NFL should ban Pacman for life. The league doesn’t need young men like him. He’s had plenty of second chances, plus there are plenty of cornerbacks in America who would love his roster spot and don’t have an arrest record attached to their resume.
Can someone please tell me why does Pacman need to hang with guys that need to shoot it out after there is some argument (fight?) over some stripper? It happened in Las Vegas and now in Atlanta. There must be a better way to have a little fun in the midnight hours.
Speaking of Titans
The signing of running back Chris Brown by Tennessee -- the Bears were once again slow to react -- reveals that young backs LenDale White and Chris Henry (second round pick) haven’t secured anything.
In fact, White still has weighty issues and few are convinced Henry can be a 200-carry runner. Brown has ability. He simply hasn’t been able to stay healthy, either, or prove he can be the every-down back. The Titans need one of these backs to emerge if they are going to make any playoff run.
Badge of honor
I have never been a huge fan of organized team activities (OTAs) because I think football players need a pronounced rest from their season-long pounding. But a lot of coaches and NFL teams believe these sessions are the only way to keep their players out of trouble and in good physical shape. With the money they earn these days, it’s pretty rare to see a NFL player drastically out-of-shape.
There is no doubt that many coaches have abused the OTAs and mini-camps with too much physical contact. Heck, it is football! But there have always been enough whistle-blowers to get coaches and teams reprimanded, causing them to lose some of these unnecessary practice days.
But in the case of the Raiders and rookie head coach Lane Kiffin, it was good news to any Oakland fan that his OTAs were tough and that his practices were very up-tempo. But this style of practicing cost the Raiders one entire week of OTA drills because they broke the rules.
Still, I find this good news compared to last season when the Raiders were in hibernation; their practices were dreadfully slow and excruciating long under Art Shell. Kiffin may have been a little rough on these Raiders, but Oakland fans probably believe it was necessary and definitely deserving. All you have to say is one win in their last 24 AFC West games.
New Cowboys coach Wade Phillips has returned former first-round pick Bobby Carpenter to inside linebacker, his position at Ohio State. There is no question that the rookie Carpenter struggled as an outside pass rusher last season.
“It's tough because Bill (Parcells) doesn't always communicate everything really well,” Carpenter said. “It was tough for me trying to get a feel for what was going on and what they expected out of me and what their goals were for me to be out on the field. They have done a good job this year of communicating what they want and what I need to do to get better.”
Phillips said he moved Carpenter to inside linebacker in his 3-4 scheme because he’s athletic and because he can run. Some believe the new defense is more flexible for a young player like Carpenter.
“Last year was a little difficult," Carpenter said. “But with this defense, it allows you to run and make more plays. It's not near the structure of how you have to play within the scheme. You get to let your athletic ability take over.”
Super Bowl redux
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones only beat Indianapolis by a vote of 17-15 in last week’s 2011 Super Bowl vote, and the tightness is a strong indicator of the divide between the big-market and small-market owners. Jones won because his new stadium will be able to have 30,000 more fans attend the championship game, whereas Indianapolis wowed many owners with a $25 million pot to alleviate any NFL expenses for the game.
There was a time, long, long ago when the Super Bowl went to the best city and venue. But when the late Pete Rozelle was commissioner, many cities began to include financial perks to the league to land the all-important game. I can remember writing in the mid-1980s the “selling of the Super Bowl” when Miami out-spent San Diego for the rights to XXIII, and Rozelle pulled me aside to explain the financial situation. The cities started by bidding a couple million dollars 20 years ago to now where Indy was prepared to spend $25 million simply to buy the NFL’s most-prestigious event.
It shows how valuable the game is to any city. And, also, how valuable the Super Bowl is to the NFL.
Hester looks great
The experiment never worked at the U. of Miami, but Chicago’s super return man, Devin Hester, looked like a natural at receiver in recent mini-camp work. The first two days of camp, he didn’t drop a pass. He ran solid, crisp routes and, basically, had his teammates and coaches raving about him.
Give head coach Lovie Smith high marks for convincing Hester to junk cornerback for being a wide receiver.
“It was more exciting than I really thought it would be,” Hester said. “Whenever a player gets his hands on the ball and knows what he can do with it, it's a lot of fun.”
After the catch, Hester routinely made players miss. The new dimension should be great for Rex Grossman and also alleviate the frustration that Hester, who returned six kicks for touchdowns last season, will face when punters and kickers kick away from during the season. The Bears needed to find a way for Hester to get more touches.
On kickoffs, Hester will be paired with safety Danieal Manning, former college kickoff specialist, in hopes they can form a 1-2 punch. He will still wear No. 23 and be listed as a running back/receiver.
Reggie helps again
Saints running back Reggie Bush matched his original $50,000 to Holy Rosary High School last year, which helped keep the school for learning-challenged youth open. Bush presented the New Orleans’ school with his second $50,000 gift last Friday.
“After last year, they did such a great job, and what they do is so important,” Bush said. “This is a school that needs to stay open.”
Holy Rosary serves the needs of students who face learning challenges in a typical classroom environment. The school offers hands-on learning and cross-curricula that is designed to provide students with alternative ways to learn mainstream subjects in a smaller classroom setting.
Several teams have told me that they would be willing to part with a conditional fourth-round pick for Raiders receiver Randy Moss this weekend, but to make such a trade, Moss would definitely have to re-work his contract, which calls for almost $22 million in salaries over the next two seasons.
Oakland would ask for a second-round pick for Moss, but a fourth that could move up to a third-rounder in 2008 is out of the question at the moment. Raiders owner Al Davis doesn’t have much leverage with Moss, considering his lack of production last season and his apparent unwillingness to remain with the non-playoff contender.
It is the Moss situation, or lack of clarity on his predicament, that has draftniks thinking Davis will draft receiver Calvin Johnson over JaMarcus Russell with the first pick. Many believe Johnson is worth the big money that the first overall pick will collect while Moss isn’t.
Some also believe that Oakland could acquire a decent quarterback in the second round if they decided to pass on Russell.
“Drew Stanton has great feet, as good as Rich Gannon had when he was winning the MVP for the Raiders,” one personnel director said. “Now, Stanton (of Michigan State) needs to be coached on his delivery and such, but he’s a tough player and someone who will be drafted in the second round.”
Gone fishin’
Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas planned back in February to be fishing for Coho salmon with his father on draft day. Now, the NFL Network plans to have a crew near his boat on Lake Michigan, checking his reaction whenever he’s drafted.
Thomas has long been considered to be the draft’s best offensive tackle, but you have to wonder how good he is, considering he didn’t face that many great pass rushers in the Big Ten. Purdue’s Anthony Spencer and Michigan’s Lamaar Woodley are the conference's best defensive ends in this draft, and neither of them is expected to be selected higher than the third round.
Everyone said Robert Gallery of Iowa was a “can’t-miss” pro and we’ve all seen him struggle with the Raiders. Thomas is a safe pick because of his awesome strength, but there are no guarantees he’s the next Jonathan Ogden.
By the way, Thomas is not related to the professional bass fisherman of the same name.
The real odds
Jimmy Shapiro of Bodog.com sent me four pages of betting odds on the draft, which is becoming almost as popular as Super Bowl Sunday. There is no doubt that JaMarcus Russell is the favorite to be the first player selected. You have to bet $165 to win $100, which is pretty much a sure thing.
There’s been a lot of talk about the Lions trading out of the second overall position, but the oddsmakers say Detroit will keep the pick. Its even money that Randy Moss will be traded before the first week of the regular season, plus the bookies believe that Chicago will trade ($150 to win $100) linebacker Lance Briggs this weekend.
The odds say that Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith will be selected in the third or fourth round. If you think Smith will be taken in the first round, you can win $1,200 on a $100 bet. Bodog also listed Antonio Pittman of Ohio State as the running back favorite to be taken by the Buffalo Bills, and that the Dolphins probably will draft a quarterback in the second round.
Redskins changes
The rumor has been circulating for more than a month now that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder plans to hire a new personnel director to work with head coach Joe Gibbs after the draft. Bobby DePaul, Jerry Angelo’s right-hand man in Chicago, has been mentioned the most because he and Gibbs are friendly and could work together.
49ers’ defense
It appears that San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan will choose between Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker, who is a better fit for a 3-4 defense, or Mississippi inside linebacker Patrick Willis. Both players figure to be still available when the 49ers are on the clock with the 11th overall pick.
Teams interested in Calvin
The teams most interested in selecting Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson appear to be Tampa Bay, Denver and Atlanta. It appears unlikely the Bucs will trade up from the fourth spot to acquire Johnson, but the Broncos and Falcons are considering making a move if Johnson isn’t taken by the Raiders. Johnson would be an unbelievable weapon with Denver quarterback Jay Cutler’s strong arm.
Ginn perfect for Packers
When Green Bay won its last Super Bowl, the MVP of the game was kick returner Desmond Howard. There is no question that Ohio State’s Ted Ginn, Jr. is the best returner in this draft, plus he could give Brett Favre a great deep threat. Ginn has a bad ankle right now, but he is expected to be 100 percent for training camp. Ginn is expected to be on the board when Green Bay picks 16th in the first round.
Lions and QBs
For past couple of months, Lions GM Matt Millen has sounded determined to trade out of the second overall spot, believing that his team needs multiple picks in this draft and next year to raise the level of talent in Detroit, and make the Lions competitive in the shaky NFC North.
However, the Lions seem to be one of the teams in need of a quality quarterback.
“I hope they do pass on Russell or Brady Quinn in this draft,” said one NFC general manager. “They are a lot easier to beat with Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky as their quarterbacks. It’s like Mike Martz has convinced Matt that they can win without a big-time quarterback.”
Sean Farnham on FOX Sports Radio asked me an interesting question on Monday. Was the NFL pulling out of its preseason game in China because the league realizes that it can’t make the strides in Asia and Europe like the NBA has? That football is strictly an American game?
Well, the NFL isn’t thinking like that. The NFL simply wants to concentrate on its regular-season game in London this season where the Miami Dolphins will host the New York Giants. They will play in Beijing in 2009, the year after the Olympics. I do believe that if the London game is a financial success that there’s a better chance of London getting a franchise over Los Angeles.
The reason is pretty simple: high-brow fans with plenty of money, plus a modern stadium. The football fans in Boston and Philadelphia and Houston can tell you, even when being gouged, that the football experience is pretty special in a modern stadium. London has better soccer stadiums than Los Angeles does, plus any NFL fan who lives in California knows that politicians in the Golden State are never going to ante up for a $800 million stadium in Los Angeles or anywhere else for that matter.
When offensive linemen are collecting $10 million signing bonuses, you know the league needs to expand to locations where the fans will pay any price to sit and watch. The NFL Europe experience has whetted the Europeans’ appetite for the real thing, a real NFL game, and that’s the logic behind my beliefs.
The next best place to put a NFL franchise is Las Vegas, but the gambling mecca won’t get one because the league doesn’t want to admit that their fans actually bet on a game’s outcome. How silly. Off-the-record, most owners know that Las Vegas would be a financial gold mine.
If the game in London is a financial success, and fans also watch the game on satellite television throughout Great Britain and other European countries, you know the league will seriously consider another such event and the possibility of a European based London franchise.
London may be five years down the road. Conversely, Los Angeles has gone 12 seasons now without a single franchise and the NFL continues to be a financial giant and a television ratings’ success.
To this day, potential Los Angeles owner Casey Wasserman realizes that he should have bought the Dodgers instead of Frank McCourt. Had Wasserman bought the Dodgers, he could have developed a NFL stadium there or even relocated the baseball team in a new stadium near the Staples Center. With that opportunity lost, Los Angeles is down to the Coliseum option, one that the NFL can easily turn its back on.
Browns and Quinn
No NFL coach is on a bigger hot seat than Romeo Crennel in Cleveland. If the Browns get off to a horrendous start this upcoming season, Crennel could be gone by November. I don’t believe GM Phil Savage cares, either, because he didn’t really hire Crennel -- owner Randy Lerner did -- and because he wants to rebuild this franchise.
And there is growing speculation that Savage, especially if LSU’s JaMarcus Russell has already been selected, could decide to draft Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn with the third overall choice. The Browns, like the Raiders, need a franchise quarterback.
Cleveland fans have been hoping that Savage would draft Heisman winner Troy Smith of Ohio State in the second or third round. Smith, a strong-armed quarterback, could go anywhere from the second to the fourth round.
The Browns don’t really want to settle on Smith in the latter rounds because they know he will take attention away from their first pick. And they definitely wouldn’t draft both Quinn and Smith.
Turner’s value
Chargers running back Michael Turner visited Tennessee this week and his agent, Bus Cook, is trying to drum up interest in his client. The Chargers placed a first and third-round tag on the restricted running back, believing he’s worth the price and the high salary because he’s a perfect insurance should an injury befall LaDainian Tomlinson this season.
Turner, a former fifth-round draft pick, is viewed by some as a much better starter at his position than quarterback Matt Schaub, who moved from Atlanta to Houston for two second-round draft picks, besides the Texans and Falcons swapping spots in the first round. Chargers GM A.J. Smith believes Turner is worth a first-round pick and so do I.
Smith’s dilemma is does he trade him for less this year before he loses him for good in 2008 when Turner will be an unrestricted free-agent? There is no way that San Diego can pay both Tomlinson and Turner. New England has two late first-round picks, and there isn’t a running back available there that is as good as Turner. Plus, the Pats have some concerns over Laurence Maroney’s shoulder.
But Smith may not want to trade with the Patriots and then watch Turner run through the Chargers in a potential playoff game next season. The end result is that Smith may have to take less than first-round compensation for Turner in order to move him to a NFC team.
High stakes in Washington
By acquiring veteran linebacker London Fletcher in free agency, the Washington Redskins don’t seem to be a club that desperate for Bears linebacker Lance Briggs. And they may balk at paying a higher price than swapping first-round picks with Chicago, giving up their sixth pick while sliding down to 31st in the round.
Heck, there’s a chance that Butkus Award winner Paul Posluszny of Penn State might still be on the board, considering many teams have him rated at the top of the second round.
Detroit GM Matt Millen really doesn’t want Joe Gibbs to trade that sixth-round pick to Chicago. If the Raiders draft Russell, Millen wouldn’t mind swapping his choice for Washington’s sixth and another draft pick for the rights to Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson.
Owner Daniel Snyder attended Johnson’s workout and the word is that Gibbs wouldn’t mind acquiring him, believing he would give young quarterback Jason Campbell a truly great target.
You have to wonder what Chris Simms is thinking. You can bet that his father, Phil Simms, isn’t too happy with head coach Jon Gruden after the Bucs gave Jeff Garcia the same contract ($7 million for two seasons) that Simms is playing for while also securing the rights to former Denver starter Jake Plummer.
Tampa Bay should have a healthy quarterback competition this summer.
Yes, Plummer has announced he plans to retire rather than play in Tampa Bay. But the Bucs and Broncos wrote a pretty interesting contract before the NFLPA got wind of what was happening. If Plummer reports this month to the Bucs, Denver receives a fourth-round pick. But if Plummer doesn’t report in March, the compensation is a seventh-rounder.
This is a very interesting trade language, and one designed to prevent Plummer from simply asking to be released from Denver and then signing with the Houston Texans, where his former offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak, is the head coach. That is what Plummer wanted to do and exactly what the Broncos wanted to prevent.
Basically, the Bucs will own Plummer’s rights and if he doesn’t report, they will place him on the reserve list. If Plummer ever wants to play in the NFL again, he will have to deal with the Bucs, who could either activate him or trade him.
Believe it or not, the Bucs have enough salary-cap room to keep all three quarterbacks. They currently plan to do exactly that and see what happens before considering a trade later in the year.
For Simms, he now knows for sure that the Bucs like Garcia based on what he was paid and that maybe he shouldn’t have signed that extension late last season. I mean, Simms is hardly guaranteed anything now except for a lot of competition for the starting quarterback spot.
Quality of life influences Dielman
The Chargers kept guard Kris Dielman, who settled for a $6.5 million average after rejected a $7 million average from the Seattle Seahawks. Basically, Dielman decided he’d rather live and play in San Diego than in Seattle, and who can argue with that reasoning when the money was so close.
Still, what’s fascinating is that Seattle was going to pay Dielman more money than it was willing to pay All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson last season. Seattle completely misjudged how much room they would have this season and where the salary numbers for offensive linemen would be in 2007. It was horrible planning and cap management by the Seahawks and magnified by the club’s pursuit of Dielman.
Small market?
There are a few NFL teams wondering how can Bills owner Ralph Wilson continue to complain about his small-market stature and his desperate need for revenue sharing after his team pays two offensive linemen, Langston Walker and Derrick Dockery, a total of $70 million. Walker, who would have been paid the minimum by many NFL teams, received a $10 million signing bonus from the Bills.
Dockery is a very good run blocker, but Walker, a right tackle, was a full-time starter on an offensive line that allowed 72 quarterback sacks last season.
The Cleveland Browns gave former Bengals guard Eric Steinbach a better contract than what Hutchinson received last season, including $17 million guaranteed. It’s difficult to believe all these guards are as good or better than Hutch.
Serious upgrade
The Patriots have definitely improved their defense with the multi-talented ex-Baltimore linebacker Adalius Thomas. Thomas chose New England over San Francisco, believing the Pats have a better chance of reaching the Super Bowl than the 49ers. That makes sense.
The Patriots also signed Jacksonville tight end Kyle Brady, who they believe remains a top five blocker at his position. If they can pry Wes Welker away from the Dolphins, it will be a great acquisition. Welker is an excellent special teams player, but also has a chance to be a full-time receiver. There aren’t many tougher all-around players in the NFL than Welker.
When is the right time to draft a quarterback in the first round?
The correct answer is when you have a first-year head coach. For example, the Raiders should have taken a quarterback, say Matt Leinart, last year because it was Art Shell’s first season. They didn’t and Shell had no excuse to fall back on before being fired. And it’s definitely why they will take a quarterback this year, having hired Lane Kiffin, an offensive head coach. The two men can grow together. Most believe that Kiffin will tell owner Al Davis that of the draft’s top two quarterbacks, he prefers JaMarcus Russell to Brady Quinn.
This being said, what do the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Bucs do?
I say that both teams pass on Quinn because a rookie quarterback can’t help Romeo Crennel and Jon Gruden save their jobs next season. Both coaches reportedly are on the spot; they have to win to remain employed. For the Browns, GM Phil Savage’s career is probably tied to next season’s won-lost record, too.
Nobody knows for sure, but I say that if Oakland takes LSU’s Russell and Detroit sticks with Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas with the second overall choice, then Cleveland will take Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson and Gruden will select the top player on his draft board, Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson, who ran a 4.35 40-yard dash Sunday.
Saturday night, Gruden had his chance to pick Quinn’s brain and we know he did a ####-up job. And, yes, the Bucs need a quarterback. They are kidding themselves if they believe that Chris Simms or possibly acquiring someone like Jake Plummer or Jeff Garcia is going to have immediate positive results.
Internally, the Bucs don’t buy that Quinn is sliding down the draft board. But the bottom line in Tampa is that Gruden will make this draft call, and he probably will pass on taking a quarterback.
$10 million head coach
If I had to pick one, I’d say that New England’s Bill Belichick could become the NFL’s first $10 million head coach whenever he was free to leave the Patriots. Belichick is worth it as a coach, slash personnel director. With more and more marginal players earning $4-5 million a season because the salary cap is $109 million, it makes sense for an owner to pay the big number to a head coach who can properly manage that huge player-salary budget.
In fact, several general managers here said that the head coach’s salary should be factored into the salary cap.
“I know my coach can’t understand why so many second-team players, guys who don’t always contribute, are earning such bigger paychecks than any of his coaches,” one AFC general manager said. “A great coach is worth every penny to a franchise because he’s the one who develops the rookies into starters.”
Owners have been complaining about how much money the players are collecting, but what are really impacting their overall profit margin are the costs for the coaching staffs and personnel departments. Many teams have coaching/personnel staff budgets well beyond $10 million a season. The Redskins hit that magic number with only three of their coaches: Joe Gibbs, Al Saunders and Gregg Williams.
Right now, some teams may only spend $95 million of the $109 million cap. You can bet that some owners would love to place their head coach’s salary into that pie and save themselves a lot of money.
Consider the Chicago Bears. Deep down they know that head coach Lovie Smith is more valuable to the team than probably any player outside of Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. They have finally reached the $4 million level on a new deal for Smith, the game’s lowest-paid head coach at $1.45 million for 2007. They probably would place Smith with the game’s top dozen earners if they could count the salary toward the salary cap.
More than Hutch
It must be comical to head coach Mike Holmgren and his coaching staff that the Seahawks are preparing to pay Chargers guard Kris Dielman, an unrestricted free agent, more than the $6.5 million that Steve Hutchinson received last year to leave Seattle for Minnesota. Holmgren was so upset that his front office failed to place the franchise tag on Hutchinson a year ago, and ultimately losing him on a poison pill contract that Minnesota prepared for him, declaring that he had to be the team’s highest-paid offensive lineman. Seattle couldn’t match because left tackle Walter Jones was their highest-paid lineman.
But last season, with three different guards trying to fill the Hutchinson void, Seattle’s running game faltered and Jones had a subpar season. This is where Dielman, who may not be as good as Hutchinson on the field and in the locker room, fits into Seattle’s future.
Speaking of free-agency, Dielman, Bengals guard Eric Steinbach and Arizona tackle Leonard Davis could hit a gold-mine of riches when free agency signings begin next Friday, March 2. Davis reportedly may have a $12 signing bonus offer from some unnamed team. The Cleveland Browns may be competing with Seattle for Dielman and Steinbach.
Cozy relationship
When Ernie Accorsi was the general manager of the New York Giants, he had a very good working relationship with agent Drew Rosenhaus. After Saturday’s revelation by new GM Jerry Reese, whose promotion was supported by Accorsi, that he would be interested in trading for Bills running back Willis McGahee, the Rosenhaus connection was raised by several competing teams. McGahee, who wants a new contract from the Bills, is represented by Rosenhaus.
Reese said that he was unwilling to trade a first-day draft choice (rounds one through three) for McGahee, but that he would be willing to part with lower picks and possibly some players. MaGahee, who doesn’t like to work out in Buffalo in the off-season, has mentioned a holdout from training camp if he doesn’t receive a new deal. The Bills have been saying it would take a first-round pick to acquire McGahee.
Ugly brother
David Irons, the Auburn cornerback, attempted to be a standup comic today in the media room. His brother, Kenny, was Auburn’s stud running back this past season and the two brothers have a great chance at become the first such family tandem to be selected in the first round of a NFL draft. Their father, two uncles and two cousins have played in the NFL.
But in high school, Kenny was David’s blocking back.
“We called it ugly sweep right and ugly sweep left,” David said of his brother, referring to Kenny’s face. “I kept telling him to take his visor off so the defenders could see his face. I mean once he did, they got out of his way and I ran down the sidelines for an easy touchdown.”
David wasn’t finished. “You should have seen him yesterday in his chocolate suit or whatever he was wearing,” he said. “My brother looked like a big, fat cup of coffee.”
Moss available
The Raiders don’t know what to do with receiver Randy Moss, whose salary this season is slightly more than $9 million. New coach Lane Kiffin says that both Moss and Jerry Porter, who spent most of last season in Art Shell’s doghouse, will be in his starting lineup. Porter, who is in the last year of his contract, needs the Raiders while Moss has different ideas. The feeling is he wants the opportunity to play for a playoff team and not be a part of Oakland’s rebuilding.
What is unknown is what does Al Davis want for Moss? Would he settle for a third or fourth-round draft choice? If he would, the New England Patriots might be interested in Moss. The Pats need a veteran receiver and Belichick knows he can handle Moss. There’s been a lot of talk about the Packers for Moss, but it doesn’t look like a move that Green Bay GM Ted Thompson would be interested in making, no matter how much Brett Favre asks.
Eagles passing on Garcia
The Eagles keep telling their fans that they want last season’s surprise, Jeff Garcia, to return and be Donovan McNabb’s backup. But the team hasn’t offered Garcia a contract and the 37-year-old quarterback has been rejected by most teams. The Chicago Bears, who wasted $6 million on Brian Griese last season, aren’t interested in Garcia to challenge Rex Grossman. The Panthers don’t want him and neither do the Dolphins. Garcia may have a shot with the Bucs, but they are in no hurry to sign him.
When I telephoned Jimmy Johnson this morning he was out fishing, which is his daily routine down in the Florida Keys.
Yes, Jimmy and Chargers owner Dean Spanos are good friends and if Jimmy wanted to coach, Dean would probably hire him in a New York second. But like Rhonda, Jimmy’s wife told me, Johnson is through with coaching. Jimmy has told me that a thousand times even though we both have laughed at all the money he’s turned down through the years.
Before the late John Butler hired Marty Schottenheimer, Spanos and Butler flew to the Keys to woo Jimmy and try to convince him to coach the Chargers. That was five years ago and, believe me, nothing has changed with Jimmy. He said no then and he knows that the daily NFL grind is too much to handle now, even if offered $10 million a year.
What Spanos and general manager A.J. Smith did yesterday, firing Schottenheimer, ranks as one of more bizarre front-office cases in recent NFL history.
Smith and Schottenheimer haven’t spoken to each other in more than a year. I wrote Schottenheimer was history if he lost in the playoffs, but the San Diego brain trust changed its mind and kept him for one final lame-duck season. What is so weird is that this relationship didn’t suddenly change simply because Marty wanted to hire his brother, Kurt, as defensive coordinator. And, who knows, Marty may have wanted to force their hands, knowing that being fired (and collecting his $3.7 million) might have been the result of trying to hire Kurt while also allowing so many good assistant coaches to take jobs elsewhere.
I mean, the 2007 season wasn’t going to be the greatest in Schottenheimer’s career, considering his relationship with Smith and the odds against actually winning 14 games once again.
This is why Spanos made a huge mistake in retaining Marty. He should have terminated Marty so that Smith could have elevated Wade Phillips into the job before Wade left last week to become head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. I mean, what a lost opportunity that was.
Remember, Smith was the one who hired Phillips and made him the defensive coordinator in San Diego, not Marty. Smith wanted to do the same thing as Schottenheimer attempted to put together a new staff, having lost his top four assistants.
There is no doubt that this could be one of the best jobs in the NFL -- if you can co-exist with Smith -- because the Chargers have three young stars in LaDainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers and Shawne Merriman. Plus, who doesn’t want to work in San Diego. Schottenheimer just loves his ocean-view home there. And no matter your opinion of Smith, he and Buddy Nix rank among the top five personnel evaluators in the league right now. Heck, they could be No. 1.
Rex Ryan, Baltimore’s talented defensive coordinator, should top Smith’s list. Despite his background with a 4-3 defense, Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera should also be on the interview list, considering his background in Buddy Ryan’s complicated and masterful 4-6 defense. The Chargers have a lot of talented defensive players and they should hire a defensive guy.
Good luck to Andy
Eagles coach Andy Reid, one of the real good guys in this game, is taking a leave of absence to deal with his two sons, Garrett and Britt, who both were stopped by police two weeks ago. Both sons apparently have drug problems, plus Britt was accused of pointing a gun at another driver after a traffic accident.
In situations like these, people want to point a finger at Reid for being an absentee father. But that isn’t the case; Andy has been active with his children. If he is guilty of anything, it is probably being too generous with his children, giving them freedom and not depriving them of anything. A lot of people in the league are hoping something very good comes out of Reid’s time at home.
Giant mess
We realize the Giants had to cut linebacker LaVar Arrington and left tackle Luke Petitgout loose on Monday for salary cap reasons. But doesn’t this team need Petitgout? When he wasn’t committing a dozen false start penalties in Seattle, Petitgout was a consistent blocker. Coming off an Achilles injury, Arrington might struggle. At least his future ability is cloudy at best.
But the bigger issue is how many free-agents want to come to New York with Tom Coughlin in a win-or-else situation? The Giants remain really close to reaching the Super Bowl if you believe in Eli Manning, but they need to replace these veteran players with proven talent, too.
Reinfeldt & personnel
Tennessee’s new general manager, Mike Reinfeldt, has been more of a salary-cap man and contract negotiator in his 20-plus years in the NFL. It remains unknown if Reinfeldt is going to have personnel power over head coach Jeff Fisher like Floyd Reese did in the past. But there is no question that Reinfeldt wants the personnel authority with the Titans based on his overture to Vincent Marino of the NFL’s Management Council to serve as his salary-cap man.
In Green Bay and Seattle, Reinfeldt never had the final say on any personnel matters. He is embarking on a new career, so to speak, and it will be interesting to see what unfolds in Tennessee. If he and Fisher can work together, it may all work out. But if Fisher still doesn’t have control over his 53-man roster why would he stay and sign a long-term contract?
Remember, outside of Bill Cowher, Fisher ranks as the most appealing of head coaches to a majority of NFL owners. Fisher would be a hot commodity on the open market next year.
Cowboys & Jerry
There is no question that the media support for Norv Turner in Dallas didn’t help his cause with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. I think Jones was nervous about hiring Turner, who was close with Fort Worth columnist Randy Galloway and long-time Channel 8 sportscaster Dale Hansen. Both of these men have been covering the Cowboys since the days of Tom Landry, so they’ve seen it all.
New head coach Wade Phillips, like Turner, is being asked to retain several Cowboy assistant coaches from the Bill Parcells’ regime. This is never a good thing for a new head coach because those coaches, when trouble or controversy starts, tend to run to the boss, in this case Jerry Jones.
Their allegiances usually are to the owner who kept them employed, not the new head coach who was basically forced to keep them. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is within any coaching staff. Every assistant’s loyalties should be to the head coach, not the owner.
The Cowboys are looking at possibly matching up San Diego defensive coordinator Wade Phillips as their head coach, but only if they get Troy Aikman’s former backup, Jason Garrett, as offensive coordinator. Phillips is from Texas and his expertise is the 3-4 defense, the scheme that Bill Parcells installed.
Garrett has been the hot assistant coach for the past month. Nick Saban foolishly thought Garrett would follow him from Miami to Alabama while the Dolphins have wisely prevented him from interviewing elsewhere because new head coach Cam Cameron may want him to be his offensive coordinator.
What's really interesting is that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is also considering Garrett for the team's head coaching position. Jones, who remains close to Raiders owner Al Davis, may be taking a page out of Davis' playbook and going after the hot, young coaching candidate.
But the combination of Phillips and Garrett also makes a lot of sense because Jones really likes Garrett, who also has strong support from former coach Jimmy Johnson and Aikman. Phillips, though, is a wild card in all of this because many of the Cowboys’ front seven defenders are also suited for a 4-3 scheme.
Why not wait to interview Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera?
Bears head coach Lovie Smith, who has one year remaining on his contract, has been linked to Big D, too, because he’s from Big Sandy, Tx. The Bears are currently involved in trying to figure out what kind of raise Smith deserves. It would be a horrible publicity mistake if Chicago actually traded Smith to Dallas for draft picks because they won’t pay him $5 million a season. Last week, the word was Smith would settle for $4.5 million before his team won the NFC championship.
Titans owner Bud Adams is on record that he won’t allow Jones to talk to his coach, Jeff Fisher, because he doesn’t want to part with him, even if he plans to install a GM over Fisher and give this new guy, just like he did with Floyd Reese, all the personnel power. Fisher finally gets rid of Reese and no way will be want to say and be bossed around by a new general manager?
The asking price for a head coach is pretty steep. Tampa Bay paid $8 million and two first-round and two second-round picks to Al Davis for Jon Gruden. Outside of winning a Super Bowl, that deal looks pretty poor these days. The Jets paid three top draft choices for Bill Parcells in 1997. The Patriots (a real bargain in today’s world) paid a mere first-round pick for Bill Belichick.
Now, I can see Jones parting with a first-round pick, but nothing more, for Fisher. He’d probably prefer a cash-only deal. And this is where Norv Turner fits the Cowboys.
If Jones can’t swing the Phillips-Garrett marriage, it makes a lot of sense for him to pay Turner $3 million (or whatever it would take) this season to be his head coach with the promise that he can collect the same amount of money in 2008 when Jones goes after Fisher or Bill Cowher. Turner would step down and be the offensive coordinator for whatever big-name coach Jones can hire or he can simply walk away with a huge severance check.
Let me say that money is no object to Jerry Jones. He’d rather write a check than swap his draft choices. The thinking is that Jerry wants to win badly and knows he needs the draft to keep his team in line for the playoffs.
The Turner scenario makes a lot of sense, especially if he doesn’t mind working for Cowher in 2008 as the game’s highest-paid coordinator. Cowher-Turner or Fisher-Turner, either one of these marriages, is definitely better, on paper, than what Daniel Snyder has paid in Washington.
Pats will have to pay
New England has been operating within its own budget for many successful seasons, but the AFC Championship game loss to Indianapolis exposed some holes in that once mighty defense. The Big Three — Tedy Bruchi, Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel — didn’t produce any major plays while combing for 14 tackles and one sack. Instead, they couldn’t hold a 21-3 halftime lead over Peyton Manning. A year ago, that would have been blasphemous to say, Belichick’s defense blowing such a margin.
But cornerback Asante Samuel proved his worth. He limited Marvin Harrison to four receptions and basically evolved into a shut-down cornerback. Unlike Ty Law before him, Samuel just turned 26 and is a lot younger than what Law was (30) when he left the Patriots to join the Jets in 2005. Samuel’s best football is ahead of him and if the Patriots don’t pay, some team definitely will.
With Bruschi considering retirement and he and Vrabel aren’t getting any younger. Bruschi will 34 next season and Vrabel will be 32. Yes, they are both quality players, but age is suddenly a factor.
Many New York fans want Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis to succeed Tom Coughlin with the New York Giants. It’s a great wish, but it won’t happen unless the Giants want to pay Notre Dame almost $18 million to free Weis from his long-term Irish contract. The buyout is reportedly $2 million per year for each of the remaining years on Weis' contract.
We’re not saying Weis may not be a good NFL coach, but that’s a huge ante for any ownership group before starting contract talks with a new head coach. You can bet Weis would want to start at $5 million a season.
Where do Dolphins Turn?
The state of football in Miami is at its lowest ebb. The U. of Miami just fired its head coach and basically settled on Randy Shannon, who may turn out to be very good, because there wasn’t enough money to lure a bigger name.
Now, the Dolphins are reeling and probably are not interested in promoting offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey or defensive coordinator Dom Capers into Saban’s spot.
Remember, next to Joe Gibbs’ coaching staff in Washington, Saban had the richest staff of assistant coaches at $6.5 million annually. Counting Saban, Huizenga had a coaching payroll of $11 million. The NFC champion Chicago Bears are paying half that.
What’s bizarre about Saban leaving is that Huizenga is considered one of the NFL’s best owners to work for. He pays for everything and doesn’t interfere in the football operation. Miami, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Green Bay and Seattle are probably the best franchises in the league when it comes to hands-off ownership. Denver, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and now Washington (because it’s Gibbs) are probably in the next group because those owners are either businessmen or football men who like their head coach.
Miami isn’t a great job right now because the quarterback situation is in such a flux. That’s one big reason why Saban left. He signed Culpepper instead of Drew Brees and had to live with a horrible decision. And there’s no quarterback on the horizon to fix it, either. There is no doubt that Houston’s Mike Sherman is a solid NFL head coach. Sherman only sel####estructed in Green Bay because he wore too many hats and refused to delegate.
With a quality support staff in Miami, Sherman (59-43 in Green Bay) might succeed. Of course, there had been rumblings that Saban wanted to dump GM Randy Mueller. One thing is certain.
Most Dolphins employees are happy to see Saban gone. He basically treated the rank-and-file employee very badly and rarely had words of encouragement for his 21 assistant coaches. It wasn’t a fun place to go to work.
Big Money Peppers
The Indianapolis Colts have decided to pay Dwight Freeney, who could be an unrestricted free-agent after the season, but apparently Freeney wants to see what kind of deal Julius Peppers receives from the Carolina Panthers.
Because his $3 million Pro Bowl bonus was pushed in 2007, the Panthers are basically forced to re-negotiate Peppers’ contract and get his salary-cap number below double digits. The cap next year will be a record $109 million. Freeney had a career-low 5 ½ sacks this year, after collecting 51 in his first four seasons.
There is very little doubt that signing bonuses for both Freeney and Peppers could range between $15 and $20 million because they are so valuable to their respective teams. The Colts can’t afford to lose him and probably need to spend even more money on defensive players in the future.
Darrent Williams Remembered
The entire Denver Broncos team plans to fly to Fort Worth for cornerback Darrent Williams’ funeral scheduled for Saturday. Owner Pat Bowlen is taking care of the plane. Without question, Williams’ senseless death on New Year’s morning has deeply impacted the Broncos because he was considered such a good person in the locker room. I haven’t heard one bad thing said about Williams, who was always upbeat and had a promising NFL future after two seasons. He was named to the Pro Football Writers’ all-rookie team last year. Internally, the Broncos are worried about receiver
Javon Walker, who literally watched Williams die in his arms inside the stretch Hummer limo. It is also a miracle that more passengers weren’t injured, considering the limo sustained 14 bullet holes.
I believe that there is a chance that Bill Parcells will return as coach of the Dallas Cowboys next season regardless of Terrell Owens’ employment status with owner Jerry Jones.
T.O. coming back to Big D may not drive Parcells to retirement in Saratoga, N.Y., but a team that can’t win the big game just might. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Dallas playoff-bound team be embarrassed in consecutive home games by the likes of Drew Brees and Jeff Garcia. The score count in those two losses: 65-24.
The New Orleans Saints, once the laughingstock of the NFL for their general incompetence, humiliated the Cowboys in Texas Stadium. Now, the “no-shot Eagles,” like Jimmy Johnson likes to say, were beaten by a quarterback Owens once outted as an unmanly man.
Several things doomed the Cowboys from having a merry Christmas:
One, Marion Barber finished with negative yards in three goal-line carries late in the first quarter. Hey, Parcells loves going for it on fourth down and Barber is one determined running back. But when the kid can’t gain a foot in two attempts against a supposedly porous Philadelphia run defense maybe a light should go on and say, ‘Hey, these Eagles may know our run calls better than we’re blocking right now.’ If Dallas kicks the field goal, the Eagles don’t gain street cred for being Christmas bullies.
Two, Tony Romo didn’t look like a Pro Bowl quarterback. Granted, the NFC doesn’t have many good quarterbacks this season, but Romo struggled with Philadelphia’s blitz pressure and misfired, completing less than 50 percent of his attempts for 142 yards and had two interceptions against a rejuvenated Eagles’ secondary.
Three, Owens dropped another huge third-down ball down the left sidelines, with the score 16-7 and the Cowboys in desperate need of a big play. Owens said the defender interfered with him and then complained about not seeing enough passes his way early in the game. The thing about Dallas is that Romo is going to the open man and not every Dallas play, based on his 16 dropped passes this season, can be earmarked for Owens.
Packers need computer error
Supposedly, the Packers have a chance at the final NFC wild-card berth even if the New York Giants beat Washington this Saturday and the Packers upset division rival Chicago. I don’t see how. I mean, there would have to be a computer glitch or something.
Right now, the Giants have beaten seven teams who have won 46 games. The Packers have beaten six teams (Minnesota twice) who have won 33 games. And this is when the so-called strength of victory category that will come into play. Even by collecting 13 wins by beating the Bears, the Giants will collect 5 more wins by beating the Redskins. They’ll collect another win when Philadelphia and Atlanta play (they’ve beaten both of those teams) and there’s no way that Dallas will lose to Detroit. The Eagles swept the Cowboys.
To me, the Giants are in — even though I'm not sure they deserve to be going anywhere but home at the end of the season — by simply beating the Redskins.
One more year
It is looking more and more like Lions GM Matt Millen will return for one final season. Owner William Clay Ford hasn’t tipped his hand or said anything publicly on the subject, but Millen’s fate is probably hinged to head coach Rod Marinelli. Ford likes Marinelli and his no-nonsense approach to the players. Millen hired Marinelli and Ford probably thinks that it’s too early to dump Marinelli, who does have confidence in Millen.
One more year for Millen may make the rest of the NFL jealous of his status and salary, but that’s the way it goes in Motown.
Christmas Day afterthoughts
Please give safety Brian Dawkins as much credit as Jeff Garcia for this Philadelphia surge down the stretch.
Eric Mangini, the shocking hire of the season, proved not to be a youthful experiment by the Jets and transformed a winless road team into a 6-2 team this season. Simply amazing. Mangini should be the No. 1 challenge to Sean Payton for Coach of the Year.
No wonder Bill Parcells didn’t totally endorse Tony Romo’s Pro Bowl selection. The first-year starter is suddenly looking like an undrafted quarterback from Eastern Illinois.
The only conclusion is that maybe his right leg, which suffered a torn ACL, isn't totally healed. Or that McNabb is still very much worried about his legs getting hit in the pocket. As good as McNabb was in the past, he's not playing very well right now and the NFL is a bottom line business. How many losses can the Eagles stand until McNabb is good again?
