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 examining Chicago’s schedule it makes total sense that 12 victories is a slam dunk unless their mauling of proud Seattle was a fluke. And I doubt that. Granted, they can’t afford for Brian Urlacher to get injured, but they may even be able to win another eight games without Rex Grossman. Then again, they won’t advance far in the playoffs without Rex.
John Madden said it best when he compared Grossman’s gambling style to that of Brett Favre’s. Grossman would rather go deep, risk the rewards of a big play rather than play it safe and dump it off for a measly five-yard gain. Grossman is all about going downtown.
The defense can’t be compared to the ’85 Bears merely because this is a different era and the styles are totally different. This team overall does appear to be a little quicker, but the ’85 Bears also had better outside pass rushers and also a smart, tackling machine in Mike Singletary. The safeties loved to hit and both were playmakers. Buddy Ryan was a defensive genius and he had all the right pieces to wreck havoc with the finest offenses of that era.
There is no question that Seattle, the reigning NFC champion, missed MVP Shaun Alexander and all-world guard Steve Hutchinson last Sunday. Seattle’s coaches will tell you that once they got into a passing game with the Bears, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck reverted to past mistakes and simply became unglued. It’s understandable, though, considering the tremendous inside pressure applied by Bears tackle Tommie Harris.
“What we weren’t expecting is how good Grossman played and that No. 80 (receiver Bernard Berrian),” said a Seahawks coach.
The Hutchinson story won’t die in the Northwest because the Seahawks really would rather pound the ball with Alexander (he may be back in two weeks) than evolve into a passing team. They really don’t want to live by the four-receiver formation. After this week’s bye, look for Deion Branch will be starting ahead of Nate Burleson.
Back to the Bears, though, their schedule is simply too easy, considering the weakness of the NFC North and three more games against the NFC West. They simply need to survive one weird three-game road stretch in November when they visit the Meadowlands for consecutive games against the Giants and Jets followed by a visit to New England on Nov. 26.
What the Bears have right now is potentially the tiebreaker for home-field advantage with the Seahawks because the good teams in the East and South figure to beat each other up.
Irate Dungy
Colts coach Tony Dungy was extremely upset with how the officiating crew in the Meadowlands last Sunday allowed the Jets to substitute in their no-huddle offense while preventing the Colts to do the same as Chad Pennington was permitted to rush his team to the line of scrimmage. The Colts were forced to use two timeouts in order to make their substitutions.
Dungy was planning to unleash Peyton Manning and Co. with similar tactics this Sunday against the Titans merely to prove a point. Dungy has never broken “the spirit” of the no-huddle rule even though his offense is the NFL’s best equipped to operate such a style. The league sent out a directive on Thursday that offenses will be warned – like the Jets should have been – for preventing the defense to substitute if they substitute. An offensive team will be penalized 15 yards if they do it a second time.
Only in the NFL does a player like receiver Koren Robinson appear in a Washington state court room for a probation violation and be allowed to serve his 90-day sentence in the off-season at the prison site of his choice (he must pay for his own incarceration if he does that) and then return to practice a day after sentencing with the Green Bay Packers. Robinson has also filed a grievance against the Vikings for releasing him after his August DUI arrest. And the Vikings could lose because they probably did waive him for his conduct rather than his playing performance.
In San Diego, safety Terrence Kiel, who supposedly has financial problems, is back practicing and playing while free on a $160,000 bond after being arrested by federal drug agents for shipping codeine-laced cough syrup across state lines.
Philly circus
Yes, it should be a circus in Philadelphia on Sunday with fans paying ten to 20 times the face value of tickets in order to witness the return of Terrell Owens to the City of Brotherly Love. It could get funny or ugly depending on your sense of humor. There are reports that four Eagle fans plan to dress in white nurse outfits and pelt Owens with generic pills when he steps onto the field.
The T.O. show
On Wednesday in the Dallas locker room, the media horde encircled Owens while four lockers away receiver Terry Glenn, their leading receiver, was basically ignored. That’s life with the Cowboys or any team that employs Owens.
Panther pride
Several Carolina players, including some of the coaches, felt that Saints linebacker Scott Fujita deliberately went after receiver Steve Smith’s legs last Sunday. Smith appeared to be sandwiched by two defenders with Fujita going low. Fujita, however, apologized to Smith immediately, saying he lost his balance and wasn’t trying to injure the star receiver. Smith apparently accepted the apology.
Scene of the crime
Jets quarterback Chad Pennington returns to Jacksonville this Sunday where he re-injured his surgically repaired right shoulder last season. Pennington hasn’t forgotten the hit by Jaguars defensive end Paul ####er. A photograph of ####er’s quarterback sack sits on Pennington’s desk at home.
Not a surprise
Panthers center Justin Hartwig was shocked by the foot stomping act of the Titans’ Albert Haynesworth on Andre Gurode of the Cowboys, but he wasn’t a least bit surprised. Before signing this year with Carolina, Hartwig was a teammate of Haynesworth for four seasons and had his own run-in with the defensive tackle.
“He's a guy that isn't in very good control of his emotions,” Hartwig said. “When he's getting beat he tends to lose control of his emotions and he gets irrational and he doesn't think straight.”
In training camp one year, Hartwig was blocking Haynesworth in a pass-rush drill. Haynesworth bull-rushed Hartwig over and then with the center on his knees, Haynesworth reared back and kicked Hartwig in the chest.
“I tried to grab his foot when he kicked me,” Hartwig said. “I was going to dump him on his back, but when I tried to pick up his foot one of the other offensive linemen came in and cleared him out. So it was basically a brawl after that.”
Panthers receiver Keyshawn Johnson said he never in his 11 seasons in the NFL had ever seen such an assault on another player. Keyshawn added that Haynesworth should have been suspended for the whole season. “I wouldn’t want him on my team,” Keyshawn said. “I’m not playing with a dude doing that on my team.”
Hartwig said he steered clear of Haynesworth off the field. He said there were incidents in practices with Haynesworth every year, accusing him of punching teammates when they weren’t looking.
“He’s just the kind of guy I stayed away from,” Hartwig said. “He just kind of loses his mind sometimes. That’s just him. I don’t put anything past the guy. He was reprimanded for things by the club in the past. A lot of it didn’t get out to the media.”
Although the Bucs keep insisting that quarterback Chris Simms probably ruptured his spleen in the second half, most NFL observers believe Simms was injured in the first quarter when sandwiched by the Panthers’ defensive tackle Kris Jenkins and linebacker Thomas Davis.
Simms, who had his spleen removed Sunday night, hasn’t said when he thought he was injured. The Bucs have been making a case against the Panthers’ Al Wallace, who has been upset over the accusation that his fourth-quarter tackle caused the injury. The NFL has fined Wallace $7,500 after revealing that he should have been penalized for roughing the passer on the play in question.
Panthers GM Marty Hurney said that his team left Tampa without knowing the severity of the injury.
“The only thing I know,” Hurney said, “is that no one will ever again accuse Simms of not being tough. That was a courageous performance against us. You could tell how much he was hurting.”
Wallace thought he sacked Simms on the bootleg pass. “He had fooled me earlier on that play, but this time I read it right,” Wallace said. “I thought I sacked him until I heard the crowd noise.” Simms completed a pass to Mike Alstott on the play.
Jenkins said that Simms started holding his side after his first quarter tackle.
“I don’t know if that was the play or not,” Jenkins said. “I just know he started holding his side a lot in the first quarter. To score a touchdown like he did and play almost the entire game, well, that shows a lot of guts on his part especially if he got hurt early in the game."
The Bucs sound like they are going to become the 11th NFL team to have only two healthy quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. Rookie Bruce Gradkowski will get his first start next week in New Orleans and the team expects Luke McNown (torn ACL last spring) to be activated from the physically unable to perform list on Oct. 17. Tim Rattay is the backup. The Bucs have a bye this week and haven’t placed Simms on injured-reserve. They have only two games (Saints and Bengals) before McCown returns.
The bigger question in Tampa is whether or not the team will offer Simms a long-term contract or if he’s possibly played his last game for the Bucs. If Tampa Bay continues to lose and slip out of playoff contention, why would Simms even consider playing in December when he’s possibly cleared to play again?
Home, sweet home
When he was a teenager, Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich used to sneak into old RFK Stadium to watch the Redskins. This Sunday’s game in Washington will be Leftwich’s first in his hometown.
“I knew the man who took tickets at one of the gates,” Leftwich said this week. “He told me that if I ran past him, there was no way he could catch me. And so I ran.”
Leftwich is mindful that he’s going against Mark Brunell, who is still a favorite with some fans in Jacksonville. It was Leftwich’s arrival and club’s unwillingness to assume a huge Brunell contract that led to him landing in Washington.
“I know if I lose this game,” Leftwich said, “those Brunell fans will let me hear it.”
Getting ugly
The situation in Tennessee is getting somewhat ugly for respected head coach Jeff Fisher. There is now a FireCoachFisher.com site where you can visit and purchase a T-shirt asking owner Bud Adams to do exactly that.
The Titans are off to an 0-3 start and rookie Vince Young is probably a few games away from starting. Adams, to his credit, installed chief operating officer Steve Underwood in Nashville, to serve as a middle man between Fisher and GM Floyd Reese. Many believe that Underwood has Fisher’s back on most issues.
Reese is in the final year of his contract and the speculation persists that despite a potentially horrible final record on the field this season that Fisher will return and Reese will not.
'GM didn't want me'
Saints quarterback Drew Brees finally said this week that the only reason he’s not playing in San Diego this season is because Chargers GM A.J. Smith didn’t want him.
“He’s the guy who drafted Phillip (Rivers) and my shoulder injury gave him the excuse to play Phillip this season,” Brees said. “I think Marty Schottenheimer and a lot of players wanted me to stay there, but the general manager didn’t want that.”
Brees said he’s happy to be in New Orleans, but had once figured that he would finish his career in San Diego.
Warner's future in doubt
The good news in Arizona is that Brenda Warner hasn’t made any phone calls to the local radio talk shows. But there’s no question that her husband, Kurt, is dangling in the wind.
Only in the NFL can a quarterback go from being Player of the Week (Warner was after a victory over San Francisco) to being booed by the home crowd after a costly fourth-quarter fumble cost the Cardinals an opportunity to beat his old team, the Rams, last Sunday.
Warner will start Sunday in Atlanta against the Falcons. He’s 6-0 vs. Atlanta.
But it seems certain that head coach Denny Green will start rookie Matt Leinart next week against Kansas City if Warner continues his turnover streak (six in the last two games) against the Falcons.
Happy Hasselbeck
There is no doubt that Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck loves his new four-receiver formation. After using it 10 times in the first two games, coach Mike Holmgren used it 24 times last Sunday against the Giants.
“Most of the places I look with that formation, we have mismatches,” Hasselbeck said. “Sometimes it’s in two or more spots and that makes my job that much easier.
The key Sunday night in Chicago will be whether or not the Bears can rattle Hasselbeck before he finds an open receiver.
Points about penalties
Well, there were 78 false start penalties called last weekend and for the season the total count is 171, by far and away the league’s No. 1 penalty. Offensive holding is a distant second at 116. Mike Carey’s crew has called the most penalties after three weeks, 20.7 penalties per game. The fewest? Walt Coleman’s crew has called only nine penalties per game followed closely by Ron Winter’s crew at 9.7. They are the only crews under double digits.
One of the worst teams I saw this summer was the New Orleans Saints. Personnel people around the league concurred with me.
Now, that the Saints are 3-0 and heading toward a showdown game with the Carolina Panthers this Sunday, there are two theories: 1.) preseason games definitely don't reveal a team's true identity or 2.) new head coach Sean Payton and his defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs have this team playing well above their heads.
Granted, the Saints played with enormous emotion Monday night in the franchise's return to the Superdome, but they also stuffed the potent Atlanta rushing game and Drew Brees directed a wide-open offense.
Payton has done a masterful job with Reggie Bush, who may not have huge numbers but truly scares defensive coordinators. The Falcons made an effort to account for Bush and in the process it opened up other areas on the field for Deuce McAlister and rookie receiver Marques Colston. In August, the Saints' offensive line looked like it had major holes, but that hasn't been the case with Payton's aggressive play-calling.
Give Payton another huge pat on the back for realizing early in training camp that Colston, a mere seventh-rounder from Hofstra, might be a big-time receiver. Payton's confidence in Colston (15 catches for 204 yards) allowed the Saints to trade away Donte Stallworth to the Eagles.
Anybody notice that Stallworth is injured again?
Some truth to Shockey
It had been written for a week or more that Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren was seriously considering a lot of four-wide receiver formations prior to the New York game because he had to get newcomer Deion Branch on the field. Holmgren even admitted to possibly using the formation at least 10 times a game.
Well, the New York Giants apparently can't read.
They looked totally unprepared to deal with the four-wide look on Sunday as Holmgren used it extensively, helping Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to a career day. Hasselbeck threw four of his five touchdown passes in the first half as Seattle built a 35-3 lead. In most cases, receivers were wide open. There wasn't a Giant within 10 yards of tight end Will Heller when he caught his fourth career touchdown.
The formation prevented the Giants' pass rushers from getting to Hasselbeck because with a receiver always open, Hasselbeck was getting rid of the ball before anyone got near him. It was a frustrating day for players like Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora.
Ponder these numbers
- Everything you hear out of Detroit is that the Lions finally have the right head coach in Rod Marinelli. And still the Lions are off to a 0-3 start and GM Matt Millen is now 21-62.
- Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger doesn't have a quarterback rating over 31.0 in his last three starts, which includes the Super Bowl. The "great" Hines Ward has nine catches for 99 yards. Where are the big plays?
- The Raiders are in their must-win mode this week. But just remember they lost to the Browns last season at home on three Phil Dawson field goals, 9-7.
- Minnesota's offense has gone 10 quarters now without a touchdown.
Good move
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy opted for a lot more shotgun formations last Sunday in order to give Brett Favre time to see downfield. With young offensive linemen learning a new zone-blocking system, it made a lot of sense and Favre delivered with three touchdown (402 in his career) passes. McCarthy figures to do more of the same because Green Bay will be in a lot of high-scoring games this season.
Wait a week on Leinart
Arizona coach Denny Green is leaning towards starting rookie Matt Leinart over Kurt Warner this Sunday in Atlanta. But wouldn't it be better, considering the Georgia Dome might be pretty hostile this weekend, to wait a week and allow Leinart to get his first start at home against the Kansas City Chiefs?
Of the rookie quarterbacks, Leinart was always considered the one most ready to play this season. Mentally, he knows the playbook. He possesses big-game poise, too. But there's nothing wrong in waiting because Green really doesn't want him to fail and there's really no sense in turning back to Warner once the coach makes the switch.
The NFL has been listening to the complaints, but no way is it going to fully support New England’s tampering charges against the New York Jets on the Deion Branch case. Even when the Pats had Branch virtually traded to Seattle, they were complaining last Friday that the Jets had tampered with Branch.
“When you allow a player to seek a trade and allow his agent to do the same, while working on a contract, how can you prove any blame on any team interested in that player,” a top NFL official told me on Saturday, when the tampering charges were revealed. “I just don’t know why they won’t let that go. It makes no sense and seems groundless to me.”
“It just sounds like sour grapes to me,” one GM told me Tuesday afternoon. “For some reason, they really thought no one would go after him for a lot of money.”
Rudderless Raiders
Raise your hand if you think Jerry Porter would have helped the Raiders’ offense Monday night? Raise your hand if you think nobody, even Joe Montana or Troy Aikman, could have salvaged that offense?
It’s too bad the Raiders didn’t trade Porter to New England and kept Doug Gabriel, who was liked by his Oakland teammates, particularly Randy Moss.
Punk'd?
It did seem like a punk thing to do, when Moss flipped the ball to Chargers placekicker Nate Kaeding, who was standing out-of-bounds. But it didn’t seem like a big-time taunting penalty until reading the rule books. A player isn’t allowed, at any time, to use a football as a prop when dealing with opponents or officials. Moss undoubtedly didn’t know that rule.
Out of character
The thing about Porter laughing at Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks being sacked on Monday night is that he has had a reputation as being not a team player for quite a long time. He had this reputation prior to his run-in with new head coach Art Shell.
Chief concerns
The Chicago Bears were interested in signing veteran receiver Rod Gardner. But guess what happened? Gardner got a better deal from the Kansas City Chiefs. The good news in Kansas City is that quarterback Trent Green is expected to be released from the hospital Tuesday after that ugly hit by Cincinnati’s Robert Gaethers on Sunday.
Sweet revenge
There is one big reason why Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson was extra excited about beating the Redskins in Washington – owner Daniel Snyder. He knew that Snyder thought he had a pop-gun throwing arm and wanted Jeff George as his quarterback. Johnson also knew what a rough time Snyder gave then head coach Norv Turner, who loved Johnson and supported him to the bitter end.
The right stuff
The Seattle Seahawks made the right move in trading next year’s first-round pick for New England receiver Deion Branch. Seattle’s window of opportunity is now to return to the Super Bowl, plus he gives quarterback Matt Hasselbeck a solid option underneath. The Seahawks would be really scary if they also had guard Steve Hutchinson, who opened some big holes for Chester Taylor on Monday night.
Seattle GM Tim Ruskell didn’t want to surrender his first-rounder, but when his team escaped Detroit with only a 9-6 win, he had no choice. I’m still not sure if it was the right move for New England, losing a talented player. But it really was the only thing the Patriots could do once they knew that Branch was serious about not reporting until the 10th week of the season. The negotiations got ugly and he never would have signed with them.
The thing about this trade is how many players get a chance to repeat as a Super Bowl MVP with another team? Branch took the honor in Jacksonville two years ago and he could end up leading the Seahawks into Miami this season.
Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck may be 2,000 miles away from the World of Terrell Owens in Dallas, but all he knows is that he could have played with the wide receiver.
“I think he’s a great player and I think I could work well with him,” Hasselbeck told me. “But we don’t need him. We have good receivers here. But, yeah, I think he’s gotten a bad rap. Me, I feel we would have a good relationship. From what I hear, he’s usually upset because they don’t throw him the ball. My thing is, he’s probably right.
“If he was my teammate, I would throw him the ball all the time until someone covered him. When he was in San Francisco and Trent Dilfer and I were in Seattle, I stopped him in pregame warm-ups and told him exactly that. He smiled and said, ‘Right on, man.’ I think he’s really a nice guy and a hard worker. That’s the one thing I love about him, how hard he works."
Hasselbeck compared T.O.’s style to how linebacker Ray Lewis operates and is allowed to function in Baltimore.
“In Baltimore, Ray is allowed to be that guy,” Hasselbeck said. “He’s allowed to lead and say, ‘Hey, this is the standard we’re playing at. If you’re not going to be in sync with this standard, I’m going to get it going without you.’ The thing wide receivers are generally not allowed to be that guy. Sometimes people say well, only the quarterback, the center or the tailback can be that guy on offense.
“Where I feel everything went sour for him is when he became that guy to the media,” Hasselbeck said, referring to when Owens would call out teammates for their lack of effort or style of play. “You don’t see Ray doing that with the media. Ray is as loyal to his teammates as they come. But I do know that Ray talks to his teammates. I’ve played against him. I hear what he says to his teammates. Calling them out. But had T.O. been on our team on some point, in the last few years, I think he and I would have jelled nicely.”
Hasselbeck believed that everything unraveled in Philadelphia because too many people were involved in T.O.’s business last season. Agents, executives, assistant coaches, trainers, team doctors, etc.
“Sometimes the basic thing gets lost in the process,” Hasselbeck said. “It’s like going back to high school and working things out with your teammate and the head coach. That’s all that matters. It can be as simple as all that.”
Henson experiment ends
Speaking of Dallas, it should be a shock to no one that coach Bill Parcells ended the Drew Henson experiment. The interesting aspect is that owner Jerry Jones invested so much money and effort into Henson and Parcells was allowed to pull the plug.
The key now is whether or not Tony Romo can actually be the quarterback of the future in Dallas. Romo probably will get a chance to play this season and then we will see how good he is. When he starred against the Seahawks in the first preseason game, Seattle didn’t blitz him once and played a very vanilla defense. A lot of quarterbacks would play very well in such a setting.
Deal upsets some
If you are Rock Cartwright or Ledell Betts in Washington, you have to be upset with the acquisition of Atlanta’s T.J. Duckett. The Redskins are basically telling those players that they can’t step in for Clinton Portis in case he misses games this season due to an injury.
No preseason for T.O.
Speaking of T.O., you don’t know how many people told me before the preseason even started that he wouldn’t play a game in August. That he would miss the entire preseason. I remember asking the Cowboys if there was anything to it. They said there wasn’t. My money is on Owens starting in the opener, though, against the Jaguars even he misses the entire preseason.
Reggie Bush proved a couple things in his NFL preseason. One, he should have been drafted No. 1 overall. Two, he looked like a pretty physical player while lowering his shoulder into Titans cornerback Pacman Jones; and three, he definitely will be fined by the NFL office, who warned him not to wear his signature gold-toed adidas cleats.
"He doesn't like to tape his shoes," said Mike Ornstein, Bush's marketing guru.
Yes, Bush was supposed to cover the gold with black tape. Oh, well, what's a $5,000 or $10,000 fine to a young millionaire?
Bush, according to Ornstein, already has the best shoe deal and the best autograph deal in the NFL. His product endorsements' income is approaching $5 million for this season and he hasn't played in a regular-season game yet.
"I have never seen anything like it," Ornstein said Saturday night in Nashville. "I think his football jersey in close to being in the top five." Prior to his Monday night football debut Bush will be coming out with a 6-1-9 cologne, those famous San Diego area code numbers he wore in eye black while at USC.
The 6-1-9 is banned, of course, in the NFL.
Bush has committed a percentage of proceeds to several relief themes in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, beginning with a $50,000 donation to Holy Rosary School, a school for children with special needs. He is now working toward, with the help of the NFL and the Saints, installing a Field-turf field for the 2007 high school season. Most of the top New Orleans high schools use the same stadium, meaning there could be six to seven games a weekend there.
On his second carry of the preseason game against the Titans, Bush reversed his field, running left to right for 44 yards.
"I was a little disappointed I didn't score," Bush said. "I'd like to see a tape of that. As a team, we still have a lot of work to do if we are going to be a Super Bowl-contending team."
Take mascot's license away
New Saints quarterback Drew Brees said that the league (or somebody) has to do something about Tennessee's mascot, T-Rac, driving the sidelines in a scaled-down motorcycle with bucket seat at LP Field in Nashville.
Prior to the start of the second half, T-Rac ran into Adrian McPherson, the Saints' third-team quarterback who was scheduled to play. The Saints said that McPherson suffered a bruised leg, but that he is expected to practice this week.
"That's an issue," Brees said. "They definitely should do something about that. I mean, to get hit by a golf cart on the field by the mascot. I can't think of anything dumber than that."
Saints coach Sean Payton added: "You have to play an opponent, but to have to worry about the team's mascot. Those things are bothersome.
On a positive note, Brees said his surgically repaired throwing shoulder felt great. "I didn't think about it at all," he said.
Calling it a career?
With linebacker Junior Seau unable to find employment at age 37, look for the future Hall of Famer to announce his retirement as a San Diego Charger this week.
Holding their breath
There was a scary moment for Tennessee's rookie quarterback Vince Young in the second half when he sprained his left ankle. However, the tackle by newly signed New Orleans defensive end Javon Nanton looked initially like it may have caused a knee injury. Young did look very effective running around, but that close call should temper some of that impromptu scrambling.
Looking a little lost
Seattle's backup quarterback Seneca Wallace was sacked four times by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. Does anyone think that the Seahawks have spent so much time using Wallace as a receiver that maybe he's become lost as a quarterback?
The Jacksonville Jaguars definitely knew that rookie running back Maurice Drew was with Chicago cornerback Ricky Manning, Jr. on April 23 when a young man was allegedly punched by Manning in a Denny’s restaurant in Westwood. The incident occurred near the UCLA campus where both Manning and Drew were students.
Manning was arrested that night while Drew was officially charged with assault on Thursday. Drew, who led UCLA in rushing for three consecutive seasons, was a second-round pick of the Jaguars, who were told that Drew was simply a bystander during the fight. Prior to the draft, most NFL teams were attempting to ascertain the extent of Drew’s involvement. The Jaguars drafted Drew, believing he would never be charged.
Manning, a former starter with the Carolina Panthers, recently signed a five-year, $21 million contract with the Chicago Bears, who have to be worried about the possibility of their new player being convicted. Manning is currently on probation for a similar assault incident in 2002.
Texans not rushing to replace Casserly
The Houston Texans are not in a rush to hire new personnel man to replace Charley Casserly. Rick Smith of the Denver Broncos appears to be the front-runner, but owner Bob McNair will definitely interview a minority candidate before making a final decision. It is apparent that new head coach Gary Kubiak will have a major voice in future personnel decisions. Translation: this job opening has been diluted when it relates to power and control.
Packers happy with Rodgers
The Green Bay Packers have been pleasantly surprised by second-year quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ increased arm strength during recent drills and mini-camps. This is why the Packers passed on the idea of possibly drafting USC quarterback Matt Leinart with the fifth overall pick. Believe it or not, the Packers liked Leinart over Reggie Bush.
More Bush buzz
Speaking of Bush, there is no truth to the conspiracy junkies out there that the league talked Houston into passing on him in order to place Bush with the Saints. The NFL has invested about $40 million in the rebirth of the Saints, helping with the reconstruction of the Superdome. The conspiracy part has Bush helping New Orleans, a franchise many believe will end up on Los Angeles some day where Bush was a star at USC.
There is no question that Bush and new quarterback Drew Brees have created such a buzz in the devastated Gulf Coast that the Saints have sold a franchise-record 54.969 season tickets. That’s never happened in 40 seasons. Hey, we always knew this was a great football area and the people have been rallying around the team despite their dislike for owner Tom Benson.
Staying in Seattle a no-brainer
When Mike Holmgren looked at his future options, it didn’t make sense to leave Seattle where he has a quality team that will be competing for the NFC championship for the next couple seasons.
The best thing about Seattle is that no owner is going to out-spend Paul Allen and fewer are easier to work for. The Ruston Webster hiring is a case in point. Webster might be ready to become a general manager, but no team was going to offer him a job paying $700,000 a season like Seattle. That money is financial security for Webster and his family.
The Bucs, the Rams and several other teams probably were in greater need of Webster’s services and experience, but weren’t thinking in the same salary range.
Mike Shanahan and a couple of other coaches, whose salaries are based on the top three coaches in the league, are curious what Holmgren received for extending for two more years. Did he finally hit $7 to 8 million a year?
Holmgren had been talking in March about wanting to be a general manager again, but when viewing 2007 potential options like San Diego, Dallas and some others, Holmgren knew that he had a hands-off owner and no team would pay him as much. In Seattle, all Holmgren has to do is coach and he makes more money than coaches like Shanahan who is also technically the general manager.
Bills, Lions blunder
The Buffalo Bills made the first mistake when agreeing with cornerback Nate Clements not to place the franchise tag on him again next season, thus allowing him to be an unrestricted free-agent. Now, the Detroit Lions agreed to a one-year franchise price of $6.98 million for offensive tackle Jeff Backus, one of Matt Millen’s most successful first-round picks.
New coach Rod Marinelli wants Backus to be a part of all the team’s off-season training days and consequently Millen gave in to the player. Backus will be unrestricted next season and the Lions can’t collect two first-round picks from the team that signs him away.
This is a horrible way to operate a team. The Seahawks held firm for three seasons on offensive tackle Walter Jones. They kept the franchise tag on Jones until both sides finally agreed on a long-term contract. Jones missed training camp every summer, but he still played well once the season began. Mike Holmgren didn’t like it, but he endured because there was no way that Seattle was going to allow Jones to leave for nothing.
Quality first-round choices like Jones and Backus are solid investments. You can’t seemingly give that talent away without significant compensation. Backus is gambling on not getting hurt this season, but the Lions will be the bigger loser if he plays well and doesn’t re-sign with them.
New quarterback Daunte Culpepper appears to be ahead on his rehabilitation and could be ready for the start of training camp. Maybe he won't be ready to get hit, but Culpepper should be ready to participate in most drills. He looks super. That's the word.
Where's Air?
There is a very good chance that the Titans will lose the hearing regarding quarterback Steve McNair's status, thus forcing them to make a decision. A decision on the hearing is due by June 1. Either they will allow him to return to their practice facility (and cross their fingers regarding him getting hurt, thus being liable for his huge contract) or cut him loose. If McNair wins, the Titans most likely will trade him to Baltimore. He already has a deal done with the Ravens.
Rushton to glory
Ruston Webster, Tampa Bay's director of player personnel, apparently is headed to Seattle to join former Bucs' buddy Tim Ruskell, who is the general manager. Webster was the leading candidate to replace Charlie Armey with the Rams, but the Rams apparently weren't willing to give Webster control of personnel. If he's going to be No. 2, he'd rather work with Ruskell. Besides, the money is always better with billionaire Paul Allen.
Not so fast
We have written about Arizona rookie quarterback Matt Leinart and his Hollywood friends, from Paris Hilton to Nick Lachey. We can't help that some NFL teams interpreted Leinart's association with the stars as "going Hollywood." However, some national writers have incorrectly mentioned that Leinart should have opted out of USC after his junior season, the year he won the Heisman Trophy. The opinion is that he would have been the first overall choice, ahead of Utah's Alex Smith. What everyone is forgetting is that Leinart needed surgery on his throwing elbow and he never would have been ready for any NFL mini-camps last season. With all that doubt, Leinart likely wouldn't have been the first choice and he made the correct decision in returning to USC. It is this elbow injury that caused some teams to claim that Leinart didn't have the strongest arm anymore.
Run with me
Eagles coach Andy Reid is telling everyone that he plans to run the football more this season. Of course, there are plenty of skeptics when Reid says such things. He has always loved throwing the football despite the fact that Philadelphia plays so many games in cold weather. Two years ago, Reid called 61 percent pass plays and that pass-run percentage increased to 64.4 percent last season. Reid will never have a balanced offense because he doesn't have the big back necessary to run such an offense.
