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There are a lot of ways to interpret the offseason addition of aging
veterans to the Oakland Raiders' defense, a trend that continued this week
with the acquisition of free safety and future Hall of Famer Rod
Woodson. The most popular theory is that the team is gearing up for one
last-gasp run at a Super Bowl title.
It is difficult to quibble with that notion.
This season likely will be the last the club exists in its
current configuration, particularly on the offensive side, where
quarterback Rich Gannon and wide receivers Tim Brown and Jerry Rice all
could depart after 2002. And part of the reason so many
veterans urged owner Al Davis to elevate little-known Bill Callahan as the
successor to Jon Gruden was their belief that this is a last hurrah of sorts.
|  | | Bill Romanowski had 69 tackles and seven sacks last season. |
That isn't to suggest the Raiders will deteriorate after the season, and a
wily Davis sought to ensure future rewards by craftily working the draft and
coming away with a couple of star-caliber performers in cornerback Phillip
Buchanan and linebacker Napoleon Harris. But the future clearly is now for
a team that ranks among the oldest in the league and whose
veterans desperately want one more Super Bowl ring.
And so Woodson, who at age 37 still has enough in the tank to have been
sought by two teams besides the Raiders, is the latest short-term
band-aid. He joins defensive tackle John Parrella and linebackers Bill Romanowski and Gerald Dixon as the Raiders' newest thirtysomething
acquisitions. If he simply plays as well as he did a year ago, Woodson
should oust Anthony Dorsett Jr. from the starting free safety spot,
regardless of Callahan's spin that there's really a competition for the
position.
It should be noted that last year's key over-30 defensive addition, end
Trace Armstrong, made no contribution after blowing out his Achilles tendon.
Armstrong is rehabbing and should be fully recovered in time for camp. That
said, there is a lot of age on the roster, and a lot of pressure on Callahan
in his maiden voyage as a head coach.
At the annual league meetings two months ago, Callahan seemed glib, candid and excited by his first shot at a top job. But the clever
Davis is certainly establishing the appearance of stacking the deck,
constructing a roster that appears to be of Super Bowl caliber, one that
will be favored to at least claim a division title. That's the upside.
The downside is that even players as enduring as Woodson can get old
quickly -- almost overnight, in fact. The negative for Callahan is that,
should this team fail to achieve the heights Davis sees as possible, the
coach could be the fall guy. Former Vikings coach Dennis Green is
never too far from Davis' thoughts, probably is on speed-dial on the owner's
phone, and will be ready to return to the NFL next year
after a season in hiatus.
The acquisition of Woodson was a typical Davis move. If the Raiders fail to
produce big time in 2002, the unpredictable owner could have a few more
moves in mind.
Around the league Some things never change: Try as we might to point out some of the good things going on in
Cincinnati, in part because we believe the team is closer to respectability
than most people feel, the Bengals sometimes make it awfully difficult to
defend their actions. The latest case involves the club's second-round draft
choice, Washington State free safety Lamont Thompson, the 41st player
selected overall. As this edition of "Tip Sheet" was filed,
the Bengals were refusing to provide injury protection to Thompson for this
weekend's minicamp. Most teams provide injury protection to rookies, to
guarantee them income should they be injured at minicamp, since the
first-year players have not yet signed their first contracts. Essentially
the standard injury-protection letter stipulates that if a player is injured
in a football-related activity, the club will still negotiate in good faith.
There are some franchises that quibble over the injury protection, but for
the Bengals to do so with Thompson might be more than imprudent,
particularly given his importance to the team. Earlier this week, you see,
Thompson was listed by Bengals coaches as the starting free safety when the
club distributed its minicamp depth chart. So clearly, Cincinnati is
counting on Thompson, a player with great range and size (6-feet-1, 220
pounds) and a guy who had 24 interceptions during his college career, to
step right in. So much so that the Bengals on Wednesday
afternoon released veteran Darryl Williams, their only truly experienced free
safety. The backup to Thompson on the depth chart is third-year
veteran Mark Roman, a former second-round draft choice who is being moved
inside from cornerback. The point here: The Bengals need Thompson to get as many "reps" as he can so that he is ready to start on
opening day. But as this was being written, Thompson was preparing to skip
the minicamp altogether, and that will hurt Cincinnati as much as it will
him.
The Bengals are providing injury protection for first-round pick Levi
Jones, the former Arizona State offensive tackle, and a prospect who won't
start as a rookie unless veteran Richmond Webb declines skill-wise or shows
up for camp overweight (as he has been known to do). That they are refusing
to do the same for Thompson is silly. Perhaps the issue will be
resolved by the time Thompson is to report for his Friday evening meeting
with the rest of the rookies. Even if it is settled, there was no reason for
there to have been an issue in the first place.
More Bengals talk: Lost in the publicity surrounding the Bengals' acquisition of quarterback
Gus Frerotte is that the eight-year veteran is coming off surgery and that
his arm might not be back to full strength until training camp. Frerotte had a tendon taken from his elbow and
surgically implanted into his shoulder this spring. During his audition for
Bengals coaches, his velocity was probably only about 80 percent, but that
seems to be where he should be at this juncture of his recovery. One of the
big reasons the Bengals signed Frerotte, beyond the maddening inconsistency
of incumbent starter Jon Kitna, is because coordinator Bob Bratkowski wants
to throw the ball up the field more in 2002. Frerotte has a career average
of 7.02 yards per pass attempt, the number that every quarterback coach or
coordinator looks at, and that is far better than what the Bengals have been
able to accomplish lately. The last time a Cincinnati quarterback came even
close to that mark was in 1996. Over the past two seasons, the Bengals
averaged just 5.47 yards (2001) and 4.89 yards (2000) per attempt.
Here's the kicker: On the matter of injury protection, the Denver Broncos guaranteed the
presence of kicker Jason Elam at this weekend's minicamp by signing him to
an injury protection waiver. Elam is designated as the team's "franchise"
player but has yet to sign a new deal and an agreement does not appear
imminent. But the team did a smart thing guaranteeing Elam the one-year
qualifying offer for a kicker, in his case $1.465 million, should he suffer
an injury this weekend. The odds that a kicker would sustain a debilitating
injury in a minicamp are slim. But Denver officials didn't want to take any
risks, and Elam might not have attended the sessions minus the injury
guarantee. Because of the obtuse rules that govern "franchise" players, the
Broncos can't discuss a long-term deal with agent Jack Reale until after
July 15. Elam wanted to be at the minicamp, suggested the injury protection
guarantee through Reale, and the Broncos agreed. "He didn't want to isolate
himself from the rest of the team in terms of preparing for the season,"
Reale said of Elam. "He felt it was important to be there. The team agreed
and we were able to come to an understanding that works out well for
everyone concerned."
Spurrier open to suggestions: Most head coaches around the league wouldn't have been as candid as Steve
Spurrier in conceding Tuesday that Washington Redskins officials basically
talked him into signing quarterback Shane Matthews, who is now the odds-on
favorite to win the starting job in training camp. Then again, when one of
the officials twisting your arm is the owner (Dan Snyder), you really don't have much
choice sometimes but to acquiesce. It
was actually the very proactive Snyder, not Spurrier, who set the wheels in
motion for the eventual acquisition of Matthews, who had been released by
the Chicago Bears the previous week. When the Redskins brass noted an
ESPN.com report Monday that Matthews was headed to Cincinnati for a visit
that same evening, officials quickly decided they couldn't afford not to
sign him.
It's a win-win for both sides. The Skins get a veteran quarterback
to shepherd the offense until first-round choice Patrick Ramsey is ready to
play. Matthews gets an opportunity to start, and then, since he signed only a
one-year contract, can go back into the free agent pool again next spring.
One thing that no one has raised yet with Matthews is that, at midseason in
2001, he was talking about the possibility of retirement. His rationale at
the time was that he didn't think it was fair to his family to live away
from his permanent home six months a year. There has been no retirement
rhetoric lately, however, from the eight-year veteran.
More Rice for Raiders? It almost certainly won't extend his career, but the Oakland Raiders very
quietly have added another season to the four-year contract that Jerry Rice
signed last spring. Basically the move was a cosmetic one, a
maneuver whose purpose was to create some more salary cap room for the
Raiders, who remain active in free agency. Oakland guaranteed a portion of
Rice's base salary for 2002, meaning it will be counted as a signing bonus
and can be prorated, and added the 2005 season to the deal. The upshot of
all the bookkeeping is that Rice's salary cap charge for 2002 went from
$1.787 million to $1.262 million, a cap break of $525,000.
Bentley impresses Saints: For once, maybe we got one right, in terms of hitting on a draft prospect.
The day the combine workouts ended in Indianapolis, ESPN.com tabbed Ohio
State center LeCharles Bentley as one of the "risers" in the 2002 draft.
Bentley was selected by New Orleans in the second round two weeks ago, after
the Saints seriously considered grabbing him in the first stanza, and the
former Buckeyes star was arguably the standout rookie at the club's
minicamp last week. Bentley is a tad undersized but possesses an undeniable
mean streak. There is a strong possibility now he will open the season as
the starting right guard, replacing Chris Naeole, who signed
with Jacksonville as a free agent. Bentley will eventually play center in
the NFL, but the Saints currently have longtime veteran Jerry Fontenot at
the position, so the rookie will have to bide his time. The New Orleans
coaches loved Bentley's tenacity. He arrived at the minicamp with the
attitude that he wasn't going to take any crap from veteran players. One
assistant coach tabbed him "Turley Jr.," a reference to Saints offensive
tackle and resident wildman Kyle Turley, who is moving from the right to the
left side this year. "(Bentley) seems like a guy who doesn't even want you
to look at him crooked, because he might just pop you in the chops, you
know?" said the coach.
Receiving help?The New York Giants have taken more than their share of hits this summer
because of the stifling salary cap situation -- thank you, Michael Strahan -- that has prevented the franchise from being able to add veteran
reinforcements through free agency. What has gone unnoticed, though, is the
manner in which the team is quietly rebuilding its receiving corps. Everyone knows, of course, that the
Giants selected tight end Jeremy Shockey with their first-round pick. He will provide
quarterback Kerry Collins an inviting short- and intermediate-range talent. But the Giants are beginning to develop some fleet young wide
receivers, too, and some of them should contribute this year. Third-year pro
Ron Dixon has shown hints in his first two seasons that he can blossom into
a deep threat. Jonathan Carter, a fifth-round pick from 2001 who was limited
to two games by injuries, looked very good in the team's recent minicamp.
And a pair of 2002 rookies, second-round choice Tim Carter (Auburn) and
seventh-rounder Daryl Jones (Miami), have terrific speed. The Giants
still have one excellent veteran in Amani Toomer, but the future is murky
for Ike Hilliard, who keeps trying to talk his way out of New York. The
young wideouts on the roster remain unproven but if a couple of them
develop and Shockey is as good as everyone thinks, the Giants' offense could
go from stodgy to stupendous in a very short time.
Colts in search of depth: Add the Indianapolis Colts to the list of teams seeking a veteran
wide receiver. The team lost Jerome Pathon in free agency and traded
Terrence Wilkins to St. Louis, leaving the depth chart perilously thin,
particularly if coordinator Tom Moore plans to align in a three-wide
receiver set (Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Qadry Ismail for now) as a
primary offense.
ESPN.com confirmed the Colts brought in eight-year veteran
Charles Johnson, who spent 2001 as a backup with the New England Patriots,
for an audition this week. He had a solid workout but hasn't yet been
offered a contract, which probably means the club will look at some other
veterans as well. Don't confuse the Colts, though, with franchises that hope
to land a receiver after anticipated June 1 releases of such wideouts as
Derrick Alexander of Kansas City, Antonio Freeman of Green Bay or
Jacksonville's Keenan McCardell. Those three veterans are all going to want
contracts that define them as starters. Indianapolis is
hoping to land an experienced hand who can serve as the No. 3 or No. 4
wide receiver, and there are players like that remaining in the
free agent pool.
Blackshear making a comeback? Teams seeking a veteran backup guard, one who will play for the minimum,
might want to make a call to agent Angelo Wright. He represents Jeff
Blackshear, and it appears that the eight-year veteran guard, who did not
play in 2001, is getting himself in shape for a comeback.
Blackshear is 33, so the odds might be against him, but during his
best years he was an in-line mauler with pretty good pop coming off the
ball. Blackshear played for Seattle (1993-95), Baltimore (1996-99) and
Kansas City (2000), was released by the Chiefs last summer, and no one
signed him. For the minimum base salary, he might be worth at least bringing
in for a workout, given that he has started 97 games in his career.
No Green for New England: A deal between the New England Patriots and former New York Jets standout
safety Victor Green appears unlikely. Agent Nate Lampley told ESPN.com
early this week that negotiations were tenuous, and then Green
acknowledged late in the week that while the Patriots were his first
choice, the money wasn't right. New England had been offering a one-year
contract at the $750,000 minimum base salary. Green turned down a
three-year, $3 million offer from the Jets before they subsequently released
him for cap purposes. As we've noted here in the past, Green never seemed to
garner the credit that he deserved in New York and, even at age 31, still
has something left. He will visit with Minnesota coaches and, given the
aggressiveness of coach Mike Tice this spring in adding key veterans to a
long-ignored defense, could be a good fit there. Tennessee had also been
interested in Green, but the Titans drafted Stanford safety Clevan
"Tank" Williams in the second round and won't pursue the veteran now.
Roman's return: While it seems Green isn't going to New England, it now looks like veteran
linebacker Roman Phifer will be returning to the Patriots, who basically
resurrected his career during their Super Bowl championship season. ESPN.com
reported two weeks ago that Phifer had reached an agreement in principle
with the Raiders, but the deal wasn't completed. Now that Oakland used a
first-round draft choice on linebacker Napoleon Harris, the Raiders don't
need Phifer and ceased talks with him. The Pats found creative ways to
use Phifer in 2001, sometimes playing him at end, and he wound up starting
all 16 games. At this point, it doesn't appear Phifer has any alternatives,
and he wants to return to the Pats anyway.
Tackling some veteran help: With only four veteran linebackers on the roster, the Tampa Bay Bucs will
audition unrestricted free agent Allen Aldridge (Detroit) next Tuesday, and
likely offer him a one-year contract at the $650,000 minimum if he performs
well. Aldridge, who is also being sought by the Denver Broncos, can play
inside or outside and is a steady and more-than-competent defender at age
30. One of the things he has going for him is that he can deep-snap, and the
Bucs are interested in having him perform that chore while serving as an
experienced backup at all three linebacker spots.
Breaking down Abraham's deal: The six-year contract that former Tampa Bay standout cornerback Donnie
Abraham signed with the New York Jets two weeks ago is structured more like
a three-year deal worth about $6.775 million. According to NFL Players
Association documents, the six-year veteran got a signing bonus of just $1.5
million. But his base salaries for the initial two years of the contract,
$525,000 in 2002 and $1.4 million in '03, are fully guaranteed. The Jets
also guaranteed $1 million of his $3.1 million base salary for 2004, and
there is a $250,000 roster bonus that year. In 2005, the team must pay
Abraham a roster bonus of $3 million in March and his base salary that
season drops to $1 million. His base for '06 is a whopping $5 million, and it
rises to $6 million for 2007. There are March roster bonuses of $1 million
in each of those years. Essentially, the team overcame a modest signing
bonus by guaranteeing $4.425 million of the contract.
Breaking down Edwards' deal: The six-year, $24.325 million contract that free agent linebacker Donnie
Edwards signed with San Diego two weeks ago all but assures him $7.25
million during the first two years. Edwards got a $1.5 million
signing bonus and a 2002 base salary of $525,000. His base salary for 2003
is $975,000, but next March the Chargers must pay him $4.25 million to
exercise an option for the 2007 campaign. Why do they have to pay Edwards
the option bonus? Because if they don't, his base salary for 2004 escalates
to $7.1 million, with $4.25 million of it guaranteed. If they pay the option
bonus, then his base salary for 2004 is just $2.85 million. The other base
salaries: $3 million (2005), $3.55 million (2006) and $4.825 million (2007).
There is a roster bonus of $750,000 for 2004 and roster bonuses of $700,000
each for 2005-07. The 2007 season is voidable if Edwards reaches certain
predetermined performance benchmarks.
More practice? One reason so many teams grabbed quarterback prospects on the second day of
the draft is that the league is considering a rules change related to size
of practice squads. There is considerable support leaguewide for increasing
the maximum body count for practice squads from its current five to six,
provided that one of the six players is a quarterback, a move that would
essentially permit teams to stash a developmental passer for a year or two.
There were a dozen quarterbacks selected on the second day of the draft and,
without a doubt, some clubs chose them because they feel the rules
change will take place. The league will discuss the proposal and perhaps
even take action on it at its annual spring meeting later this month in
Houston.
No Leafs on Dallas? It appears Ryan Leaf is the odd-man out in the Dallas
quarterback derby. The Cowboys remain committed to second-year pro Quincy
Carter, who lost 17 pounds and looks much more mobile, as their starter.
Coaches want former Stanford star Chad Hutchinson, signed after a four-year
stint as a pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals system, to win the No. 2 job
and push Carter a bit. That probably would leave either Clint Sterner or
Anthony Wright as the No. 3 quarterback. Leaf was held out of work much of
this week because of a contagious flu-like virus he is trying to shake. It
certainly doesn't help him to miss any practice time.
Punts: The Kansas City Chiefs have elevated third-year cornerback William
Bartee to the starting lineup, ahead of 14th-year pro Ray Crockett. A former
second-round pick, Bartee should add the physical dimension coordinator Greg
Robinson wants from his secondary. ... Cleveland officials were concerned
when a virus dropped the weight of first-round draft choice William Green to
about 205 pounds. The former Boston College star has recovered, though, and
regained most of the weight. ... Sensing that the style
dictated by new coach Tony Dungy relies more on quickness than strength,
Colts defensive right end Chad Bratzke shed 15 pounds and
reported to last week's minicamp at about 260. ... Look for Dave Fiore,
who started all 16 games at right guard for San Francisco last year, to move
to the left side. The move is being made to accommodate free agent
acquisition Ron Stone, a two-time Pro Bowl performer at the right guard
spot. ... Green Bay officials were hardly satisfied with the performance
of Josh Heupel at last week's minicamp. Although the
quarterback insists his broken wrist has healed, he didn't throw the ball
like it. The Packers probably will go again with journeyman Doug Pederson,
who performed well in minicamp, as primary backup to Brett Favre. ...
Before the Philadelphia Eagles sign a free agent tailback to replace injured Correll Buckhalter, they will explore trade possibilities. Right
now, though, the Eagles don't seem close to making a deal.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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