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These cautionary words for Ohio State freshman tailback Maurice Clarett, who is making noises about bolting campus after this season and trying to enter the NFL draft: Save your money.
Having rushed for 855 yards and 13 touchdowns in six games, Clarett, a true freshman who won't turn 19 until Oct. 29, is considering a challenge to the rule that underclass players cannot petition for entry into the draft until three college seasons have expired following their high school graduation. A standout runner, the USA Today offensive player of the year in 2001 and a Parade magazine honoree, Clarett has suggested he might be mature enough to play the pro game already.
|  | | He's only a freshman, but Ohio St. RB Maurice Clarett has rushed for 847 yards in six games. |
Such a challenge eventually might be upheld on grounds of Constitutional right-to-work entitlements. But even if he were to prevail in a court, Clarett wouldn't be in the league any sooner. The league, you see, will battle every step of the way to protect its guidelines on draft eligibility. It has much deeper pockets than Clarett and his family, and it can drag the case through the court system for many years.
By the time a trial and any appeals had run their course, Clarett would have finished his junior season for the Buckeyes and would be eligible for the draft anyway.
To date, no player has ever challenged the NFL eligibility rules. No matter how prepared he feels he is to move to the next level, no matter how viable his beliefs he could perform right now in the league, Clarett would be wise to heed history in this case.
"I'm not saying his case wouldn't have some merit," said one veteran player agent with solid knowledge of Constitutional and labor law. "I'm just saying that here's a kid who is going to expend a lot of time and energy and money fighting to get into a fraternity that doesn't want him yet."
Labor attorneys offer mixed opinions about the league's right to unilaterally enact eligibility guidelines. But their opinions don't matter, since the league will go the distance to defend its practices, given the need to protect what is a rather fragile relationship with the colleges that serve as a quasi-minor league system. Give the NFL an "A" for effort in this regard since, unlike the NBA, it hasn't caved to threats of litigation. Regardless of the millions it might cost in legal fees, the NFL will never abandon its guidelines.
Before the current standards were adopted in 1990 -- essentially hammered out by commissioner Paul Tagliabue -- entreaties from underclassmen to enter the draft were reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Since then, the rules are simple: Graduate from high school. Count three college seasons after that. Then apply for the draft if you want.
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Side Lines
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On-Line
New Orleans defensive end Darren Howard had three sacks in last week's victory over Washington, beating Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels on all of them, and is starting to get more comfortable on the right side. Howard played his first two seasons at left end until the departure of Joe Johnson in free agency created a vacancy at the weakside spot. On Sunday, in a key NFC battle, Howard battles San Francisco left tackle Derrick Deese, an undersized blocker but a terrific technician. The matchup is an intriguing one, since Deese has such quick feet and Howard uses his hands so well. In the four meetings with the 49ers in which Howard has played, he hasn't lined up against Deese because he was playing the strong side then. |
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The List
In one of the league's greatest trade heists, the Green Bay Packers acquired quarterback Brett Favre from the Atlanta Falcons in 1992 for a first-round draft choice. Since replacing Don Majkowski in the fourth game of the '92 season, Favre has started an NFL-record 163 consecutive games, and Atlanta has used 11 different starters over the same period. Here is a look at the Falcons litany of starters during Favre's incredible stretch of durability: |
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Name
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Year(s)
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Starts
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Chris Chandler
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1997-2001
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67
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Jeff George
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1994-96
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35
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Bobby Hebert
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1993-96
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25
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Billy Joe Tolliver
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1993-96, '97
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8
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Chris Miller
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1992-93
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7
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Michael Vick
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2001-02
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7
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Tony Graziani
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1997-99
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5
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Doug Johnson
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2002-03
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3
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Wade Wilson
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1992
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3
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Danny Kanell
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1999-2000
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2
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Steve DeBerg
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1998
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1
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Stat of the Week
Running behind a depleted offensive line, Emmitt Smith continues to crawl toward the NFL rushing record. But he isn't getting much help from Dallas coaches in quest of Walter Payton's mark. Dating back to the 2001 season finale, Smith has seven straight games with fewer than 20 carries, the longest such streak of his career. Entering this season, his average was 20.5 attempts per game, and it has dropped to 14.2 in 2002. Not since the second game of the year has Smith logged more than 13 carries. In the last four outings, Smith has averaged only 12.5 carries, and his season high is 18. Prior to '02, Smith had 20 or more carries in 111 of 185 games. |
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Stat of the Weak
The Chicago Bears posted 48 sacks in 2001, fourth-most in the NFL, helping them to their first division title since 1990. Notable is that 20 of the 48 sacks came from defensive linemen, with right end Phillip Daniels leading the way with nine. Even more notable is that of the Bears' 11 sacks in 2002, the defensive linemen have zero. "You can make all kinds of excuses about how everyone is throwing from a three-step drop, but the bottom line is we've got to find a way to get to the quarterback," Daniels said. |
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The Last Word
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| Holmgren |
Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, whose team is 1-4, on his past references to the youthful Seahawks roster as a major contributor to mistakes: "I'm not going to say that anymore. I've said it, it's a fact, we're young. But so what? This is a man's game, played by men, and they're getting a lot of money. So enough of the excuses."
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Some people, including yours truly, were under the misconception that the rules had been collectively bargained with the NFL Players Association. But that is not the case, and NFL vice president Greg Aiello noted: "No, we're out there on our own with this one." That said, the NFLPA would offer little or no support to Clarett, because it believes the guidelines are prudent ones.
Were the rules collectively bargained, with the NFLPA agreeing to them as the exclusive bargaining agent for the NFL rank-and-file, Clarett essentially would have no case at all. Without the rules as part of the current collective bargaining agreement, he has the right to go to court, but not necessarily the right to litigate his way into the league.
Most league scouts to whom ESPN.com spoke would not comment on the record about Clarett's skills. That's because most scouts have not begun to assess him with the typical NFL yardstick. Said one personnel director: "Try me back in a couple of years."
Which is precisely what Maurice Clarett should do.
Around the league
Sources told ESPN.com this week that the Chicago Bears are a lot more concerned with the "tendinitis" in the elbow and shoulder of quarterback Jim Miller than they are publicly acknowledging. No one is blaming Miller for his sudden series of injuries, but if the Bears don't get things turned around soon, Chris Chandler is going to get some starts beyond Sunday's game against the Lions (which he is going to start, and Chicago may begin to explore other options. It will not surprise some people if Miller, who this past spring signed a five-year, $11.65 million contract, is gone next year. Miller is a tough guy, respected by his teammates, but management might want to upgrade at the position. Remember, the Bears tried to trade for then-unsigned Washington first-round pick Patrick Ramsey this summer, and almost certainly will look to the early round of the 2003 lottery to add a young passer. Chicago would have to eat $1.6 million in prorated signing bonus against its cap if it released Miller before June 1.
Early this week, it appeared as if offensive tackle Orlando Brown, idled since the 1999 accident in which his eye was injured when struck with a referee's penalty flag, was on the fast track to returning to the field. But in the words of a source close to Brown, "things have come to a screeching halt," and there is no timetable for the onetime power blocker to resume his career. For openers, the settlement of Brown's $200 million suit against the league is not consummated, although it is close to completion. But Brown has not yet been cleared medically to play, declined to sign an injury waiver or take an eye examination during a visit with Redskins staffers last week, and is re-thinking his future. There is no lack of suitors, and odds are that at some point Brown will attempt a comeback. Right now, though, it's on the back burner.
Given his competitive nature, Oronde Gadsden will probably try to play through the ruptured left wrist ligament he sustained last week, but the Miami wide receiver does face a tough decision on how he handles the injury. Gadsden, who won't play this week, could have surgery, and the procedure almost certainly would sideline him for the rest of the season. Or he could wait until after the season, have the surgery, then face a recovery period of four to six months. The caveat on the latter option is that Gadsden is eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring. If he waits to have surgery, he will be in the early stages of rehabilitation when the free agency period begins in March, and some teams might shy away from a guy who could be damaged goods. It's a conundrum for the acrobatic veteran and one with a dollar sign attached to it. Despite being in the league only five years, Gadsden is 31 and his next contract could be his final big-money deal.
His mouth is still a lot faster than his feet, but one would think that Cincinnati tailback Corey Dillon might think a little bit before he opens his trap. Dillon voiced his frustration at the state of affairs in Cincinnati, and no one can blame him for wondering when this franchise will ever get in step with the 21st century. But for Dillon to suggest that he might retire and that he has "options" available to him after this season is preposterous. Should he walk away from the game, Dillon would be on the hook to repay $6.3 million of the $10.5 million signing bonus that he received as part of a five-year, $26 million contract last year. Plus he would forfeit another $10.35 million in base salaries and roster bonuses on a deal that runs through 2005. That's not going to happen. What he might be attempting is to force his way out of Cincinnati via a trade, but stubborn Bengals management isn't likely to deal the team's best player.
Last weekend, the Dallas Cowboys traded starting guard Kelvin Garmon, claiming that he did not "buy into" the zone-blocking schemes implemented by new offensive line coach Frank Verducci. Word is that the Cowboys were going to release Garmon outright before the San Diego Chargers came up with a low-round draft pick for him. But there are other players on the blocking unit, notably perennial Pro Bowl star Larry Allen, who are not convinced the blocking scheme will work and who are freelancing and at times reverting back to the old man-to-man design of former line assistant Hudson Houck. Right now, the Dallas line is shaken up by injury and barely has enough healthy bodies to compete. At the end of the season, though, will come an even bigger shakeup. Both starting tackles, Flozell Adams and Solomon Page, will be unrestricted free agents, and the club may not attempt to keep either of them. Given the salary-cap ramifications, there is little the Cowboys can do with Allen, who beyond ignoring the blocking schemes at times, also looks like a player in decline.
The league came down hard on Denver free safety Kenoy Kennedy this week, and justifiably so, for his use of the helmet as a weapon on three occasions this season. So who might be the next NFL player to earn himself a week off for overaggressive play? Well, keep your eye on San Diego offensive left tackle Damion McIntosh, because NFL officials certainly are eyeballing the third-year veteran. McIntosh has been sanctioned three times this year, most recently a $12,500 fine, primarily for hitting opponents in the back of the head. The league has put McIntosh on notice that any more incidents could result in suspension.
|  | | Jason Taylor leads the Dolphins with 5.5 sacks through six games. |
Early frontrunner for defensive player of the year: Miami defensive right end Jason Taylor. The veteran is playing with an incredibly high level of energy, has become a true team leader, and everyone on the unit is feeding off him. "The guy just refuses to be blocked," said Denver left tackle Ephraim Salaam, who went head-to-head with Taylor last Sunday night. "Even when you think you've got him blocked, he still just keeps on coming. He is relentless, really, and he's making everyone around him that much better." Remarkable is that Taylor is probably playing at only about 245-250 pounds. He still has problem keeping weight on his frame, but that hasn't stopped Taylor from earning acclaim this year. The way things are now, it could come down to Taylor and Pittsburgh weakside linebacker Joey Porter for defensive player of the year honors.
One defensive end who isn't getting it done, as we've pointed out in this space before, is Courtney Brown of the Browns. The top overall choice in the 2000 draft continues to be an enigma -- a wonderfully talented player with very little passion -- to the Cleveland coaching staff. The club is close to benching Brown, who has zero sacks this year and just nine in 26 career outings, and replacing him with Mark Word at right end. Or coaches might move Brown back to left end, the position he played as a rookie, to see if that motivates him.
Special teams coverage units are performing at the worst level in years. Through the first 88 games of the season, there have been 17 kicks returned for touchdowns (nine punts and eight kickoffs). That puts the NFL on pace for 49 such scores. There were only 22 kicks returned for touchdowns the entire 2001 season, and the average for the past five years is 29. Three different players -- Chad Morton (New York Jets), Terry Kirby (Oakland) and Michael Lewis (New Orleans) -- each have a pair of touchdown returns in a game. "It's epidemic, how bad the (coverage) teams are right now, really pitiful," said one NFC special teams coach. "You're going to see another big turnover, I'll bet, of special teams coaches during the offseason." More than half the teams in the league changed special teams coaches in the past two years. So why the poor play? Three reasons most cited: Poor tackling on defense, a result of softer practices leaguewide, has trickled down to special teams. The younger players who principally comprise coverage units simply don't care about doing the "grunt" work. Finally, offensive-oriented head coaches are keeping too many skill-position players -- sometimes as many as six wide receivers or four tight ends -- on the roster. Those players aren't as adept at playing on special teams. Back in the '90s, Jerry Glanville once had five veterans on the Atlanta roster, guys such as Jeff Donaldson and Tracy Eaton, who did nothing but play special teams. That was overboard, because the Falcons didn't have enough viable backups, especially on the defensive side. But the coaches who have gone the polar opposite of what Glanville did, by keeping only one or two kamikaze standouts, are just as crazy as he was.
There have been a lot of injury-related stories this year that include the term "second opinion," and it's obvious that, more than ever before, players are seeking independent assessments of their injuries. The NFL Players Association has pushed hard in recent years for its members to have rights to second opinions, outside of the purview of the teams, and without having to obtain permission. Now that the rule has been implemented, players are getting second opinions almost as a matter of course. The second reason for so many second opinions is that many player agents are covering themselves against the possibility of exposure to litigation. One prominent agent told ESPN.com that he dispatches clients for second opinions for anything more serious than a hangnail. "Five years down the road, when a guy has finished his career, I never want him coming back and telling me I didn't apprise him he had the right to a second opinion on an injury," said the agent. "The way things are, you could theoretically open yourself up to a possible lawsuit for negligence, and I'm not going to take that chance. I know that I'm making guys like (nationally renowned orthopedic surgeon) Jim Andrews rich with all the second-opinion stuff I'm sending him, but it's a small cost compared to what a suit might do to me."
Scouts love what they see of Iowa State quarterback Seneca Wallace, at least in terms of playmaking skills. But his big drawback is a lack of height and only average arm strength. Some scouts have compared him to Shaun King, perhaps even a little quicker. But Wallace is barely 5-feet-11 (if that), the scouts say, and figures to be only a late-round choice. "Too bad," said one scout who saw Wallace play a couple of weeks ago. "The guy is making more plays than any quarterback who will be in the 2003 draft."
There was a strange Thursday night radio conversation between Mike Ditka and Detroit Lions president Matt Millen. During an interview, Millen and Ditka were discussing players who simply didn't play up to potential and wimped out on contact, Millen suggested the current Lions defense has an unnamed player he referred to as a "devout coward," a guy who made plays in practice but never in a game. It was quite an indictment, even if he didn't identify the player. Which begs this question: Why is this player still employed by the Lions?
Punts: There continue to be whispers that if Dan Reeves is dismissed at the end of the season, Falcons owner Arthur Blank would prefer to have a "fresh face" -- in other words, a college head coach -- replace him. One name kicking around is Nick Saban of LSU. ... Despite a solid game on Thursday night prime time, Maryland middle linebacker E.J. Henderson is not playing up to his potential, some scouts insist. ... A few teams were interested in Minnesota backup tailback Doug Chapman before this week's trade deadline, but a deal didn't get completed. ... If the season continues to slide away from the Washington Redskins, look for coach Steve Spurrier to seek more input into personnel moves in 2003. Spurrier and staff now realize they don't have a very good roster and feel they were sold a bill of goods on the quality of some players. ... Oakland center Barret Robbins is playing perhaps the best football of his career. It's Robbins, and not perennial Pro Bowl performer Kevin Mawae of the New York Jets who is the best center in the AFC over the first half of the campaign.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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