|
Through the first 12 games of the season, things went exceedingly well for the Tennessee Titans offensive line unit, an unheralded but effective quintet whose toughness and competitiveness mirrored the qualities shared by head coach Jeff Fisher and position coach Mike Munchak.
And then in the 13th game of the campaign, against Indianapolis, left guard Zach Piller was felled by an ankle injury that will probably sideline him for 4-6 weeks. A week later, against New England in the Monday night game of Dec. 16, stalwart left tackle Brad Hopkins tore the medial collateral ligament in his knee and won't be back until the playoffs, if then.
|  | | Piller is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury. |
And so suddenly Munchak, a member of the Hall of Fame and a guy who has quietly become one of the best line mentors in the league, is being forced to scramble now. A pair of veteran journeymen blockers, Tom Ackerman and Jason Mathews, will finish the regular season as the starters at left guard and left tackle, respectively. And while both have been starters at previous junctures of their careers, the refashioning of the entire left side of the Titans once seamless line provides reason for concern, even given the very positive approach of Munchak and his charges.
"We're fortunate to have two players who have performed well during their careers," Munchak said after Monday's rout of the Patriots. "They're veteran guys and will do a good job. We're pretty lucky to have this kind of depth, believe me, because it's hard to make it through (the entire season) by being able to line up with the same people every week."
That has certainly been the case in 2002 when just one team, Kansas City, has started the same five players at the same positions in every game. The Chiefs have been able to pencil in left tackle Willie Roaf, left guard Brian Waters, center Casey Wiegmann, right guard Will Shields and right tackle John Tait for 14 consecutive games.
Those five are among an ever-dwindling contingent of just 74 linemen, or a paltry 2.3 per franchise, who have started in the same spot for every game in this 2002 season. The various line positions and the number of players who have been able to start every game: left tackle, 16; left guard, 13; center, 19; right guard, 13; and right tackle, 13.
There is no denying the cohesiveness developed by the five Chiefs blockers, their ability to answer the call every weekend, has contributed to the fact that Kansas City is the highest scoring team in the NFL and ranks No. 2 overall in total offense. At the same time, the constant shuffling done by other teams clearly has affected offensive production throughout the league, as coaches break out the baling wire and super glue trying to hold their blocking units together and to maintain some semblance of continuity.
You think the wild game of musical chairs some teams have been forced to play at the quarterback position in 2002 has been maddening? The number of changes at the quarterback position is easily dwarfed by all the various switches enacted by NFL offensive line coaches this year.
An ESPN.com study of the offensive line units for all 32 franchises shows an incredible amount of jerry-rigging. On average, teams have employed 4.0 different starting units and 8.6 different starters. A dozen franchises have employed five or more different starting offensive line quintets.
The Dallas Cowboys have used 16 different starters, and nine combinations, both league highs. At only one position, left tackle, have the Cowboys used fewer than three different starters. Dallas has had, for instance, five different starters at left guard. The fact the Cowboys have now started the same unit in five consecutive contests is some solace, but it can't make up for the crazy spinning merry-go-round earlier in the season.
The loss of perennial All-Pro guard Larry Allen, who played just five games before going onto injured reserve with an ankle injury, was critical. But the Cowboys also lost other players in a mind-boggling spate of injuries and the team, at one point, had to claim a lineman off waivers three times in a span of four weeks.
Left guard Ross Tucker became a starter only one week after he was claimed off waivers from Washington, and had to take a cram course in the Cowboys offensive terminology. Guard Jeremy McKinney was plucked out of the free agent market in-season, started two games, then was found to have a heart condition that threatens his career.
What is especially difficult is that the Cowboys have a new line coach this year, Frank Verducci, and he has employed a blocking scheme that clearly is dramatically different from that of predecessor Hudson Houck. The injuries have only exacerbated what was already a tenuous situation.
"Yeah, there have been times when you've thought to yourself, 'OK, what more can happen?' " said second-year veteran Matt Lehr, who has logged starts at left guard and center and also filled in at right guard. "Honestly, you walk into the huddle and never know who's going to be there with you. It's like you need to introduce yourself to the other linemen on a weekly basis."
|
Side Lines
|
|
On-Line
On paper, the Saturday game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins looks like a dog, a contest where even the most ardent fans might be better served finishing their Christmas shopping. But the game does offer perhaps one individual matchup worth close scrutiny. Minnesota rookie left offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, the first-round draft choice who held out for three months during an acrimonious contract negotiations, faces Miami right defensive end Jason Taylor. If nothing else, it will provide McKinnie and the Vikings coaches a real barometer of how far the seventh overall pick in this year's draft has advanced in five starts. McKinnie has been playing virtually every snap from a two-point stance. He might not have enough stances available to stymie the league's hottest defensive player. Taylor is the league leader in sacks, with 17, and has been setting an early emotional tone in recent weeks. In last Sunday's victory over Oakland, he had a pair of sacks and two forced fumbles in the first three plays. Known primarily for his upfield speed, the 248-pound Taylor has developed excellent counter moves and he will be a real test for McKinnie. |
|
The List
With two games remaining in the regular season, 21 teams technically remain in contention for playoff berths. That marks the most teams still eligible for the Super Bowl, after 14 games, since 1996. Here is a look at home many teams still harbored playoff aspirations at the 14-game mark since 1990, when the NFL adopted the 12-team playoff format:
|
|
Year
|
Teams
|
|
2001
|
16
|
|
2000
|
17
|
|
1999
|
20
|
|
1998
|
19
|
|
1997
|
18
|
|
1996
|
21
|
|
1995
|
21
|
|
1994
|
22
|
|
1993
|
18
|
|
1992
|
16
|
|
1991
|
18
|
|
1990
|
20
|
|
Stat of the Week
Even though tailback Eddie George is hardly the same player he was before toe surgery two years ago, the Tennessee Titans have used a much improved rushing attack to spark the current stretch in which they have won eight of nine games, including Monday night's rout of the New England Patriots. The Titans averaged only 3.0 yards per carry in their first five games of the season, when they were 1-4. During their current streak, the average rush is for 4.1 yards. |
|
Stat of the Weak
When Atlanta Falcons placement specialist Jay Feely botched a 36-yard field goal that would have been the game-winning kick in overtime with the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday, it continued his mystifying failure to convert attempts in the allegedly friendly confines of the Georgia Dome. In his two seasons with the team, Feeley has made 24 of 27 field goals on the road, a success rate of 88.9 percent. But in the climate-controlled environment of the Georgia Dome, he has converted only 29 of 41 field goal tries (70.7 percent) in two seasons. Clearly, it's not every domed stadium that proves a problem for Feeley, just the Georgia Dome. In five road games played in domed stadiums, Feeley has made all 10 of his field goal attempts, including all five in two games at the Superdome in New Orleans.
|
|
The Last Word
| |  | |
| Gruden |
Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden on the feeling that the Bucs, who have never won a playoff contest on the road in their entire existence, must gain the home-field advantage to have a chance to advance to the Super Bowl: "There is a perception around here that we are going to curl up in a fetal position and die if we have to play a road playoff game. I say hogwash. Hell, we're in the playoffs. I saw the Ravens, close range, do it (two) consecutive weeks (in 2000). They did it to me (in Oakland) and rallied and won the Super Bowl. So we are going to take that challenge of the playoffs when we get there. But it's not do or die. It's not like, 'Get homefield or we're out.' "
|
Free agency and the salary cap have conspired in recent seasons to scuttle any kind of offensive line continuity leaguewide. Over the last four years, the average NFL team has opened the season with two new line starters, the changes primarily because of free agency departures or acquisitions. But all the reconfiguration that has taken place during this season, a shuffle believed to be unparalleled over at least the last seven years, has principally been the result of injuries and ineptitude since the start of the campaign.
By unofficial count teams have used 302 different combinations -- those that have started games and others that have come during contests -- on offensive line units in 2002. And the plague hasn't played favorites, as demonstrated by the fact the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots employed four different starters at right guard, all in the first six games of the year.
Even the Oakland Raiders, regarded as possessing one of the best offensive line units in the NFL, have used six combinations. The only lineman to start every game in the same position is center Barret Robbins.
"It really has been a season unlike any other," said Green Bay line coach Larry Beightol, who has lost both starting tackles, Chad Clifton (hip) and Mark Tauscher (knee) to season-ending injuries and has been forced to use three different starters at right tackle. "You have to roll with the punches, and there have been plenty of them, you know? But you don't really have a choice. I mean, somebody has to line up and play."
The problem this year is that it's been a different set of "somebodies" every week, it seems, for many teams.
Around the league
While a ton of rumors continue to swirl around the possibility of changes in the Cincinnati Bengals front office, including strong suggestions owner Mike Brown has spoken to league officials about a renovation, only one person knows precisely what will transpire. And that's Brown, who rarely seeks counsel from anyone outside his immediate sphere of influence, which pretty much consists of family members. If he has sought advice from the NFL -- or if commissioner Paul Tagliabue has nudged him toward hiring a general manager, or vice president to run the franchise, as some outlets have reported -- it would be a major change in the way Brown has conducted his business for the most part. This much we do know: Some people around the NFL, like San Francisco consultant Bill Walsh, have used intermediaries at the league-office level to suggest to Brown that he strongly consider former Vikings coach Dennis Green. That might be a good move, except that Brown will always remain wary of investing too much football control in one person, which Green clearly would demand. Second, it's said Green is looking more at potential openings in Seattle and Detroit. And, finally, there are some influential people in the Cincinnati media who were part of investigations in other cities of Green's alleged off-field indiscretions. Hiring the obviously qualified Green would be a great football move. But it might also set off a firestorm of criticism from some women's groups in the Queen City. And Brown has experienced enough bad publicity without inviting any more.
One name to keep an eye on in Cincinnati if he is dismissed by his current team: Tom Coughlin of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coughlin would almost certainly be a coach who would be seriously considered by Bengals officials. And given the laxity with which the club has performed in recent weeks, when players' public support for embattled head coach Dick LeBeau seems nothing more than hollow lip service, perhaps this franchise needs the kind of tougher hand that Coughlin would provide it.
In case you missed it, wide receiver Peerless Price all but kissed Buffalo good-bye on Thursday, after being informed he was not chosen for the AFC Pro Bowl team. The four-year veteran, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring, acknowledged that he could return to the Bills and put up big numbers again in 2003 and perhaps make the all-star squad. But he also allowed it will be a difficult task playing in the same offense as Eric Moulds, and that he might be better served as the lead receiver for another team. There are some skeptics around the league who wonder how Price will perform elsewhere as a No. 1 wideout, without the complementary skills of Moulds, but several franchises seem set on paying him the big bucks to find out if he can measure up. Put Atlanta, Jacksonville and perhaps Washington at the top of the list. Meanwhile, the Bills have too much money invested in Moulds, and too much confidence in the future of current rookie wideout Josh Reed, to afford the price of keeping Price around for beyond this season.
We hate to dive into the Pro Bowl debate because, no matter how much the system is criticized, things never change anyway. Actually, the voting this year was a little more equitable than in the past, and several young players made the all-star teams on merit and not necessarily reputation. Refreshing as that was, it's hard to reconcile how a Tennessee team that has won eight of its last nine games could be shut out, how voters could not recognize Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck as a premier performer. Out biggest knock, though, is at offensive tackle. There were six tackles chosen for the game and only one, Lincoln Kennedy of Oakland, is a right tackle. Everyone knows that left tackle is a distinctly different position than right tackle, but how do five left tackles get picked? The league needs to alter the balloting and delineate left and right tackles. The NFC team features three left tackles and one of them, Orlando Pace, was injured much of the season and did not play well when healthy. Funny but, in the one season when Philadelphia right tackle Jon Runyan played up to the level of his lucrative contract, he was ignored. Instead his partner, left tackle Tra Thomas, made the team. It's hard, too, to imagine how voters missed on Arizona standout right tackle Leonard Davis, who moved outside from guard this year, when Anthony Clement was felled by a triceps injury.
Oh, yeah, one more Pro Bowl note: The players' wives need to quit fretting over the voting. We must have had 20 phone calls from agents this week asking if we had any sneak peek at the Pro Bowl rosters. Since most of these guys are friends, their queries were no big deal, and most were calling to see if their clients had qualified for Pro Bowl-related bonuses. A few agents, though, 'fessed up and conceded they were phoning because their clients' wives were desperate to see if they needed to go shopping for a new beach ensemble. No one is less chauvinist than we but, hey, wives: Get your husbands to take you to Hawaii even if they didn't make the Pro Bowl. Even at the league's minimum salary, they can afford it, honest.
No one should be too surprised if New Orleans assistant head coach Mike Riley eventually takes the University of Kentucky job. A lot of people feel Riley botched things by asking for additional time to consider the offer at Alabama, so that he could talk to UCLA officials, but friends say that is not the case. In fact, Riley and his family were seriously considering Kentucky at the same time, feeling that the lifestyle there is a plus. There are rumors Riley hasn't moved on to Kentucky yet because there are problems with a buyout in his contract with the Saints. Not true. His deal with the Saints is for one year only, one of many reasons he kept his family on the West Coast when he moved to The Big Easy, and he can get out of it any time that he really wants.
The smart money now is that Seattle's Mike Holmgren, still one of the top five or six head coaches in the league, will be back with the Seahawks for the 2003 campaign. Owner Paul Allen, sources claim, has seen enough to want to retain Holmgren for at least another season. Notable next summer will be who goes to camp as the Seattle starting quarterback. Under Matt Hasselbeck, the Seahawks passing game has made a quantum leap, going from No. 19 to No. 7 since he took over for the injured Trent Dilfer. As part of the contract that kept Dilfer in Seattle this spring, Holmgren publicly named him the starter. But the statute of limitations on that promise has now expired and there are no such guarantees for next year. All the people who denigrated Holmgren for his supposed inability to steward Hasselbeck through his apprenticeship might be eating their words next year.
| |  | |
| Redman |
After suggesting a few weeks ago that quarterback Chris Redman should be fine for the future, Baltimore Ravens officials are holding their collective breath over the back injury that has sidelined the third-year veteran nearly three months now. Redman has continued to serve as the primary backup to Jeff Blake, but this was supposed to be his team in 2002, and the back woes were not supposed to be so serious. As a precautionary move, the club had Redman take another MRI exam this week, and the results again seemed to be encouraging. The consensus is that Redman will be rehabilitated well in advance of the spring mini-camps and, since Blake could depart as a free agent at the end of this season, the Ravens are counting on that. But there remains an outside chance that Redman will require back surgery, a scary thought, and that has prompted Baltimore officials to open at least early negotiations with Blake and agent Ralph Cindrich. "This is the first injury I've pretty much had to deal with in my career," said Redman of a herniated disc. "It's taken a lot longer to bounce back than we thought, and that is something I've never had to deal with before, which just makes it all the more frustrating."
Fueling the wild speculation that Brett Favre might retire at the end of this season is the fact he and wife Deanna have a "For Sale" sign on their house in Green Bay. No one should read too much, however, into that. Favre said this week he plans to purchase a smaller townhome in Green Bay before the start of the 2003 campaign. It's a downsizing, for sure, one that reflects the fact the Favre family spends much of the year at its home in Hattiesburg, Miss., where Brett likes to tool around on his tractor. The only symbolism is that Favre, as indicated in this space in past weeks, is beginning to seriously look down the road at retirement. Agent and close friend James "Bus" Cook has told ESPN.com that Favre will definitely play in 2003, but then sit down with his family and discuss the future beyond that. "There's never been any doubt he won't play out his (current) contract," Cook said. "But he's never told me this year will be it … and I think our relationship is such that I will be among the first to know when he's finished."
There was plenty of discussion in San Francisco this week about an alleged $75 million payment that Denise DeBartolo York made to brother Eddie DeBartolo to essentially end his claims on the team or on the family business. As part of the discussion, it was pointed out that the 49ers will have to work within a budget next year, and might have to trim about $20 million in expenses to do so. Notable, as pointed out by Dr. John York, the owner's representative for his wife, is that San Francisco never had a budget before. Hardly the way to run a business. Even a business about sport. York also pointed out that he will sit down with coach Steve Mariucci at year's end, per their previous agreement, to discuss his future. Speculation is that the 49ers have to advance deep into the playoffs for Mariucci to retain his job, but York denied that is the case. "Mooch" has only the 2003 season left on his current contract and is unlikely to return without an extension. But to this point there have been no talks with Mariucci and agent Gary O'Hagen, and won't be until the 49ers season concludes.
It's still no more than the longest of long shots, but "retired" Denver Broncos tailback Terrell Davis is feeling fine physically these days and entertaining thoughts of a possible comeback. Davis never officially filed his retirement papers with the NFL office and, even if he had, that would not preclude him from getting onto the field again. This will be no hasty decision for Davis, who is said to have been instrumental this year serving as a mentor to Denver rookie tailback and likely offensive rookie of the year Clinton Portis, and he will take several months to further gauge the health of his balky knees and his own mental state. Davis has told friends that, while he is unlikely to return, he is keeping all his options open. Don't look for a resolution to the Davis situation before early spring.
At least two scouting franchises with which we are familiar are contemplating leaving the respective groups to which they belong. The feeling is that both combine services, Blesto and National Football Scouting, Inc., offer little more than initial lists for team personnel departments. The quality of the scouting at the combines, the two teams insist, has declined in recent years and the franchises blame the rising costs of travel and of retaining solid scouts. "Over the last several years, we have seen most of the quality combine scouts move on to working for teams, and it's been tough to replace them," said the scouting director for one of the clubs considering a switch. "They're great at giving you the first lists, kind of like a guide-post to what players you need to see, but their reports are not as good as they used to be. For the $100,000 we're spending to belong to a combine group, or whatever the cost is, we're thinking that we might be better off simply hiring another scout in-house. That way, we'd get our own information, and the reports would be more in line with exactly what we want on a (prospect)." One team personnel chief sited the fact that Blesto had Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer of Southern California rated as its 53rd prospect. Palmer figures to be a top 10 selection next spring.
The league's diversity committee, chaired by Pittsburgh owner Dan Rooney, has proposed a one-year alteration to the anti-tampering rules that it feels might help enhance head coaching opportunities for the minority candidates for head coaching positions. Under the proposal, teams seeking to make a coaching change could conduct one interview with candidates whose teams are still in the playoffs. The current guidelines stipulate that a coach still involved in the postseason cannot be interviewed. A vote is to be conducted by Dec. 23 and several owners to whom we spoke surmised that the balloting will be close but the proposal likely will pass.
| |  | |
| Green |
For years, the 1983 draft has been regarded by talent evaluators as the most loaded lottery in NFL history, and the proof may well be validated in Canton, Ohio, over the next few years. Two members of the memorable 1983 first round, quarterback Jim Kelly and tailback Eric Dickerson, are already enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Quarterbacks John Elway and Dan Marino are sure things, as is offensive lineman Bruce Matthews. Darrell Green, who will retire from the Washington Redskins after the 2002 season finale, has a shot as does offensive lineman Chris Hinton. The first round that has produced the most Hall of Fame members to date is the opening stanza of the 1961 draft. Four members of that class -- tight end Mike Ditka, defensive tackle Bob Lilly, and cornerbacks Jimmy Johnson and Herb Adderley -- are Hall of Fame members.
Good to see that St. Louis coach Mike Martz realizes that sometimes it's not the position coach, but rather the players, who are performing poorly. Martz wisely stepped up this week and dispelled all those rumors that had him canning special teams coach Bobby April at the end of the season. As he noted here two weeks ago, it would have taken a big swallow by Martz to dump an assistant of whom he is genuinely fond, and who he knows is one of the best in the business. No one works harder or sweats the details like April does. If the players on the St. Louis special teams units worked half as hard as he does, the Rams kicking game would be demonstrably better. In most cases, the coach takes the blame, but not this time. Martz made a savvy move in stopping all the whispers about April's future. He made an even smarter one by deciding to bring April back for 2003.
Good job by the agents for Washington Redskins right offensive tackle Jon Jansen in negotiating a six-year, $25 million contract extension for the four-year veteran. Jansen is a solid player but not regarded as among the top 10-15 tackles in the league. In exchange for decreasing the average per year in his demands (from $5 million to $4.25 million), Jansen was able to land an $8 million signing bonus. That's the popular tradeoff now, more upfront money and a smaller average, in the league. Just one day before the deal was struck, Redskins officials were moaning they would never get it done. The contract will pay Jansen $12 million over the first three years of the deal and it keeps him off the free agent market.
Punts: How good is Buffalo tailback Travis Henry? Four times this year he went against one of the NFL's top three rushers, and three times he gained more rushing yards. Henry has six games of 125-plus yards, the most in the league. … OK, so he's not a special player, but Atlanta free safety Keion Carpenter, who has performed surprisingly well for the Falcons, and should have gotten a little more Pro Bowl consideration.… The Bucs coaches are down again on right guard Cosey Coleman.… Former Dallas free safety George Teague quietly announced his official retirement from the league on Thursday.… The odds are improving, if only slightly, that the Cowboys and Emmitt Smith can work out an amenable deal that will keep him in Big D for one more season. … One of the top defensive draft prospects in the ACC is close to a deal with agents not registered in his state and that could be trouble for him and his school.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
| |
|
