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So, five of the eight teams alive in the Super Bowl tournament enter the divisional round of the postseason with starting quarterbacks who began their professional careers on other teams or in other leagues, huh?
Well, get accustomed to it, folks.
For every Donovan McNabb, who has played all four NFL seasons in a Philadelphia Eagles uniform, there is a Rich Gannon, the Oakland star and 2002 NFL Most Valuable Player now employed by his fifth franchise. For every Chad Pennington, who could well spend his entire career with the Jets, there are knockaround vagabonds such as Tommy Maddox, Brad Johnson and Jeff Garcia.
And it doesn't seem like things are going to change anytime soon.
A look ahead at the 2003 season indicates that, because of injuries (shoulder procedures are the surgery du jour right now) and ineptitude, there could be as many as 14 teams whose quarterback situation will be unsettled as training camps open. Yep, that's indeed the big calliope warming up its pipes as the quarterback carousel is gussied up for the offseason. Fresh paint on the merry-go-round, fresh faces in new places.
|  | | Kelly Holcomb's performance this season should allow him the shot to compete with Tim Couch in '03. |
"It looks like it's going to be another offseason of movement at quarterback, another year with a lot of turnover," said agent Ralph Cindrich, who has two clients, Jeff Blake of Baltimore and Denver's Brian Griese, who could be affected. "It's just the way it is anymore."
Time was when seniority was a value commodity at the position. But of the 32 quarterbacks who started the regular-season finales for their respective teams, only 14 had been with their current franchises at least three seasons, and only four were in the same place for five seasons or more.
It is a position in flux, and the trend won't slow this spring. Unless you've got a reliable crystal ball, it will be difficult to divine just who will start next September for franchises such as Arizona, St. Louis, Carolina, Dallas, Chicago and Cleveland.
There are no guarantees that former Bears starter Jim Miller, who underwent shoulder surgery on Tuesday, will be sufficiently recovered in time to have a shot at reclaiming his job. Doctors will cut into the shoulder of Aaron Brooks next week, and New Orleans officials will hold their breath until he is able to throw with some velocity this spring. Specialists have told New England officials that the shoulder separation suffered by Tom Brady in the season finale is relatively benign, but Patriots coaches will want to see for themselves in the first mini-camp practice.
The medical report on St. Louis star Kurt Warner revealed no damage to his rotator cuff, as some Rams officials felt it might, but the two-time MVP will still have to beat out Marc Bulger.
And the Rams camp won't be the only place where the competition figures to be as hot as the sun beating down on camp.
No one, maybe not even Bill Parcells himself, knows yet who will line up for the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener. Baltimore wants to bring back Jeff Blake as its starter, but he is an unrestricted free agent and is going to demand more than the minimum $750,000 base salary for which he toiled in 2002. It will be hard for Trent Dilfer to recapture his starting job, given the performance of Matt Hasselbeck over the final two months, but Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren probably won't make pre-camp commitments to either of his quarterbacks. No one knows what direction Carolina and Arizona will go. Not even Maddox, the comeback player of the year for Pittsburgh, has legitimate job security.
"There are about a million options," said one Panthers official, "and we're going to look at all of them. And we're not the only team in that boat."
Perhaps the most intriguing situation is in Cleveland, where Tim Couch has yet to be embraced by the fans and some teammates, and Kelly Holcomb will get a chance to unseat him. Holcomb threw for more than 400 yards in the Browns' collapse at Pittsburgh last Sunday, and even Steelers weakside linebacker Joey Porter took time to fuel what should be a pretty heated quarterback controversy along the shores of Lake Erie.
"Let's just say Couch never torched us like that other guy," Porter said. "If we play Couch, we know what we're getting, but that isn't how it was with (Holcomb) out there for them. I don't care how much they're paying Couch, they've got themselves a full-blown quarterback controversy now."
But whether it's because of vacancy, or the fact two or more quarterbacks will vie for the starting job, the offseason starts with a degree of uncertainty in nearly half the league precincts. That figures to make for an interesting six months.
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Side Lines
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On-Line
It would be easy to overlook this week's best matchup, since it pits the unusual tandem of a defensive end against an offensive guard. But the third-down battle between Tennessee defensive end Kevin Carter and Pittsburgh left guard Alan Faneca on Saturday, while definitely underrated, figures to be worth watching. Because of his foot injury, Titans end Jevon Kearse is being aligned on the left side to provide him better plant on his upfield forays. That means Carter has moved to the right side. But on third down, to get upfield rookie pass rusher Carlos Hall onto the field, the Titans move Carter inside to tackle. From the tackle spot, Carter has both the strength to overpower people and the speed to out-quick them. In a strong comeback season, Carter had 10 sacks, most of them from his end spot. But since he is 300 pounds, a rarity at end, he is also a handful playing inside. Faneca made the Pro Bowl team for a second straight season and is a tremendous drive blocker. But the Steelers star struggles on occasion with the quick rush to his inside. |
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The List
Since the NFL adopted the 12-team postseason format in 1990, there have been 48 teams that earned first-round byes. Those clubs are an aggregate 39-9 in their opening playoff contests. Here is a look at the nine "bye" teams who lost their first games:
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Year
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Score
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2001
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Eagles 33, Bears 19
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2000
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Ravens 24, Titans 10
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1999
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Titans 19, Colts 16
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1997
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Broncos 14, Chiefs 10
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1996
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Jaguars 30, Broncos 27
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1995
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Colts 10, Chiefs 7
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1995
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Packers 27, 49ers 17
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1993
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Chiefs 28, Oilers 20
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1992
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Bills 24, Steelers 3
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Stat of the Week
So, you think the last-play pass interference snafu in the Giants-49ers game was the only oversight by the referees in last weekend's wild-card round? Well, there are indication the zebras missed a few other calls, or just chose to ignore them. Case in point: In last weekend's four games, there were 316 pass plays (attempts plus sacks), an average of 79 per contest. Yet in the four games, there were just three holding penalties, and one was negated because of offsetting infractions. The rare guilty parties: Atlanta tight end Brian Kozlowski, Green Bay guard Marco Rivera (offset) and New York Giants tight end Dan Campbell. That's one holding flag thrown against a lineman the whole weekend. Hey, we agree, the fewer flags the better. But this isn't the NHL, guys, where a penalty is never a penalty in the last couple of minutes of a tie game or overtime. For years, it has been assumed NFL referees toss fewer flags in postseason, and league officials adamantly deny that. But last week's games offer a pretty good example of how the officials keep their handkerchiefs in their pockets in playoff contests. |
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Stat of the Weak
In the last six games, the period which corresponds with the absence of quarterback Donovan McNabb from the Philadelphia Eagles lineup, wide receiver James Thrash has just 11 catches for 126 yards. That includes only two catches the past three outings. Thrash had 41 receptions for 509 yards in the 10 games McNabb started. No one may welcome McNabb's return to the lineup more than the veteran wide receiver.
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The Last Word
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| Cowher |
Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, on the prospect of taking his injury-riddled Steelers to Nashville, where the Tennessee Titans always play a physical style: "Well, we'll just go down there with our drum, our flute and our flag, and see what happens."
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Around the league
No one ever pays attention to guard play. Not in the regular season, not in the postseason, basically never. Guards are the grunts of the world, a truly faceless and underpaid bunch, a fraternity of 325-pound squat guys who try to root out defensive linemen on every snap. But if you want to scrutinize some of the finer points of this weekend's matchups, you might be drawn to the unusually solid selection of guards who will be on display. Alan Faneca of Pittsburgh is a Pro Bowl player, and running mate Kendall Simmons soon will be. Few guys fit the guard mold better than the tandem of Mo Collins and Frank Middleton in Oakland. Benji Olson of Tennessee is superb, as is the New York Jets' Randy Thomas, who, despite his position, figures to be one of the most sought-after veterans in the unrestricted free agent pool. Ron Stone of the 49ers has declined a bit but still made the Pro Bowl and remains a solid performer. "If you're going to run the football, you had better get good play from your guards," said Titans offensive line coach Russ Grimm, himself a Hall of Fame guard. "There are really a lot of good guards in these playoffs. They'll make a difference for some team."
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| Douglas |
Look for Philadelphia defensive end Hugh Douglas to ratchet things up a notch in the playoffs. Essentially, the postseason is an open audition of sorts for Douglas, who voided the 2003 portion of his contract and is eligible for unrestricted free agency in two months. Even though he will be 32 years old by the start of the '03 campaign, Douglas should be one of the prize catches in the free-agent pool. The Eagles, who seem to fear his age, have made no attempt to sign Douglas to an extension. We're not big on telling team president Joe Banner how to do business, because he has done a pretty darn good job without our advice, but losing Douglas would be a blow. Some team with the need for a nasty guy, and a proven pass rusher who still has enough left in the tank to get double-digit quarterback kills for a few more seasons, is likely to snatch Douglas away. Not only would that cost Philly in terms of on-field production, but it would also be a loss in the locker room, where Douglas holds plenty of sway and often is an emotional barometer for the young Eagles.
If the Cincinnati Bengals don't hire Tom Coughlin, and there are signs the momentum is shifting toward Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis, one reason will be because ownership didn't buy into the fact it needed to bring the franchise "up to code." In his Thursday meeting with Bengals owner Mike Brown and other club officials, Coughlin took his best and most honest shot. Reports the two sides disagreed over balance of power are erroneous. Instead, what Coughlin offered was an "action plan" for yanking the Bengals into the 20th century. Yeah, we know, it's actually the 21st century. But if you can get the Bengals to within 100 years of every other team, hey, that's progress. Essentially, Coughlin asked for a staff of about 17 assistants. And he wanted them to be paid the league average, not a cent above it, basically in line with the NFL standard. He asked to be able to speak with the team's trainer, video director, scouting staff. None of those things are unreasonable. But even among Cincinnati front-office staffers, there was a sense that Mike Brown considered Coughlin's candor perhaps a grab for power. That certainly wasn't Coughlin's intention. And if Bengals officials couldn't see that, then Coughlin wouldn't want to be there anyway, which would leave the door open for Lewis.
New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington is miffed that the story was made public but, now that it is out, teammates have even more admiration for the first-year starter. Pennington's father-in-law, whose name he has not divulged for obvious reasons, was diagnosed in October with leukemia. In order to ensure him the best possible care, and to get him closer to their home, Pennington and his wife moved him from West Virginia to a facility on Long Island. Virtually every night, Pennington visits his father-in-law, along with wife Robin, and the sessions usually last several hours. That's a lot of time for a first-time starter to devote to something off the field, even for a player having the kind of season that Pennington is enjoying, and that is what teammates view as remarkable. "It shows another side of him," one veteran defensive player acknowledged. "You wonder, given how much he studies, where he finds the time. I mean, the guy always seems to be in the film room, you know? It forces you to consider him in another light, one that has nothing to do with football, and to admire his devotion."
A source close to Oakland wide receiver Jerry Rice told ESPN.com this week that it is "pretty much a given" the future Hall of Fame member will return in 2003 for a 19th season. And, hey, why not? The guy can catch 75 balls in his sleep, hasn't lost a step in the past year, and is really enjoying the game. His return isn't a done deal yet, but it's close.
For months, it has been assumed (including by us) that the Chicago Bears would invest their first-round choice in a quarterback. But in the immortal words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend." Based on the statements made this week by Chicago general manager Jerry Angelo, the Bears are wary of doling out so much money to an unproven commodity. So it is hardly a lock now Chicago will use the fourth overall choice in the draft on a quarterback for the future. Instead, the Bears might try to find a bargain, someone like a Jake Delhomme of New Orleans, who is eligible for free agency, and also attempt to develop a younger player. Perhaps someone they take in a later round of the draft.
This is the time of year for hirings and firings but, more so than for head coaches, it is also open season on defensive coordinators. Three coordinators with an aggregate 52 years of NFL experience -- Foge Fazio (Cleveland), Willie Shaw (Minnesota) and Steve Sidwell (Seattle) -- were cut loose by their respective teams recently. More changes will follow. Jerry Gray remains on thin ice in Buffalo. Ditto Larry Marmie in Arizona. The fates of Mark Duffner in Cincinnati and Jacksonville's John Pease could be tied to whoever those teams hire as their new head coaches. It's unusual to have more coordinators than head coaches fired after a season, but then again this has been an unpredictable year any way you cut it. Sidwell was part of the purge Mike Holmgren had to enact to assure ownership he was willing to make changes on a poor unit. Tice always saw Shaw, who had quietly sought the Vikings head coaching job at the end of the 2001 season when Dennis Green resigned, as a threat. Plus he wanted to put his mentor, George O'Leary, in a more advantageous position. And in Cleveland, there had been no attempt to hide the fact Fazio had fallen out of favor with head coach Butch Davis. In fact, in last week's "Tip Sheet," we reported Fazio would likely be replaced by former Dallas head coach Dave Campo, which is precisely what transpired Friday morning. Make no mistake about it: Fazio was forced out. He got a nice parting-gifts package from the Browns and he went away quietly, under the guise of his purported retirement. But some Cleveland defenders, principally cornerback Corey Fuller, confirmed what we had known for weeks. In the past month, Davis took a much bigger hand in defensive game-planning. And while some will simply view this as rationalization, it was Davis who insisted on playing so "soft" in the final quarter of the Browns' collapse last weekend. Davis had his eye on Campo, with whom he had worked in Dallas and at the University of Miami, all along. Just how "retired" is Fazio? Well, ESPN.com confirmed that he took a phone call from Green Bay officials this week, wanting to know if he might be interested in replacing linebackers coach Bo Pelini, who left to become defensive coordinator at Nebraska. He politely declined. But if the job was right, Fazio might consider it. And he will go to the combine in February just to assess if there are any positions that interest him.
Let's lay to rest as well the announcement that St. Louis running backs coach Bobby Jackson "retired" last week. After a disagreement with head coach Mike Martz, he quit, plain and simple. Jackson had been in the league for 20 years.
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| Mariucci |
It's not true that San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci saved his job with the 49ers' comeback victory over the New York Giants last week. No matter the outcome, 49ers officials were prepared (and still are) to offer Mariucci a contract extension. But things have changed with "Mooch" over the last couple of weeks. Where he was once set to consider a modest raise, just to keep his family in the Bay Area, it now might take a deal more along the lines of the NFL standard, about $3 million annually. Mariucci has one year left on his contract and is scheduled to earn a base salary of $2.2 million. His new tack, sources say, is that he will work through the current contract, as a lame duck, if San Francisco officials don't hit the right salary number. Or, depending on the timetable in Jacksonville, he could become a candidate there if the 49ers are eliminated this weekend and the Jags don't yet have a head coach.
The Miami Dolphins would love to land a big-time wide receiver in the free agent market, but their first priority, it seems, is an offensive left tackle. In fact, the Dolphins want to upgrade the line in general. Incumbent left tackle Mark Dixon, a natural guard, is talking again about retirement. But the best solution for the Dolphins would be to buy a tackle, have Dixon come back for another year and bump him inside to left guard. Current left guard Jamie Nails faces a long rehabilitation from Achilles surgery, the result of an injury sustained in the next-to-last regular-season contest.
There are whispers that wide receiver Terry Glenn might not be back with the Green Bay Packers in 2003. Although coach Mike Sherman did not have the kind of off-field problems with Glenn the New England Patriots did, the conventional wisdom is that the Packers want to develop their young wide receivers. Donald Driver, Robert Ferguson and Javon Walker all had some moments this season. Driver, in fact, emerged as the go-to guy for Brett Favre and was rewarded with a four-year contract extension. Green Bay would save a few much-needed cap dollars, although not many, if it bounced Glenn, and it would force the youngsters into the lineup.
Funny how all the bubba-come-latelies in Atlanta -- those sudden fans who never attended a Falcons game before owner Arthur Blank dropped ticket prices this season -- are now on the bandwagon. The fans and the media in Atlanta have done everything they could this week to create a rivalry with the Eagles and their loyalists. But not even Falcons players are buying into the propaganda. "The last time I checked," said middle linebacker Keith Brooking, "a fan never won a game."
Despite published reports, Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Tom Modrak has not spoken to Seattle Seahawks officials about their opening for a general manager. That's not to say he won't, but Bills president/general manager Tom Donahoe insisted this week that the Seahawks haven't even phoned for permission to meet with Modrak. In the meantime, Modrak did interview last weekend with Jacksonville owner Wayne Weaver. If the Jags boss has any sense, he'll hire him. Modrak is one of the best available talent evaluators in the league. Too many teams have passed on him since he departed the Philadelphia Eagles two years ago.
Should current Baltimore college scouting director Phil Savage land the general manager job in Jacksonville, he will recommend three candidates for head coach: Kirk Ferentz of Iowa, who interviewed with owner Wayne Weaver on Wednesday and was said to be impressive; Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, who wants nothing to do with the position and has apprised the Jaguars of that; and Carolina defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.
This is getting way too old and far too sad: Last week we wrote about close friend Joel Buchsbaum, who passed away suddenly at his cluttered home in Brooklyn over the wild-card weekend. And then we awoke Friday to more sad news, that longtime Boston Globe football reporter Will McDonough had succumbed to a heart attack while watching television Thursday night. Yeah, another kick in the groin, another loss that is unfathomable. Our condolences to Denise McDonough and all the kids. To sons Terry (a Baltimore Ravens scout) and to Sean (who has called play-by-play on radio and television), whom we have come to know pretty well, our prayers. McDonough was, for many of us, a mentor. Even after he made the move from print to television, he still considered himself a newspaper guy and never failed to return a phone call to a fellow scribe. If you had ink under your fingernails, that was a good enough introduction as far as Will was concerned. For years, his notes columns on Sunday were a must-read for anyone covering the league, and you often concluded by wondering if he was under the beds of league owners, there was so much inside information crammed into them. A testiment to how respected McDonough was: He never, ever used a tape recorder for interviews. He never, ever was called on the carpet by a coach or a player for having misquoted them. At the sake of being melancholy, McDonough was one of the primary reasons I pursued this profession. My close friend and colleague Chris Mortensen noted Friday morning that, when McDonough went over to the TV side, that made it good enough for all the rest of us. Todd Archer of the Palm Beach Post, a Boston-area native who had grown up reading McDonough, put it simply but best: "The guy never 'big-timed' anybody. He always made time for you." There have been plenty of times in the past 25 years when, having driven into a dead-end on a story, I and many others sought counsel from Willie. And he was always there. The fact that he is no longer here is a monumental loss for all of us.
Punts: Cincinnati defensive line coach Tim Krumrie interviewed Friday for the same position with Buffalo. Bills defensive line coach John Levra retired at the end of the season. Buffalo officials continue to try to lure former Bengals head coach Dick LeBeau to coach Gregg Williams' staff. … If Marvin Lewis lands the Cincinnati head coach spot, the Washington Redskins are prepared to promote linebackers coach George Edwards into the defensive coordinator position. … Detroit has some interest in St. Louis Rams general manager Charlie Armey for its vacant personnel director post. And given his flagging relationship with coach Mike Martz the past few years, Armey might be interested. But the Lions haven't yet sought permission to speak with Armey and there is no timetable yet for doing so. … Take it to the bank: Nine-year veteran strong safety Rodney Harrison has played his final game for the Chargers. And the team could make it a clean sweep in the interior secondary if it decides that it has had enough of underachieving free safety Rogers Beckett. If Beckett is dumped, don't be surprised if he winds up in Atlanta. … The Steelers have broached the subject of a contract extension to quarterback Charlie Batch, who is eligible for free agency. Batch would consider re-signing with his hometown team if officials convince him he will have a chance to oust Tommy Maddox as the starter. … Anyone seeking a really solid quarterbacks mentor ought to consider Wade Wilson, who isn't going to be retained by Bill Parcells in Dallas. A former NFL starter, Wilson is a very good teacher, has a quick mind and obviously relates well to quarterbacks. … Tampa Bay was the first NFL defense since the 1985 Chicago Bears to lead the NFL in fewest yards allowed, fewest points surrendered and also interceptions. … This is the first time in 18 years that a former Pittsburgh player, coach or owner is not among the Hall of Fame finalists.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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